NO PREREQS

When I was younger I used to be a big fan of the WWF. Yes, I loved baby pandas and still do, but the other WWF(E), was where the real entertainment was. The storylines, the personalities, and the struggle they all went through to try to stay on top. To me, the blogosphere is kinda like the world of the WWE. Bloggers come and go, each with their own goals, trying to catch the attention of the readers out there. Everyone’s got an opinion, everyone tries to stand out, and everyone wants to win over the readers (or for wrestlers, the fans). 

So where does this analogy put No Prereqs? Well, let’s just say I see myself as one of those new wrestlers (a scrawny one?), trying to develop a fanbase, only to leave the ring for a 3 month hiatus. First, life took over. Shortly after my last post, I backpacked through France and Italy for two and a half weeks. Then, within hours of stepping on Canadian soil for the first time in almost 4 months, I got swept up with family and friends. I got back to school, and didn’t have the motivation to get back into this. I tried a couple times, but it was like firing blanks – getting started is the tough part, especially when you’re not even sure what to write about. But now I’ve made my return, firm with a goal in mind, knowing that I’ve gotta re-develop the whole readership thing.

 I started this blog as a leadership blog focused on high school students, but most of my recent posts have been about my travels in Benin. I decided that it would be a good idea to use this post to bridge the two ideas now that my bank account has told me it’s not interested in traveling again for a while, and since I’d like to move my content back in the direction of how this relates to you, the readers. I also wanna throw in some cost effective ways for those of you who are interested in travel to do some of it without cracking open your piggy banks (mine is still intact and thank god, breaking it would be a shame). 

A completely relevant question to this conversation has to be – why even travel to begin with? What is so beneficial about spending money on plane tickets, having to eat out all the time, and maybe getting lost, just to “go see places”. I did not come from a family where we took frequent vacations when I was growing up. Before this year I had been to a total of 3 countries: Canada, US, and India (trips to which I can’t even remember because I was so young). So to be honest, the benefits of travel have never really been apparent to me, until this year.

For me, travelling this summer was a big deal primarily because I left everyone familiar and almost everything familiar to my life behind. Being isolated from the usual environment forced me to adapt to the changes around me by changing my behaviour. I gained respect for the little things, by doing what some consider mundane tasks like arranging my mosquito net everyday and hand washing my clothes. Doing things like this humbled myself. I grew because I was put in situations where I was in danger: arriving at the airport at 3 am without someone to pick me up. Haggling, conversing, interacting with the people from whom you buy things. It gave me perspective on my society back home. Even when I was in Europe, it was not the sites I visited that made me grow so much as the interactions with people, the situations I found myself in. Travelling is about living experiences moreso than seeing sights, and that’s what helped me grow.  

So, travelling is about experiences that help you grow. But up till now, all I’ve been doing is talking about my own experiences. Maybe you want to travel for yourself but you’re not sure what is right for you and you don’t know if you want to spend a lot of money. First you have to decide what you want to do. There are many different types of travel: weekend trips or even day trips to somewhere close by can have just as much of an impact on you as can a trip to Benin. Vacations to a resort can also help you grow just by giving you time away to relax.

But, this is a personal blog and I’m definitely going to push my bias – I think the best trip is one you do without family or friends. A trip where you aren’t just visiting something – but going to accomplish something, because that poses a true challenge to yourself to grow. I guess the government has the same mentality, because there are huge ways to cut travel costs for trips where you set challenges like learning a new language or doing community development work. As a result, a trip like that can cost little or next to nothing, so finances don’t tie you down.

Here are some examples of things I wish I knew about earlier :

Katimavik

Ages: 17-21

Duration: 6 months

Student status: Not necessary
Location: Canada-wide
Cost: about $225

Having just been recently introduced to this program, I have to say that I don’t know the ins and outs of it. However, I can say from what I know that it is extremely affordable in comparison to other programs similar to it, since it is funded directly by the government. The application process takes into account diversity and full representation of the reality of Canada’s youth. The program that one of my friends did is the 6 month program with 3 month in an Anglophone community and 3 months in a Francophone community (you get to learn French!). Travelling across Canada doing community projects in a group of people you don’t know for 6 months is just the type of crazy shit that might just be the best experience of your life. There is also some valuable stuff on the website that discusses taking a gap year – you might even get course credit. Oh, and the program fee for this program is about $225 for 6 months. That’s $1.25 a day.

Ages: Grade 11+
Duration: 5 weeks

Student Status: Yes, at least 1 semester during school year
Location: Francophone community
Cost: $200 + travel

My Explore is a good option for those who aren’t comfortable with taking a gap year but still want to learn French in Quebec. It is a little more expensive than the Katimavik program but most of the costs are still subsidized by a $2000 dollar bursary. Based on what school you go to, you may even be eligible to get course credit for this program.   

Canada world youth is a large organization with lots of various opportunities for travel. Some of the programs are 2 weeks long, while others are up to 6 months. Since there is so much variability, I don’t want to put a summary type thing up, you can just check out the website and see if there’s something that interests you. Most programs have low costs but you must fundraise a lot of money (with their help), so that Canada World Youth can continue to run on its own. Fundraising might seem like a lot of work but honestly I had to fundraise for my summer as well, and it is a small sacrifice for something that can potentially be life changing.

 

These are just a few resources that I listed off the top of my head and by no means constitute a complete list. There are many programs out there that you just have to spend a little time looking for that might be the perfect fit. It is possible to find more programs that might be cheaper than these or even free, it just takes a little bit of initiative and access to the internet. Google searches like “Canadian student travel programs” or “international student travel bursaries” might get you started. Don’t forget that administrative offices at your school are also great resources because they can help you narrow down your search to things more relevant to you. They might even offer you financial support if you need it to cover the costs of a trip. Finally, the 3 programs I listed are all associated with the Government of Canada. The Canada website, government offices or even the hotline 1 800 OCANADA are good places to start your search.

Anyways, I hope this post has done something to get you excited about travel. There are tons of opportunities out there, just step up and take them! Bon voyage :)

The class, as of now comprises of 8 kids. Some of them are from the orphanage, and others are from the community around the orphanage. I hope I can find a couple more children over the weekend in bring the number to about 15. We meet at the orphanage from 10am to 12pm, Tuesdays and Thursdays. They vary in age from 10-16 and all have some background in English, but nothing more than “good morning” or “fine, thanks”.        

I am not a qualified teacher. I don’t have experience teaching groups. I’ve never even tutored English. Before my first lesson on Thursday, I hadn’t created a lesson plan, anticipated the interest level of the students, formed a method to gauge the previous understanding of English my students held, or realized how hard it would be to keep everyone engaged when I had such varied levels of comprehension to work with. So you can see why I was nervous right before the lesson.

                Although we started kind of shakily, just like my confidence, the lesson began to settle as I got into a steady rhythm. Before long, it was flowing naturally. The most rewarding thing as a teacher is when you spend 10 minutes explaining something and then a child is able to apply what you said to answer a question about it. Not only does it keep the kids engaged, but it is such necessary feedback for me to receive when I’m up there, just so I know if I need to do a better job of explaining or if I can move on.

                On the other hand, it can be equally frustrating when you feel like you’ve spent your time teaching something and not a single hand goes up when you ask a question. Or when you have to stop mid sentence because it is clear that no one is listening. Nevertheless, after my first lesson was complete, I was feeling pretty good about myself and what we had gotten through – then one of the students reminded me that they need homework. 

                After assigning the homework, I could already see myself thinking ahead to the next lesson, anticipating how it was going to play out. I was kinda excited! Starting these lessons was a great idea – it provides some structure to my day, and gives me a set schedule. And to be honest, its more motivating than grant work because with this you can see the results much more immediately.

                I have a lot of respect for teachers. I always have, even before Thursday, but a little more empathetically now. It is not easy to stand in front of a class full of people and keep them entertained while juggling parenting, teaching, staying patient, being a role model, and always trying to spark some passion all at the same time. However, teachers have to deal with more than just these things. Back home, I have shied away from thinking about a career in teaching just because of all the inner politics that exist within the education system’s hierarchy. It is disheartening how the school can be a truly bureaucratic institution, and that is not something I think I can deal with. What I’ve seen as a student is probably only the tip of the iceberg. I’m glad that I can stay away from that in my small English lessons at the orphanage, but there are those who don’t, and brave the sometimes hostile environment to teach kids who might never realize or appreciate the impact that their teachers often have in shaping who they are. 

So I guess the title of this post ended up being one of those classic “phrases with intended double meaning”  (is that really classic? I kinda just made that part up). I suppose it’s only fitting that I probably learned more than my students during my first lesson, because part of being a teacher is having a constant willingness to learn as well as teach. Teachers deserve a lot more respect than they ever actually get, and in my eyes it’s as prestigious of a profession as the doctors and lawyers of this world can lay claim to. The role of a teacher is so important that becoming one should be just as selective of a process as choosing doctors or lawyers. My thoughts on how little training teachers require in comparison to those two other professions is a rant made for a different post. Here, let me just take the opportunity to thank the teachers that have been such an important part of my life. 

One love to my teachers, if any of you are reading this. And if you just so happened to teach me English in primary school, would you mind if I took a look at your lesson plans quickly? Peace.