Into yet a deeper hole!

After the three-week basic training, we were separated into different further training according to the type of service that we will be involved in. Mine is in education, specially assist English teaching in elementary schools.

There are about 250 of us being shipped off to an undisclosed location….. kidding. We were put on a few tour buses and driven to a camp site where we will spend two weeks on basic teaching skills as well as some not-so-relevent activities.

This two-week training is rather different. It is not military training, but done in military style where discipline is still the main focus, although no where near as strict as the first three weeks. Of the 250+ trainees, there are a few categories, namely English teaching, reading, drop-outs, special needs as well as regular assistance. For us, there are 23 English teaching trainees to be deployed to various remote schools. Lesson wise, we will share some general classes with the main population, but spend most of the time in a separate classroom focused specifically on teaching Taiwanese school kids the language.

I guess my mind hasn’t settled yet and there are still many thoughts running around. I entered the service because of this specific duty, that I want to be involved in education. Since the experience helping in the after school day care program back in Pontiac Michigan, I’ve been eager to get involved again. Therefore my mind is constantly brain storming ideas on how I can create a interactive, collaborative and stimulating workshop to bring kids and people of various backgrounds to learn from each other. I really cared about the availability of internet accessibility, not because I want to download freebies, but I want to use it to show the kids how much more, further and deeper I can reach into the rest of the world just because I know an extra language. I want to stimulate them to develop their own interests first, and let that interest be the driver to learn the language.

I was extremely glad that the lessons that we received fed directly into my needs.

I have to say that the teachers we had are the best in the country. Best not because they have stunning records of their students scoring well in examinations. They are the best because while holding decades of teaching experience, they are also researchers and developers of new teaching methods and tools. They are the best because while showing us the different methodologies and tools, they care more about telling us how they approach students with special needs, such as learning disabilities and kids with domestic violence backgrounds. This is beyond English teaching, this is mothering.

The anticipation is high and I can’t wait to get started, but I can’t. I have to endure the entire two weeks. So what else is there? We still have to walk in formation, yell military calls and songs, match our pace, stand in attention, salute and all the good stuff. We also have some other more interesting activities, like fire/disaster response demonstration and police baton handling. Are these really useful or effective? Well, I think they fulfilled their goals, which is to check those boxes off the list.

Meal time is always interesting. It’s different here as well. Back in the basic training camp, we were given individual plates where our food will be portioned. So there is no fighting, we had what we ate on the plate already. Here, eight of us sat around a table. There are six dishes plus a soup, and it was like a vulture’s frenzy as soon as we can start eating. It’s a weird moment where we compete generously. You see, we are all buddies and we want the best for each other, but the reality is we I am slower, I get to miss what I want to eat. After two meals, I picked up a strategy. Since we cannot depend the dishes to fill the stomach, I have to eat more rice. So first I have to gather as much food off the table onto my own plate as I needed instead of getting them as I need. Then I will finish the first bowl of rice as quick as  I can then get a second bowl. This is when I can then eat in a slower pace, because I already have the food I want and no one’s taking it from me! This way, I don’t have to act like I am fighting for food throughout the meal, and I still can get enough for my appetite.

Another interesting phenomenon during meal time is with the chopsticks. They are made of stainless steel and for some reason, people like to drop them. Since we have to eat as quietly as possible, the sound of a dropped steel chopstick is distinctive. Every time the sound travels across the room, the captains react like those dogs in the movie “UP” when they hear the word “Squirrel”. Every captain pops their heads and shout “Who dropped the chopsticks? Who dropped the chopsticks?” And we are all like “not again!”

However the two weeks meant something else to me especially towards the last few days. As the training comes close to the end, meaning we will be parting and being able to go home for a few days, the atmosphere began to change. We became more active, more effective and move involved as a group. Our marching singing became louder, we moved more efficiently, helping each other complete their tasks more actively and we played harder. They say the military turns a boy into a man. Traditionally speaking, this refers to the tough training and resistance to pressure. To me, these didn’t really happen, but something else did. When everyone has their heads shaved, wears the same uniform, acts as a group to achieve a common goal, the chemistry sparked confidence. Confidence not as an individual, but confidence as a group, to learn how to be a team player, to learn how to help others maximize their potential while contribute your own. This is what a strong man is, because we survive as a society, not on a deserted island.

The night before the deployment, everyone in the group were high, no drugs needed, just lots of chips and pop. I’ve never had so much fatal snacks in my life especially when I typically refuse them. We said ridiculous but hilarious things to each other, making fun about their upcoming days in living in remote mountains. We were all tired after this month of emotional pounding, but we were energetic.

On the last day, the deployment was chaotic. Heavy down pour mixed with confusion made this a memorable moment. We had a final lunch together, and we made sure that no one dropped the chopsticks. We were successful, and we ate like a hungry hippo as always. However, the chaos made it hard for us to bid real good bye to each other. In the mix of sadness to part and anticipation to return to our homes, we left the camp ground and it all came to a quiet end.

On the way home, the train stopped by the station where the first three of basic training took place. It’s a very strange moment. It felt familiar, but $#%@^ at the same time. It’s full of memories yet a place where I will never want to set foot on again. As the train left the station, all I could remember was the helpless that I felt on the first time we were given a short holiday. Bitter sweet indeed.

A long month has passed and now we are deployed into our own battlefields. Some will be tougher than others, but we are all really fighting our own wars. How will the school be? How will I get along with the staff? Will the kids be terrifying? Or will I terrify all of them? Well, this is a challenge where we need to find our places in a tight fitting and maximize our value as a team member. After all, our impact, positive or negative, will last a life-time for some of our recipients.