Thursday mornings, I have my "early start" of the week. I have to teach at St. George's Prep (about a 40-minute drive) at 8:30. It's my earliest start of the week by a solid hour - plus I have to drive quite a ways, so I generally have to get up by 7:00 to get there on time.
I am usually pretty tired on Thursday morning, but I wake up really quickly on the way to St. George's because the drive is just spectacular. It generally divides into 4 parts:
1st leg - I start in Paget and drive Eastbound on Middle Road. The road is usually pretty crowded with people driving into Hamilton to work, so I generally drive like a dick and follow all of the other bikes that pass cars by the dozen. While the view isn't necessarily the greatest, it certainly wakes you up.
2nd leg - Once I pass the roundabout where you can either head into town or head out through Devonshire towards the East End, I'm driving along South Shore Road. It's a really nice drive. There are lots of palm trees, some golf courses, a nice church, Palm Grove Gardens (where I stayed for a couple weeks), and head over Knapton Hill, where there is just a SPECTACULAR view of the Southern coast of the island.
3rd leg - From Knapton Hill, I drive on Harrington Sound Road, which is great because you can see a bunch of boats when you first turn onto it. Then I drive through a bunch of curves, which is always nice on a bike. After Harrington Sound, I drive over the causeway, which I daresay is the best view on the island. The causeway is the bridge that connects the main island to the airport and St. George's, and you can see all the way out to the ocean on the south, and up the bay on the north. It's really easy to see the Grotto Bay Beach and pier, where I went kayaking the other day. It's also really neat to drive past the airport and see a bunch of different planes on the runway. There is also a really nice straight stretch of road (the longest on the island, I'd venture to guess) where you can really just relax and take in the scenery, which is just beautiful.
4th leg - Driving into St. Georges is just great. St. George's is this really cool little town on the East End. There are all kinds of little shops, a great little beach, and generally lots of tourists, beacuse St. George's is one of two cruise ship ports on the island (the other being the Royal Naval Dockyard on the opposite side of the island). You can always see the tourists walking around or driving on the bikes they rent from Oleander Cycles (you can spot them coming a mile away because of their red bikes and small, white helmets).
It's a really great drive, and it certainly wakes me up at 7:40 in the morning.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Driving in Bermuda, or an analysis of idiots.
There are a few things here in Bermuda that make driving - especially in town - really interesting and different from in the states.
1. Turn Signals
Incidentally, cars/bikes are not required to have turn signals. Now, virtually everyone does, and if you have turn signals on your car/bike, then they have to be in working order or the vehicle won't pass the TCD inspection. But really, nobody uses turn signals (or shall I say "indicators") basically at all. It's really interesting because you sometimes have to guess where the car is going, which side you should pass the car on, or, in the case of a roundabout, where the hell the car is going to exit.
2. Horns
You almost never use the horn to signal to someone that they are doing something stupid or about to hit someone. Instead, you beep your horn vigorously whenever you see someone you know (your friend, family member, someone you saw once at a bar, someone you don't know but would really like to know, someone who looks vaguely like someone you know, etc). This makes driving in town really noisy, as everyone knows everyone (there are 65,000 people on this island - you're bound to know someone). Eventually, you get used to the horns and never think anyone is ever honking at you - a bit of a problem...
3. The "bike" lane
Appropriately, this is number 3, because the bike lane is like the 3rd lane on the road. The third lane extends about 6 inches on either side of the center line - this is where motorbikes drive if there is any kind of traffic, passing cars by the dozens. It's really dangerous, and probably horribly illegal - especially going around tight corners where you can't see the traffic coming.
...it's still better than driving in DC.
1. Turn Signals
Incidentally, cars/bikes are not required to have turn signals. Now, virtually everyone does, and if you have turn signals on your car/bike, then they have to be in working order or the vehicle won't pass the TCD inspection. But really, nobody uses turn signals (or shall I say "indicators") basically at all. It's really interesting because you sometimes have to guess where the car is going, which side you should pass the car on, or, in the case of a roundabout, where the hell the car is going to exit.
2. Horns
You almost never use the horn to signal to someone that they are doing something stupid or about to hit someone. Instead, you beep your horn vigorously whenever you see someone you know (your friend, family member, someone you saw once at a bar, someone you don't know but would really like to know, someone who looks vaguely like someone you know, etc). This makes driving in town really noisy, as everyone knows everyone (there are 65,000 people on this island - you're bound to know someone). Eventually, you get used to the horns and never think anyone is ever honking at you - a bit of a problem...
3. The "bike" lane
Appropriately, this is number 3, because the bike lane is like the 3rd lane on the road. The third lane extends about 6 inches on either side of the center line - this is where motorbikes drive if there is any kind of traffic, passing cars by the dozens. It's really dangerous, and probably horribly illegal - especially going around tight corners where you can't see the traffic coming.
...it's still better than driving in DC.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Get your motor running...
Today I took (and passed) my auxiliary cycle test, so I'm now authorized to drive a 50cc bike around the island. It's kind of weird, as I have been renting a bike for the past 5 weeks and riding around just like anyone else, but now I'm able to purchase and drive my very own bike.
The test was actually really stupidly easy. It reminded me a little bit of my driving test when I was 16. There are 3 different parts to this test:
1. Driving around a couple of cones.
Basically, you have to do a slalom course around like 5 cones and turn around in a circle, then do the same thing on the way back. As long as you keep your speed up a little bit, it's fine.
2. The "Emergency Stop"
You drive in between the cones up to the circle, turn around, then drive back and stop right at a white line.
3. Hand signals
You drive up beside the cones and make a left turn doing a left hand signal (sticking your left arm straight out before you turn), come back, and then go up and do a right turn with a hand signal (sticking your right arm out).
If you can manage to do all of these without bumping a cone or putting your foot down on the ground during the test, then you pass!
So, after waiting at TCD (think the DMV in the USA) for about 2 HOURS.... I have a Bermuda Driver's License. And my picture is just as bad as my American Driver's License.
The test was actually really stupidly easy. It reminded me a little bit of my driving test when I was 16. There are 3 different parts to this test:
1. Driving around a couple of cones.
Basically, you have to do a slalom course around like 5 cones and turn around in a circle, then do the same thing on the way back. As long as you keep your speed up a little bit, it's fine.
2. The "Emergency Stop"
You drive in between the cones up to the circle, turn around, then drive back and stop right at a white line.
3. Hand signals
You drive up beside the cones and make a left turn doing a left hand signal (sticking your left arm straight out before you turn), come back, and then go up and do a right turn with a hand signal (sticking your right arm out).
If you can manage to do all of these without bumping a cone or putting your foot down on the ground during the test, then you pass!
So, after waiting at TCD (think the DMV in the USA) for about 2 HOURS.... I have a Bermuda Driver's License. And my picture is just as bad as my American Driver's License.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Role Reversal
I guess I should probably post something on my actual job, so here goes:
I'm hired as a violin teacher with the Menuhin Foundation, so I have two main duties that I perform every day. First, in the morning, I give group lessons in schools (public and private) around the island. Generally, we teach 3 group lessons each morning - sometimes in 3 separate schools, sometimes 2 in a single school and 1 in another - for 45 minutes each. The group lessons are just fantastic. In certain schools, we have just a first-year program, which is meant for total beginners in P4, which is like the 4th grade in the US. In other schools, we have second- and third-year programs for P5 and P6 students who want to continue with the program. Having the extra programs mostly seems to depend on the school's ability to accomodate the extra students (they have enough violins on hand, and they are able to get the older kids out of class to have violin lessons).
In the group lessons, we almost always teach in pairs. This is great because then we have 2 teachers for something like 10 students (sometimes more, sometimes less) so if there is a problem - a string breaks, a violin goes horribly out of tune, anything like that - there is one teacher to fix the problem, and the other teacher can go on with the lesson. Also, if a teacher is sick or unable to make the group lesson for any reason, the kids will still get a lessons because there is always the other teacher coming. During the week, I spend one day with Kerry, two with Charles, and then I spend Friday with Caroline. On Thursdays, before I meet up with Charles, I teach a class all on my own - a second year program at St. George's Preparatory. That's the only class that I am totally on my own, which is great.
This week we've done most of the first lessons for the kids, as last week we mostly just distributed instruments and made sure the kids were all signed up for the class and paid for rentals - general administrative/housekeeping stuff. The first lesson is actually really fun. We've been teaching the first-year students rest position, playing position, the names of the strings, and pizzicato technique. I actually learned a really great method of getting the kids into a good playing position from Charles - if any of my fellow pedagogues are interested, just leave a comment here or ask me via facebook or email, and I'll be happy to detail it for you. The second year kids we are mostly just trying to get back into the swing of things - playing some of the pieces they did last year, getting reacquainted with proper bow holds and stuff.
In the afternoons, we teach private lessons starting at 330, when the schools let out. We also can do private teaching on Saturday mornings. For this, the Menuhin Foundation rents out rooms in Bermuda High School downtown - there are two music classrooms and four practice rooms where we do all of our private teaching. Right now, I teach privately for something like 10.5 hours per week, which works out to about 3 hours per day. I mostly have half-hour students, so I actually have somewhere around 20 students! the levels of my students vary pretty widely - I have really young complete beginners, one student who is working on the Bartok Roumanian Folk Dances, a really nice adult student who is doing Mazas etudes and the Vivaldi A minor concerto, and a whole bunch of really solid intermediate students. I really really love teaching privately here. My students are without exception very nice and respectful. I'm really looking forward to watching their musical growth and development over the term.
In addition to teaching, the Menuhin Foundation gets a ton of gigs for weddings, parties, etc. Alison, the cello teacher, organizes the gig schedule, and is really great about it. She's very fair about allocating gigs evenly to the violinists (as there are 4 of us, we have to rotate gigs), and we all get a chance to arrange individual gigs - that is, we each are given the option to work out all the music that is to be played, and to be the main contact person for specific gigs. It works out really well that way, as the arranger gets paid a little extra, and it shares the burden of having to organize all the gigs over the year.
Another opportunity that is open to us is the Bermuda Philharmonic. This is mostly a volunteer group that also hires out professional musicians for the orchestra. We've been rehearsing for a couple of weeks now, and the concert is something like next week. This particular concert is a pops concert, and we're playing things like Carmen, An American in Paris, the Khachaturian Sabre Dance, etc. It's really great, because I'm meeting a whole bunch of fellow music teachers on the island, both teachers in the school system and teachers with the Bermuda School of Music.
Well, that's why I do, 5 days a week. It's really hard to believe that I'm getting paid to do this - it's a real dream job, and I'm truly fortunate to have it.
I'm hired as a violin teacher with the Menuhin Foundation, so I have two main duties that I perform every day. First, in the morning, I give group lessons in schools (public and private) around the island. Generally, we teach 3 group lessons each morning - sometimes in 3 separate schools, sometimes 2 in a single school and 1 in another - for 45 minutes each. The group lessons are just fantastic. In certain schools, we have just a first-year program, which is meant for total beginners in P4, which is like the 4th grade in the US. In other schools, we have second- and third-year programs for P5 and P6 students who want to continue with the program. Having the extra programs mostly seems to depend on the school's ability to accomodate the extra students (they have enough violins on hand, and they are able to get the older kids out of class to have violin lessons).
In the group lessons, we almost always teach in pairs. This is great because then we have 2 teachers for something like 10 students (sometimes more, sometimes less) so if there is a problem - a string breaks, a violin goes horribly out of tune, anything like that - there is one teacher to fix the problem, and the other teacher can go on with the lesson. Also, if a teacher is sick or unable to make the group lesson for any reason, the kids will still get a lessons because there is always the other teacher coming. During the week, I spend one day with Kerry, two with Charles, and then I spend Friday with Caroline. On Thursdays, before I meet up with Charles, I teach a class all on my own - a second year program at St. George's Preparatory. That's the only class that I am totally on my own, which is great.
This week we've done most of the first lessons for the kids, as last week we mostly just distributed instruments and made sure the kids were all signed up for the class and paid for rentals - general administrative/housekeeping stuff. The first lesson is actually really fun. We've been teaching the first-year students rest position, playing position, the names of the strings, and pizzicato technique. I actually learned a really great method of getting the kids into a good playing position from Charles - if any of my fellow pedagogues are interested, just leave a comment here or ask me via facebook or email, and I'll be happy to detail it for you. The second year kids we are mostly just trying to get back into the swing of things - playing some of the pieces they did last year, getting reacquainted with proper bow holds and stuff.
In the afternoons, we teach private lessons starting at 330, when the schools let out. We also can do private teaching on Saturday mornings. For this, the Menuhin Foundation rents out rooms in Bermuda High School downtown - there are two music classrooms and four practice rooms where we do all of our private teaching. Right now, I teach privately for something like 10.5 hours per week, which works out to about 3 hours per day. I mostly have half-hour students, so I actually have somewhere around 20 students! the levels of my students vary pretty widely - I have really young complete beginners, one student who is working on the Bartok Roumanian Folk Dances, a really nice adult student who is doing Mazas etudes and the Vivaldi A minor concerto, and a whole bunch of really solid intermediate students. I really really love teaching privately here. My students are without exception very nice and respectful. I'm really looking forward to watching their musical growth and development over the term.
In addition to teaching, the Menuhin Foundation gets a ton of gigs for weddings, parties, etc. Alison, the cello teacher, organizes the gig schedule, and is really great about it. She's very fair about allocating gigs evenly to the violinists (as there are 4 of us, we have to rotate gigs), and we all get a chance to arrange individual gigs - that is, we each are given the option to work out all the music that is to be played, and to be the main contact person for specific gigs. It works out really well that way, as the arranger gets paid a little extra, and it shares the burden of having to organize all the gigs over the year.
Another opportunity that is open to us is the Bermuda Philharmonic. This is mostly a volunteer group that also hires out professional musicians for the orchestra. We've been rehearsing for a couple of weeks now, and the concert is something like next week. This particular concert is a pops concert, and we're playing things like Carmen, An American in Paris, the Khachaturian Sabre Dance, etc. It's really great, because I'm meeting a whole bunch of fellow music teachers on the island, both teachers in the school system and teachers with the Bermuda School of Music.
Well, that's why I do, 5 days a week. It's really hard to believe that I'm getting paid to do this - it's a real dream job, and I'm truly fortunate to have it.
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