Today was our first full day at the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School. My alarm went off at 6 a.m. and we headed off to breakfast. That was followed by a short meeting with school officials and a presentation on the history and mission of the school. Then, we divided up into groups of three to meet with our students and begin teaching English. Each group of three was assigned to one level of students, either first year (beginners), second year (intermediate), or third year (advanced). So far, our plan is to stay with the same level for one week, then moving on to a different level for the next week. I was assigned to the first year students with CDT Winne and CDT Drumm. We were shown our classroom and the teachers lounge, given a few minutes to prepare our papers and materials, and our first groups of students came in. It was a very interesting experience since I rarely talk to non-English speakers, let alone try to teach them how to speak English. Getting the students to open up and participate in conversation was somewhat of a challenge, but as time went on it became easier. We talked about where they were from, their families, what branch (Army, Navy Air Force, Police) they were going to join, or what American food, music or movies they liked. After three periods of students, it was time for lunch, a short break, and then time for two hours of recreational sports. It was apparent that the cadets here get a majority of their exercise from the two hour period that they play recreational sports. Activities available range from basketball and volleyball to Thai kickboxing and martial arts. After two hours of kickboxing and basketball, I was pretty exhausted. It is monsoon season here, so I have been able to experience some of the most intense weather conditions on the planet. It started raining during sports time, so we had a nice walk to the mess hall in a severe downpour. We ate dinner and headed back home. After the rain, the mountains were shrouded in a thick fog that looked absolutely surreal. Since I am from the American Midwest, I don't often get to see big mountains, so it is really cool to wake up every morning to this beautiful terrain. Tomorrow is another full day of classes, with PT in the morning, and a meeting with the superintendent of the school.


Until next time,
Ben