This month: James Conder, Teacher at our Agouza branch
How long have you been with the British Council?
I’ve been with the British Council since 2014, when I joined the English Language Teacher Development Programme (ELTDP) in Borneo.
Why did you join?
The ELTDP project in Borneo was an opportunity right up my alley – the chance to live in a remote rural area, doing something truly constructive and integrating into a local culture.
If I had a lot of money, I would…
Make my way slowly around the world, travelling frugally and seeing as much of the wilderness as I could before it vanishes. I’d also get all my musician friends together somewhere exotic (Tobago would be good) to record an album or two.
The book or film that has influenced me most…
I’ve a real love of films set in the jungle – The Mission, The Mosquito Coast, Apocalypse Now and especially two films by Werner Herzog – The Wrath of God and Fitzcarraldo. They nurtured a spirit of adventure that the English countryside couldn’t quench.
My most treasured possession is….
My little guitalele. A versatile instrument that I can take anywhere!
The strangest experience I have ever had was…
I took part in an all-night shamanic ritual in Peru. Almost continual dancing in a strictly clockwise direction, while the shaman’s assistants beat me with the flats of old conquistador’s swords, showered me with sparks struck off flints, and blew liquidated nicotine up my nostrils. And don’t mention the magic cactus . . .
A proverb I particularly like is ...
Hmmmm, I never remember proverbs well. I just taught a class where the expression “Fake it ‘til you make it” came up. It’s not really a proverb, but it resonates. Working life at the British Council is so busy there’s often little time for preparation!
The best thing about my role...
When my students teach me about Egyptian culture. I just did a lesson on body language, and I am now well-versed in which hand signals to use to work out whether a microbus is heading towards Giza or the Ring Road!
My favourite city...
I’m not really a city person. I’ve a great love for the little town of St. Lucia in Kwazulu-Natal. It’s slap bang in the middle of one of South Africa’s biggest National Parks. The hippos roam the streets and fall into people’s swimming pools, and a short drive out of town takes you straight into the bush.
Three things I would take to a desert island are...
The over mentioned guitalele, a Kindle and a solar charger.
The route to happiness is…
A return to a hunter-gatherer way of life; San bushmen of the Kalahari only need do four hours’ work to ensure they have food and shelter for the day. The rest of the time is for fun and relaxation.
The one gadget I can’t live without is…
Sadly, I’m rather addicted to my laptop. Get online, and it’s my portal to the world!
My favourite cuisine is…
Vietnamese food; it was my home for five years, and luckily my wife is Vietnamese, so I’m never too far away from a Vietnamese dish.
Something I hope to do in the next year is …
Take a bit of time off, do some volunteering, preferably with wildlife.
The best piece of advice anyone has ever given me is..
If your socks don’t match it’s only a proof that your thoughts are on better things. I can’t remember who told me that, it was probably the manager of the Young Learner team.