Our typical weekday schedule:
up at 5:30
breakfast at 6:15
walk a half mile to school at 7:00
teach from 7:30-10:30 or 11:00
walk to hotel for lunch at 11:30
lesson plan
walk to school to lead "games and activities" from 2:30-4:00
walk to hotel, lesson plan together and dinner at 5:30
team time from 6:30-7:00
walk to school for "culture night" activities from 7:30-9:00
sleep at 10:00
And this week we also taught Saturday morning, to make up for a short week that started on a Wednesday. We're tired. Teaching in the mornings is fairly low-prep, and there aren't any papers to grade (YES!). But we spend a good bit of time planning our culture nights - skits, games, and songs teaching 200 kids about "American Romance" and "American Holidays" and other fun subjects...
Our students are 11-16, and they like studying. In fact, they prefer studying to games. They didn't like ultimate frisbee as much as they might have, mainly because of the heat. The heat. I don't know why we even try to play in it. I sweat through my clothes - completely through my clothes - just standing in the classroom under the fan. The air just condenses on my skin the moment I step out the hotel door.
Our students also LOVE "HIghschool Musical." They get the Disney channel here, and they watch the same shows my brother David has watched - The Suite Life of Zach and Cody, Hannah Montana. etc. They like to drink bubble tea too, a habit our team of teachers is happily adopting.
Our team is doing great. They like the food, and they love the sugarcane juice! A couple were really down after the first day of teaching -- they felt pushed beyond their levels of competency and outside their natural giftings. But they're improving and gaining confidence every day. Several went shopping with groups of students yesterday afternoon, and had a great time seeing new parts of the city.
We've been in Hanoi for more than a week. We just have three weeks left with our students, and so many relationships we want to develop.
Hopefully our energy will last!
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1 comment:
Sounds as if you are too busy to even think! The sweat must roll off bodies in waves, making life a rather messy business. I can see why students prefer studying to playing games, especially outdoor games.
Sandy
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