People Archives - Page 12 of 108 - Sonia Marsh

I Leave for Africa with the Peace Corps on October 4th

August 25, 2015 by Sonia Marsh 4 Comments

100_3089 — Teaching Kindergarten at Ban Bo Phut elementary school, Koh Samui

It’s all confirmed; I leave for Africa with the Peace Corps on October 4th. I called to make sure all my paperwork was in order, as I hadn’t received a confirmation in writing, and I have to sell my car and pay for a storage unit.

My recent Bamboo Project volunteering, was the best thing I did to prepare for the next stage of my life: Teaching primary education in Lesotho, Southern Africa, on October 6th, for a 27-month period.

Thailand taught me the importance of accepting that things are done differently, to be flexible, and to understand the local “Thai” way of teaching and doing things.

In the beginning I struggled with the way we had to teach. It was so different from what I learned (t) in British English, at my TESOL course in Greenwich in May. Most of the teaching at our school was based on repetition and copying from the board. I felt like the children did not understand what we were talking about, and asking a question was impossible. The kids would repeat what I said (out of habit) but apart from one or two in the class, most kids could not answer my questions.

The Bamboo Project was about more than teaching. I had to live in a communal (student-style) accommodation, where we shared one toilet and two showers among seven people. It brought back fond memories of college dorm days.

IMG_20150810_162000425 — Our living room

IMG_20150810_162010064 — Living room and kitchen with tiny fridge crammed with our drinks and food

IMG_20150810_162050109 — The downstairs shower became my own. Cold water and a handle that popped off every time I turned it.

I loved my new routine of getting up at 5:30 a.m., making Nescafe, and then checking e-mails and blogging. I realized that everyone else stayed in bed until 15 minutes before we were supposed to be at the pick-up stop for school. I have no idea how young people can roll out of bed and be ready in 10 minutes.

Jeep Bamboo — Ready for our Jeep Pick-up at 7:30 a.m.

I also enjoyed the nightlife with the volunteers at the ARK,a beachfront night club. You’ll see some amazing stuff from 1:50 seconds into the video.

Amazing fireworks from 1:50 onwards.

100_3093 — Having dinner at Zanzibar cafe after teaching.

Now I start teaching in an Orange County, California, primary school, and look forward to learning some new skills, before I leave for Lesotho, with the Peace Corps.

A Lifetime Experience Crammed into Two Weeks

August 19, 2015 by Sonia Marsh 2 Comments

100_3081 — My First Grade Class in Thailand

I’m having a lifetime experience crammed into two weeks, on the island of Koh Samui, Thailand, working as a volunteer teacher in a local public elementary school.

From now on, I’ve decided to take volunteer vacations rather than regular vacations, as a way to immerse myself in a new culture, meet interesting people from different continents, and remain “young” in spirit.

I share a house with six volunteers. There are 3 rooms and 2 bathrooms and fortunately, I’ve managed to tag the downstairs shower as my own. There is only cold water, and a handle that keeps falling off, but who cares; I’m used to both now.

My Czech friend, Veronika, and I were initially shocked by the lack of hot water in the shower, and now we accept it, as the weather is so damn hot and humid in Thailand.

What I love about my experience, is the interaction with people from Australia, Zimbabwe, New Zealand, Hungary, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic. English is our common language, and the more time I spend with others, the more I realize we are all the same.

Arm, our local Thai advisor, picks us up on in the Bamboo jeep on the main road each morning at 7:30 a.m. We stop at 7/11 for water bottles, and we discovered a French Cafe across the street with chocolate croissants and strong coffee. I enjoy speaking French with the local expat community. We have a routine on our way to the Boh Phut elementary school.

When we arrive at the school, the students are impeccably dressed in school uniform, saying their early morning prayers, while facing Buddha. We wait for them to finish, then head over to our first class. We teach Kindergarten to fifth grade. One of us is the main teacher, and the other volunteers assist, since most of our classes have 40 students.

100_3079 — Sonia teaching first grade with Veronika

At first we were shocked by how the kids are, and how we have to “shout” and make them repeat everything, mainly by shouting louder and louder each time. I was not comfortable with this, but then I realized this is the way the student are taught.

The kids like repetition and copying from the board. I realize that each country has their own way of teaching students, and next week I shall be in a U.S. Kindergarten volunteering with an American teacher, so that will be completely different, and interesting to analyze.

I wonder what it will be like to teach in Lesotho, when I join the Peace Corps in October. Another new experience, which I look forward to.

My First Impressions of Volunteering in Thailand

August 12, 2015 by Sonia Marsh 5 Comments

It’s been one week since I landed at Bangkok International Airport, and today is my first day of teaching a first grade class how to count numbers one through ten in English.

I’m nervous after observing the students during our initial orientation. Why am I nervous? Because I truly want to help and for the following reasons:

I have no experience teaching younger children.
The children in our Thai public school have to follow the government’s text book.
The children have not been taught the basics, therefore how do we help them progress to the next level in the textbook?
The children learn by repeating and memorizing, and often repeat your questions without understanding that you expect an answer.
I am a volunteer, and want them to succeed, but how do I get the entire class to pay attention?
It seems that they listen when you’re loud, but I don’t like to shout.
We are only here for a short period of time, so we have to continue with the same methods. I hope I remember the correct steps.

Besides being nervous,and wanting to make a difference, there is the added pressure of adapting to living in a communal atmosphere, and sharing bedrooms and bathrooms with my fellow volunteers who are as young as 17, and as “old” as 38.

I love young people, and admit that at first, I kept wondering if they questioned why a woman my age, was in this program.

It took me a few days to realize that I should just be myself, and not try to apologize for being older, or wanting to participate in their activities. I am treating this experience as pre-training for the Peace Corps, where I shall be living mostly with young people for 27 months, as a volunteer in Lesotho, Africa.

I’m pleased to say that I’m adapting to life in a foreign country without the luxuries of home. Brushing my teeth in the shower, only having cold water to wash, and often no toilet paper, but a small hose to rinse off, are some of the things I’m getting used to.

Now my frizzy hair, is something I cannot get used to taming, but that will come with time.

I believe that discovering new places, new foods and new people, make up for the lack of luxuries from home. At least that’s what I keep reminding myself.

What’s Happened to Me? Let The Adventure Begin

August 4, 2015 by Sonia Marsh 9 Comments

What’s happened to me? I used to shop at Nordstrom and Brighton Collectibles, and all of a sudden, I find myself spending hours at REI, Patagonia and other outdoor/camping retailers, looking at fast-drying, microfiber towels that fit in my pocket, and waterproof hiking shoes (for the Peace Corps).

This is the first time in my life that I’ve tried to pack almost three-weeks worth of clothes into one 45L backpack.

I’ve spent hours online, and at REI researching backpacks that pack like a suitcase. I also watched YouTube videos on how to use packing cubes; something I’ve never heard of before.

Yes we have the same name, isn’t that something!

IMG_20150804_121748663 — I took one of the three packing cubes out, for you to see

It’s time for me to start thinking like a student again, especially as I’m off to Thailand, where I shall be sharing an apartment with 3-4 other volunteers. I have no idea what to expect, and keep my fingers crossed that I shall succeed in getting Baht, from the airport ATM, as well as a Thai SIM card.

I’m supposed to meet a rep at the airport who is driving me to the hotel. It’s all done through the Bamboo-Project organizers, and I trust all will go smoothly, although I have been warned about “Thai-time” which sounds similar to “Belize-time.”

I’m flying on China Eastern airlines to Shanghai, in business, thanks to a free ticket with my miles. Sadly, I read that due to our departure time at 1 a.m., no meals are served, and I was looking forward to a glass of champagne and some “gourmet” dinner. (Not sure if I would pick Chinese or Western food) but this may no longer be an option. Oh well, at least I should have a comfortable seat, and be able to sleep. The flight lasts fourteen hours and then I have a six-hour layover in Shanghai, before leaving for Bangkok.

I checked reviews on China Eastern, and they were not that promising, as far as service and quality, but I’m lucky to be in Business class, and try this for the first time.

I hope you follow me on my journey to Koh Samui, Thailand.

I Got My Medical Clearance From the Peace Corps

July 30, 2015 by Sonia Marsh 7 Comments

Extracting Influenza Virus Vaccine — Vaccinations-Photo credit-click on photo

I GOT MY MEDICAL CLEARANCE FROM THE PEACE CORPS

After numerous shots, blood tests, x-rays and doctor visits, I finally got my medical clearance from the Peace Corps.

It’s only been a year since I first applied to serve, but somehow, it feels like forever. As some of you may have read,my first application was rejected, and then on January 14th, 2015, I rewrote my resume and received my invitation to serve on May 14th.

On July 29th, 2015, I finally received my medical clearance, which means, I’m good to go to Lesotho, on October 5^th. This may not seem like a long time to you, but so much has happened in my life in the past year, including my divorce, finding a place to live, and passing the TESOL certificate in London.

Now I admit that patience is not one of my strengths, and I realize that I shall need to slow down in Lesotho as this is an important part of our Peace Corps training, while learning to adapt to a totally new and unfamiliar country.

When I look back at how much stuff I had to go through, it seems like it was a full-time job to get my medical and dental paperwork in order.

It’s not like I have any illnesses, or take medication of any kind, but nevertheless, I had to fix certain “problems.”

Dental Exams:

A full set of x-rays in digital format.
A detailed dental exam with measurements of the distance between the gum line and each tooth, (not sure of what the dental terminology is for this.)

Results:

I had to have one crown, which then resulted in an unexpected root canal. I was worried sick about the root canal, because of stories I’d heard of how painful it can be, and surprisingly, I didn’t feel a thing. The crown actually hurt more than the root canal.

Medical Exams:

The following vaccinations:

MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella.) When I was a child, I had the measles, and there was confusion as to why I wasn’t getting vaccinated against measles. I had several back and forth e-mails with the Peace Corps nurse explaining this.
Polio: Another vaccination
Typhoid: I accidentally got two, and paid $150 for one of these. I then worried that the Peace Corps would tell me that I was not allowed to go, as I’d had two vaccinations. I had to explain my mistake, and this also caused some delays.
Yellow Fever: I had to find a special urgent care that offers yellow fever shots. This also cost $150.
Tetanus: I got a shot, and actually, that’s the one that hurt my upper arm the most, especially during my shoulder press exercises at the gym.
HIV/AIDS blood test. I’m clear.
Tuberculosis: I came out 5mm positive, as I was vaccinated for this in Europe as a child, and they don’t seem to vaccinate n the U.S. I therefore had to get a chest x-ray, to prove that my lungs are clear. Apparently my lungs are long, so the technician had to x-ray them 3 times, and of course I’m worried about all the radiation.
Colonoscopy: I had one six years ago, and thankfully no polyps, so I’m not supposed to have another for 4 more years. Even that required a personal statement explaining the results.

Now, I’m focusing on the type of backpack I need to buy. I was told 65-85 litres, however that’s enormous. So the researching backpacks at REI, online, and other places, and we also have a long list of items to bring to Lesotho, southern Africa. We are not allowed to leave Lesotho during our 3-month pre-service training, nor can we leave (i.e. shop in South Africa–across the border) for another 3 months after that. So we have to pack the stuff we need. The problem is, we’re not sure what we’ll need, and we’re limited to two suitcases.