1st week of school

So my first week of school is almost over and the one word to describe this week would be long. I start my days at 6am using that time to catch up on the computer and the last of my homework before heading down for breakfasts at about 7:15. We leave every morning at 8:15 and take a 30 to 45 minute Tuk Tuk ride to school. We never have the same route depending on the exact time we leave our hotel and our driver we take a different route each time. Our days start at 9 and ends at 5:30 so needless to say the days are so long and sometimes boring. It is so hard after being out of the classroom for about 4 years to sit through an hour and half lecture.

I really like all the people I am doing this program with. There is 18 of us 9 guys and 9 girls and we have a blast together. I laugh so much during class, on our breaks, or when wandering around the city. There is really no defined cliques or groups amongst us we all get along so well we can hang out with one another with no problem at all. Of course we do break off into our own little pairs and groups but we are not afraid to mix it up. I think had it not been for the group I am with here in Cambodia I am not sure I would have not acclimated to Cambodia so quickly.

Day 1:

It was a normal first day. We had orientation first where we learned exactly what we would be doing in the course and each student learned about our respective countries. It was so exciting to hear about Thailand the other girls and I who will go there were super excited afterwards. We learned ways to teach dialogues to students and also how to start to get your class engaged from the very beginning by learning about some activities that have been proven to work. Of course whenever you start something new you have uncertainties if you will be able to do it. Of course my hesitation is with the lesson planning. Will I know what to teach? Will I teach the right thing? Will I make my lesson plan long enough? All basic fears that I always get when I start something new and once I start doing it I am fine. The afternoon session was spent learning how to do a resume for Southeast Asia. It is a little bit different from the U.S. Where in the U.S we do not put our picture, gender, date of birth, hobbies, and special interests but in Southeast Asia we do. It was odd writing a resume that I had done numerous times before but make it completely different. It wasn't what I had know so it made me pause but in the end it was pretty much the same thing I wrote back in the U.S. just with some added information. I think I want to teach kids in the age range of 7 to 18 years old. I think college kids might be too advanced for me especially with the grammar knowledge and I know kindergarten will probably kill me. so that middle age is the age I feel that I can most relate to. Finally day 1 is done and I am exhausted. It get back to the hotel go in search of food, do my homework and pass out the earliest I have been to bed in months. Who knew school could be so draining.

Day 2:
Today started out about the same as the previous day but of course a lot of us where on edge because today our homework was due and it was teaching dialogue to the class. So after a morning session of acting out dialogues with my classmates we came back from break to do peer teaching evaluations. I think I did really well I was a little nervous not too many critiques but I did use an improper hand gesture so I have to watch that when I am teaching but other than that it was really good. We had lunch at this local guest house and it was really nice. It was outdoor living in a sense there was no front door the dinning area was covered with what looks like a bamboo roof and the kitchen is in the corner. They had really delicious food for a good price. I spent $2.25 for some spring rolls and a bottle of water. Once we got back from lunch it was GRAMMAR and rough doesn't even begin to describe it. I never liked it when I was in elementary school and I still don't like it now. I am just not as quick as some people are with describing clauses, prepositions, adverbials, etc. Finally that hour and half was over and we finished out our day and went home where we found that one of the dogs that lives at our hotel (lucky or lady many names go around the hotel) had puppies that morning. It was the first time I had seen day old puppies it was very cute. She had five but sadly two passed away. Once we were finished being distracted by the puppies we went in search of dinner which ended up being this restaurant off the beat and track where no one spoke any English and there was no English menu. It was quite an adventure we pretty much got to a section that was fish pointed to an item and moved to another section. Surprisingly we picked good things and had a wonderful feast. In the end it cost us $4 to have dinner.

Day 3:
It started rough today our second class on Grammar was this morning and it didn't get any easier. When I finally made it through that mess I was first up for my second day of dialogues which I think I hit it out of the park. I had a few fumbles but I was really proud of myself. I wasn't nervous doing it but once I sat at my desk I was shaking. I think I am going to like the teaching and getting up in front of the class I just need to know what to present and I will be fine. We went to lunch at the great little guest house again and I accidentally ate some kind of chili which was probably the hottest thing I have ever eaten. My mouth was burning for a good 5 minutes and I was sweating. That night I had awful heart burn but I guess that is understandable. The rest of the day was pretty chill and when we got out of school we decided to go down to the Riverside (tourist area) and walk around before going to the hotel. We stopped at nice little place that had 2 for 1 drafts for a dollar. We had a nice time talking about our lives and what we thought of school and where we wanted to go. It was a nice break from school work. That meal was a little more pricey $5 for some Pad Thai and a beer is a little excessive. We are already getting spoiled here spending more than a dollar or two on food is expensive for us. When I come back to the states I am going to have such a culture shock. Got back from the Riverside pretty early finished my homework and passed out.

Day 4:
This was probably the funnest day I have so far. We did phonetics which I found really interesting and fun. We also talked about our trip for Siem Reap and Angkor Wat. We all were so excited talking about adventures that we didn't even realize class time was over. I had another presentation on reading activities which I think I did really well. I got high marks for praising my students which is something I do when I am nervous so I think it is a good thing I do it.  For lunch we went to another guest house that had a beautiful courtyard where we had lunch. It was shady and cool probably the most ideal place to eat in Cambodia it was a bit pricey but I think it was worth it. Now the afternoon sessions were the best especially our last session we had to learn about using drama to teach. So our first activity was grab an item out of a bag and make an infomercial. Some of the ideas people came up with were hilarious. I had tears in my eyes for at least 3 or 4 of the presentations. We then did group acting film genres with dialogue. For example, read a script with four people talking about a robbery but make it a badly edited Kung Fu movie. Some of the guys in my class were so funny and seemed to really enjoy themselves. I had so much to do get ready for Siem Reap that I went out to grab some fruit and street vendor food by the hotel and stayed in the rest of the night finishing up everything.