Ready, Set, Go! English Teacher Begins Taiwan Marathon

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An ESL Teacher’s Marathon for Cancer Research

An ESL teacher has decided to conclude his year of teaching in Taiwan, a country he has fallen in love with, by running a 30-day marathon for cancer research. Neil O’Maonaigh-Lennon has already run 13 marathons including the ING Taipei marathon in December 2007. With an April 1st start, of his envisioned 30-day marathon, he will add a third continent to his ambitious plan of running one marathon in every continent.

O’Maonaigh-Lennon cites Terry Fox, and his celebrated 1980 “Marathon of Hope” for cancer research, as an inspiration for his own run. On the teacher’s website, which will have journals of his marathon adventures, he has offered people a choice of two organizations to donate money to, the Cancer Research UK and the Taiwan Foundation for Rare Disorders.

People are welcome to join the run, which will cover a distance of 42km a day. The marathon will begin in Fugueijiao and follow the east cost south to Chialuoshui before turning north. O’Maonaigh-Lennon plans to take time to veer off course in order to visit some of Taiwan’s scenic hotspots.
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2008/02/09/2003400671

By Sean McCall

Kenya Anyone?

Hey ESL teachers, vacation is coming soon and it’s time to choose a vacation destination. Some of you might have only a week or two for vacation, while others may have over a month. Perhaps some people will even be completing their contracts. Before you book your flight, have you ever thought of volunteering during your break? If you’re an English teacher and experienced traveler, you might consider a different sort of vacation this year. Alison Lowndes, the founder and trustee of AVIF, is inviting teachers to volunteer for summer school in Kenya.

Following is a brief ad for AVIF:

AVIF is an innovative online charity, with a promise to Invest in our Volunteers. We assist with sustainable development via online & onsite volunteering in rural Kenya, East Africa. Being virtual means negligible administration costs for worldwide impact. We believe in efficiency, honesty and transparency. AVIF doesn’t do bureaucracy or charge fees. If you have the commitment to travel to Kenya, we’ll take care of you & provide access to extensive details. We encourage you to do further Internet research to ensure you are fully informed. Orientation is available in Nairobi & is recommended.

You’ll be fully immersed into rural communities. If you’re looking for a tourist’s view of the country then this is not for you. You may need to wash your hair in a river or cook over open fires. You will be living traditionally, in no less comfort than your hosts who wake at 4/5am to light fires to boil water. The children will surround you with enthusiasm and an eagerness to learn ~ you can repay them by helping to provide a range of simple but effective concepts such as solar cooking & power, disease prevention, empowerment to women. After your visit, we use NABUUR to action specific projects, an entirely online system allowing anyone, anywhere to simply log on to contribute to the project.

At the end of each program we organize an optional group safari from a base camp in Oropile, Maasai Mara. The Maasai people are the perfect example of how to live in symbiosis with nature, not Land Cruisers !

[Itinerary available on the website].

http://www.avif.org.uk/

http://avifvolunteers.blogspot.com/