First day adventure

I have just this moment sat down after going through the twistiest, lengthy, and generally pleasant lines of my less then unique travel experiences. I got to the airport about 2:30 and thought that I would have a great deal of time to read, have some coffee, and just generally people-watch until my flight to London would be called. As it has turned out I have about 20 to 25 minutes before boarding and I can share some of my early thoughts with all of you regarding this new adventure.I am more excited about this coming experience than I ever was before I left for the Peace Corps. I think it relates more to the fact that I have a somewhat better idea of what I am in for than I was at that time. I know it will be hot; I know it will be a matter of communication problems, and I know it will be a job that will be low on a sense of accomplishment and high on new and fascinating experiences. When I left for the Philippines, I really did not have a clue as to what to expect but I knew it would be a challenge and more than that – fun. I still expect a great deal of fun, but this time I believe that I might be able to do a little more in the sense of accomplishing something since I have a better idea of what I am supposed to do.

As I understand my role, I will be assigned to the Ministry of Education in Phnom Penh, specifically to the MOEY (Ministry of Education and Youth), which also includes sports. I have long ago given up trying to fathom why certain departments are lumped together, even in America. Defining my role further I will be working with the primary levels of education (grades 1 to 6) and focusing on the inclusion of special education. This will also involve the necessary goals of VOS (Volunteers Serving Overseas), which are to bring about better gender equity and minority equalization.

So, from this lofty and somewhat grandiose charge I suspect I will be doing many tasks that were my job “back in the day” which were working on a “School Improvement Plan”. These were some of the most exciting times of my educational career and made more sense than any of the other educational innovations that had occurred during my tenure. In simple terms this focus had stated that teachers and administrators were to look at what they were teaching, to whom they were teaching it, and how well they were teaching it. We were obliged to break down the statistics (“disaggregate”, for those of you who are subject to professional jargon) and find out why or how certain groups or certain students had not accomplished what we said they would learn. Sorry about this divergence from the really interesting bits about ME, but this time in education still holds promise and can be possibly translated as giving every child an IEP (Individual Educational Plan) without that child being in special education. It was and still is, a great time.

So, this brings me back to what I will be possibly doing. I think I will part of an inspection team that will visit several primary schools in six different provinces. This team might do an inspection that will do basically a school improvement plan but without the threatening notion of “improvement” in the label. Once the inspection is completed, a report will be developed and given t the administrators and staff of the school and an “evaluation’ might begin. This evaluation should essentially be self-administered and determine where or what the school personnel wish to see occur in their school. Of course there are mandates that come out from the central or head office of education, but in reality each school should decide what it want to accomplish specifically within the guidelines of the State (as in country) view of what the educational system should be accomplishing. Here it might become tricky.

Once the school system decides what it wants to do, it becomes our job to help them do it. At least that is how I think it might develop. I have a lot of ideas along those lines but we will see if there is any connection between what I think is the case and the reality of the situation. I am reminding myself on a daily, and sometimes hourly basis, that I am a guest, a visitor, a volunteer that is there to support and assist. My name is not Moses, nor Sampson. I have to be responsive and supportive and not be the ugly American (or in this case, the ugly Canadian).

(Later)
I am winging my way over the Atlantic and am rather comfortable in my “steerage” seat. The flight to London is approximately 6 or 7 hours and is not too bad considering it will be about 11 or 12 hours to Bangkok with another 1 or 2 hours to Phnom Penh. The London to Bangkok leg will be the real test that will separate the men and women from the boys and girls and will test the bladders, restless leg syndrome, and social adaptability skills of even the most hardened of travelers.

I am still marveling at the incredible length of the lines in the airport as we were herded along from check-in to security. Somehow I forgot the restrictions or my packing guidelines and when I was clearing out my car before coming to the airport I took my Leatherman all-purpose knife and tossed in my carry-on. Sure enough, as the hardened security guy was patting my surgical repaired knees, another suitably cynically conditioned security guy had my baskets with my “flow-through” items of wealth, in his clutches. When I moved away from my new friend’s hands, he pointedly asked if he could “look” inside my case. “Of course”, says I. And like a genie producing a wish, out comes my Leatherman and a smile appears on the face of my interrogator. “You should pack this with your checked-in bags,” says he. “I should have my head examined,” thinks I. Of course my Leatherman will not accompany me to London nor anywhere else for that matter.

Later – the same day or at least the same trip.

My winging has been confined to the airport at Heathrow. I hope my contributions to Cambodia’s educational system are better than my mastery of the airline transfer system. I failed to pick up my bags when I deplaned from British airlines to go to Thai. Thai is several meters or kilometers away and required a bus. When I tried to check in the fellow there told me that my bags were not transferred and I had to then go through everything again to finally get vouchered. So I am here waiting for my plane to Bangkok, an 11.5-hour flight. Plenty of time for reading. Despite the momentary lapses in traveler judgment I am still ok with the trip. I have upgraded for the leg to Bangkok and my bags will be transferred and I will be processed like a regular guy. So far so good.

Just a note on my constant companion – my motorcycle helmet. I would advise everyone to carry one when traveling. It is a great conversation starter and after the first time or two when I try to explain that I really don’t drive motorcycles, I just need a helmet; then I begin fabricating and describing my “hog” and how I plan to bike all over southeast Asia and what not. There are big lies and not so big lies. This falls into the latter category. I have also inscribed my new nom de guerre on the Helmet (Paco) and a nice heart with mom written in the center. I am sure that I must look like a Darth Vader “wanna be” with a mother fixation. There is worse persona that I could be working on.

I was really pleased with my second trip through security. I only had to get frisked for my knees and separate my gels and toothpaste, but I didn’t have to take my shoes off. Until, I had passed the first stage and then there was a special conveyer just for shoes. Travel has definitely moved into the twilight stage or as my daughter Julie says, “Really Kafkasque”. Again these are minor bumps on the road to adventure. More later.