Cambodia was a beautiful month.
So beautiful that I’ve started about 6 blogs and just realized that every one of them start with that declaration. It’s going to take multiple blogs to tell all I loved about this country.
Cambodia was my favorite month by far. The skies were so blue and the clouds were crazy awesome. Then there were the dirt roads with so many pot holes, fields of rice blowing in the wind and water buffalo in the water on the side of the road.
Cycling down the road was always a mixed pleasure and it was the most alive feeling. Temper Trap in my ears, dodging pot holes, trying to take in the entire view and bicycle while taking pictures without falling in a hole or knocking myself off balance. Sweat dripped the entire time, the bicycle seat bruising your bum, getting angrily mooed at by the water buffalo while you drive reaaaaally close to it. I even rode with no hands. The rides to the chiefs’ house were by far my favorite.
When we got to Cambodia we found out we were going to be one of two groups in Siem Reap. One would be staying the city and the other would be going out to the village. We drew the “short” straw and were going out to the village. I’m so glad we were placed where we were. In the Pouk district about a 30 minute tuk tuk drive out from Siem Reap. (side note: tuk tuks piled high with our team and bags, not the safest idea to drive through major pot holed dirt roads. The moto on one ended up flipping under in the mud, the driver was safe, we were safe it just was a heart stopping moment) Our house was a two story blue building. the bottom of the building was divided in classrooms and the top had three bedrooms and a kitchen.
Ministry for the month:
– teaching
– kids club (a different treehouse village than the chiefs’)
– biblestudy for the chief
– christian values
– church on sundays
I was able to teach Beginning English and English I.
The first day was incredibly intimidating, I was handed the book and told the teacher was not going to be there but “here was the lesson plan it should go well”. I mean really? And what was I supposed to teach? Oh, the letter D. I had a letter and two sentences and an hour to teach all of that information. A room full of 20+ kids between 5 and 7 with very basic english understanding staring up at me and a translator who was a student in my next class. I loved every terrifying moment in that class, sneaking a glance at my borrowed watch trying to gauge how long I needed to drag out something. And if I thought that was intimidating it was nothing compared to the moment when my next class filled in and it was full of roughly 30 7-18 year olds. I had a little more to teach in this class than just a letter but not much more. I strangely dreaded every day when I had to go teach but at the same time it was an exhilarating feeling standing in front of my class actually getting them to understand what I’m teaching with the windows open and a hint of sunset in the corner of the open window.
Favorite moment of each day would be when I was exhaustedly dragging myself down the stairs to teach, turn the corner and the kids would jump up and run alongside/in front of/ behind me to our classroom. It’s hard not to get excited when you see them all grinning up at you.
Borrowing words from an email I sent : “They know words but the actual understanding is sometimes not there. But I’m loving when I come in the next day and we review what I taught them the day before and they actually remember and know how to use everything properly! And then from the cutest little one to the oldest “rebellious” teenager now at the end of class give me high fives on their way out. I kinda love being ‘Teacher Meloday’ (their pronunciation is hilarious mouse, mouth,math and mat sound all the same)”
