Tingles. Frank emails me back with a short message, and it is so good to have someone on the ground teaching classes in Yangon to communicate with, to get solid information so early.
For those here the first time, I went to Myanmar as a volunteer teacher trainer twice in 2014. The first time through Friendship Force with family and friends. I invited good friend Frank along and we spent 10 wonderful days teaching in a monastery. Frank and I returned in August (supported by JALT this time) and spent a whole month teacher training, and expanded our network of connections.
Frank returned in the fall of 2015 and has been working there since, not just volunteering. He works most closely with Ko Wunna, a businessman who sponsors some of the free schools in the NLD network, the political party that won a landslide victory last fall, and is now in power. Opening up the country.
That is why we have a larger need than before. Growth is accelerating.
The plan is for a group of 3-10 volunteer EFL teachers to do a short 3-5 day intensive course in Communicative Language Teaching, repeated four times, in four different cities in Myanmar. This will happen either in August or September, or maybe both, depending on arrangements.
As details get consolidated by our hosts, the NLD Education Network, I will be working to consolidate a list of committed volunteers.
Myanmar is a developing country, and while Yangon is relatively cosmopolitan, expect rougher conditions outside. Myanmar is warm all year round, 30 degrees (about 90) and the summer is rainy. Food is basic, mostly fried, but can be spicy. Hard to find wifi and air conditioning.
But the people are exciting and wonderful, full of expectation and a real feeling of hope. This was even before the election. I can’t wait to get back to see how it is.
If you are interested, please contact me. You will need to pay for hotels ($40 a night, minimum) and meals during the month, and maybe even transportation between the cities. Food is cheap unless you want foreign stuff. And of course, your flight in. For me, from Tokyo, I plan to spend about $2,000 for the month.
We will be looking for places to get support first for buying and shipping teaching materials, then to defray some of those costs above.
Lots of work, but well worth it. I plan to fold in some research on using the Internet for audio delivery and compare that with students in Japan, see who benefits the most. See a slide show of what we did in 2014.
I am a documentary addict, so when Making of a Murderer came out, I was there. The problem is, you can’t binge watch a documentary, especially one like this, unless you want to blow your brains out. I am about 2/3 the way through this tale of two trials of one man, initially convicted for rape, serving 18 years before being exonerated by DNA tests. As soon as he gets out, he sues the police, and lo and behold, he gets charged with murder this time. The parallels between the two trials are amazing.
So, to avoid blowing my brains out, I would watch 1 episode of the documentary, and sandwich in a comedy. Sherbet for the palate. Yesterday I watch Iliza Schlesinger rock Denver in a one-hour stand-up routine about women and relationships. Great stuff. But today, after more trials, tribulations, and documentary, I see John Mulaney, The Comeback Kid. John is playing at a theater downtown Chicago, looks like the Drake Hotel. Curved ceilings and all. But I find he is from Chicago. Catholic family. 4 kids. The parallels are awesome, and so is his humor. Side-splitting. Gotta see it. Really.