Tag Archives: English

A public “apology”

Posted on August 7, 2014 by BerLinda

I had hoped to ride out the rest of my time here on a wave of sunshine, lollipops and rainbows, but then something came up – namely, my hackles. On Monday, I received this as a private message: Dear Linda … Continue reading →

Posted in Expat, Humor, Humour, TEFL, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , | 197 Comments

The Latvians rewrite the English dictionary

Posted on March 26, 2014 by BerLinda

When I meet an English person and tell them what I do for a living, I am occasionally rewarded with a pudgy finger in my face, and a bellowed “YOU CAWN’T TEACH ENGLISH! YOU’RE OIRISH!” They then turn to their equally … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Humour, Language, Latvia, TEFL | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 130 Comments

You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry

Posted on March 15, 2014 by BerLinda

The other day, one of my students made me mad. Hopping mad. Believe it or not, this is actually pretty hard to do. While I am what some might call a bitch little feisty in ‘real life’, in the classroom, … Continue reading →

Posted in Expat, Humor, Humour, Language, TEFL | Tagged , , , , , , , | 182 Comments

Of mice and me

Posted on January 4, 2014 by BerLinda

The other day, I learned a new word in Latvian – līķūdens – which translates into English as corpsewater. I was sitting on my sofa, minding my own business, when my phone rang and my rather merry Latvian friend started … Continue reading →

Posted in Expat, Humor, Humour, Language, Latvia | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 114 Comments

Listen carefully. I’m only going to say this one million times.

Posted on October 22, 2013 by BerLinda

In a bid to expand my Latvian language skills beyond murder, weapons and ‘Order! Order in the court!’, I’ve been watching ‘Two and a Half Men’ with subtitles. I was pretty pleased with myself for picking up a couple of phrases … Continue reading →

Posted in Expat, Humor, Humour, Language, Latvia, TEFL | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 106 Comments

Back in the Baltics, baby!

Posted on August 15, 2013 by BerLinda

I’ve finally left England and have returned to the Baltic area of the world – and strangely, I couldn’t be happier about it. I thought about going back to Ireland for a few days after summer school but that would … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Humour, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 44 Comments

Here’s my number, so call me…at your peril

Posted on March 22, 2013 by BerLinda

If meeting a Latvian on the street is a bit like running the gauntlet, speaking to one on the phone is more like running into a brick wall. Usually you end up playing the role of both caller and receptionist. … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Humour, Latvian people, Rudeness | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 56 Comments

Pidgin English

Posted on March 19, 2013 by BerLinda

So hard as I trying to teach my students to speak English good, there are some things they just can’t get there heads under. And more often than not, it’s quite funny. (Even though I shouldn’t laugh of course.) Here are … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Humour, Language | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

Damn. I’ve got a ladder in my sock trousers.

Posted on February 2, 2013 by BerLinda

It’s hard moving to a new country when you don’t know the language. But after trying and failing to find a ‘Teach yourself Latvian in a week’ course, that’s exactly what I did – armed with my university French, four … Continue reading →

Posted in Expat, Humor, Humour, Language, TEFL | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments