As a
student, I think I am the studiously disruptive type. Sort of a Classy Class
Clown (CCC), but if you ever call me a clown I would take offense. I am very
attentive, but I am also disruptive in all the right times. For example, I
would start whistling “Final Countdown” or one of the songs from the Rocky
movies right before a Chemistry test. I always considered myself doing the
class a favor, as I lightened the mood and doubtlessly raised the test scores
by 5%..
I only thought of this, because during the
past few days here at the Homestay in Cambodia, I have spent the afternoons
teaching at the Hope for Happiness school. It has been interesting to view the
class from a teacher’s point of view, and see the spectrum of students from the
quiet and attentive, to the loud and attentive, to even the loud and
not-so-attentive. It is odd when an entire classroom is depending on you to use
their time wisely and give them something valuable, while also making the class
enjoyable. I have divided teaching into 3 steps. Step One: earn the students
trust, Step Two: get the students to like you, Step 3: Tell the students
something they don’t know. But, I’m sure you could skip Step 1 and 2 in a
jiffy, though your success in getting them to listen to Step 3 would be less
than guaranteed.
I spent
today working at a different nearby school, where my group and I worked with
the students to shovel dirt into wicker baskets, and then haul the dirt into a
square pad. We also trimmed down bamboo strips, which will be woven with thatch
in the future, in order to make the roof of the hut we are building. Tomorrow
the foundation will be laid with rocks and then filled in with concrete. The
end result will be an open sided wicker hut, which will serve as a reading and
studying location for the students.
I suppose
you might be marginally or extremely interested (depending on if you have
familial ties with me or not) in what has occurred during the last 2 weeks of
my life. For my devoted and extremely interested readers, I shall give you a
quick brief on the last several weeks. (Isn’t the word “brief” interesting? It
could mean the same thing as “quick” in which case I would have repeated
myself, or it could mean “summary”. The latter definition was intended.) Anyway,
from Hanoi, we zipped down to Hue, and then had a day-long Motorbike tour of
all of Hue’s highlights, including the Forbidden Purple City (which is
not-so-forbidden now). After Hue we drove down to Hoi An, which was everything
I remembered, and didn’t remember. Hoi An is a quaint little town, with music
playing on the streets, canals snaking underneath bridges, and coffee shops
just waiting to serve you the perfect cup. I must say I had plenty of cups, and
if you ever go to Hoi An, I suggest you go to the Cargo Club, Mango Rooms,
Morning Glory, and also any restaurant that is along the canal. Furthermore,
you couldn’t find a better place to get a suit, clothes, or shoes tailored.
Several students in my group had outfits and shoes tailored from scratch. The
shoes look incredibly nice, with authentic leather, and all tailored to any
style from scratch for only 40$. I also rented a bike for 1$ a day, and zipped
around town without much effort.
After Hoi
An we spent several days in Saigon, where we visited the War Remnants Museum,
the Presidential Palace, and the Chu Chi tunnels. I wandered around and found
some great Indian restaurants, and also spent an entire afternoon talking to a
Scottish couple in a restaurant on top of a skyscraper. Saigon was bustling,
with plenty of things to do at all times during the day and night. The final
day in Vietnam before coming to Cambodia, we went on a 30 kilometer bike ride
through southern Vietnam. We wove our way through countless rice fields,
villages, and after crossing the Mekong river we hopped on a boat and spent the
night on a marshy island. There we helped cook dinner, and swung in hammocks
until we stumbled to bed for a night of sleep in sweltering humidity.
Anyway,
tomorrow is our last day in the Homestay here in Ang Tasom, Cambodia. After
leaving here we head to Phenom Penh and Kampot for another couple days of
building projects before heading to Siem Reap to view the world-renowned
temples. I am attempting to cool down from a run that I went on about an hour
ago, however I still feel as though I am sitting above a pot of boiling water
inside an oven. A shower did not help much, because even the un-heated water is
hot here, considering March is one of the hottest months of the year in
Cambodia. Anyway, I hope all is well with my friends, family, and readers! Till
next time!
Disclaimer: the pictures are not in order..
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| Boating across a river to our "marshy island" after a day of biking |
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| Huge sand barge under the sun |
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| Overlooking the river from a battle-station-hill in Hue |
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| Japanese Covered Bridge in Hoi An |
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| A beautiful sunset in Hoi An |
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| Night Time-Lapse in Saigon |
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| Students have to help build their own school in Cambodia! |
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| Fruit Lady |
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| 6 AM departure for Cambodia |
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| Rice barge going to a morning floating-market in southern Vietnam |
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| Working on the school, (Alex getting skilled with that Hoe) |
