Essa foi uma experiência sem fotos, mas, mesmo assim, digna de um post.
This was a non-picture experience but still deserves a post.
This was a non-picture experience but still deserves a post.
O Sokkon, além de trabalhar como encarregado do RH de 2a a sábado aqui também da aulas de inglês todos os dias em uma escola razoavelmente perto do meu apartamento. Essa semana ele me pediu pra acompanhar ele numa das aulas assim os alunos poderiam praticar inglês e tal. Por que não? Fui.
Sokkon, despite working as HR coordinator from Monday to Saturday here he also teaches English everyday in a school quite close to my apartment. This week he asked me to go with him so the students could practice their English. Why not? I did.
Sokkon, despite working as HR coordinator from Monday to Saturday here he also teaches English everyday in a school quite close to my apartment. This week he asked me to go with him so the students could practice their English. Why not? I did.
É engraçado como a gente cria factóides quanto a expectativa de como as coisas devem ser. Eu nunca vi uma escola de idiomas em situação tão precária quanto essa - porém, tenho certeza que não é a pior situação do Camboja.
It's funny how we create factoids towards the expectation how things should be. I have never seen so precarious school like that - however, I'm confident that it's not the worse in Cambodia.
It's funny how we create factoids towards the expectation how things should be. I have never seen so precarious school like that - however, I'm confident that it's not the worse in Cambodia.
Saímos correndo do trabalho por volta das 17h, deixei a bike em casa e fui na garupa da moto do Sokkon. Entre trocentas ruazinhas em volta do Orussey Market, uma delas com obras de esgoto abertas nos leva até o prédio da escola. O térreo é um estacionamento de motos e bicicletas. Paramos e vamos rápido porque os alunos já estão na sala e o horário de início é 17h30. Subimos por escadas sujas e mal cuidadas. O átrio da escadaria tem uma grade pra provavelmente previnir a queda de objetos ou pessoas (?).
We left work by 5 pm very fast, I left my bycicle at the apartment and took a ride within Sokkon's motorbike. Among thousands of small alleys around Orussey Market, one of them with the sewer exposed due to maintenance took us to the school's budiling. The ground level works like a parking place for mortobikes and bycicles. We stopped and went upstairs quickly cause the students are already waiting for us and the class starts at 5h30 pm. The stairs were dirty and poorly maintained. The atrium had a fence probably to avoid the fall of objects or people (?).
We left work by 5 pm very fast, I left my bycicle at the apartment and took a ride within Sokkon's motorbike. Among thousands of small alleys around Orussey Market, one of them with the sewer exposed due to maintenance took us to the school's budiling. The ground level works like a parking place for mortobikes and bycicles. We stopped and went upstairs quickly cause the students are already waiting for us and the class starts at 5h30 pm. The stairs were dirty and poorly maintained. The atrium had a fence probably to avoid the fall of objects or people (?).
Enfim, chegamos na sala. Cerca de 30 alunos agitados e na faixa dos 15 anos, mas com alguns perdidos em torno de 10 e outros com mais de 20, pelo tamanho da sala lembra uma aula de Cursinho. Eles sentam em duplas na mesma mesa, pequena e de madeira. A sala tem muitos ventiladores mas não fazem diferença, é muito quente. O recurso didático é a voz do professor e uma lousa branca que está mais para cinza. Logo que eu entro não só vejo mas escuto as expressões de espanto. Não é a primeira vez que isso acontece mas é incrivelmente engraçado você ser observado como se fosse um animal exótico. As crianças estão extremamente falantes, viram pro lado, conversam, em certo ponto não muito diferente do que vi ao longo da vida no Brasil. O Sokkon esguela em khmer e inglês, pede pra eu me apresentar. Falo que sou do Brasil, o que aparentemente não quer dizer nada pra eles, mas depois uma associação ao futebol logo traz "Ronaldo" na boca das pessoas. Eles são todos iniciantes, não falam nem entendem quase nada. Há alguns poucos que conseguem formular perguntas em inglês. Os livros nas mesas não tinham cara de ser muito utilizados. Me fazem várias perguntas: 1) Por que você veio pro Camboja? 2) Você gosta do Camboja? 3) Você gosta da gente? 4) Que horas você acorda? 5) Que horas você entra no trabalho? 6) Que horas você dorme? 7) Você é casado? 8) Que países você esteve antes de chegar aqui? 9) Como é a sua família? 10) Você é o mais novo ou o mais velho? 11) Quantas pessoas tem no Brasil? 12) Onde você mora? 13) Quantas pessoas tem em São Paulo? O tamanho do Brasil e de São Paulo causa um espanto tremendo. Phnom Penh tem quase 2 milhões de habitantes e o Camboja inteiro tem 15 milhões e as pessoas, a maioria, nunca estiveram fora do país, é algo sem comparação para eles. Ainda tentei explicar um pouco sobre lugares turísticos no Brasil, mas se isso já seria difícil até em português fazer alguém imaginar uma paisagem, imagina em inglês pra alguém que não entende. Terminamos.
Finally, we reached the class. There were 30 students excited and on theirs 15 years old, but with some of them with 10 and others with more than 20, by the size of the class it would remember me an university preparation school. They're all sit in doubles in the same table, small and made of wood. The room it's plenty of fans which make no difference since it's too hot. The teaching most available resource it's the teacher's loud voice and a white board that it's actually grey. As I steped in I see faces and expressions of astonishment. It's not the first time that happens but it's incredibly funny when people observe you as if you were an exotic animal. The kids were could not stop speaking or moving, which it's not that different from what I noticed sometimes in Brazil during my life. Sokkon's scream in Khmer and English so I can introduce myself. I tell them that I'm from Brazil which at the beginning doesn't mean anything for them, but after some comment about football soon brings "Ronaldo" to the kids' mouth. They are all beginners but they can't understand almost nothing what I say. There are just a few of them that can prepare some English questions. The books on the tables seemed to be used very often. They asked me a lot of questions: 1) Why did you come to Cambodia? 2) Do you like Cambodia? 3) Do you like us? 4) What time do you wake up? 5) What time do you go to work? 6) What time do you sleep? 7) Are you married? 8) What countries have you been before coming here? 9) How's your family? 10) You are the oldest or the youngest? 11) How many people live in Brazil? 12) Where do you live? 13) How many people live in Sao Paulo? The size of Brazil and Sao Paulo makes people very impressed. Phnom Penh has almost 2 million people and the entire Cambodia around 15 million, moreover most of them have never been abroad which makes those numbers something totally out of comparison. Still I tried to explain about some touristic Brazilian places but if it would be hard the make someone to imagine a landscape in Portuguese think about do it in English that people poorly understands. We've finished.
Finally, we reached the class. There were 30 students excited and on theirs 15 years old, but with some of them with 10 and others with more than 20, by the size of the class it would remember me an university preparation school. They're all sit in doubles in the same table, small and made of wood. The room it's plenty of fans which make no difference since it's too hot. The teaching most available resource it's the teacher's loud voice and a white board that it's actually grey. As I steped in I see faces and expressions of astonishment. It's not the first time that happens but it's incredibly funny when people observe you as if you were an exotic animal. The kids were could not stop speaking or moving, which it's not that different from what I noticed sometimes in Brazil during my life. Sokkon's scream in Khmer and English so I can introduce myself. I tell them that I'm from Brazil which at the beginning doesn't mean anything for them, but after some comment about football soon brings "Ronaldo" to the kids' mouth. They are all beginners but they can't understand almost nothing what I say. There are just a few of them that can prepare some English questions. The books on the tables seemed to be used very often. They asked me a lot of questions: 1) Why did you come to Cambodia? 2) Do you like Cambodia? 3) Do you like us? 4) What time do you wake up? 5) What time do you go to work? 6) What time do you sleep? 7) Are you married? 8) What countries have you been before coming here? 9) How's your family? 10) You are the oldest or the youngest? 11) How many people live in Brazil? 12) Where do you live? 13) How many people live in Sao Paulo? The size of Brazil and Sao Paulo makes people very impressed. Phnom Penh has almost 2 million people and the entire Cambodia around 15 million, moreover most of them have never been abroad which makes those numbers something totally out of comparison. Still I tried to explain about some touristic Brazilian places but if it would be hard the make someone to imagine a landscape in Portuguese think about do it in English that people poorly understands. We've finished.
Vamos para a 2a aula. Notei que o pessoal não é muito pontual, com várias pessoas chegando depois que a aula tinha começado, tal qual no Brasil. Essa turma é bem menor, deve ter no máximo 15 pessoas. Isso torna a tarefa do Sokkon muito, aburdamente, mais fácil. Nessa tinha uma menina que deveria ter uns 10 anos que falava um inglês muito bom até. O roteiro de perguntas foi mais ou menos parecido, desconfio que eles estavam seguindo algo do livro. Dessa vez tentei ser um pouco mais ilustrativo na hora de explicar coisas do Brasil e desenhei primeiro um mapa-mundi pra posicionar o Brasil em algum lugar na cabeça deles. Depois num outro desenho só do Brasil mostrei as regiões e fui falando do clima, vegetação e cidades. Pra fechar com chave de ouro pediram pra eu cantar uma música em inglês e era incrível como só eu achava isso esquisito. Terminamos eu e o Sokkon cantando My heart will go on com todo o pessoal acompanhando em coro e uma salva de palmas pra terminar. Desconfio que eles não sabem que essa música é do filme Titanic, ou talvez eles nunca viram o filme. Enfim, na saída descobrimos que a escola talvez tenha alguns projetores disponíveis então vamos tentar inovar e na possível próxima vez que eu for lá passar vários vídeos sobre o Brasil, com músicas, etc. Acho que vai ser legal! :)
We now go to the 2nd class. I've noticed that people are not that worried about getting there on time with many of them arriving after the class already started, somewhat related to what I've seen in Brazil before. This group is very small than the other with no more than 15 people. That makes Sokkon's task a lot, tremendously, easier. In this group there was a 10-year girl that could speak a good English. The questions' script was kind of similar so I think that they might be following something in the book. This time I've tryed to be more ilustrative when explaining about Brasil and I drew a world map so they can understand where it was. Then I started talking about the regions, the climate, vegetation and cities. To close it with a flourish they asked me to sing a song in English and it was incredible as just me thought that was weird. At the end me and Sokkon sang My heart will go on with everybody singing it with us and some applauses. I suspect that they don't know that this music was from the movie Titanic, maybe they have never seen the movie. Well, before leaving we've discovered that the school has some projectors available and then we'll try to inovate and maybe next time I get there present some videos about Brasil, with musics, etc. I think it will be nice! :)
We now go to the 2nd class. I've noticed that people are not that worried about getting there on time with many of them arriving after the class already started, somewhat related to what I've seen in Brazil before. This group is very small than the other with no more than 15 people. That makes Sokkon's task a lot, tremendously, easier. In this group there was a 10-year girl that could speak a good English. The questions' script was kind of similar so I think that they might be following something in the book. This time I've tryed to be more ilustrative when explaining about Brasil and I drew a world map so they can understand where it was. Then I started talking about the regions, the climate, vegetation and cities. To close it with a flourish they asked me to sing a song in English and it was incredible as just me thought that was weird. At the end me and Sokkon sang My heart will go on with everybody singing it with us and some applauses. I suspect that they don't know that this music was from the movie Titanic, maybe they have never seen the movie. Well, before leaving we've discovered that the school has some projectors available and then we'll try to inovate and maybe next time I get there present some videos about Brasil, with musics, etc. I think it will be nice! :)
Ah, só para se ter uma idéia, esses alunos têm aulas todos os dias 2a-6a, 1 hora/dia, e pagam US$ 4,10/mês por isso. Segundo o Sokkon se aumentarem o preço os alunos desistem do curso. As turmas começam com 50 alunos e vão diminuindo aos poucos até estabilizar nos tamanhos que eu descrevi. Imaginem aprender qualquer idioma com uma sala de 50 pessoas!?
Oh, just to give you an idea, these students take classes everyday Mon-Fri, 1-hour/day and pay US$ 4.10/month for that. According to Sokkon if they increase the price most students would give up the course. The groups start with 50 students and get smaller with the time stabilizing around the sizes I've described. Just imagine to learn a foreign language with other 50 people in the same room!?
Oh, just to give you an idea, these students take classes everyday Mon-Fri, 1-hour/day and pay US$ 4.10/month for that. According to Sokkon if they increase the price most students would give up the course. The groups start with 50 students and get smaller with the time stabilizing around the sizes I've described. Just imagine to learn a foreign language with other 50 people in the same room!?
sensacional seu blog jao!
ResponderExcluira experiência então, nem se fala hein?parabens e sucesso!