This is the front of the hotel. All very new; it only opened a year or two ago.
The other side of the building, as I saw it every day on my way back from class (the building where our lessons took place was just a few steps along the same road, which is why I chose this hotel.) My room is on the first floor above the stilts, the one to the far left of the building.
I enjoyed classes just as I had done during the first week of the course, but I must admit I found the Thursday and Friday a lot more knackering than I'd expected. Monday to Wednesday were easier in that classes ended between 4.30 and 5.00 pm. Thursday, we had a brief oral exam; each of us had been given a topic to present in 10 minutes maximum, and we all sat in while the others gave their presentations. That meant finishing at 7.00 pm, which is quite a long day if you've been at lessons since 8.30 in the morning and not exactly used to such academic work. The Friday was another long day until 6.00 pm, and our teacher on that day was a true expert in his field (IT security), and a very kind man - but not the most gifted of speakers. It was difficult to stay focused, and by late afternoon I was so tired I really had to struggle not to fall asleep (and I wasn't the only one). I was so tired that I was very much tempted to just retreat to my room and lay down after the end of the lesson, but I pulled myself together and went for what turned out to be the most interesting walk I'd had all week. No revising that night, though!
I took these "before" and "after" pictures of our classroom with my mobile phone.
Next time I'll be back there will be at the end of June. On the Friday of that third week, we'll have to write our final exams for several subjects. Until then, I will be good and do some more (lots more, actually!) revising.
Hello Meike:
ReplyDeleteA course as concentrated as this one appears to be, and particularly when one is out of the routine of academic study, can be very tiring indeed. But how good that you did not give in to sleep at the end of a busy and long day but took yourself out and about. We are certain that, whatever, you will have felt better for so doing.
Hello Jane and Lance,
Deleteyes, I did feel much better after having given my poor little brain a good airing.
Good luck, Meike! But I'm sure that if anyone can do it, you can! xoxox
ReplyDeleteThank you, Carol! A few people usually fail some parts of the exams, but I hope not to be one of them.
DeleteTapfer, tapfer!
ReplyDeleteI couldn’t do it anymore, even if I wanted to. But then I no longer need to earn my living.
I knew there was something to be said for being a pensioner.
All the same, good luck and I hope you enjoy your course.
Vielen Dank, Friko!
DeleteWell, this is the kind of thing that I enjoy doing but will also be glad when it is over. One or two years ago, I certainly did not expect going back to school at my age!
Interesting to see a bit of your classes and hotel. Best of luck for your course. I'm also sure you must have made the right decision to go out for a walk that last night, and clear your head...IT Security is such an important subject. I am sorry the expert was not a better speaker, but not especially surprised.
ReplyDeleteWe had a professor for the same subject but with a different approach earlier on in the week. He was very good and kept everybody involved by asking questions - something the teacher on Friday never did. It does make a difference, doesn't it, when your mind is actively trying to solve a problem instead of just listening to someone telling you about all those problems.
DeleteIt sounds as if you were once again a Grade A student! By the way I loved your use of the word "knackering" - not a word I would expect from someone whose first language isn't English. You used it correctly but the word normally has a working class informality about it. In general I find your written expression quite superb Miss Arian!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much, Mr. Pudding! I must have taken that expression from my late husband, who often came home from work (he taught business English in morning and evening classes at a nearby language school) too knackered to cook, which is why he usually prepared our meals when he was home during the day.
DeleteHey Meike!
ReplyDeleteI love that photo of the building in the gold and pinkish light, I have seen the same kind of light when the sun is going down at Arabia Mountain and it lights up the stone in a way that is hard to describe.
It made me chuckle to see that you use the word "knackered", Richard has used that word for years and no one says it here. He also uses it as a Cockney rhyming slang... he will say he is "cream crackered" which rhymes with knackered, of course! I would say "tired" but my Dad would say "plumb wore out"!
Sorry, that one word just set me off on this tangent!
Dear Kay, that is an interesting tangent - as all language-related tangents are to me! I've also heard people say they are shattered, or washed out, and many other such expressions. They usually convey quite a good picture of what the tired person wants to say!
DeleteThe building looks lovely, glowing in the sun. I went back and looked at the other post, and it is interesting how the pictures look colder somehow.
ReplyDeleteYou will have more to compare with my next post, Tracey, I have pictures of nearly the same places as last time, and they look a lot warmer this time around.
DeleteWell done on studying - it keeps your brain alive :)
ReplyDeleteActually, I felt closer to braindead than alive on the Friday evening :-)
DeleteI can even now remember how difficult it often was keeping my eyes open during lectures at uni. I could no more attend lectures now than I could fly to the moon.
ReplyDeleteIt did worry me quite a bit, you know. I was finding it so hard to stay focused and not let my mind wander. Of course this has a long prequel: I never used to sit down and study hard for school; if a subject didn't instantly "reveal" itself to me, I wasn't interested and simply didn't do anything about it. And when I WAS interested, I did not need to make much of an effort to get good grades.
Delete