Domenico Composto

IBDP Economics HL & SL Instructor

Domenico Italo Composto-Hart is currently in his twelfth year of teaching IBDP Economics (HL & SL) to grade 11 and 12 students, as well as serving as supervisor for the Extended Essay in IBDP Economics at the Benjamin Franklin International School in Barcelona, Spain. He has 19 years of high school teaching experience. He has taught the following social science subjects: American Government, American History, Physical and Human Geography, Modern European History, and World History.

In 2024, Domenico was shortlisted in the Best Use of Technology category for the Tes Awards for International Schools. The nomination recognized his time, effort, and dedication in founding and building his IBDP Economics YouTube channel, EZ NOMICS: https://www.youtube.com/@EZNOMICS, as a free online learning resource for all students worldwide.

In addition, Domenico was named Econiful's EconHero Educator for October 2025 (October is National Economic Education Month in the U.S.).

Professional Development
Attended the IB Professional Development Category 1 IB Economics Diploma Programme workshop by InThinking Educational Consultants in Barcelona, Spain, from 31 October to 2 November 2014.

Attended the IB Professional Development Category 2 IB Economics Diploma Programme workshop by InThinking Educational Consultants in Barcelona, Spain, from 12 to 14 February 2016.

Attended the IB Professional Development Category 1 Theory of Knowledge workshop by IBICUS in Athens, Greece, from 17 to 19 June 2016.

Attended the IB Africa, Europe and Middle East Regional Conference 2016 in Barcelona, Spain, from 6 to 8 October 2016.

Attended the Project Zero Perspectives: Understanding for a Complex World conference hosted by CASIE in collaboration with the Harvard Graduate School of Education in Pamplona, Spain, from 26 to 27 October 2018.

Attended the IB Professional Development Category 3 IB Economics Diploma Programme workshop by IBAEM in Dublin, Ireland, from 28 February to 1 March 2020.

In addition, Domenico is the science fiction and epic fantasy author of Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity of The Legacy Cycle series and travel writer and author of Travels in the Land of Hunger. He studied Archaeology and Anthropology at Boston University and lived in Tokyo, Japan, for over three years, pursuing a career as a freelance musician. He has traveled to over 50 nations.

Cover illustrations by Tiberius Viris

www.tiberius-viris.com

Home: Welcome

Photos from my backpacking journey - as detailed in

Travels IN THE Land OF Hunger

- can be seen on my Instagram account.

Follow the journey!

This week brought one of those moments that make the long hours worth it.

EZ NOMICS has officially reached 10,000 YouTube subscribers! 🎉
https://www.youtube.com/c/EZNOMICS

What began as a small COVID lockdown project has grown into a collection of 260+ IB Economics videos that now support students and educators in 120+ countries. Seeing learners around the world engage with the content, ask sharper questions, and build confidence in economics has been genuinely rewarding.

Reaching this milestone feels less about the number itself and more about the community behind it—students revising late, teachers sharing resources, and fellow educators who believe economics should be clear, relevant, and accessible.

I’m deeply grateful to my students, colleagues, family, and the EZ NOMICS community for the encouragement along the way. And thank you to everyone who has watched, shared, commented, or recommended the channel—this growth belongs to all of you.

Here’s to continuing the work: making economics more understandable, more meaningful, and, yes, fun. 📈

#ibeducator #ibeconomics #ibecon #youtube #youtuber

Passage from Travels in the Land of Hunger: A backpacker's earthbound journey from the East to the West 🌏📖

The Temples of Angkor Wat
Friday, May 21, 2004
Upon the walls of Angkor Wat and many other temples, I saw stone reliefs of dancing, bare-breasted Khmer women wearing elaborate headdresses and dresses while holding a flower near the lower part of their stomachs, most likely a fertility symbol. It was rare to find a stone relief of men in the temples of Angkor. But in the Bayon temple, I found a series of bas-reliefs that provided a glimpse into the history of the Khmer Empire, for I saw carvings of the kings and all the tributes paid to them by lords, merchants, and farmers. I also saw carvings of men fishing and hunting and the defeat and destruction of enemies in far-off lands by Khmer monarchs and their soldiers.

#TravelsInTheLandOfHunger #travelmemoir #memoirwriting #indieauthor #bookexcerpt #backpacking #backpackinglife #solotravelers #travelphotography #cambodia #cambodiatravel #adventuretravel #traveldiaries #siemreap #angkorwat #angkor #angkortemples

Passage from Travels in the Land of Hunger: A backpacker's earthbound journey from the East to the West 🌏📖

Tuesday, May 20, 2004
Leonardo and the other driver took us to Prasat Trapeang Ropou. Many tourists and backpackers gathered at this site to hike and climb Phnom Bakheng, a Hindu and Buddhist temple built in the 9th century, to view the sunset from its peak. We followed the crowd to a ruined stone staircase to ascend a hill covered in thick tropical vegetation. At the top of the stairs and across a flat open plain stood the impressive walled pyramid temple ruin of Phnom Bakheng, composed of five levels. We walked across the plain peppered with stone ruins to the nearly vertical sandstone staircase that led up the eastern side of the temple. Once we had climbed the stairs, Robert and I took in the beauty of the thick, green canopy of tropical trees that expanded to the grey horizon in all directions. Hidden within this verdure were the monuments of Angkor’s long and once-lost civilization.

We waited for the sun to set, knowing the cloudy evening would prevent the best experience. Regardless, waiting at the top of this temple, crowned by five towers with so many people from around the world, was fascinating.

#TravelsInTheLandOfHunger #travelmemoir #memoirwriting #indieauthor #bookexcerpt #backpacking #backpackinglife #solotravelers #travelphotography #cambodia #cambodiatravel #adventuretravel #traveldiaries #siemreap #phnombakheng

Passage from Travels in the Land of Hunger: A backpacker's earthbound journey from the East to the West 🌏📖

Tuesday, May 20, 2004
I walked to a bank and was badgered along the way by one moto-taxi driver after the other, who either offered to take me around Siem Reap or Angkor. I politely refused all offers and kept walking. At the bank, I exchanged some money and then walked past the Psah Chas (“Old Market”), lined outside with small vendor shops that sold souvenirs to tourists. I decided to walk across a bridge and explore the area outside town. Walking, I saw many thatched homes built on stilts and the occasional affluent home. I also found a small library a Japanese woman had founded.

I backtracked and decided to walk east out of town on the main road, and along the way ...

#TravelsInTheLandOfHunger #travelmemoir #memoirwriting #authorlife #indieauthor #bookexcerpt #backpacking #backpackinglife #solotravelers #travelphotography #travelreflections #cambodia #cambodiatravel #adventuretravel #traveldiaries #siemreap

Passage from Travels in the Land of Hunger: A backpacker's earthbound journey from the East to the West 🌏📖

Tuesday, May 19, 2004
We finally entered Tonlé Sap Lake. The lake was massive, but the crew started to worry as we began crossing it because it was becoming shallower. I, too, began to worry as soon as I saw the boat’s propellers flinging mud up into the air instead of a spray of water. Then we were stuck. The ship refused to move. One of the crew jumped into the lake; it was apparent the water was just too shallow for us to push through, for the water line came up to the knees of the crew member! Another crew member jumped into the lake, and for about two hours, the two tried to push the boat or get back onto it to work on the engine that would occasionally die. The sun was beginning to set. Robert and I were worried we would be stranded in the middle of this lake until the following day. Little by little, we moved forward. In the distance, we saw other boats with the same problem. Then, just as the sun set and night settled in, I decided to jump into the lake and help push the boat. Robert stayed on the ship. The mud reached my shins, and the water up to my knees. The mud was filled with grass stems that would scratch up against my feet and legs as I pushed the boat across the muddy lake with the crew. After about 20 minutes, the ship began to move quickly, and we all hopped back into the boat.

#TravelsInTheLandOfHunger #travelmemoir #memoirwriting #authorlife #indieauthor #bookexcerpt #writersoﬁnstagram #backpacking #backpackinglife #solotravelers #travelphotography #travelreflections #instatravel #cambodia #cambodiatravel #adventuretravel #traveldiaries #battambang #sangkaeriver #tonlesap #tonlesaplake

Passage from Travels in the Land of Hunger: A backpacker's earthbound journey from the East to the West 🌏📖

Tuesday, May 19, 2004
I descended the ladder and saw my wooden boat filled with locals and bags of vegetables, baguettes, and other goods to be transported to the local markets around Tonlé Sap Lake. I boarded the narrow boat and reached the rear, where I sat before a Cambodian family (a mother, father, their three-year-old daughter, and their two-year-old son). About 15 locals and I were in this narrow, long riverboat filled with bags and goods. The boat crew was busy trying to fix the engine. While we waited, three boys in dirty, ragged clothing were fishing in the river with fishing rods they had made (most of us entertained ourselves by watching them). It appeared the boys were brothers. The oldest was about 11 years of age, the second oldest was about eight, and the youngest was five. At one point, the middle brother yanked out his fishing line from the river, and the fishing hook nearly hit his younger brother in the face. Everyone in my boat began yelling at the middle brother to be more careful, for the hook could have ripped out his younger brother’s eye. I then saw another foreigner, a stocky man in his early forties with short, brown hair, descending the metallic ladder to the pier. He approached our boat and boarded it, and we all had to make a little more room for him to sit down ...

#TravelsInTheLandOfHunger #travelmemoir #memoirwriting #authorlife #indieauthor #bookexcerpt #writersoﬁnstagram #backpacking #backpackinglife #solotravelers #travelphotography #travelreflections #instatravel #cambodia #cambodiatravel #adventuretravel #traveldiaries #battambang #sangkaeriver #tonlesap #tonlesaplake

Passage from Travels in the Land of Hunger: A backpacker's earthbound journey from the East to the West 🌏📖

Tuesday, May 19, 2004
I woke up at five, but while I was taking a shower, there was a knock on the door. I thought there was a fire because why would anyone be knocking at my door at 5:15 in the morning? I put on a towel, opened the door, and found a hotel staff member who could hardly speak English. I did not know what he wanted. I was worried I might have woken up too late or had the wrong time on my alarm clock. I looked at the hotel staff’s watch and saw it was 5:15 in the morning. I didn’t understand what he wanted, but he left, and I returned to my shower and got ready. I went to the hotel lobby at 6:10 and asked the owner why one of his staff had knocked on my door. He told me they wanted to ensure I had woken up early enough to have time for breakfast. I decided to pass on breakfast since I didn’t think they had enough time to prepare it. Instead, I took a brief morning stroll through Battambang.

I returned to the hotel and saw a few other backpackers in the lobby waiting to be picked up for their bus journey to the Cambodian/Thai border. I sat down and began speaking with a Swiss girl who spoke English with an American accent. We ended up talking about music and the education system in Switzerland. And just before seven, a van arrived to take me to the Sangkae River boat pier. After a brief ride, the van stopped; I got out and walked to the dock. It was hardly that. A metallic ladder/staircase led down to the river’s muddy banks.

#TravelsInTheLandOfHunger #travelmemoir #memoirwriting #authorlife #indieauthor #bookexcerpt #writersoﬁnstagram #backpacking #backpackinglife #solotravelers #travelphotography #travelreflections #instatravel #cambodia #cambodiatravel #adventuretravel #traveldiaries #battambang #sangkaeriver

Passage from Travels in the Land of Hunger: A backpacker's earthbound journey from the East to the West 🌏📖

Tuesday, May 18, 2004
When we returned to the base of the mountain, I tipped the boy and hopped onto the back of the scooter with my driver, and away we went down the dirt road that soon layered my glasses, shirt, and shorts with dust. Twenty minutes later, we were driving through town, and at a traffic light, my driver asked me if I wanted to see a crocodile farm on the outskirts of Battambang. I said yes.

We arrived at the crocodile farm, composed of pool pits and high walls. I walked along the tops of the half-a-meter-thick high walls, looking down into the pits, and saw that all the crocodiles were so inanimate I considered asking the scooter driver and farm owner if they were statues. But then I saw one of the crocodiles move. I soon learned from the farm owner that part of the crocodile’s hunting strategy was in their ability to lie completely motionless with their mouths open for hours until a significant prey came near or into their mouth, and then SNAP! It would be all over.

#TravelsInTheLandOfHunger #travelmemoir #memoirwriting #authorlife #indieauthor #bookexcerpt #writersoﬁnstagram #backpacking #backpackinglife #solotravelers #travelphotography #travelreflections #instatravel #cambodia #cambodiatravel #adventuretravel #traveldiaries #battambang #killingfields #crocodile

Passage from Travels in the Land of Hunger: A backpacker's earthbound journey from the East to the West 🌏📖

Tuesday, May 18, 2004
After the caves, the boy took me behind the Buddha statue and showed me the remains of the original statue that Pol Pot's soldiers had destroyed. We then walked into another cave and stood quietly. It was eerily silent; I had never heard such silence. The movements of bats hanging high above us broke the quiet.

When we returned to the base of the mountain, I tipped the boy and hopped onto the back of the scooter with my driver, and away we went down the dirt road that soon layered my glasses, shirt, and shorts with dust. Twenty minutes later, we were driving through town, and at a traffic light, my driver asked me if I wanted to see a crocodile farm on the outskirts of Battambang. I said yes.

#TravelsInTheLandOfHunger #travelmemoir #memoirwriting #authorlife #indieauthor #bookexcerpt #writersoﬁnstagram #backpacking #backpackinglife #solotravelers #travelphotography #travelreflections #instatravel #cambodia #cambodiatravel #adventuretravel #traveldiaries #battambang #killingfields

Passage from Travels in the Land of Hunger: A backpacker's earthbound journey from the East to the West 🌏📖

Tuesday, May 18, 2004
We arrived at a few small, old temples. The boy led me down into a cave pit, which served as the entrance to one of two locations on the mountain that were killing sites during Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge reign from 1975 to 1979. The boy showed me an area of the cave used by the Khmer regime to execute Chinese families. He then pointed up, and above us, from where the evening sun shined through a large opening, I saw the cliff from where the Khmer Rouge (to save bullets) bludgeoned thousands of Cambodians before throwing them down to their deaths. The dark scene before us was once piled high with the bodies of men, women, and children.

#TravelsInTheLandOfHunger #travelmemoir #memoirwriting #authorlife #indieauthor #bookexcerpt #writersoﬁnstagram #backpacking #backpackinglife #solotravelers #travelphotography #travelreflections #instatravel #cambodia #cambodiatravel #adventuretravel #traveldiaries #battambang #phnomsampeau #killingfields

Passage from Travels in the Land of Hunger: A backpacker's earthbound journey from the East to the West 🌏📖

Tuesday, May 18, 2004
... At around two in the afternoon, we arrived in Battambang, the second largest city in Cambodia, but to my Chicago and Tokyo eyes, it was a tiny town. Once I settled into my hotel and had lunch, I hired a moto-taxi (a motor scooter taxi driver) to take me to the killing caves of Phnom Sampeau.

Phnom Sampeau is a limestone mountain with a complex of temples at its summit. After we arrived, I hired a local boy who spoke English to guide me to the infamous killing caves. We followed a path that led up and around the mountain. As we made our ascent, the heat and the climb caused me to sweat tremendously, which attracted legions of mosquitoes.

#TravelsInTheLandOfHunger #travelmemoir #memoirwriting #authorlife #indieauthor #bookexcerpt #writersoﬁnstagram #backpacking #backpackinglife #solotravelers #travelphotography #travelreflections #instatravel #cambodia #cambodiatravel #adventuretravel #traveldiaries #battambang #phnomsampeau #killingfields

Passage from Travels in the Land of Hunger: A backpacker's earthbound journey from the East to the West 🌏📖

Tuesday, May 18, 2004
... As I walked to the border between the towns of Aranyaprathet, Thailand, and Poipet, Cambodia, I saw a large market on the Thai side with hundreds, maybe thousands, of Cambodians traveling to and from the border. The majority were pulling or pushing large wooden carts either filled with goods (for those going to the Thai market) or empty (for those that came from the market); the strong incentive for these Cambodian traders to sell their wares in Thailand was to earn the stronger Thai baht. These Cambodians were extremely poor; some appeared to be wearing the only clothing they possessed. Children begging for money were quick upon me ... I saw several large, luxurious three or four-story casino buildings on the Cambodian side. It didn't make sense to see so many poor Cambodians hauling their carts into Thailand to make a survival living to see then casinos that exuded wealth. Ricardo explained before we parted ways that since gambling was illegal in Thailand, many Thais crossed the border here to indulge in games of chance.

I saw an older man sitting on the ground of the bridge we had to cross. He had no forearms, and his face had been shredded and scarred from the shrapnel of an exploded landmine, a quick reminder of the five million unexploded ordnance in the country ...

#TravelsInTheLandOfHunger #travelmemoir #memoirwriting #authorlife #indieauthor #bookexcerpt #writersoﬁnstagram #backpacking #backpackinglife #solotravelers #travelphotography #travelreflections #instatravel #cambodia #cambodiatravel #adventuretravel #traveldiaries

After a long pause, I'm ready to return to sharing my journey from Travels in the Land Hunger.

When the pandemic began, it didn't feel right to continue posting daily photos from my 2004 backpacking trip while the world was in lockdown. Now, years later, I'm ready to revisit that path - one photo and one passage at a time.

Starting today, I'll once again be posting daily images from my travels along with excerpts from my memoir Travels in the Land of Hunger.

Thank you to everyone who has supported the book, shared messages, and stayed connected. I'm looking forward to journeying with you again. 🌏📖

#TravelsInTheLandOfHunger #travelmemoir #memoirwriting #authorlife #indieauthor #bookexcerpt #writersoﬁnstagram #backpacking #backpackinglife #solotravelers #travelphotography #travelreflections #instatravel #cambodia #cambodiatravel #adventuretravel #traveldiaries

I'd like to share that I've been named Econiful's ( @econiful_ ) EconHero Educator for October 2025 ( October is National Economic Education Month in the U.S. ) !

A huge thank you to the @econiful_ team for recognizing my work in developing EZ NOMICS, my YouTube channel ( youtube.com/eznomics ) dedicated to helping IB Economics students and educators worldwide.

What started as a COVID lockdown project has now grown to over 260 video tutorials (and counting!) - and it's been an enriching journey, seeing students from over 80 nations engage with the content.

It's been a fantastic year, as EZ NOMICS was also shortlisted for the Tes ( @tesforteachers ) Awards for International Schools 2024 in the Best Use of Technology category.

I am grateful for the support of my students, colleagues, family, and the Benjamin Franklin International School ( @bfisinternationalschool ) community.

Let's keep making economics accessible and fun!

#ibeconomics #ibecon #econiful #econhero #nationaleconomiceducationmonth #econ #economics #eznomics #econedmonth #econedinaction #economiceducation #ibeducator #globallearning #bfis #bfisinternationalschool

Here is an unboxing video of Peak Oil: Profiteer by @2tomatoesgames , which is the 3rd Econ board game I'm currently exploring as a fun, engaging way for students to socialize, learn, and understand economics.

This is not a paid promotion. I bought this game as an educator.

Link to my EZ NOMICS YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/eznomics
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Peak Oil: Profiteer
* Welcome to the ruthless world of oil, power, and profit.
* You - a top executive of a large, multinational oil corporation - have been "sent to a worn-torn nation" prosperous in black gold.
* But you are not alone - several aggressive Big Oil company agents are also in the region.
* "In a fragmented land in which power does not lie in one leader, but in three competing factions: the "Government," the insurgent "National Liberation Front," and the "Guerillas," you'll play all sides through blackmail, bribes, and the sale of weapons to buy drilling rights so that you can transport and sell oil into the world market.
* Are you ready to join the ranks of history's most infamous resource traders and claim your place at the top?
* Then enter the world of Peak Oil: Profiteer.
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Link to the unboxing video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GNL8umdDvw
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#tabletopgames #tabletopgaming #boardgamegeek #boardgamegeeks #boardgamecommunity #boardgame #tabletopgaming #tabletopgamer #boardgamenerd #boardgameaddict #boardgameaddicts #boardgamenight #eurogame #eurogames #eurogamer #gametheory #giochidatavolo #jeuxdesociete #juegosdemesa #boardgamesofinstagram #boardgamecollection #peakoil #peakoilprofiteer #2tomatoesgames #oilindustry #economics #economicboardgames #ibeconomics #ibeducation #microeconomics #dune

I just uploaded another Econ board game video on a new card game I've been playing with my family called Power Vacuum: The Treasonous Trick-Taking Game by Keen Bean Studio @keenbeanstudio

It's a card game where you "conspire, manipulate, and scheme against other household appliances to claim absolute power for yourself!"

This is not a paid promotion. I bought this game as an educator.

Link to my EZ NOMICS YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/eznomics
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Econ board games can be a fun, engaging way to socialize, learn, and understand economics. Thus, I've been launching videos highlighting selected economic board games.
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This video is an unboxing of the game where I highlight how the game can be a means to discuss planned economies and autocratic systems.
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Link to the unboxing video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amPiiRGPrtk
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#tabletopvibes #boardgamegeek #boardgamegeeks #boardgame #boardgamecommunity #tabletopgames #tabletopgaming #cardgame #cardgames #imperfectinformation #powervacuum #keenbeanstudio #boardgamer #boardgamephotography #boardgamecollection #boardgamesofinstagram #juegosdemesa #jeuxdesociete #giochidatavolo #brettspiele #gametheory #economicboardgames #eurogames #eurogame #iloveboardgames #tricktaking #tricktakinggame #boardgamenight #boardgameaddict #boardgamenerd

To reduce screen time & increase family time at home, I've been delving into the expanding world of economic board games as a fun way to teach/learn economics!

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You can find my evolving playlist of Econ boardgames on my YouTube channel @ https://www.youtube.com/@EZNOMICS
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I recently received my Kickstarter backer copy of Power Vacuum: the Treasonous Trick-Taking Game by Malachi Ray Rempen of @keenbeanstudio .

As an IB economics educator, I was attracted to the game because the Kickstarter campaign information and game dynamics reminded me of the political economics book The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics by Bruce Bueno de Mezquita and Alastair Smith.

Here is the Kickstarter campaign information by Keen Bean Studio:

"Making FUN of Autocrats gives us POWER!

"... which is why we made: Power Vacuum: The Treasonous Trick-Taking Game

"Great News! The Supreme Vacuum is Dead!
"Now ... which one of you scheming, conniving, no-good ministers will seize power next!

"If you like:
"* Trick-taking card games
"* Feeling clever and sneaky
"* Building a big ol' statue to your greatness
"* Accusing your toaster of high treason
"* Puns

"... then ... you'll probably like this game!"

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I've been playing the game this week with my family. So soon, I'll post videos on the channel on the following topics: unboxing, game setup, game run-through, and how the game links to aspects of economic theoretical thought. Stay tuned!
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#tabletopvibes #boardgamegeek #boardgames #boardgamecommunity #tabletopgames #cardgames #imperfectinformation #powervacuum #keenbeanstudio #tabletopgaming #boardgamer #boardgamephotography #juegosdemesa #jeuxdesociete #giochidatavolo #brettspiele #gametheory #economicboardgames #eurogames #eurogame #eurogamer #iloveboardgames #cardgame #tricktaking #boardgamenight #gamenight #boardgame #boardgamecollection #boardgameaddict #boardgamenerd

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