Open Writing

...We went to Horton plains to do a famous walk to World's End. The views are supposed to be the best in Sri Lanka, but as usual the rain followed me and the whole walk was ruined by mist and pouring rain. Our photo at the summit was of what looked like an oil tank with the words 'World's End' scruffily painted on it. We posed next to it dressed in raincoats, clutching umbrellas...

World traveller Ruth Kaye is now working as a teacher in Sri Lanka.

To read more of Ruth's travel experiences please click on My Week in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "Sri Lanka In The Rain" »

Written by Ruth Kaye - Published at 10:22 AM | Permalink

World traveller Ruth Kaye has moved on from Egypt and is now working as a teacher for the British Council in Sri Lanka.

Continue reading "On To Colombo" »

Written by Ruth Kaye - Published at 11:22 AM | Permalink

The much-travelled Ruth Kaye gives some tips on travelling in Israel based on her visit to that country earlier this year.

To read more about Ruth's travels and experiences in other parts of the world please click on My Week in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "Visiting Israel" »

Written by Ruth Kaye - Published at 09:02 AM | Permalink

...What I was presented with on the first day looked exactly like what I gave to the cat on Boxing Day after my party - though I gave more meat to the cat....

Ruth Kaye, continuing her travels in Israel, finds the guests in a Jerusalem hostel are far more interesting than the food.

For more of Ruth's travels in all parts of the world please click on My Week in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "A Hostel In Jerusalem" »

Written by Ruth Kaye - Published at 10:44 AM | Permalink

Ruth Kaye, who is now teaching in Egypt, has been travelling in Israel. "For me travelling is not just about seeing famous places,'' says Ruth. "It's about meeting people along the way, and finding myself in new situations.''

To read more of Ruth's travels in oher parts of the world please click on My Week in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "1 - A Week In Israel" »

Written by Ruth Kaye - Published at 11:36 AM | Permalink

Ruth Kaye, nearing the end of her Middle Eastern holiday travels, visits Lattakia on the western coast of Syria - there to be showered with kindness and gifts. The first gift came on the train journey to the coast.

"Opposite me were quite a poor looking family. The child tried to grab my snacks. I was eating dried apricot things wrapped in plastic. They looked like sweets I suppose. Eventually, to shut him up, I gave him one. Oh dear. His teeth were not developed enough to chew it and suck as he might the apricot got no smaller. His hands also got very sticky. I felt very embarrassed by the end of the incident (which ended with the child throwing the apricot on his father’s knee!) and the father shouted at his son. He showed no resentment towards me however, and gave me a bag full of local apples and plums in return for my apparent kindness (I felt very guilty for accepting such a kind gift in return for a measly dried apricot which caused only mess)....''

To read earlier episodes of Ruth's travels please click on My Week in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "Lattakia" »

Written by Ruth Kaye - Published at 11:54 AM | Permalink

Ruth Kaye, who is teaching English in Egypt, continues her account of her travels in the Middle East. Here she enjoys a Turkish bath in Aleppo, and a vigorous body scrub that turned out to be the enemy of nose-studs.

Continue reading "More From Aleppo" »

Written by Ruth Kaye - Published at 11:58 AM | Permalink

...All I can say is that beautiful though Syria is, I am now glad I live in Egypt because swimming with shorts flapping round my legs was not pleasant. Nor was the loud disco music belting out, undoing any feeling of relaxation and tranquillity which the swimming motion may have induced...

Ruth Kaye, continuing her travels in the Midle East, goes swimming in Aleppo. To read earlier episodes of Ruth's holiday journey click on My Week in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "Swimming In Syria" »

Written by Ruth Kaye - Published at 11:14 AM | Permalink

...By the way, don't bother to learn the Arabic word for toilet as you won't need it and will only confuse people if you do try to say it. A year ago, I was taken to a live hen and rabbit stall and was handed a hen, upon asking for the toilet...

Ruth Kaye, continuing her holiday in he Middle East, visits the city of Aleppo in Syria.

Continue reading "Aleppo" »

Written by Ruth Kaye - Published at 09:58 AM | Permalink

Ruth Kaye continues her holiday journey in Syria. To read earlier episodes of Ruth's Syrian adventures, and lots more of her writing, click on My Week in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "Syrian Travels" »

Written by Ruth Kaye - Published at 12:18 PM | Permalink

...the rather large shop keeper extracted an apricot sweet from the shelf, unwrapped it and lunged towards me. I tried to take it with my hand but he insisted on depositing it in my mouth. This performance was repeated with two more sweets. After that he filled up a glass with mineral water and poured that
into my mouth too. Yuk!...

Ruth Kaye escapes from the usual tourist scene in Damascus, Syria. To read more of Ruth's entertaining accounts of her Middle Eastern travels click on My Week in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "More Of Damascus" »

Written by Ruth Kaye - Published at 11:28 AM | Permalink

Ruth Kaye, now on holiday from her teaching post in Egypt and travelling around the Middle East, sends an e-mail describing her time in Jordan.

Continue reading "Petra And Amman" »

Written by - Published at 10:44 AM | Permalink

...The 'speed boat', due to set off at 1pm, did not leave the port until 7pm and by the time we were allowed off at the other end, it was already 11pm. In the meantime, the 'slow boat', due to depart at 3pm, had set off only 30 mins late and had arrived long before us...

Ruth Kaye, who has been teaching in Egypt, is on holiday in Jordan.

Continue reading "Liquorice Tea And Free Cosmetics" »

Written by Ruth Kaye - Published at 03:02 PM | Permalink

Ruth Kaye tells of the trials and difficulties of teaching English to less-than-willing students in Egypt.

Ruth has taught English as a foreign language all over the world. Do read her earlier adventures by clicking on My Week in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "A Restaurant Called Smakmak" »

Written by Ruth Kaye - Published at 09:26 AM | Permalink

Ruth Kaye, who is teaching English in Barcelona, meets a class of eight-year-olds who warn her that they will have "constipations'' on mid-year test day.

Continue reading "Constipations" »

Written by Ruth Kaye - Published at 08:01 AM | Permalink

Their idea of relaxation seems to be very loud music, shouting out of the window to one another, and ringing doorbells persistently for an hour or so between 5 am and 6 am when they roll in from the nightclub... Ruth Kaye is disturbed by noisy neighbours in Barcelona.

Continue reading "Noisy Neighbours" »

Written by Ruth Kaye - Published at 11:51 AM | Permalink

Ruth Kaye is having language misadventures in Barcelona. When she asked in a supermarket for directions to a toilet she was led to the shelves containing air fresheners.

Continue reading "Linguistic Misadventures" »

Written by Ruth Kaye - Published at 08:05 AM | Permalink

Ruth Kaye is settling in to life in Barcelona and is involved in a dizzying round of job interviews.

Continue reading "Interviews, Interviews, Interviews..." »

Written by Ruth Kaye - Published at 08:00 AM | Permalink

Ruth Kaye is the victim of a sneak thief on her first day in Barcelona and is now 600 euros worse off.

Continue reading "Oh Where, Oh Where Have My Euros Gone?" »

Written by Ruth Kaye - Published at 08:00 AM | Permalink

Ruth Kaye says the best way to get summer school students to do what you ask is to give them chocolate as a reward. "I have got through four packs of fun-sized chocolate bars and a large box of Roses in the last four weeks.''

Continue reading "Learning With Chocolate" »

Written by Ruth Kaye - Published at 08:00 AM | Permalink

Invigilating an exam must be one of the few occupations which enable you to sleep while working, says Ruth Kaye.

Continue reading "Another Hard Day In The Exam Room" »

Written by Ruth Kaye - Published at 08:00 AM | Permalink

Ruth Kaye tries her hand as an exam invigilator - with hilarious results.

Continue reading "Tai Chi Exercises In The Exam Room" »

Written by Ruth Kaye - Published at 08:00 AM | Permalink

Ever felt like a sad goldfish blowing sad bubbles, looking out at a party in the lounge where your bowl is? Ruth Kaye experiences some disappointments - but looks forward to a sunny summer teaching in Spain.

Continue reading "Goldfish And Bubbles" »

Written by Ruth Kaye - Published at 12:00 AM | Permalink

Dancing villi, bananas waving their peels alluringly, dreaming of food and Finland... Another entertaining page from Ruth Kaye's diary.

Continue reading "Dancing Villi" »

Written by Ruth Kaye - Published at 08:35 AM | Permalink

Here's another humorous and irresistibly readable slice of Ruth Kaye's life.

Continue reading "Narnia, JPEG And Chow Mein" »

Written by Ruth Kaye - Published at 11:09 AM | Permalink

In this week's edition of her diary Ruth Kaye causes laughter with her salsa twirls.

Continue reading "Salsa Twirls" »

Written by Ruth Kaye - Published at 08:39 AM | Permalink

Ruth Kaye worked on a butterfly farm in Queensland, Australia, taught English in Alice Springs and Cairns, introduced students in China to the complexities of pronouncing her native language…

And throughout her world-wide travels she sent entertaining e-mails to her friends, providing vivid descriptions of her experiences.

Ruth, now back in her home county of Yorkshire for a time, will be writing regularly for Openwriting.

Today we present the first entry in her new Net diary, My Week.

Continue reading "Mushy Pea Sandwiches" »

Written by Ruth Kaye - Published at 08:33 AM | Permalink