Tips for Homeschoolers, from a Homeschooler: The Social Aspect

Homeschooling is tough when you’re first starting. I was a traveling homeschooler between the ages of 6 and 9, then went into a Schooling System for 10, 12, and 13. Now a couple months from turning 17, I’m a year and a half away from completing “High School”. But if you’re starting 1st grade, transitioning from Public School to Homeschooling at 14, or a parent thinking about homeschooling their kids, these are some things I’ve learned (with added wisdom from my parents) about homeschooling.

Social

Its no secret that making friends and getting out of the house is the biggest challenge that a family can face when they’re starting to homeschool. The first thing you need to know for sure before starting is exactly how you’re going to fulfill your social needs. When pondering about this, don’t go crazy thinking that you need 7 hours of social life like in a “normal” school day. You don’t. Though different for every human being, the time we need to spend with people isn’t a ridiculous amount like that.

When I first arrived to Malaysia, my Mom and I looked up different things that were going on here. You can be surprised what you’ll find when you start looking online, because I didn’t expect to be able to take after-school classes at an International School 5 minutes away from where I live. Much less Debate, Acting, and Impromptu. In Malaysia. The classes were a great way to meet people, but this wasn’t where we stopped. After a couple months I was taking violin lessons weekly, in an exercise group 5 times a week, and had made friends to hang out with on the weekends. Now over a year later, I think I’ve learned a couple things that could’ve made it easier:

• W H E N  Y O U first arrive to a new place, its a good idea not to be too choosy about your friends. That doesn’t mean take whoever will befriend you, but lets be honest, you’re not in a position to be up-ity. Without betraying you’re values (don’t do stupid things to get people to like you), you can find people you genuinely get along with. Maybe even someone you wouldn’t expect. Because honestly, a best friend isn’t going to magically fall out of the sky.
• W H I C H  I S why you’re going to join every possible activity out there. Even if its a flute class and you’re more of a trumpet kinda guy. You’ve gotta suck it up (no pun intended) and give yourself a month or two. Even if it kinda stinks in the beginning, which it will because being the new kid isn’t easy. This is a good idea for so many reasons, but mine are that it throws you into groups of people that otherwise you’d never meet, and also lets you do something you wouldn’t normally try. But you can find people, who even if you don’t want to “hang” with them outside of whatever group/activity brought you together, you can enjoy them enough in the activity itself.

The definition of Homeschooling to me is Balance, on all sides of the spectrum. Which means that once you have your social aspect set up, you can’t be ignoring any important things because of it. Nothing new, but having lots of friends isn’t more important then paying attention and learning in your studies. So to help set you up beforehand, or when you first get there:

• L O O K  U P anything and everything online. Not only should you look for other homeschoolers in the place you live or are going to live in, but check out the classes you’re willing to take and get into that look like they would be diverse and full of people similar to yourself. Then mix these with classes you’re really interested in, which will help get you out of the house.
• A S K  A R O U N D when you get there. If you meet other homeschoolers, maybe they’ll know something that you’d be interested in. I volunteered at a Spay and Neuter Clinic twice a year for a couple of weeks at a time, and it was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done. And I wouldn’t of know about it if it wasn’t for locals, because things like that won’t pop up in Google.

And thats about it socially.  Homeschooling is complex, even if you aren’t traveling anywhere while you’re doing it. Just make sure you relax, be yourself, and don’t miss out on an opportunity because you’re nervous. You’re not the only one who has had to go through this, and you won’t be the last.

Trust me.

Or instead of making friends you could spend your time lamely posing in front of conveniently planted signs. Boston, U.S.A, 2011

 

BE A SINCERE AND SUBSCRIBE TO TRAVEL WITH ME

A brief about me <—– Who even am I? (Existential crisis ensues)

Latest Article —> The biggest man-made  natural disaster you don’t know about 

Facebook page

 

 

The biggest man-made natural disaster you don’t know about – My article you don’t know about

Hey guys! I have a new article out now that you probably haven’t seen:

The biggest man-made natural disaster you don’t know about.

This was a crazy article for me to write, especially since it’s so very personal to me and anyone else who lives in Malaysia. I started it when I was traveling Thailand about a month ago, and after writing the 1st draft I knew this was one of those pieces which need a lot of attention to get right. So I waited until I came back home to dress it up and send it out.

So please check it out, and share it as it would help me out so much!

Thanks guys, and I’ll see you Friday!

Sincerely,

James

I’m Back!

Hey guys! How’ve you been?

So my long absence has been for good, trust me. A couple of days ago I returned from over 2 weeks of traveling Thailand. I got to see Bangkok for the 3rd time, before heading on over to the lovely, infinity beach-infested Hua Hin. It was a pretty crazy trip, which meant that I wasn’t able to get a whole lot of writing done. But I did take lots of videos and photos for me to look back on, and also share with you guys!

So while I’m writing my new article for Friday, I hope I can offer this little video as a peace-keeper!

Until then,

James

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam – Part 2

Hey Guys, this a part two of an article I wrote, so if you haven’t read the first bit click here before you read on!

So at this point we were over a week into the trip, and we had been able to walk around the city of Ho Chi Minh, explore the work-in-progress city of Phenom Phen,  and climb up the temples in Angkor Wat, Siem Riep, both in Cambodia. On our last day in Ho Chi Minh (Before heading to the pretty pretty beaches of Da Long) we left in the morning to the Tunnels. We took a private van over to the river, where we would take a boat 2 hours up to our destination.

Now the Tunnels were what the Vietnamese used to live in during the Vietnamese War. They dug them extremely deep at some points, with them weaving in and around the ground sometimes for dozens of meters ( They could be over 100 feet long). I didn’t now much about them before, but actually being able to crawl inside them. Well. It was defintly some hands-on experience to say the least.

We ended up being dropped off at a nice marina, waiting for the boat’s captain to get on our way. Ho Chi Minh is very city-busy, and as we sat at the side of a flowing (brown) river, we watched the little ants buzz their way across the in-construction bridge. When the captain arived we jumped into a small skiff along with 3 high school seniors from the UK who had also booked the tour of the tunnels. It was kinda a tiny boat, but there was fruit and a nice breeze (see photo for the affects on my hair below) so we were able to enjoy the 2 hour trip up the river.

My Mum and I enjoy the *slight* breeze in the back.

Bridges were so low at some points that I could’ve jumped up and touched them as we coasted beneath.

Our small skiff.

We passed by all types of barges and fishing boats. Even some rowers!

Riding up the river was just, beautiful. Green jungle was on either side of us, and there were rarely any waves (except the occasional freighter wave that made us hop like a skipping stone). In a way it reminded me of the Rio Dulce, in Guatemala. The thriving greenery all around us gave the river a sense that it was in the process of being mummified with vines, and lanky Mangroves.

We were soon pulling up to a floating restaurant full of wooden chairs, connected to a bridge that dissapeared into the mangroves behined it. As we got on I took off the corniest orange life vests I’ve ever seen in my life (You could probably guess to my relief). We trudged across the wooden creaking boards that smoothly moved back and forth from the waves, and climbed up the bridge until we were land-lovers again.

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam – Part 1

We arrived in a downpour. It was Ho Chi Minh city, and I’d like to say it a was a little too excited to see us. Our bus dropped us off in the middle of who knew where, and by then we were very ready to collapse. An 8 hour drive along bumpy roads with a massive immigration line thrown on top like a gleaming cherry, why we never took a bus for the rest of the trip I’ll never know. But with tiny umbrellas my mom and honorary aunt made it across the street, and with our stuff protected we hailed a cab to our hotel. We had absolutely no idea that our hotel was situated on the oldest market street in Ho Chi Minh. Actually if our cab driver hadn’t mentioned it as we pulled up, we would never of had figured it out. But it sure was a market, with smelly fish heads hanging by a thin rope above fresh produce. A tiny street with live sea-life in plastic containers and raw meat hanging on a hook.

Our hotel was hidden in between crumbling wooden carts. By the time we arrived the rain had started to calm down, and after checking in we were back on the streets. We roved over to a small restaurant where we planned our itinerary over some fantastic hamburgers, and then afterwards slept like kings.

So there’s this idea, called Free Walking Tours. They’re just this kinda cool thing that is in most of the major cities of the world. An organization takes you around a city and in 3 hours make it feel like you’ve lived there you’re whole life. And they’re completely tipped based. So, you know, next time you travel maybe you wanna look’em up. The next day we were doing a Free Walking Tour, so getting up early we snuck breakfast in a cup (Its called coffee okay) and started our walkathon Mid-Morning. 180 educational minutes later we ended the tour at a local restaurant for lunch, with coconut juice and toasty fried rice. We spent it conversing about the different things we’d learnt, like Vietnam’s war for its Independence from France
and the man of the hour Mr. Ho Chi Minh himself. The beloved leader of Vietnam didn’t rise to any kind of power until his early forties, spending most of his youth traveling. But he was by no means given any type of leverage in life, and he traveled by being a deck cleaner on boats and picking up any odd jobs wherever he went. Talk about an inspiring guy, right?

There was also a monk who set fire to himself in protest to religious discrimination. He was able to sit with his legs crossed completely on fire without moving or uttering a word. There is now a memorial for him, along with the monks who helped him.

A set of apartments across from our hotel

Veggies at the market!

Soo….. we’re supposed to walk through that?

One of the oldest markets in Ho Chi Minh

At the end of the Vietnamese War (In which the U.S.A lost) Americans were evacuating the city in Helicopters.

CAT

The city itself seems to be trying to cause death-by-moto every other second. Absent sidewalks and faulty stop lights make it seem like your playing frogger. Our tour guide’s advice was “When you cross the street don’t stop. They’ll swerve around you.”. So with that lovely tip, its pretty much every man for themselves when it comes to streets crossing. Which you might say lets you see who your friends really are.
After lunch though, someone somewhere decided it wasn’t wet out enough and we walked/jogged over to the War museum in the rain. Soaking wet, we froze ourselves as we walked through air-conditioned buildings, looking at photos taken during the Vietnamese War. To give you an idea of what the photos were of, the museum had previously been called along the lines of “American Atrocities committed on Vietnamese Soil”. But it was still eye-opening, and atrocities had defenintly been committed, like the “Agent Orange” gas that the United States spread by plane, that among many other awful things caused horrible deformities to new-born children whose parents had breathed it in during the war.

So that was the first day in Ho Chi Minh. The next day we were planning on going to the tunnels. The tunnels were constructed during the Vietnam War, where locals dug full-on tunnels to live in, underground. I not only got to see them, but actually go into one!

So until next week guys :)

Cambodia

Some Pond-Pondering time

(From left to right) Me, my Mom, and Aunt Tiffany :)

I’m writing this on a small seated bus thats coasting past Cambodian countryside. The green luscious nature envelopes the stranded farms and houses, and as the various vehicles pass us they leave a floating trail of dust for the sorry soul behind them.
We’re exactly an hour into the 6 hour journey that unfolds itself for every traveler rolling their way towards Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam from Cambodia’s capital Phenom Pehn. It’s been 5 days since I left my home in Malaysia with my Mum and headed to Siem Reap, Cambodia to meet
with a friend of ours from Mexico. After stressful months of planning, our intricate 30 day trip was taking us to Cambodia, Vietnam,Laos and Thailand. My parents wanted to take advantage of our ideal locationing to other South East Asia Countries to travel, yet this trip is almost the last
one for us (except for a quickie to Thailand in December) before we head to the U.S.A in April. So far I’ve been to Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, and Indonesia in this area, and Japan and Russia on the way over. Every place has been an experience (majorly a wonderful one). But this trip is almost an awakening to me
that I’m leaving so soon. I’ve been in Malaysia for 10 months! Where has the time gone?
But diving right in, arriving to Cambodia was a piece of cake. After getting checked into the country we went for a taxi, which unlike every other country I’ve ever been in we got in line without drivers fighting over us. There was no yelling or badgering, and we paid the people at a stand instead of the driver.
Siem Reap seemed dusty at first sight, and I wasn’t wrong to think so. But even though this was a con to me, everything about the city was natural and friendly. As soon as we pulled out of the airport I saw a girl no older than 10 driving a Moto, cackling mischievously while a boy not much younger pedaled on a bike behind her trying to grab on.
Talking to the taxi driver it was rainy season which was a good thing for us because tourists were few, and the ruins would be free of large crowds. We got to our hotel, and after finding a friend of ours we were meeting with who’d travel with us for the rest of the trip (All photos are from her Iphone :) ) we headed out to grab a bite to eat.
Tuk-Tuks were running rampant everywhere and we watched our step carefully as we made our way to the “main street” in Siem Reap, Pub Street. Pub Street is filled with restaurants and Massage Parlours, and the streets (already jam-packed with people) are lined with every kind of food vendor there is, from crepes to bugs. After grabbing dinner and a massage (An hour is
8 U.S.D) we headed back to get some rest for the next day of ruin exploring.
We booked a guide the night before, so after getting some breakfast we grabbed a Tuk-Tuk with him to start our “Ruins” tour. The plan was to see two different ruins consisting of palaces and temples, before heading onto Angkor Wat (One of the wonders of the world). They were all resting in the same general area, and after paying an entrance fee we rode down a long dirt trail surrounded on either side by thick forest. Meandering across the grass beside us
were pigs, dogs, and even monkeys. After watching these trios lazily peruse the ground for food, we exited the forest and road beside a moat. It made a circle around a large temple, partly covered by trees. This towering building turned out to be Angkor Wat. But we left it as soon as we’d first seen it, and we weren’t going to return until the end of it. We entered the forest again and drove on (If you can consider a clanking tuk-tuk drivable) until the trees cleared up. Tall, bold, and crumbling ruins towered ahead, and as we parked outside the crowds, elephants, with their creased grey leather skin, were feet away with their caretakers.
The first ruin was very much a ruin. It was beaten and battered, with tourist scattering along it like ants. One fine detail I took away from it was just that. All the details. It seemed as if no wall, no column, no step was left untouched, not unique. Gods, worshippers, soldiers, and monsters were depicted everywhere. Sometimes in complicated, 25 foot long murals, other times hidden behind door ways.
As we walked around, it was hard to not fall instantly into a world hundreds and hundreds years younger. Though the snorting elephants and clinking cameras were ‘delightful” anchors towards the present.
We soon left this ruin and moved on to the next one, passing by a temple so tall and steep it seemed it was meant as a slide rather than something people worshipped on. White Elephants were erected on each corner, the almost patriotic animal of this country. Our next stop was at the end of a long erected pathway that ended at another ruin, one which we didn’t bother to climb (Preserving our energy for Angkor Wat).
After more walking and tuk-tuk riding, we finally arrived to Ankor Wat. Surrounded by tall, strong walls that over the years had not lost a single breath of their bold bronze, Angkor Wat itself towered high above. Getting up there seemed to be the final chapter of our adventurous day, as the sides of it slid up with stairs steep enough to need railings. We did make it up to there though, and the view from the top offered a large pond in a backyard with two stone gate houses. The exit led an orange dusty path into the trees like a start of a maze.
In the center of the temple where we walked, there were 4 pools meant to represent the 4 main elements. They laid empty and dusty though, and for some strange reason echoing “Meows” every now and again. Oh, those were the cats in the pipes. The felines darted around, peeing on shrines (while eating the sacrifices laid out) and poking their heads out fo the ominous drains which led to who knew where.
How they got there, or why they stayed I have no idea. But before we left I made a mental note to bring catfood next time.
We left the ruins and the dark clouds that had begun to cry on us, and we were back to our hotel in time for Dinner (And a big one at that).
The next day we were off to Phenom Penn, and besides for a very bumpy 6-hour bus trip (Or was it 8?) we arrived to our hotel amongst some major construction. We didn’t end up doing much there, as the city just wasn’t our type of place. Nothing bad, but I would say that it was the least wonderful place we visited on our trip.
So after just a couple of days we were outta there, and Ho Chi Minh city is coming ever closer. My first communist country at that (Russia, to my surprise, isn’t communist. Who woulda thunk. Can you name the five which are though?).
Until next week guys!

Through Singapore (1/2)

I’ve been to Thailand and Indonesia. I’ve living in Malaysia. Believe me when I write that in the South East Asia I’ve explored, Singapore is what you find in the back of a magical wardrobe beside Narnia. Sleek silver brilliance striked with elegance and class, the most expensive country in the world was a shock to my system after 8 months of living in cabins in the jungle, trekking through dusty crowded cities, and crossing bridges into developing islands. All these massive buildings that cast their long shade down entire roads, all the international people, and all the cameras. The country where chewing gum in public is illegal was where I stayed for almost a week, and where I saw the lifestyle of the wealthiest class that exists mesh with those who sell Wanton Mee out of carts and hang their laundry off bamboo sticks. Singapore is a pretty cool place though, and I’m going to tell you all about it.

I arrived with my parents after an overnight bus ride from Malaysia, where getting into the country was easy (Though a few Arabian men were held back, most likely Singapore being cautious about Murrs). Hotel was an easy walk away from the bus station, and by the time we were checked in we were back out again. The main downtown area of Singapore is small, so walking we found an MRT Station and bought Easy-Pass cards. This turned out to be one of the best things we would’ve done, as the MRT was crazy-easy to use and got us everywhere we wanted to go for our complete stay for about 14 Singaporean Dollars each. We walked around downtown a bit once we were in the center of it all, and as luck would have it a free walking tour was starting and my Mom was more than excited to join it. Somehow we had missed the fact that the annual Olympic-Tier sports tournament was happening in Singapore for that week, and 2 free walking tours covering Little India and China Town were cancelled. But as luck would have it we were able to join the last Walking tour of the week through the business Centre and beyond. So not even 6 hours off the bus we were walking around Singapore with 3 college girls explaining this building and that fountain and this hotel. While I do enjoy these types of things, it was a major walk-athon after a short, abrupt night’s sleep. 2 and a half hours later I was more than happy to go eat do I could sit down.

But touching on Singaporean History, the nation used to be apart of Malaysia but broke off for a couple of reasons. One being that the main leader Lee Kuan Yew wanted full control, and after centuries of British Rule he wanted to grow Singapore to be free of corruption. Having a thriving trade port, Singapore was able to finance itself and grow steadily. With a strong set of rules, Singapore never as much as stumbled. One particular bump that it had to get past though was the multiple ethnicities within its borders. 60% Buddhist and just under 20% Muslim, along with Hindus and Christians flourishing abundantly, religious discrimination was something that couldn’t exist for even a second if Singapore were to reach its full potential. So intense rules stating that not even a word of hate against any other religions were put in place, and massive fees were placed upon those who broke them. This greatly discouraged everyone else, and from it the country remained peaceful. Though those were not only the intense rules to exist. Jaywalking, chewing gum, and most recently publicly drinking alcohol after 10:30 at night are all prohibited with the threat of tall looming fines placed on all of them. And I’m only mentioning a few. It’s so common to have to pay a fine in Singapore that stalls are placed across the city for easy access to those who have to pay them.

But luckily I never broke the rules while there (Actually I should rephrase that: Never got caught. I may or may not have jaywalked there but I’m not tellin’ you nothin’.). After the walking tour my Mom and I met my Father at the Crazy Elephant in Clarkes Key, a main night-time area in Singapore. Situated alongside a river, the Key is crawling with tourists. My Dad being the musician he is was invited a week before to jam there, so as he played music I played pool and watched a light show coming off of Marina Bay Sands. You know, that hotel with a ship on the top of it.

57 stories? Yeah, I think so. 57.

Scenic place, but damn is it expensive.

It was a fun night, and believe me when I say that I crashed hard that night. In the morning, we were off to China Town, Orchard Road, and the top of Marina Bay Sands (The super cool hotel I told you about. Yes. To the very top.)

Singaporean Buisness Centre

Interviews and thoughts of growing up with travel

Hey guys, how are you?

Diving right in: I’ve been thinking about travel recently and its affects on me for the past 10 years. At 16 I’ve been to 20 different countries, and I haven’t lived in one place for longer than 5 years. Its been exciting, and always different. Recent events have made me re-evauluate my life, a life without travel.

What would that have been like?

I think I would be a very different person if I hadn’t always seen places and met people as a foreigner. Sometimes I forget that always being the new guy in a place isn’t supposed to be a yearly event. I’ve grown up looking at a side of life that allows failures, lives off passion, flourishes in the bad times, and will always appreicate the good times. And now I can’t imagine living in a different way.

So I guess a little self-exploratory is this weeks blog :). Who in your life inspires you the most, and what effect do you think you might have on people in your life? For me a professional donut tester is probably the most influential.

Frosted? Yes please.

My Mom was interviewed by An Epic Education talking about our whole life adventure from the start a decade ago. So if you would like to learn a bit more about me, from leaving normal life in the U.S to sailing in the carribean, from a different perspective you can listen to it here.

Thanks for reading guys! Until next time,

Sincerely, James

Check out my last post.

I wrote about homeschooling in Malaysia!

Want to learn more about me?

Taking a moment to be thankful

Hey guys!

So I’m writing this as a really quick post to celebrate the fact that the United States is finally open for Same-Sex Marriages in all 50 States! So congratulations U.S.A, you fell behind for a little while. But you’ve shaped up, and now you’re a pretty cool place for the time being. Moments like these are pretty great, and its important for people to be grateful for the steps that are being taken, and the fact that the world is one step closer to being just the #1 planet out there. At least that’s what I live by, because before you know it I’m going to wake up and be flooded with the 5 gazillion other tragedies happening around the world. So I’ve got to make sure to never forget the wins.

In the mean time, I’m enjoying my first Summer in Malaysia with lots of pool time and going to the movies. Looking through photos of Singapore this morning I realised I need to post those soon, so expect some fantastic not-so-fantastic shots headed your way.

Until next time,

Cheers!

James

Singapore

Hey Guys! A week back I had the opportunity to visit the main city of Singapore for a few days. Not just an amazing city, but an amazing futuristic super cool city. We had a fun trip there from Malaysia, my family and I took a bus at 9 o’clock at night to Singapore. But this wasn’t just any bus, it was one of the COMFIEST buses I’ve ever been on. Not only with fully reclining seats, but tv screens and feet rests were all included. There’s also this weird rule all bus lines seem to share (From Malaysia to Mexico) where the buses need to be an Ice Box aswell. But luckily this particular line wasn’t in the human-popsicle business, and it was a super cozy ride straight from Penang to Singapore.

First Thoughts on Singapore: Very green, and very concrete.

Singapore is one of the richest countries in the world, and though its been dialed down some since its almost-facist ruling in the 20th century was a huge benefactor to the success it is today. Back in the day caning and other severe penalties were put upon those who even just spoke poorly about their nation. Intense rules were placed down, and even in the 21st century new rules such as no chewing gum and public drinking being banned after 10:30 at night have been constructed. It’s a pretty strict city. But what Singapore lacks in liberty, sure makes up for how clean, neat, and organized the city is. 

Luckily Singaporeans have much more freedom now than they had before, and from it they have one of the coolest cities on Earth. And that’s my impartial opinion.

The buildings shoot up high, and as I stood in a park outside the MRT in the main business center, I felt like I’d been transported to the future. A giant tv plastered against the wall echos a commanding voice between the skyscrapers. Perfectly cut grass, immaculate shiny benches, a dozen cameras in one cor-. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that Singapore has a hefty fine-for-everything motto, and constant surveillance is practically everywhere. 

But Singapore is also one of safest cities in the world, and I’ve heard stories of people leaving their wallets out in public overnight, and them still being there in the morning untouched. Maybe all the futuristic, super-cool looking buildings are watching over it for them.

Singapore is one of those cities I could completely live in full-time. The only drawback is the fact that its ridiculously expensive for Southeast Asia. All the meals are atleast 3-5 times more expensive than back home, and finding hotel rooms in town that were reasonable was even harder. Singapore is definently the type of place where a seemingly innocent 10 US dollar breakfast can turn into 60.

How about you? Have you been to Singapore and know a good place to stay or eat? Comment below for me!

Read “Home from Singapore” next!

Until next time,

Sincerely, James