Alex Heidebrecht, Crossfield AB
Currently serving in Cambodia. 2011/12
Alex is Teaching English at Royal University of Phnom Penh, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Follow this link to read Alex's reflections on his blog. Alex's Blog.
Alex Walks us through a typical day for him on SALT
6:30 or 7:00 – Wake up and maybe eat some breakfast (usually pork and rice, yummy!)
7:30 - Leave for the MCC office
8:00 - Arrive at MCC after navigating the unique traffic of Phnom Penh
8:00 – 12:00 - If I did not eat breakfast at home I go to the Pork and rice shop (Haang Baay) and get some breakfast. After that I prepare my lessons for my afternoon classes, and work on other MCC projects that I am involved in.
12:00 – 1:00 - Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays lunch is served at the MCC office so I usually eat there. On Tuesday and Thursday I usually eat at school, and occasionally go to Spoon for their $4 buffet. Spoon is always worth it, but it is quite difficult to teach after you have filled yourself up with all that delicious food.
1:00 – 2:00 - Last minute preparations for my classes.
2:00 – 5:00 - Teach my two classes; one second year class and one third year class
5:00 – 6:00 - Get on my motto and navigate that wonderful Phnom Penh traffic again!
6:00 – 7:30 - Relax before dinner and sometimes I help out with dinner
7:30 – 8:30 - Eat dinner with the family
8:30 – 10:00 - Watch T.V. With the family, practice my Khmer, or read a book in one of the hammocks around the house.
10:00 - Fall asleep to the chorus of the neighborhood cats and dogs.
Whitney McDonald, Calgary AB
Salt Alumni 2010/11, Loas.
Whitney served as an English Teacher at Nita School in Vientiane, Loas.
Whitney: on why she chose SALT
"I really enjoyed the idea that it was only one year long, which I felt was long enough to really get to know the culture and a grasp on the language, yet it wasn’t too long that it seemed daunting. Plus the SALT program offered many different assignments all over the world that I could pick from."
Whitney: on her service assignment at Nita School
"At around 7:30 I would then hop on my motorbike and go to Nita school, which was about a 20 minute ride from my host family’s house. Every day at school I was met with my younger students surrounding me saying hello, and good morning or yelling my name. It truly made me feel like a celebrity. At 8:00am, or whenever someone decided to ring the bell, classes started. I taught 16 different classes, once a week. Each of my classes was only 50 minutes long, which is not ideal when trying to learn a new language. I would try to include as many songs and educational games as possible to get the kids not only excited about English, but also learning something."
Photo: Whitney with her host Grandma.
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