Cambly Tutor Experience

As a child, there were three types of places that I wanted to work: a theme park, a zoo, and a bookstore. I’ve already checked-off the first two on the list. I spent fifteen years at Universal Studios Hollywood, and during my twenties, I was part of the Behavioral Research Department at the Greater Los Angeles Zoo.

Now, starting tomorrow, I will be the newest employee at The Tattered Cover Book Store here in Littleton. The Tattered Cover is a wonderful Colorado company that has a chain of independent bookstores. I’m thrilled to be around books and book lovers. I imagine it will give me invaluable insight as I work towards my goal of revising my novel and finding an agent.

However, I can’t begin my new job, without reflecting on the past three years that I’ve spent as an independent contractor for the San Francisco based ESL tutoring company, Cambly.

Cambly came into my life when things were uncertain. We lived in a rural mountain community and we were traveling a lot, frequently hitting the road on the spur of the moment. I needed to earn money, but I needed the flexibility. My husband’s best friend suggested it to me and I applied. Two days later, I was hired and starting my first session, which is similar to a zoom meeting, but through Cambly’s site.

The idea behind Cambly is simple enough, you just show up and help people improve their conversational English. Beyond being a native English speaker, no real skills are needed. However, I found this to be somewhat untrue, as my writing background certainly helped me both tutor and retain students. Sometimes students want help with specific grammar issues or they have complicated questions.

I found myself really diving deep and considering why certain things are the way they are in the English language. I learned more about my native language through helping others. I was also in awe of the learning process and dedication that many of my students showed, often waking up before sunrise to learn English, so they would have time before work and kids gobbled up their day. People are out there achieving major goals and it is inspiring.

After a few months, I was established enough to have a roster of regulars and my schedule became fixed, Mon-Fri, 9am-12pm and 2pm-5pm. I found that my schedule filled almost immediately after I released new time slots. I must “not-so-humbly” brag that I was a popular tutor.

The best part about Cambly is the students. I met amazing people from all over the world. I met doctors, engineers, CEO’s, pilots, architects, lawyers, university students….the list goes on. My youngest student was four and my oldest was in their mid-80’s. I met people who needed English for their careers and those who simply had a love for learning. I met people all over the political and ideological spectrum, and was able to engage in productive, respectful conversations, a truly fascinating and fortunate opportunity as we live in such a divided world.

My stats on Cambly state that I met 1787 different students. I’m not sure how many countries I met people from, but the countries I met the most students from were: Brazil, Turkey, Japan, South Korea and Saudi Arabia. My life is certainly enriched from having met these students. I know more about world history, world politics, and geography than I did previous to Cambly. I also have added many places to my travel bucket list. Cambly does not allow tutors to share private information ( I even went by my mom’s middle name- Zora, to protect my identity), but luckily they leave the messaging system active, so when I do travel to these countries, I can contact my former students…my friends.

The worst part of Cambly was the pay. It’s low and per minute of talk, which means when there is a cancelation, there is no pay. There are no other benefits, such as sick pay or medical. The benefits are flexibility and the personal rewards that come from meeting and helping others.

Here is the profile picture I used for Cambly. I was trying to capture the “I’m a fun tutor vibe,” which seemed to work! I’m leaving the site with a 4.97 rating, which is high, and many of my students wrote very kind messages when I told them I was leaving.

I will certainly miss my students and the flexibility, but it was time to move on to the next opportunity. Luckily, my Cambly account will be still be active, so if I decide to return, I can, at any time. I’m not sure what the future holds, especially with pandemic uncertainty, but if I return to Cambly in the future, I know it will be with a happy heart to reconnect with my students from around the world. My life is better because of my time working for Cambly.

Movie Review- Jurassic World

It was a given that I would see Jurassic World. Besides being the latest in a mega movie franchise and huge summer blockbuster, as silly as this may sound, I feel a bit of a personal investment in all things Jurassic. 

I spent many years as a Jurassic Park Ride Operator...er, Game Warden. 

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I will forever have John William's catchy theme music on a loop in my subconscious. I've earned the right to call it J.P., rather than Jurassic Park. I know that a ride malfunction on a hot summer day creates a mob of angry tourists that's scarier than any dinosaur. Despite the headaches and ugly red neck kerchief, it was the most fun job that I've ever had. 

On to the movie....

PLOT - Jurassic World takes place twenty-two years after Jurassic Park. John Hammond has left the care of Isla Nublar to a billionaire who has turned the defunct theme park around and rebranded it as Jurassic World. Jurassic World is bigger and better than it's predecessor, boasting flashy attractions and even closer interactions with dinosaurs. 

A big part of Jurassic World's success. is its ability to snag corporate sponsorships. Claire ( Bryce Dallas Howard) is the director of the park and she is desperate to find a sponsor for their latest attraction, a mysterious hybrid dinosaur that has been named the Indominus Rex. To complicate things, Claire's nephews, Gray (Ty Simpkins) and Zach (Nick Robinson) are visiting her on the same day that she has a stressful meeting with a Verizon, who she is trying to woo. To complicate things further, a dinosaur has gone missing. When the Indominus Rex breaks out of her enclosure, Claire enlists Owen ( Chris Pratt), a tough game warden, to help capture the dinosaur. She hopes to keep the tourists and sponsors unaware of the situation, but the problem quickly escalates. The Indominus Rex is unusually clever and Owen's ability to contain the situation is hindered by the secrecy surrounding her genetic composition. 

LIKE - I'm going to be up front, this was not as good as Jurassic Park. However, it was substantial better than the other films in the franchise. What Jurassic World got right, is it brought back some of the magic and wonder of the first film.

I loved the creativity with the attractions, especially the gyrospheres and water show with the stadium that moves, so that the audience can get an underwater view of the Mosasaurus. Speaking of the Mosasaurus, that creature was responsible for some of the most bad-ass moments in the film. It was unexpected.

I thought that the idea for corporate sponsors was brilliant. It made sense in the realm of the story, but it also allowed for rampant product placement in the film. It was smart. It also poked fun at all of the sponsorship that does go on at theme parks. 

Jurassic World captured the best and worst aspects of modern zoos. I spent many years volunteering at the Greater Los Angeles Zoo, so this aspect of the story peaked my interest. On the negative, Jurassic World showed the animals being miserable, especially the ones in the petting zoo with the baby triceratops rides. It was cringe-worthy. There was mention at the Mosasaurus feeding that it might not jump to feed on a shark, because it might not be hungry. Zoo's work hard to battle bored and overfed animals, but it still happens. On the positive, was the character Gray, a preteen boy who was just so excited and in awe of seeing these magnificent animals. At their best, zoos can be educational and prompt people to care and take action to protect animals. Although the research going on in Jurassic World was beyond dodgy, this is generally another important component of zoos. The character of Owen was constantly reminding other characters that the dinosaurs, even the friendly ones, are all wild animals and must be respected. 

Jurassic World was never dull. I was on the edge of my seat during the aviary escape scene. I enjoyed the references to Jurassic Park, especially seeing the old visitor's center in ruins. The John Hammond statue was a nice touch.

DISLIKE - I wondered about the aviary...was it open to the public? If so, why are highly aggressive animals in an aviary? If it isn't open to the public, why is it there? These unanswered questions bothered me. There was also a brief scene showing visitors kayaking down a river right next to enormous dinosaurs. That was such a liability that even in the realm of this fantasy park, something like that would never happen!

I didn't buy Claire's rapid transition in the film. In the beginning, she's cold and just driven by her job. Why would a person like this invite her nephews to visit her for the weekend, especially when she has an important business meeting? The events in Jurassic World take place in about one day, by the end of the day, Claire is a totally changed woman, she is nurturing and in love. A transformation could have worked, but to make it work, Claire would have had to have been less of a cliche at the start of the film. This movie, as with the others in the franchise, tends to run with stock characters. The film is entertaining, but it could have been even better if they had paid a little attention to character development. 

RECOMMEND - Yes, definitely. Jurassic World is a big deal. It's not only a huge money maker, but it's a better than average summer release. It's creative, entertaining and a solid addition to the franchise. It's a must-see on the big screen.