From 10:00-12:00 we have free time until lunch. Typically we will use this time to leisurely nap, read a book or the word, take a stroll throughout the village, or play with the kids. It’s such a nice change from my regular routine at home where everything is constantly go, go, go. Here I actually have time lay back in a hammock and enjoy the view of the cute little village kids playing card games with one another, or have sweet little Pina sit next to me and laugh hysterically as she decorates my face with post-its.! It’s such a joy to be able to laugh and play, and have a blast with these precious kids even though we don’t speak the same language, and they always enjoy our company regardless!
12:00, lunch is served! A typical meal for lunch would be white rice, yummy grilled meat, sautéed vegetables, and of course to top it off, there is always usually at least one strange looking, yet delicious, exotic fruit. My favorites have been dragonfruit, ranbutan, and longon berry! Though they look like alien food on the outside, the flavor is phenomenal!
After lunch, from 1:00-2:00, is our team time! Each of us takes a day to lead this on weekdays. It’s basically just a fun activity that we do as a team. Sometimes we will sit around playing games like bananagrams and the paper game, which usually ends in uncontrollable laughter, it’s so fun! Then, other days we will take a leisurely walk throughout the village or to visit the river, all the while collecting cute little kiddos along the way who latch onto you, skip with you, and practice their English by pointing at various different forms of nature. It’s always such a joy to have like 10 or 15 kids accompanying you by the time you get back, I absolutely adore it!
From 2:00-3:00 we have another gap of free time. Most of the time we will use this as an opportunity to get some laundry done! Grabbing a big metal bowl, and filling it with rain water from the giant jug that’s used as a water reservoir is how we get the job done. Kneading, scrubbing and wringing out all of your clothes is a great way to build arm strength!
From 3:00-4:00 we have an English tutoring session! Some of the older kids from our morning class will come back at this time to get extra practice! We usually will review the material from class and then make it fun with some games like Pictionary or snowman (hangman)! They always have a blast and seem to learn so much every time!
From 4:00-5:00 is our time to wind down and relax with a cup of afternoon coffee, and then get ready for evening class.
5:00-6:00 is my favorite part of the day! We head down, by means of either a tuk-tuk, van, or piling all 5 of us plus a driver into a little Toyota, to the local English school that is usually either 15 mins late, or 40 mins early.. It keeps things nice and exciting! At the school, they have 6 or 7 classes going at a time, so each of us get to teach our own class! The kids LOVE when we teach them! For some of them, it is the first time they’ve even seen foreigners, so to have us as English teachers and to hear the language spoken in an American accent, as opposed to the Cambodian accent, is a great change for them. Sometimes the teacher will ask me to teach from the book, and other times he will tell me I can teach whatever I want. I love those days! So far I’ve gotten to teach them about animals, fruits & vegetables, and world geography! It was such a blast for both the kids, and myself!! At the end of every class we play games to incorporate the vocabulary words and add a hands on activity that gets everyone involved and participating! This is always the kids’ favorite part, and every class ends with kids shouting out English words trying to score points for their team or them laughing hysterically at my silly attempts at drawing. I absolutely love these kids and it’s a huge blessing every time I get to teach them!
From 6:30-7:00 we sit around the dinner table to enjoy a delicious meal and each other’s fun stories from our evening classes. It’s a joy to hear what Mary, Kalin, Lauren, and Alexis did with their students that night, and get ideas for my next class! It always leaves us feeling so great to end each day on such a fun note!
Then it’s up stairs, into our bamboo house we all go, and from 7:00-8:00 we get to have our evening bible study where we listen to podcasts and have discussions together. I love this time of sweet fellowship!
Finally, from 8:00-9:00 is free time that I spend journaling about the awesome day!
And last, but not least, it is light’s out at 9:00pm. Time to lay back with a thankful heart, listen to soothing worship tunes, and bask in how awesome the Lord is to allow me to be where I am, doing what I’m doing. It’s a good life. He’s a good God!
PS: Thank you all for your continued support!!! Please keep praying for my fundraising and that the Lord will bring in the funds for my upcoming financial deadline!
