What A Month!

I'm officially done with the International House Bangkok CELTA program! It's been a heck of a journey, but I am finally done. And I must say, it was no easy journey. I'm going to use this post to lay out the specifics of the course.

The course basically consisted of input sessions, teaching practice, feedback, and assignments. The input sessions were every morning and was where we learned how to be effective teachers. The lessons ranged from different teaching methods all the way to how to teach tenses. The input sessions were fun, though, because the trainers used the same methods on us as we are supposed to use on the students. For example, some of the activities in the input sessions were running into the hall to find a specific sentence, run back and tell the rest of our team. A big suggestion - watch how the trainers conduct the input sessions because it is exactly how they wanted us to conduct our teaching practice!

The teaching sessions were a chance for us to teach actual students. These classes consisted of students from Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Somalia, etc., and normally had about 8-12 of them. These students are very fun and are good sports. I say this because at the start, we were not very good teachers. Luckily they were very patient with us. The only thing is I had to teach 6 hours in 8 teaching sessions, meaning about twice a week. It was rough at first because I wasn't used to planning, organizing, etc. The actual teaching wasn't too bad for me because I have taught classes before. But the trainer does sit in the back and write down everything you do, grading pretty hard.

The feedback was a session where the trainer could tell us how we did on our teaching practice. Sometimes it was rough because the trainers are direct and to the point. The Cambridge methodology is very rigorous, so it makes sense that they need to weed out the bad apples. But my advice for anyone wanting to take this is to remember to have an open mind and to accept the criticism well.

The assignments were okay, the first one being the hardest. We needed to analyze our students for specific language errors and how we would help to fix those errors. It's not that easy, though, because the instructions are very vague and they didn't tell us everything they were expecting. The second assignment was some grammar and English stuff. The third assignment was making a lesson plan out of a reading assignment, which was actually pretty fun. The last assignment was a self-reflection - hard to fail!

All-in-all, it was definitely worth it to take. I'm completely exhausted and need to sleep for a week, but in the long run, it's good. I now have one of the more prestigious teaching certificates one can get, and I feel like I can be thrown into a classroom and teach effectively. I guess that's what matters most. Now to put my resume together and apply for some jobs!

Sleep Well Tonight

I've been in beautiful Bangkok for two weeks now. So far, it's been a blast. The course is rigorous, but I think the rewards are highly beneficial. I"m half way through the course, and luckily, what I've done so far only makes me want to get into a classroom even more.

For those of you who are interested in taking the CELTA in Thailand, get ready to work work work. It is not easy. You won't sleep very many hours during the week. The standards are high. The single most important suggestion I could give is you must have an aptitude for change. You will teach a lesson, and you might get some harsh feedback. But if you can take that feedback and learn from it, and do better next time, you will succeed well.

Living in Bangkok is surprisingly simple. There is a certain way of things, a sort of order. If you learn the way and follow the rules, then you're good to go. It's hard to understand it until you go live somewhere else with a different culture. I normally eat from the vendors (khohn khaai) on the street. It's cheap and it's delicious!

I've hooked up with a local church here call International Church Bangkok. They are so friendly and have really made me felt welcome in their congregation. They already want me to play guitar on the worship team. When I told them I don't have a guitar here in Thailand, they simply replied "We have many we can lend you." Crazy!

I'm hoping that the next two weeks goes just as smoothly as the previous two weeks and that I can finish strong with the CELTA. After I finish it I will be sending my resume off to every school in Bangkok to try to get a job. I'm pretty certain I will get one considering I've already received emails from companies wanting to set up interviews. It shouldn't be that bad.

Sing Out This Hour, This Restless Hour

Tomorrow I will leave for Bangkok, Thailand. It's hard to believe it's already here. This has been a wacky year for me and I'm glad that the change has finally come. It will be nice to finally move away from the memories that are all around me.

I have been so blessed in the planning of my move. The process has been extremely smooth, my family has been tremendously helpful, and my friends in Thailand have been so gracious. I hope that they can know how appreciative I am for their help.

My plane leaves at 8:35pm MDT. My family will meet me before-hand to say goodbye, etc. I then fly to LAX. From LAX, I fly to Hong Kong. From Hong Kong finally to Bangkok. The entire process will take about 25 hours. I'm not really looking forward to sitting in a seat for that long.

When I get to the other side, I will get a taxi to take me my reserved apartment. I hope that I am ready to speak Thai to the driver haha. I think once I get my lease signed and I am in the apartment, I can set my bags down and take a huge sigh of relief in feeling secured. It's weird to think about, but the only thing I'll really have will be my apartment, and in that sense, it will be my sanctuary, my fortress of solitude. I think I'll slap a bunch of movie and music posters as well as an American flag on the walls just to feel a little closer to home.

After that I'll have four days to just chill, get acclimated, and check out Bangkok. On Monday, I'll start the CELTA class, which I am very much looking forward to. I'm glad I have the class right away as to sort of get my mind off of the move and focus on something exciting. The CELTA class will be intense and I'm ready for it. I've already read the books that cover all the material haha. Hopefully it will just be a refresher for me and I can focus on the assignments.

Prayer Requests
Please pray for my mom. I think the stress of me leaving has caused her to become slightly ill. Pray that God would comfort her and help her to feel at peace with what is happening.

Here it comes...

Well, I'm down to 12 days until I get on the plane and move to the other side of the planet. It's starting to hit me and the realization has been incredible. Lately, I've really just been trying to soak up Albuquerque - take a walk or ride the bike and just enjoy the sights, smells, and sounds.

I've got my apartment down to almost nothing. Everything I want to take with me to Thailand is in two little bags sitting by my door. I will have to pack my clothes, but that will have to be one or two days before. I also sent a box via mail already with some books and other various things that I want with me, but are not critical in having them when I first arrive.

I'm planning on having a garage sale this Saturday to help get rid of my stuff. I'm using Craig's List for the more important stuff, but I figure someone around here can get good use out of my junk. My grandma and grandpa have graciously let me use their yard for the sale and I am grateful for their help. Also my mom has been incredibly helpful in helping me by picking me up when my truck leaves me stranded, hauling stuff, and just giving me sound advice for what to do. And lastly, my good friend Jue in Bangkok - thanks for helping on that end of the trip! ขอบคุณมากครับที่รักจะ

I have confirmed and reserved an apartment in Bangkok. It's called Baan Rim Sathorn. It's a very small apartment complex with only 27 rooms, so I'm hoping that it will be quiet and peaceful - a refuge from the busy city life. It will cost me 8,500 baht ($263.65) a month to live there (not bad!), and has a lot of other features such as laundry machines, internet, etc. Also, it's only about 600 meters (.37 miles) to the sky train station, which means easy access to central Bangkok.

So what's next? I'm currently getting rid of all the crap in my current apartment and organizing things to take with me. Honestly, the next step is to say goodbye and get on the plane. I have a feeling these next two weeks will go by very quickly.

Prayer Requests
I want to add this section for those of you following my blog if you would like to pray for my trip. Right now, please pray that the moving process would go smoothly for me and that I would have no trouble checking out of my current apartment. Also that I could enjoy Albuquerque and my family during these last few weeks of my time here.

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