End of Vacation Blues

I've been out of teacher mode for a while, but am gearing up for it next week's English camp. I'm not trying any TPR-storytelling this time because I'm not yet sure how to adapt it to a more advanced level in such a compressed time period, so nothing too terribly new and innovative this time. Just pushing English as a useful tool and trying to find meaningful, contextual activities that aren't too easy or difficult. Oh, and I will also be doing my best to make them understand that enjoyable activities can in fact improve their English. I've read in other forums that other people have the same difficulty with the more communicative techniques...well, mainly with older students, I think. Sometimes it seems like they have their expectations beaten into them and activities that don't fit the mold are seen as a little frivolous. The ones at the camp aren't quite there (yet) so maybe I can make a little headway. They are just so used to looking at success in terms of test scores, so I can hardly blame them. That's how it is.

IThere aren't any first day warm-ups listed in the lesson plans I was given, so I'm thinking about which ones I want to use. Any suggestions? I'll write about the one(s) I chose and how they went next week. I found a version of "Truth or Lie" centered around holidays, so that might be a fun and easy way to start things off. Oh, and I'm also looking for any kind of off-beat role plays that are floating around out there. For the last camp I wrote up a complicated "love pentagon" that went over well since they were right in the throes of the whole teenage couple thing. I wouldn't use it with every group, so I'm not sure if I'll dig it out this time or not.

Somewhat off topic, there seem to be several other expats around who are also frustrated with finding steady employment here. I'm not sure in which direction I'll go, but I am sure that I am not going to be able to handle successive 10-month contracts without any minimum hours. Heck, sometimes I feel like I need a support group just to get through the next month and a half of "maybe I'll have work, maybe I won't." Hang in there, everybody. Someday it's bound to get better. I'd love to know about people who have started their own language schools, but I imagine it's a total mess of red tape.