Touching Down

Well, after somehow getting my arrival date an entire day off, I’ve managed to find my way to Louis Tavern Hotel today, May 5^th. The power of suggestion is a funny thing. I just saw all these CIEE-Rs saying on the Facebook group that they were arriving on May 6^th at 10:40 AM on Cathay Pacific flight 713, and I assumed that I was on the same plane because my plane number was also Cathay Pacific 713 arriving at 10:40 AM, except on the 5^th. The reality of my mistake sunk in around 1,000 miles out of Hong Kong when I looked at the route map and the plane’s location and realized there was no way it’d take me 48 hours to get to Bangkok.

My conclusion was further reinforced when I landed in Hong Kong and did not see anyone remotely resembling someone from the Facebook group. So, I landed around 4:45 AM and had some time to kill before my 8:50 AM departure to Bangkok. I spent that time trying to make amends for my miscalculation by looking to book a hotel room for the night. Unfortunately, both my computer and phone were about to die, and I didn’t have my chargers with me, so there wasn’t much I could do. At that point I was really wishing I hadn’t wasted most of both my phone and computer’s power surfing Reddit at JFK.

So, I packed up shop and decided to get something to eat. I had had some kind of mushroom omelet dish for “breakfast” at around 2 AM on the flight from NY (it was dark in the cabin, I couldn’t really see what I was eating), so I wasn’t starving, but I needed some kind of sustenance to keep me going. I wasn’t feeling particularly adventurous, so after exchanging some USD for cold hard Hong Kong Dollars, I got a Sausage McMuffin. In retrospect, I probably should have held off on the Sausage McMuffin because we were served eggs and sausage on the flight from Hong Kong to Bangkok. Guess what I had for dinner before I left for JFK? Eggs.

10:35 this morning, I finally landed in Bangkok. Everything went smoothly through Immigrations, exchanging my money, and getting my bags. I didn’t have a reservation at Louis Tavern, but I didn’t have any other hotel’s location written down, so I took my chances and asked one of the cabbies for a lift. He said he thought he knew where Louis Tavern was. That wasn’t too reassuring. Well, perhaps against my better judgment, I got in the taxi with him. I was surprised to find there weren’t any seat belts in the back seat. This wasn’t too comforting when we were going around what felt like 70 on the thru-way. Thankfully, he didn’t lead me to a premature death, and he eventually found the Louis Tavern Hotel.

I’m running on minimal sleep and questionable food, so forgive any inadequacies in my writing. Once I get properly settled, you can expect more thorough and proof-read posts and definitely pictures.

Thanks for reading guys.

    

Laying the Foundation

In preparation for my forthcoming teaching assignment in Thailand, I've been tutoring, and assisting an English language teacher at a community center called Neighbors Link in Stamford, CT. This has been part of the "practicum" aspect of my TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) course. Although this component of the TEFL curriculum is compulsory, I've truly valued the experience. In my short two months at Neighbors Link, I feel I've established a rapport with some of the students and have genuinely noticed progress. It's satisfying to think that I may have had a hand in their development, however small, and in whatever way. Even if I haven't taught them any English, I hope I've made them more comfortable to confidently attempt speaking English.

A lot of the students in the classes are here in America alone, with their families back home in Guatemala, Honduras, or wherever they may be. It must be difficult to live in a country whose language you don't speak, working long hours in manual labor, with no wife, girlfriend, children, siblings, anyone, to go home to. That's why as corny as it might sound, I really tried to be a friend or at least a friendly face to the students. Not to mention, they're some of the nicest people I've ever met. They're always smiling. That could be because they don't understand the majority of what I say, but I like to think that's not the only reason they have grins plastered on their faces for most of the hour and a half periods I see them. I'm extremely excited for Thailand, but I am going to miss my Latin American connects.

The other week I taught my first class solo, and it was a fantastic disaster. These students are beginners, like "no-English to a few phrases," beginners. I somehow got it into my head that a crossword puzzle would be a good activity. It was a bloodbath. Some weren't using the word bank. Some simply looked at me and shook their heads as if to say, "ain't happenin.'" Things only deteriorated from there, as I spent the majority of the class period nervously shuffling papers and wiping the profuse stream of sweat from my forehead. It wasn't a pleasant experience at the time, but in retrospect, is quite funny to think about, and I learned some valuable lessons. They go as follows:

• Whatever you do, do not overestimate the abilities of your students. I grossly overestimated and ended up losing my entire lesson plan in the span of 15 minutes or so. You can also say don't underestimate their abilities or else they might become bored with the material, however, to this I'd say, "at least you would have something to work with."
• Don't overwhelm them with paper. By the end of the class I'd given each of them six pieces of paper: 3 study sheets and 3 worksheets. I can say pretty confidently that these papers served to clutter their workspace and not much else.
• Teach a class that understands English if you don't know their native tongue fluently. This one seems like a no-brainer because it is.
•  Keep your lesson plan within a reasonable scope. I tried to cover three topics that all could have served as their own lessons. It's difficult when you're first starting out, and have no idea what your style of teaching will be like. I was petrified of running out of material that I over planned, which ended up being an even worse scenario. 
• Have a purpose. Looking back, I really didn't have a firm focus to my lesson which is why it probably got derailed so easily. 

 I leave for Thailand this Saturday night, May, 3.