Traveling Teachers

The Samo faculty is a well-traveled group. Here, some of Samo’s most adventurous teachers share their experiences voyaging to all ends of the Earth. Chon LeeLee has received travel grant scholarships that enable him to travel to many different countries. Wherever he travels, he compares different teaching styles and applies them to his English class.Lahij, Azerbaijan“I remember one day we were there in Azerbaijan in this village called Lahij, a tiny little remote mountain village, population around 100. It was freezing and it took us two and a half hours just to take this tiny little bus along the side mountain. When we finally got there, we talked to a group of Teach for America Teachers who were teaching them English. I remember that day so vividly — it was such a beautiful day and it was so cold and talking to the teachers and getting to meet some village kids and seeing how their classrooms work was just so touching.” Marae Cruce Cruce travels around the world with her husband whenever she has a chance to. In her travels, she’s climbed mountains in Patagonia and has visited a Mount Everest base camp.Thailand“We traveled a month in northern Thailand, eating the most amazing food, visiting the different cities, going to their temples; we also did a hill tribe trek, hiking between the small villages in the hill tribe side. It was the largest difference between what we are used to and the going over there. It was very enlightening and when you come back you really appreciate what you have here.”Nepal“We were hiking to the bottom of Everest base camp and my husband got sick from food poisoning and altitude sickness. The hospitality of the people with us, the place we were staying and how accommodating they were and how much they helped was huge.” Kelly BatesBates is a passionate hiker and has been traveling from mountain to mountain for many years. As a Spanish teacher, Bates has benefited greatly from her trips to South America.Machu Picchu, Peru“I’m a mountain girl. When we went there we climbed a lot. It is a very sacred place, [and] the magic of that place really amazed me and impacted me. The cultural contrast of people there — how they live, how they think, what they eat — has really impacted me more than anything.” Christina StaroschakAs a biology teacher, Staroschak loves to explore places with exotic plants and animals. She is also fascinated by different cultures and their values.Panama City, Panama“I particularly love Panama because the people are so incredible, so friendly, so helpful and the food was amazing. There is so much biodiversity there that it was really a learning experience for me. As we were walking around going to fish markets, everybody was so helpful in letting us know what we should go see. They were all so proud of their culture — everyone was very warm and friendly, which was kind of jolting coming from the United States, especially California where everybody minds their own business and tourists are kind of pushed aside.” Steve RupprechtFor 13 years, Rupprecht lived out of a backpack while traveling the world. He’s visited many places including India and Romania, and he has also lived in Hungary.Malawi“I was the only non-local person. Sometime that is an awkward feeling, when you stand out in a crowd; everywhere you go everybody knows you’re a Westerner traveling there. To be immersed in a place where you are the stranger is really a wild feeling. When I was there, it was probably one of the ten poorest countries in the world and yet, I noticed that there was a lot of underlying, basic happiness in the communities and the families that I encountered. It showed me that happiness can come from different sources, other than standard of living and wealth.”