Photos From the Week

Link to photos:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_U9DpQYzRfdWGV5eU1xZ1h2QTA

First Full Week Feels

As I draw near to the end of my first full week as a volunteer English teacher in Siem Reap, I can say that I am starting to grow accustomed to my new life here. It's funny how much of an emotional roller coaster life can be in just the span of a week. When my first weekend was over and it was time to get back to work, everything still felt entirely new, which came with its own set of challenges. This was the first week Sydney and I had our own teaching schedules, and at first the anticipation of having to get in front of and teach a group of students gave me a case of the heebie jeebies.

I had nothing to be nervous about though. I attribute my worries to the incredibly high standard I hold myself to. But over the course of this week I learned how to roll with the punches, and if something didn't work, I'd have an opportunity to try something new the next time. What I found was that despite how nervous I was before a class, by the end I felt invigorated. Each class seemed to take all my worries away, and by now I have learned to just enjoy teaching the students something new.

At present Siem Reap is already starting to lose its novelty, which has given me less distraction from the feelings of homesickness. Teaching once again was able to solve this problem, among other things. Since I was given a teaching schedule this week, my agenda has been filled with lesson planning, activity research, classes, and staff meetings. All of these things have given me little time to worry about my homesickness, all the while building a sense of purpose in this faraway land.

I had the opportunity to meet some very nice people at a restaurant one night for dinner, and speaking to them gave me some perspective. I spoke with a man from Norway and a woman from Spain, both of whom were impressed by the duration of my first international travel experience. After talking with them I realized that feeling homesick is nothing out of the ordinary, and I know for certain I will return home eventually. What is uncertain is when I will get to come back to Siem Reap, or see another part of the world I haven't seen before. Thus, I need to enjoy the limited time I have here.

What continues to impress me is the resiliency and attitude of the kids at TGC. Most of these children have lived through poverty, abuse, addiction, gambling, and for some even more. If you were to meet these kids however, you wouldn't have as much as an inkling that they came from troubled backgrounds (the term "first world problems" is really starting to take on a new connotation for me). Every morning I am greeted by dozens of smiles and giggles and "Good morning Teacher!"-s that I can't help but smile myself. On my birthday the kids even made me a card that was signed by everyone at the school. It was one of the most heart-melting gifts I have ever received.

While it has taken some jumping out of my comfort zone, I feel as though I am getting closer to the students, and that has been one of my main goals from the start. Today I was able to impress them with one of my stranger talents, which is my ability to walk a fair distance entirely on my hands. Even though I miss my family and friends back home a great deal, I am starting to build another one here in Siem Reap.

Baptism By Fire

Today I got my first taste of what teaching in Siem Reap is like, without any expectation that I was going to. When Sydney and I arrived at school today there were just a few classes in the afternoon on our docket to shadow. When we returned from lunch however, Soben (one of the English teachers), told us that the school principal wasn't going to be able to teach two of his classes at the end of the day, which meant Sydney and I were going to teach them. Without any preparation. With hardly any notice.

The expression 'baptism by fire" has always given me mixed feelings, however I completely agree with its philosophy. Whether I was working at Bubble's Restaurant, Porsche or Northwestern Mutual, getting thrown directly into the proverbial fire was the only way to prevent myself from getting in my own way. A new job is a lot like waiting to jump into a pool you don't know the temperature of. You wait to jump in because you fear the initial shock, but once you're in the water is fine. Baptism by fire doesn't allow you to fear the initial shock, because you're already in the pool. 

While I was shadowing the last class before my baptism, I was nervously thinking of material I could incorporate into the class. What came to mind was Shark Week for whatever reason, and my idea was to have the students research various species of sharks and describe their favorite one, and why it was their favorite. When I proposed the idea to the students they seemed interested, and I was excited once we all started heading towards the computer lab.

The moment the students started researching sharks was when I was mentally transported back to high school. Whenever I was in the computer lab, all I could think about was games. Bloons Tower Defense, the Helicopter Game, Castle Clout; I was always so preoccupied with what game I was going to play that my work was usually hastily finished so that I could destroy my tenth castle or set up another array of defenses to ward off the next barrage of attacking bloons. 

Most of the students remained focused throughout the class and stuck to sharks, but some of the students strayed away and started watching YouTube videos of other dangerous sea creatures and even natural disasters. All I could think was now I know how my high school teachers felt, and I guess this is a little karma for playing all those games. 

Surely my next lesson will be able to keep all the students occupied for the full class period, as I will have time to actually plan it. But I have to say I am satisfied with how my first class went. With that being said, I am happy that my first class was taught by the seat of my pants. It's surely going to make the next class a hell of a lot easier. 

First Week Photo Dump!

The following link will bring you to photos from my first week in Siem Reap:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B_U9DpQYzRfdWHZGamxkSUo0Nlk?usp=sharing

A Surprise Visitor

Once in awhile we all have those days that start off so terribly that we can't possibly think the rest of the day will be any better. If I've learned anything from these types of days however, it's that you can't let a bad morning spoil the rest of your day.

Case in point: this morning Sydney and I got lost on our way to TGC (I had us take a right instead of a left, so I take the blame) and we biked up and down one of the busiest roads I've seen for about half an hour. I managed to make at least three motorcycles and a bus come to a complete stop so I could turn around and cross the street. That was fun. The worst part was that we passed the school at least three times. After we finally arrived at the school I was sweating profusely and could only think about how the rest of the day was going to go.

Sydney and I had two classes on our schedule for the day, and it was these classes that turned my whole day around. The topic was essay writing and how to structure one properly. Sydney took charge of the first class and I taught the second. This first small dose of teaching felt amazing, and I had completely forgotten all about wandering the streets of Siem Reap, looking for a building that was within a stone's throw away the entire time. Before I knew it it was time for lunch.

When we returned from lunch (I almost missed the school again) there were two people I didn't recognize in the courtyard, and they instantly acknowledged Sydney and I with warm smiles and great enthusiasm. Turns out, they were Union graduates from 2010 and 2011 on their honeymoon, and one of them was a Minerva Fellow at the very organization I work with now.

This was my first experience meeting another Union alum as an alum, and I cannot wait to meet more. Seven years have already passed since his fellowship concluded, and it made me realize that time is truly our most precious commodity.

As David Gilmour once sang, "and then one day you find, ten years have got behind you, no one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun..." If you haven't heard "Time" by Pink Floyd I highly suggest giving it a listen, as it demonstrates perfectly why we can't let a measly half an hour ruin an entire twenty four.

Gotta Enjoy the Little Things

After finally touching down in Siem Reap, the most accurate way to describe my current state of mind is overwhelmed. One of The Global Child’s (TGC) teachers, Soben, came to pick us up from the airport with a “Welcome Dan and Sydney” sign in-hand. From the airport, we embarked on one of the most mind-boggling rides of my life back to our apartment. Being someone who has never left the comfort and rule-abiding ways of the United States, the zigging and zagging of the local traffic put a grin on my face from ear to ear. Just seeing all the dainty shops lining the dirt roads was something I had only seen in pictures, and to experience them first-hand was astonishing. I thought for sure we were going to get into an accident as motorcycles squeezed by our taxi with only inches to spare. There aren’t any stop signs which, as you can imagine, results in nobody stopping. Instead, people slowly creep out into the road until they have forced everyone else to go around them. The remarkable part about the traffic is the fluidity and finesse with which every pass and maneuver is executed. What would surely be a nightmare in the states somehow works flawlessly (from what I’ve seen thus far) in Siem Reap.

When we got to our apartment it felt like seeing my freshman dorm for the first time: blank walls and I didn’t know a soul. Unpacking my suitcases released that feeling I’m sure every Minerva Fellow has had at one point or another, ‘What the HELL did I get myself into?!” But after I turned on some Zeppelin and started putting my belongings in their new homes, the apartment started to feel like a place I could call home. The best part about the apartment is that it sits atop a pet store, which has three of the most adorable puppies I have ever seen. The fluffy bunches of joy really helped perk me up and made me realize that the little things in life (literally) can make a big difference.

After getting settled in Soben came back to show us around and get our bicycles. We followed his motorcycle in a Tuk Tuk, a norm to most world travelers but entirely novel to me. Motorcycles rule the road in Cambodia, and our Tuk Tuk driver made sure to show us that. Weaving in and out of every potential automotive catastrophe, our driver got us to the bike shop without a scratch.

For a mere $60 I acquired a bicycle and was ready to take on the Cambodian roadways. 

Unfortunately, Sydney and I still had no bearing on where anything was, so we loaded the bikes back into the Tuk Tuk and headed back to the apartment. By the time we were all said and done the jet lag was hitting me harder than a brick wall. Before getting dinner, I set my alarm for an hour and a half and didn’t wake up for another six. Needless to say, I did not eat dinner that night.

The next morning Soben took us on our first ever visit to TGC, where we would meet the students enrolled in summer school and learn about the place where most of our fellowship would be spent. The bike ride there was just as exciting as I anticipated. Throwing what I knew about road etiquette out the window, I followed other bikes and motorcycles as they weaved around cars and oncoming motorists. It wasn’t too long before I got the hang of it, but I’m sure the bike rides will be quite nerve-wracking for some time!

Once we got to TGC we were greeted by dozens of happy, smiling children. Seeing their enthusiasm for Sydney’s and my arrival made me feel as if I was a celebrity, and during the entire visit I couldn’t stop smiling. Soben let us shadow a few of the classes and it was surprising how well some of the children already speak English, especially the older students. It’s amazing the effect children can have on you, even if you’ve known them for only a few hours. I suppose it’s proof once again that the little things make a big difference. I can already tell that teaching these students is going to be more fun than I ever could have imagined. 

The Wait is Over

Tonight, is my last night in the U.S. before I leave it for the first time. Up until now the journey I am about to embark on has felt light-years away, at times not even real. In a few hours however, I will be on a plane headed for Siem Reap, Cambodia. Thus far my first international travel experience has been smooth, apart from having to wait half an hour to be billed for overweight luggage (I packed a lot of books). Now, I am waiting for Sydney’s and my gate to open, perusing who our flight companions will be. I can’t help but think where all these people are going, and their reasons for traveling. Every person we see has a backstory just as complicated as ours, and a few hundred of those stories are about to convene on this very flight. Sydney was nice enough to let me take the window seat and I’m hoping to get a glimpse of the Northern Lights, a sight I’ve only seen in pictures. Before landing in Siem Reap we will pass through Guangzhou, China, a country I thought I would never be able to see with my own eyes. Being the McDonald’s fanatic that I am, I am looking forward to making a comparison between McDonald’s in America and McDonald’s abroad. Furthermore, expanding my palette will be a rather exciting endeavor, and one of the items on my bucket list is a popular Cambodian delicacy: fried tarantula. I am beyond eager to land in Siem Reap and meet all the students I will grow ever so close with over the next 9 months, and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all my friends, professors, mentors, and family for supporting me throughout my last four years as this experience would not have been possible without them.