Schooled

Today I participated in a fun outreach at to teach english to kids from ages 6-12. A church that reaches out the local community offers english classes throughout the summer went to provide the day's activities. Our team had a brief meeting yesterday to figure out some drama skits and games we could perform. But I really had no idea what to expect. Some staff from the church picked us up at the ship and we rode in the back of their converted toyota pickup. I was having a great time as we zoomed through the streets of Bangkok.

When we arrived at the church the kids were already there, waiting patiently in a classroom. Pretty much the whole day's worth of activities were up to us so we dove in an busted out a big map of the world to show them where we all came from. Our team members came from Korea, America, South Africa and the Philpines. We did some drama skits that were a blast and to get the kids riled up. Through an interpreter we talked about the ship and why were serving there.

After practicing phrases like "My name is..." and greetings we busted out some games to make the learning fun. We broke the kids down into two teams and called out words like family, country, history, people, etc. so that they could hear the pronounciation. They then had to grab cards that had that corresponding word on it. It was so much fun to watch them get faster and faster as they learned.

There were times of randomness and hilarity. At one point the kids were getting fidgety and we thought they wanted to go pee so we did a five minute break. Bathroom break soon changed as the pastor of the church announced "ICE CREAM." All the kids, including my team members raced out the room like raptors to get a treat. Towards the end of the day, they were maxed out on flash cards so we played dodge ball and I totally got schooled.

Teaching the kids english wasn't just for kicks. The pastor explained to me that learning english is the best way for Thais to get better jobs. There are many international companies in Bangkok so learning the language can be a ticket out of poverty.

I had a blast and it really was a great experience. On the way to the church I asked our team leader, Rex, if we should plan the days activities out. "Naw," he said "you'll see, once we get there, it'll all work itself out." Sometimes the best laid plans are no plans at all.