26 For 26 Update: Two-Month Warning

I’m sitting in my apartment, overlooking the lake while the sun shines through my window. It’s a beautiful day here in Hanoi – 81 degrees and mostly sunny. I know I should be out enjoying the weather, but I’m hungover, so give me a break. The only indication that it’s winter and that the end of the year is coming is the Christmas music I’m listening to, trying to get into the holiday spirit. It’s still strange for me, preparing for Christmas in warm weather, even though I spent most of last December in Costa Rica.

All the things that normally remind me the year is coming to an end – cold weather and/or snow, the Browns losing, a warm fire, holiday shopping – just aren’t happening this December. (Quick tangent: Every Nov/Dec/Jan, the Browns seem to intentionally lose their final 6 games in an attempt to improve their draft status so they can waste another top 5 or top 10 pick on a player who is doomed to fail before even arriving in Cleveland. Now, they’ve won 3 in a row and have a good chance to win a 4th, their final home game of the season. My prediction is this…The Browns are going to win their 4th in a row this week followed by the world ending 5 days later as the Mayans and many pessimistic Browns fans have predicted. “The world will come to an end before the Browns win the Super Bowl.“)

But I digress. What I meant to say is that listening to Christmas music today has reminded me that the end of the year is coming and I haven’t thought about my 26 For 26 list in a while. Sad as it is to say, my 26th year will come to an end in less than two months, so it’s time to re-evaluate the year and see how I’ve been doing on some of my goals, activities, and “bucket list” items.

1. Skydive – This one has eluded me. I’ve wanted to skydive for as long as I can remember. It was on my 25 For 25 list, yet I still haven’t done it! I even made tentative plans this past summer with a friend back in Cleveland…but it didn’t happen. Some day – though I’m not sure Vietnam is the best place for it – I’ll get around to skydiving.

2. Read 26 books – In progress, but it’s not looking so good. I should have read way more when I was unemployed last summer. I’ve read 15 so far, and with only two months left, I don’t think I’m going to make it. My favorites this year are (in no particular order): The Hunger Games series, This Love Is Not For Cowards by: Robert Andrew Powell, and Behind The Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo. See all the books I’ve read this year here on Goodreads.

3. Visit Asia – COMPLETED. I’m in Vietnam right now! Duh.

4. Learn HTML and CSS – *COMPLETED. – The asterisk is because I’m no expert. However, I have improved my knowledge and can use some basic HTML and CSS commands for formatting and the like.

5. Chicago Cubs game at Wrigley Field – COMPLETED. I went to a game with my brother in May. I remember three things. (1) It was so cold and windy that we had to watch the last few innings from a bar. (2) Not many things trump drinking Old Style and watching baseball at Wrigley Field. It’s just magical. (3) The Cubs fan bars surrounding Wrigley are as much a part of the allure as the field itself. One in particular that I remember is Sluggers. I distinctly remember it because of the arcade and batting cages on the second floor. Whoever thought that batting cages and alcohol were a good mix is crazy.

6. Minnesota Twins game at Target Field – I didn’t make it to the Twin Cities this summer. Hopefully I can make it some day.

7. Take my nephew to a Cleveland Indians game - COMPLETED. Click the link to read about it.

8. See a play - Why can’t I make this happen? For the second year in a row. I guess I have two months to figure it out.

9. Make my own granola - COMPLETED. It was delicious. Click the link to read about it and for the recipe.

10. Bike 500 miles in June, July, and August – COMPLETED. I finished this one on the last day of August. The majority of the miles were logged in the Cleveland MetroParks. I ended up riding a total of 501.5 miles in three months. Not bad, right?

11. Try Cross-fit for 3 months - I never got to a Cross-fit class, and it hasn’t made it to Vietnam yet. I’m not too upset about it. I joined an AMAZING gym (VietFighter) here in Hanoi. I usually do three strength and conditioning classes a week, plus Muay Thai and BJJ classes. Who needs Cross-fit? I’d argue that our hour-long strength and conditioning classes are just as hard or harder than any Cross-fit session. OK Cross-fit gurus, who wants to debate?

12. Catch a wave - No waves yet. I’m planning a vacation in February that will likely take me to a beach, so it’s still possible.

13. Sleep under the stars – Not yet. I guess I could sleep on my balcony one night, but the haze in Hanoi doesn’t really allow the stars to shine most nights. Plus, there are rats out there sometimes. I was actually thinking more along the lines of camping.

14. Obtain an Italian passport - I wanted to do this as I was thinking about possibly living and teaching in Italy. As my plans have changed, I haven’t thought about it or pursued it. However, I will definitely get an Italian passport eventually…just not this year.

15. Organize a charitable event or meetup – Not yet. I have an idea that might work out with some of my students, but that still remains to be seen.

16. Pay for a flight with airline miles - COMPLETED. With the help of an old Epic friend, Jenny, and her 5,000 gifted miles, I used 70,000 American Airlines miles to get a round-trip flight from Hanoi to Chicago for Christmas! The Chicago to Cleveland flight was on my own dime, but that’s OK. I’m flying halfway around the world (and back) for free.

17. Run a 5K or 10K race in Cleveland - COMPLETED. I hate running. Most people know this. I did finish the race, but it was super slow. I think if I were to do it again now, I’d be slightly faster (I’m in better shape now than I was last summer)…but I have no motivation to force myself to run.

18. Win a sports bet in Vegas - COMPLETED. After betting and losing on both the Cavs and Indians (I know, dumb mistake), two UFC underdogs came through for me and I won about $100 total. Small bets, I know, but it’s still a great feeling to win.

19. Make a photo/blog book - I started working on a kick-ass photo blog book chronicling my 2009 Baseball Roadtrip, but it still hasn’t come to fruition. I’m not going to finish it this year, but I am going to finish it.

20. Visit 5 new countries – **COMPLETED. This one’s completed with a double asterisk. The first asterisk is because the 5th country has yet to come (next week). The second and much bigger asterisk is because I didn’t actually visit 5 new countries. Last February, I visited Ecuador and Colombia. Now I’m in Vietnam. The 4th was a layover in the Taipei, Taiwan airport. The 5th will be a layover in the Tokyo, Japan airport. I know, it’s a huge asterisk. I still have a two-week vacation coming at the beginning of February, and, in theory, I could hit a couple other SE Asian countries…but I want to spend that vacation exploring, traveling through, and getting to know Vietnam.

21. Go to a live MMA event – COMPLETED. UFC 152 in Toronto. I love the city of Toronto. The UFC event was pretty awesome too. It would have been better if Vitor had finished the arm-bar and upset Jon Jones…but it was great, ey?

The winner, and stilllllllllll…

22. See and IMAX movie – COMPLETED. The Dark Knight Rises. Cool movie, not great. But the IMAX made it seem pretty awesome.

23. Get another tattoo - There’s a strong possibility this is happening during my upcoming visit to the States. What it’s going to be is still up in the air, but I have a pretty good idea.

24. Go to the Grand Canyon – Didn’t happen and clearly isn’t going to happen this year. Bummer.

25. Donate 26 things I don’t need – I donated 18 things before leaving for Vietnam. I’m thinking I can easily get rid of eight more unneeded possessions in the next two months. No problem.

26. Go to Cedar Point – I had all of last summer to make a trip to The Point, but I never made it. Another big time bummer.

So for those of you counting at home (just me, I’m sure), here’s how it looks.

Completed – #3,4,5,7,9,10,16,17,18,20,21,22. Thats 12/26, or 46%. Not so great.

Maybes – It could get better. The one’s I might cross off in the next two months – #8,12,15,23,25 (23 and 25 being the most likely). If I get to ALL of those, that’d be 17/26, or 65%. A little more respectable.

Not happening – #1,2(unless I plow through 11 books in 2 months. Doable but VERY unlikely),6,11,13,14,19,24,26.

I guess I was quite ambitious with my goals for this year, but that’s just fine. You have to set lofty goals and aim high. You won’t reach all of them, but you’ll almost certainly surprise yourself in the process of reaching some of them.

26 has been another great year, but it’s not over yet. Gotta get back to work…

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What are some of the coolest, most interesting things you’ve done this year? Did you cross anything of your bucket list (on paper or just in your head, whatever works)?

* If you enjoyed reading this, please consider sharing it with others! – MJP

It’s Mustache Season: Movember 2012

All great men have – at one point in life – sported a mustache.

The Peaceful Stache

The Smartest Stache Ever

His Airness’ Stache

The Hulkstacheamania

His stache will, stache will, rock you!

Every November, something magical happens in countries across the globe. A group of dedicated men donate their upper lips to the cause of Movember. The Movember charity began with a small group of 30 Australians who, in 2004, decided to grow mustaches to raise awareness for prostate cancer. Since it’s humble beginnings, the Movember movement has exploded and become world-famous. In 2011 alone, the Movember charity raised $126.3 million USD for cancer research. Their fundraising totals have increased every year since inception, and there’s no indication that they’ll slow down anytime soon.

I’m a huge believer in the beauty of simplicity. So many great things in life are simple. Just look at the idea behind Movember. Let’s convince a bunch of guys to grow mustaches for a month. In the process, we can all raise awareness for prostate cancer and funds for cancer research. You’d be hard-pressed to find a better idea.

Why should you care?

Why should you care about mustaches? Well, because they’re awesome. More importantly, why should you care about Movember and prostate cancer? If you’re a man, it’s obvious. Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer in men worldwide. It’s quite possible that you or someone you know has been affected by prostate cancer – and if not, then certainly you know someone who has been affected by another type of cancer. In 2012, it’s estimated that there will be more than 241,000 new cases of prostate cancer among American men. That’s more than twice as many as the next most common type of cancer in men – lung cancer. It’s also slightly more common than breast cancer is in women. The scary part is that an estimated 1 in 6 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point in their lives. 1 in 6. That’s 17% of the population. (all statistics taken from The American Cancer Society)

For women, the answer is less obvious. Firstly, you should care because a man in you life who you know and love could be affected by prostate cancer. Also, I bet you didn’t know that women have prostates too. Seriously.

The thing about prostate cancer is – while it is devastating to men everywhere – it’s very preventable.  Some men are hereditarily more susceptible to it through family history. However, regular prostate screenings, health checks, a healthy diet, and regular exercise can absolutely lower and almost completely diminish your risk.

Where does Movember come in?

It’s quite simple. Guys (mo bros) grow ‘staches and convince gals (mo sistas), friends, family, and total strangers to donate money to the cause. The money raised goes to The Prostate Cancer Foundation and LIVESTRONG for cancer research and prevention education. So donating to Movember means you’re directly helping fund research to find a cure for cancer and education for men on how to prevent prostate cancer.

My involvement in Movember

I originally got involved in Movember because of a very special person in my life. My grandfather was diagnosed with prostate cancer and passed away in 2000, when I was in high school. He taught me so many important life lessons that still resonate with me to this day – and will for the rest of my life. None more important than:

Be it big, be it small, do it right or not at all.

In 2010, I organized a team of co-workers to ban together, grow ‘staches for a month (despite the reputation on campus as those creepy guys from the Claims Department), and raise money for the Movember charity. In our first year, we raised almost $5,000! Last year, having left my previous job and being a Movember free-agent, my brother and I teamed up to raise more than $1,000 between just the two of us.

Movember 2010 (The Hipster Stache)

Movember 2011 (The Old Man Stache)

This year, I’ve decided not to grow a mustache, but instead to throw my support at my old co-workers who continue to carry on the Movember tradition two years after I left. Why, you might ask, would I deprive the world of another great mustache? Honestly, working in a school with more than 400 children, I thought…well, you get the idea. Schools are not the best places for mustaches. Yet, that didn’t stop me from producing this stunner (for one day at least).

Movember 2012 (The One-Hit Wonder Stache)

Please support Movember in 2012

Finally, I’m asking for your support. As mentioned above, I’m formally dedicating all of my support to my ex co-workers, and one man in particular. My good friend Aaron Dolney has taken over the duties of Movember team captain the past two years in my absence. He’s put together a great team this year, again. He’s also managed to sport one of the most epic fu manchus I’ve ever seen.

Captain Mo

So, I’m officially asking for your support for Aaron and his Movember team. Friends and family who have donated to me in the past, please donate to Aaron or his team if you can. Every small donation helps in a big way. I’ve donated to both Aaron and his team in memory of my grandfather. Please consider contributing to this worthy cause by going to one of the following links:

Donate to Aaron’s ‘mo space’ page

Donate to Aaron’s team: Loops, Segments, and Mos

There’s only one week left in November, so act fast! Aaron, his team, and I thank you in advance for your generosity.

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I’d like to dedicate this post to my grandfather and another great man in my life who knows how to rock a wicked ‘stache – my dad, of course.

* If you know someone who has been affected by prostate cancer (or any type of cancer), or you love mustaches as much as I do, or you simply enjoyed reading this, PLEASE consider sharing this post with your friends and family. Your support is greatly appreciated.  - MJP

New Challenges

Me (to a class of 19 9th grade ESL students): “Who are some of the most famous rock bands of all time?”

Students: “K-Pop.” “Green Day.” “Flo Rida.”

Me (trying not to get angry): “No, no, no. Think older. Think bands from the 60s and 70s.”

Students: “We don’t know, Mr. Matt. We don’t care.”

I taught a lesson to my 9th grade class last week that focused on using the Present Perfect Continuous (PPC) tense. For the uninitiated to the inner workings of the English language and its tenses (You know them because you use them all the time, but you probably don’t know what to call each one.), PPC tense takes the following form:

“to have” + “past participle of to be (been)” + “verb-ing or gerund”

For example, I have been living in Hanoi for almost two months.

I enjoy teaching grammar. Most English language students hate it. I’m always looking for fun and interesting ways to get grammar points across to my students without boring them. In a stroke of genius, I remembered that my all-time favorite Rolling Stones song is full of the PPC.

Well, I’ve been haunted in my sleep

You’ve been starring in my dreams

Lord I miss you

I’ve been waiting in the hall

Been waiting on your call

When the phone rings

It’s just some friends of mine that say,

Hey, what’s the matter man?

Were gonna come around at twelve

With some Puerto Rican girls that’s just dyin to meet you.

Were gonna bring a case of wine

Hey, lets go mess and fool around

You know, like we used to

– Miss You, The Rolling Stones

So, patting myself on the back, I planned a killer lesson on PPC using Miss You as an example. I thought the students would be way into it. I figured they would love the idea of listening to a song in the classroom, dissecting it, talking about it, and then I could trick them into using the PPC in a way in which they’d forget they’re actually learning grammar.

As it turns out, (social  discovery of the century…wait for it…) teenagers are difficult. None of the students likes The Stones. No one was really into the song. And – no surprise to anyone who’s spent any significant time with teenagers – those kids are smart. They all knew that I was teaching grammar. In the end, it was a good lesson because the students got it. They understood the grammar structure and function. They were able to use PPC correctly and produce the language by themselves. But I totally underestimated what it will take to keep the attention of 19 teenagers. This has been the most valuable lesson I’ve learned in my first month and a half teaching English in Vietnam.

A Brief Background of My Job

I teach English/ESL (primarily, but not exclusively) at a private Vietnamese secondary school in Hanoi. The main aim (though many of the students may disagree) of the school is to prepare Vietnamese teenagers for college/university abroad in places like the U.S., Canada, Australia, and the U.K. I teach:

8th Grade ESL
9th Grade ESL
11th Grade ESL
11th Grade IELTS Exam Prep
11th Grade Speaking and Writing (also prep for the IELTS exam)
10th Grade “Fun With Films”
Plus, I got roped into co-teaching 6&7th Grade Drama Club. After one week, I threw a fit and told the English Department head that I wasn’t doing that anymore. Now, I run 6&7th Grade English Sports Club

Most of my classes, I only see once a week. One class – my least favorite, of course – I see twice a week. I also do small group tutoring  after lunch (sort of like teacher conference time) a few days a week.

My favorite class is a group of three women that I teach for 40 minutes, once a week. One is the primary school principal, another is the secondary school principal, and the last is the secondary school vice principal/dean of students. They’re very low level, but lots of fun, dedicated, and way into learning English.

New Challenges

When I accepted this teaching position, I remember thinking to myself that it wouldn’t be easy to teach teenagers, but it could be fun. I remember thinking that while teenagers are difficult, I get along with them quite well and usually tend to have no problem understanding them. What I didn’t take into account is that I’d be spending the majority of each and every day (at least M-F) with these kids. To say the least, they are a handful. To be more accurate, they’re exhausting. In less than two months, I’ve already found this to be the most challenging teaching job in my young ESL career.

My two previous teaching jobs were a breeze compared to this. Granted, the hours were harder. I worked at language centers in both Peru and Costa Rica. In both jobs, my schedule was split to accomodate working adults (e.g. teach 7-10am and 4-9pm). That was awful, but my students were amazing. The majority of my students were young 20-somethings (not unlike myself) just trying to learn English to get through university or get a better job. They were dedicated and an absolute joy to spend time with and teach. We often hung out together outside of class, had dinner, shared drinks and laughs, and exchanged languages. The language center, though I didn’t know it at the time, was amazing. It was unbelievably well-structured and the curriculum was solid.

Now, the school I teach at is somewhat of a…well, I won’t use the word that first comes to mind. Instead, I’ll just say that it’s challenging to teach there. It’s unorganized and not much is standardized. This environment in and of itself has been challenging for me. As those of you who know me well can attest to, I’m a very structured, practical person when it comes to my work and my career(s). (Put less delicately, I’m straight up anal-retentive most of the time). I tend to be more laid-back in everyday life, but unfortunately, the same is not true at work.

Here’s the fun part. Adjusting to a different school and environment is no problem compared to the challenges of teaching teenagers. In a twist of fate, I’ve transitioned from the respected foreigner teaching English to his peers to The Enemy. Though it was not that long ago that I myself was in high school – at least I keep telling myself that – I’ve forgotten what it’s like to be a teenager, to have adults who “don’t know sh*t” always telling you what to do and how to act.  Now that’s my job. I’ve been tasked with controlling and educating large groups of teenagers, and it’s painfully difficult.

The biggest challenge, without a doubt, is convincing students to care. It’s hard for me to relate to because I was always a good student. I always tried hard in school and got good grades. If I didn’t like a class, I still put in a good effort and did well. More often, I liked my classes and my teachers. Now, I have to get into the minds of teenagers who are being forced to learn English. I keep trying different approaches thinking I can grab their attention and hold it long enough to get through a 70-minute class. So far, I feel as if I’ve done an OK job of teaching English, in a technical sense. I believe my students are learning. What I’ve struggled with is motivating my students to enjoy English, inspring them to go above and beyond.

Along the same lines, some (being generous) of the students are just flat-out lazy. In most of my classes, homework is as foreign to my students as the Vietnamese language is to me. I’m on the verge of discontinuing homework in some of my classes to save my breath – i.e. not having to take three minutes at the end of class to explain the assignment to the class. But I’ll never do that because I’m stubborn and I won’t give in just because no one does the homework. Plus, if I stop giving homework then the students will know that they are in charge, and that’s not happening.

OK, this the last thing I have to say about lazy students. I know I’m not a great teacher. I believe that I’m a blossoming young teacher that can be good in time if I continue to work hard and never stop caring. With that said, I can do everything in my power to help my students and give them every opportunity to succeed, but I can’t do the work for them. Let me give you an example. I gave my 8th grade class a writing assignment: Write a short “dear diary” entry talking about a problem you have and explaining what you can do to solve it. There were a few more specifics, but it’s a pretty simple task. The students had one week to complete the assignment. Six of the students in that class also see me one day a week for small group tutoring. In last week’s tutoring session, I re-explained the assignment (because, obviously, none of them had started it) and gave them 20 minutes to get started. I walked around the room constantly for 20 minutes, asking prodding questions, giving ideas, and pushing the students to start writing. At the end of the tutoring session, only one student had written more than one full sentence. He wrote three. Two days later when the assignment was due, none of the students had written any more than what they wrote during the tutoring session. Again, I can’t write for them.

Another challenge that I never had to deal with at my previous teaching jobs is being a disciplinarian. Half the battle is getting my students to behave in the classroom. So much time is spent corralling them, quieting them down, policing them. It’s been hard to put forth a good lesson because so much effort is wasted on behavior problems. In general, my students aren’t monsters. They’re good kids. The problem is that when you put 15-20 of them in a class together and ask them to be quiet, you’re just asking way too much. They’re kids. They want to have fun with their friends. I can understand that, but just listen to me and respect me every once in a while, damnit. Pretend like you’re listening to me.

Finally, my biggest pet peeve is this: Students just won’t stop speaking Vietnamese in class! God only knows what they’re saying about me, but that doesn’t bother me. What does bother me is that it’s not an effective way to learn a language. Students try to translate when that doesn’t work most of the time. To learn English, you have to understand new vocabulary and the like in English – not what you think it means in Vietnamese. Kids don’t get it, and I don’t blame them. It’s really tough to learn a new language, especially when you’re asked to completely forget about your native language. If they only knew that I was trying to help when I yell, “English, please!”

Moving Forward

Now that I’ve successfully vented for almost 2,000 words, it’s time to do something about it. I’ve been in Hanoi for almost two months and I’ve been teaching at this school for six weeks. I’m done adjusting to the school, adjusting to the city. My goals when I came here were very general, but they hold true. I want to help the students at my school improve their English. I want to help them succeed and get into colleges and universities around the world. I want to inspire them to follow their dreams and do what makes them happy. For myself, I want to learn more about Vietnamese and Asian culture. I want to start learning Vietnamese, a painfully difficult language. I want to travel in the region and experience new places. And I want to meet new people and learn from them.

As for the challenges that I face at school, I keep running ideas through my head day in and day out. There are so many things I want to improve. I could write another 2,000 words on my ideas for helping improve the English department and school in general. The problem is, when you try to change a million things at once, not one thing receives the necessary attention and nothing is actually improved. With that said, I’ve decided to focus on a few major projects – in addition to spending most of my time trying to capture and keep my students’ attention – and run with them.

For now, my goals are (more specifically) as follows:

• I’ve started to “digitize” and centralize the relevant information within the English department through Google Drive. I’m going to continue developing this project to help make the lives of English teachers easier. I want to eventually get all of the curriculums, materials, and much more centralized in one place for easy access for all teachers.
• I want to help standardize the curriculum. As it is, much of what we teach is at our own discretion. In my opinion, students suffer with this approach. If the curriculum is more structured and linear in a way that one topic naturally follows the other, students benefit from the consistency.
• Most importantly, I need to focus on getting my students to use English as a means to develop and share their own personal interests and talents. Maybe I’m fighting a losing battle, but maybe not. I want to inspire my students to love English and in turn improve greatly. With this goal in mind, I’m going to start incorporating more long-term projects where students have choices of how they want to display and present their interests and talents…using English, of course.

Taking on new challenges is important. To make a positive impact on others and the world around you, not to mention self-improvement, you must continually take on new challenges. Whether you succeed or not is less important. What matters is that you try. I’m looking forward to taking on this challenges and hopefully making everyone (including myself) and everything around me better than when I arrived in Hanoi.

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P.S. To all my teacher friends out there: Any and all advice you can offer on teaching teenagers is more than welcome and greatly appreciated. Respond with a comment below or shoot me an email at mpavia211@gmail.com. Thanks!

* If you enjoyed reading this, please consider sharing it! – MJP