Final Day Final Night

Today is my day at the placement final night accommodation I can’t say that I’m not ready to leave, because I am. I’ve had a meaningful and super productive time here and I wholeheartedly appreciate my host! Another volunteer asked me if I would miss being here and I honestly answered, “No.” I haven’t been able to get into a rhythm. Everything here had to be done together as a group and I felt somewhat limited in my ability to explore and felt very much like a tourist the whole time. I can explain more on that later. 

That said the volunteer experiences were meaningful and I’m glad I got to observe how students in preschool are taught here and how secondary students are learning and growing their English language skills. Today was my last day going down the steps to the preschool and it was right on time!

I wrote a bunch of notes on my observations of the students from the village and shared with my guides. The note included things like reading level, what they want to be when they grow up (I opened with that question today and encouraged the adults including myself to also answer.) I was around 12 years old I wanted to be a news anchor and reporter. it was my hope that students would be truly motivated to stick with learning English as a second or third language to be more likely to get a good job as the girl older. Started reading again. I think I got a much better handle on the reading level of the boys, who seem generally to be behind their same-aged female counterparts. I hope that my notes will make it easier for volunteers going forward to pick up where the previous team person left off instead of starting from scratch. I am saying goodbye, lagging behind the other volunteer and our host who were both heading home with me in a Tuk Tuk. 

I’m exhausted at the moment, so I’m really hoping and praying that I sleep well tonightBecause I have a long day of touring candy city, in a Tuk Tuk 🛺 ahead of me!