The Face Behind the Blog (and My Credentials)

I figured I'd make a post about who I am and why I am qualified to volunteer in Cambodia before my campaign goes public, just so it's available on the site. I thought about putting a redacted CV up on indiegogo, but it'd basically be swaths of blacked-out text coupled with a line or two of description.

Think of this as a visually presented CV with annotations.

TESOL certificate with 40 hours of classroom time and 100 hours of teaching time, teaching license from the state of Massachusetts with high passes in my exams, Ivy League graduate with one-and-a-half master's degrees (still working on the second one). Lots of experience tutoring many subjects, summer camp experience, substitute teaching experience, and teaching abroad experience.

Youngest kids taught: kindergarten. I've taught the gamut from sweet to naughty. Some of my best moments have been spent at an activity table in a tiny chair, doing 'math' games.

Oldest kids taught: college. I had a teaching assistantship as part of master's degree #1.

Most challenging kids taught: I had a class of eighth graders who were running wild. The discipline was so bad that the 'nice' kids knew how much they could get away with, since the misbehavior level was so high. I learned a lot from them and managed to make peace with some of them, but it was a difficult long-term assignment.

Most wonderful kids taught: A special class in Korea consisting in kids who were basically fluent in English. Those kids and I had so much fun. I hope they learned something too.

Feelings about teaching: You have to make your own way as a teacher, and earn the kids' respect and friendship on your own terms. Behavior comes first, because they won't do anything for you if they don't want to and you let them get away with it. Then wonderful things will happen, for you and the kids. You have to be as open to learning as they are, and as energetic about the subject as you can be.

As a substitute, well, you can't move the world. But once you get to know the students, you're as responsible for their education as anyone else in the building. I worked long spans of weeks where I had a different set of classes every day, and I loved it. I felt like a mercenary, moving around and filling the holes as I was needed. But that's not the same as having your own class, and being able to grow and change with them. Having something constant to look forward to every day.

Feelings about traveling: I love to travel. It's difficult, because you're pulled out of your life, and you have to open yourself up to new experiences. I wouldn't be able to be on the road all the time, but I try my best when I'm going to not be disruptive, entitled, or disrespectful. I try not to act like a naive tourist. But I want to live through and in a country, and you can't do that if you're moaning about Starbucks.

Countries I've visited: USA, Canada, Caribbean Islands, South Korea, Thailand, Cambodia, Japan, Italy, Germany, The Netherlands, Spain, Israel, Australia

First Post!

This blog is a companion site to my Indiegogo Campaign. I plan to volunteer at KNGO Cambodia for a period of one month or more (depending on funding).

I traveled to Cambodia as a tourist in the summer of 2008. I was shocked at the poor living conditions and obvious corruption and exploitation of the people in the country, as well as the fact that not all of the mines have been removed from the country's beautiful natural landscapes. You'll find a lot of expats who have nothing but contempt for people who are volunteering or want to 'save' Cambodia, and I agree that there's only so much that a limited-time volunteer can accomplish, and that change can't always be done by outsiders. But to me, this is about meeting and helping specific Cambodian children, and impacting their lives in a positive way. I know that a child's life can be saved by one day or one month, and that events from my childhood loom large to the adult I became. So, why not me? Why not Cambodia?

I took this picture on the road from Thailand to Angkor Wat. This picture, to me, embodies the state of Cambodia today. There's a sweet little girl, a bit shy, looking at the people on the road. She's holding a bag of grapes in her hand. She seems so tiny and vulnerable next to the motorcar, like it's something that doesn't quite fit her. I'm sorry that my camera back then was cheap and the resolution of my pictures is low. But to me, the underlying message of this picture can and should drive us to act, to help Cambodia become a better country responsibly and from within.

I won't be updating very frequently to start, but I will be keeping everyone informed of the results of my drive for funding and then, when I'm in Cambodia, updating almost daily with short anecdotes about my experiences and pictures. I also plan to use the blog to shout out to my donors and to coordinate donation incentives.

You can find the link to my Indiegogo campaign, once the campaign goes active, here. The campaign will go live on March 16, 2014 and I'll post an updated link at that point.