A Studiously Disruptive Student

            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..

Boating across a river to our "marshy island" after a day of biking

Huge sand barge under the sun

Overlooking the river from a battle-station-hill in Hue

Japanese Covered Bridge in Hoi An

A beautiful sunset in Hoi An

Night Time-Lapse in Saigon

Students have to help build their own school in Cambodia!

Fruit Lady 

6 AM departure for Cambodia 

Rice barge going to a morning floating-market in southern Vietnam

Working on the school, (Alex getting skilled with that Hoe)