What's in YOUR dream house?

Draw Your Dream House!

Written on 5/5/2015

Last week, while I was sick at home planning my upcoming lessons, I watched a few TED Talks on Education. One really stood out - Ken Robinson's: How to escape education's death valley. It reminded me that teachers need to do more than just teach. They need to facilitate learning. They need to inspire students to reach beyond the limits of the classroom. They need to spark imagination, interest, and curiosity.

But how do I do that teaching English? I looked at my next lesson, Furniture in the Home. I new I needed to learn vocabulary, and I knew drawing pictures on the board would be the best way to do this. And it hit me, drawing pictures! The students at the center LOVE to draw, but often they copy from books or magazines. They are never asked to be creative.

So, I decided to create an exercise asking students to draw their home. In my first class, some students raised their hand and said, "but I don't have this furniture in my house..what do I draw?" I told them to draw the house they want to live in when they are grown up, and I saw the whole classes eyes glow with creativity.

Soon erasers dust was flying across the classroom as students were erasing the homes they live in now and imaging the homes they want to live in when they grow up. They said, "Can my house be a house in another country?" OF COURSE IT CAN! I smiled. I told them they can live in a house with whatever they want and where ever they want. But first, you have to study well and work hard.

Suddenly my most uninterested students were asking what a vase, stereo system, sink, picture frame, and many other things were in English. Although it started to get a bit materialistic, it was a great creative, imaginative, exercise to bring energy back into my classroom and spark a bit an interest in English again.

Because I think that when you ask students to create something for themselves, not only do they get to be creative, but they start learning words in their own way. They were imagining sofas, and lamps, and televisions while they were writing the words on paper.

It was an exciting lesson for my students, and an enlightening lesson for myself. And we all left with smiles on our faces. 

Pink Eye...Its EVERYWHERE

Pink Eye...its everywhere.

Written on 5/5/2015

It started with a few students coming into class with swollen, red, itchy eyes...and suddenly it was everywhere. EVERYWHERE.

I urged my students to stay home if they were sick. I told them to wash their hands and faces. To not touch their eyes. And a student yelled out (in Malagasy) "But it comes from the wind!" and still I saw students with extrememly red puffy eyes coming into class, and it was spreading through the classes and town like wild fire.

Suddenly, I was surrounded by pink eye. I started sending students home and washing my hands obsessively. Then, I went to get juice for the Center's Sunday Afternoon Juice and Talk. The young woman who sells juice greeted me with sunglasses covering very puffy eyes....

A few hours later...my eye started to itch. I felt it start to swell, and soon, it was red and extremely swollen. I had caught pink eye.

Trying to set a good example, I didn't go back to school until I was pink-eye free. I didn't shake anyone's hands. I used the medicine the doctors told me to use. It was a week of boredom, and feeling extremely guilty for not teaching my students, but I am finally pink-eye free!

Most notably, I realized why students were coming to school with pink eye. Its hard to miss a week of class, especially when you aren't feeling really sick, you just have an itchy eye. My students are a little bit behind because I was sick, and if they missed a week, that is many missed lessons!

Once you get pink eye, the medicine, which can cost the same amount as a few days of work for some, was not being used. Many people were washing their eyes with soap, putting honey in their eyes, or attempting to cure their eyes with lemon juice. Although I read some articles that these home-remedies can work, they aren't 100% affected and with watered down, and possibly unclean honey, very acidic lemons, and water that isn't always the cleanest for washing, these remedies could do more harm than hurt.

Pink eye is still everywhere, and I can't help but question how it will ever leave the area with more and more students getting sick. I keep urging my students to wash their hands and I hope they will stay at home if they wake up with red, itchy eyes. I've sent kids home from school and told them to wait until they get better.

For now, I'm just obsessively washing my hands and face...there is no way I'm getting pink eye again! It's interesting to see how something that we pass by as a simple illness that can be avoided by good hygiene and treated by eye drops and a few days away from school or work, can quickly spread through a community.

It shows just how important education about hygiene is! And reminded me that I really need to go talk to the Elementary School by my house about educating their students on how to use the new latrine WASH (an NGO) recently built on their school grounds. A little bit of good hygiene can lead to a long, healthy life!

UPDATE: (as of 5/14/2015): Pink eye is a little bit less noticeable in schools but I've heard its making its way up the coast and to different parts of the island. Also, I've noticed the students at the Elementary school have been using their latrine. I mentioned something to the adjunct director at my school and he said he talked to her and now its open! Could have been coincidental, but still good to see kids learning healthy habits!

Feeling 22?

Feeling 22?

Written on 4/21/2015

Last week was my birthday, and although I usually make my birthday a big day, I just wasn't feeling making a whole debacle over my special day. In the morning I taught two of my classes "When?" and "When is (holiday?" I taught them "birthday." And then the final question on their exercise was "When is Miss Elizabeth's birthday?" I wrote the question hoping to check their comprehension, and it worked! The student's said they didn't know, and when I told them it was today, it was fun to see them get excited. After correcting the exercise, I taught my students the birthday song and they sang to me. It was a precious little lesson.

I went about my normal day, made a special meal of mac n' cheese. Went to the center where the librarians excitedly greeted me with a "Happy Birthday!" and hugs. And then I bought a big chocolate bar with my dinner and went to sleep.

But before I went to sleep, I found myself feeling kind of down. I wasn't quite feeling 22 (thanks Taylor Swift). I found myself thinking about all the things I am missing out on. I missed my friend's senior year of college, and a full year of all of us being 21 and together. My friends are getting in increasingly committed relationships and going on dates. Basically, I have almost no social life here. I questioned myself, "Am I even enjoying my youth!?"

But alas, I was hit by a moment of clarity. Although I am not enjoying the same type of 22 as most of my friends, I'M PURSUING MY DREAMS AND LIVING IN MADAGASCAR. And when I get back, it's not like I will be an old maid. And although I'm thinking of going back to grad school (I'm not sure if I said that in my blog yet....I'm thinking about doing Grad School for a Master's in Public Administration following Peace Corps)....Even though I am doing grad school and continually working on my dreams - and no so much my social life - I still have wonderful people in my life.

I just worry, like many worry, that maybe I am focusing too much on my career and my professional goals instead of my personal goals (although I'm not even sure what those are yet). But I am still proud of myself for all I have accomplished and just because I am working hard to get to where I want to be professionally, the personal part of things will fall into place with it - because you can't plan everything. I can't even, really, plan my professional life! I just need to focus on now, and start thinking about my next steps, but remember that nothing is ever set in stone.

So maybe I'm not dressing up like hipsters, or making fun of my Ex's, or going out at midnight...but I'm still feeling 22!

Into The Wild Book Review

Into The Wild by Jon Kakauer

Written on 4/27/2015

During my four month long battle to start, read, and finish this book I the story of Chris McCandles fatal adventure into the Alaskan wilderness, mixed reviews from other Peace Corps Volunteers who's eyes had landed on the same pages I finally just put down.

A few were positive, one PCV said that while she read the book, she felt she was going through a similar experience - submerging herself into the wilderness. Another volunteer erupted with rage over the stupidity of the book. Arguing that it was a how-to for losing your life into the wild and pleaded people to do copy cat adventures and losing their life to hubris.

After reading it, I can see how both perspectives are valid. Although, I see why Jon Krakauer, as a journalist, saw this book as an important story to put into paper. Before making a fatal mistake in the Alaskan wilderness that undoubtedly made him an infamous adventurer, McCandless had a interesting affect on the lives of people he encountered on his journey, relentlessly pursued his dream, and tragically changed the lives of his family forever.

At first, the repetitiveness of McCandless encountering people, changing them ever-so-slightly with his veracious nature, and then leaving quickly seemed very selfish and was difficult to get through. With each new person McCandless met, it seemed he soon would be leaving them anyway. So why waste the time reading more about them? But, Krakauer was illustrating the impact of McCandless death on everyone he reached - he wasn't just an aimless youth with a overwhelming sense of wunderlust.

Many people, like my fellow PCV, found his story pointless and negative. Krakauer printed just a few of the angry letters that flew in after he wrote the first feature story on McCandless. And I realized then why he wrote the book, he wanted to prove that McCandles wasn't just a ignorant, prideful young man, he had a purpose that was deeper than that.

Krakauer argues that McCandles followed a his dream and moral code in a religious way. He wanted to test himself and test his limits, which many people can relate to. Krakauer relates McCandless to teens driving too fast, taking too many drugs; young men and women joining the military (or the Peace Corps...), and otherwise doing things that seem reckless to the older generation. And it's the daring nature to try new things and embrace that danger that makes changes (both positive and negative) in the world, or in McCandless place in a few people's lives, and that makes his story and other's like his worth writing about.

Although, McCandless story isn't just an inspirational one, its also a tragic tale of loss. He left his family without a word and didn't leave a trace of where he was headed. They spent years worrying about him only to experience the loss of their son and brother. After reading the entire book, a possible copycat would hopefully be discouraged by the hurt of the people McCandles spent only a short time with, his friends, and his family.

Billie McCandless, Chris's mother, states at the end of the book "Some days are harder than others, but its going to hard every day for the rest of my life."

Although Chris McCandless story is interesting, inspirational, it is still a tragic one of a life ended much too soon.

P.S. I also watched the movie and I can honestly say that although the book and movie share a title and a story - the story telling is drastically different and cannot be compared. Both are artful ways to tell the story, both are worth your time.

Adventures in the Fianarantsoa Area

Adventures in the Fianarantsoa Area

Written on 4/7/2015

After my last vacation of resting and relaxing on the beach, I told a few of my fellow Peace Corps Volunteer friends that I wanted to do something more adventurous. We looked into some options, and decided to go to the Fianarantsoa (AKA Fianar) area because of the National Parks in the area.

Thankfully, we had the idea to break down the 11 hour brousse ride into a few days, stopping at Andsirabe and Ambohistra along the way. We adventured through Andsirabe, the third largest city in Madagascar. It was really relaxing to just walk around the city. We had all seen it before on our Tech Trip, but we were just shuffled from place to place by Peace Corps Cars. It was fun to be able to explore at our own leisure. We also sang karaoke (a Malagasy Favorite) the night we stayed there - needless to say, it was quite a great time. I rocked a few Beyonce songs  and we hilariously butchered Bootylicious together.

We then headed to Ambohistra - which is known for its Artisan Crafts. It was a quaint little town and a nice visit. I made friends with a few woman who were selling silk scarves they made, and ended up buying some of their scarves. Although I'm pretty sure they overcharged me a little bit more than usual - although I did bargain down to half their original price - they were wonderful women and I felt like I was putting money into good, hardworking hands. Its nice to have something that has a story and a face behind it!

Next, we headed to Fianar - where the real adventures began. From Fianar, we decided to take a short trip to go PARAGLIDING. I highly recommend it if you ever have the chance. It was so exhilarating and oddly relaxing. Its so quite up in the sky and the view from up their - priceless. But you do have to hike up a huge mountain and then jump off it..and then land on the ground. We had a few crash landings - including my own - because of the lack of wind at the ground level. Luckly, nothing serious - just not the pretty, soft landing you hope for. More of a hitting the ground and falling over. I was the first to go, and luckily got quite a bit of air time. It was fun being the first because I was greeted by the children who live in a town nearby. They are used to foreigners who don't speak Malagasy, so it was fun to chat with them and teach them a little bit of English while I waited for my friends to glide down. Afterwards, we enjoyed a beer with our paragliding pals and talked about his qualifications...which, in hindsight...would've been a good thing to ask before we jumped off a mountain with him. (Just so you know, he was very qualified and can even teach others to paraglide alone...fewww).

The next adventure was a trip through Ranomafana (probably the most well-known of all the National Parks). We went on a six hour hike and saw five different types of lemurs and a beautiful waterfall. I don't think we walked on a flat surface the whole time - it was either hiking up a steep hill or cautiously stepping down hill. Two days later and my legs are still sore. But it was worth it to see more of this beautiful island!

Now I'll be spending a few days in Tana working on a grant for a teacher's training and celebrating my upcoming birthday with a few other volunteers! And then back to teaching I go!

Stop. Talking. Please

Stop. Talking. Please.

Written on 3/16/2015.

"Stop talking please." I must repeat that at least ten times each class, sometimes its feel like its all I say. If my students don't at least know that phrase by the end of the semester, I'll know they must have been absent for most of my classes.

As a 6eme teacher, I have to be very, very patient. 6eme is similar to 6th grade. The students are experience there first year at the CEG (Middle School) and can be a bit of a handful. They haven't been taught skills like how to take organized notes, write things that will help you remember even if they aren't on the board, how to study, or, evidently - that being quite and behaved during class is important.

Part of the reason is that I am a vazaha (foreigner) and because I don't know all of the classroom culture, the students think they can get away with a lot more. The truth is, they can. Friends of mine said it well the other day, when they stated, "You can't be mean with 6eme. You have to be caring. You have to be patient."

Let me tell you, they test my patience everyday. But I am learning to be patient. It took a little bit of time but I have been trying hard to correct them rather than punish them. I remind them that they need to listen in class and write good notes instead of talking because they need to learn. I move students instead of kicking them out. I try to encourage them to learn rather than discourage them from talking.

But, I am still human. And saying "Please stop talking" over and over again does get discouraging.

Not only that, but I recently gave an exam and was very discouraged by the amount of cheating. We were told in pre-service training that cheating is very common here. Especially having another student read your answers because its such a collective community atmosphere and its seen as helping your friend out. Some students also wrote all of the answers on little pieces of paper, or read there notebooks.

When I first noticed all the cheating while I was grading (and some before), I wanted to scold them all immediately and send all the cheaters into the office. But I reminded myself that these students were not taught study skills. They probably have cheated before and gotten away with it. It worked once, it'll work again.

So instead, I thought I would do what I came here to do - teach. I attempted to turn it more into a lesson on how to study. Instead of creating a cheat sheet, they could practice with exercises on another sheet of paper. Instead of copying a friends entire quiz, they could study with their friend.

And lastly, I reminded them that when they cheat, they don't learn it. They might be able to cheat a few times, but eventually you won't be able to and you will find you don't know the information. But, if you pay attention in class and study before the quiz, you'll get a better grade right now, and get a better grade later.

I'm sure cheating and chatting will be a continuous struggle but I must remind myself the importance of being a caring, patient teacher. And in the end, that too will be more beneficial to my students then me being strict and mean. They will learn how to behave better, learn English better, and hopefully be able to reach higher levels of education.

Yay! Teaching!

Book Review: I Am Malala

I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban

by Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb

Written on 3/25/2014

Malala is an icon. She is a strong young woman who, with the encouragement of her family, stood up for education for all.

This book, I Am Malala, showcases why Malala is such an inspiration to many. Malala and her family faced many hardships, but constantly pushed forward in their battle to have education for girls. Beyond natural disasters and money issues, Malala and her family faced an antagonist that has shaped much of the international conflict over the past 10 years: Talbanization.

Malala shows a different perspective on Talbanization. Her education, her family, her life was impacted directly by the Taliban. She continued to go to school and live her life after the Taliban was taking lives and threatening hers.

Her and her father continue to speak out for education for all - regardless of gender, income, and geographical location.

I can't really put what I felt from this book into words because I feel my frame of reference on International Affairs and Women's Education might be a bit different than most. Basically, I find Malala and her father's fight for education extremely inspiring.

This book fueled my thoughts about going back to Grad School and working for NGOs with education and women's rights. The Yousafzai family reminded me that pursuing change is important and beneficial for all. Although I'm still not sure what I'll be doing after Peace Corps, I was reminded how important education is, and I am glad I'm working towards a better education for all here.

Basically, it's a good book, an easy read, and an important subject. Although it is clear that Malala had some help from co-writer Lamb to put the words together, there are moments where her youth shines through in a way that lets you know Malala is the one behind the words.