Around the World

“I met this girl when I was three years old.

And what I loved most she had so much soul.”- Kanye West

One of the really cool things about coming to Thailand is the chance to meet people from all over the world. I think I’ve met someone from every continent, save Antarctica. Don’t think those guys get out much.

Europe in particular has a major backpacker culture. Some are traveling during their school breaks. Others have just finished university and are backpacking for a few months until their first job begins. A few have jobs and have decided to take a few weeks off to see the world (I've learned that America does a terrible job of giving time off compared to other countries). Southeast Asia is a big draw for them because the Euro/Pound holds up so well against Asian currency.

I feel like it’s pretty standard in the US for college students to take a semester or summer abroad. But I can count on one hand people I know from high school or college who have decided to travel for an extended period of time. I guess it’s just not really in US culture to do so.

All in all, I’ve been pretty blessed to meet different people and see different perspectives on the world. It’s always nice to hear people say that they like Obama and that our health care system sucks.

Gooooooo Dayton Flyers!

I gotta give a shout out to my Dayton Flyers for making it to the Elite 8! Keeping up with social media has been pretty funny during the games. The constant stream of updates and photos don’t really make it seem half a world away. 

Luckily, the NCAA streams all the games so I’ve been able to watch them at, well, odd times of the day. My neighbors may not have been too happy about me yelling victoriously at 1:30 AM and at 8:15 AM but whatever. This is important.

I was trying to go to sports bar in hope of finding other Flyers fans. However, the next game tips off at 5:09  AM Bangkok time. The number of establishments open might be a little slim.

Ah, to be young again

A few days a week, I’ve been tutoring a three-year-old boy English. I had to do a little brushing up on Piaget’s stages- what should a three-year-old be expected to do in a classroom?

Well, not much. A lot of what he can do is rote memorization. I’ve got to give the kid credit, he’s a sponge. He can do his colors, knows how to crawl like a bear, and loves counting peanuts- if he can eat some at the end. While the activities are fairly simple, it takes a decent amount of planning. When teaching high school I was lucky if I got four activities in one lesson. With him I have to plan at least ten. Sometimes things completely bomb or he gets bored within in minutes. And I don’t blame him- he’s three.

One of the biggest things that surprised me (I guess it really shouldn’t surprise me) is how the motor skills aren’t developed yet. I do a couple games of literally tossing balls around the room to work on hand-eye coordination. I’ll hopefully be able to start teaching writing in a few months. I wish I could have a photo of the horror on Mom’s face when she heard I would be teaching handwriting.

Also, he can now sing the Dayton Flyers fight song. Is this kid clutch or what?

Mark