Turning onto the dirt road leading to House of Love, I felt
oddly at home. The overloaded tok tok had to pause and swerve for chickens and
cows, and my teammates and I bumped up and down as we ran over pot holes.
People waved from their homes at the foreigners and young children either ran
to hide or began crying at the sight of white people.
Village life in Prektey is a stark contrast from the busy
streets of Ho Chi Min. Instead of dodging motorbikes on large paved roads, we
are walking down dirt paths passing humble shacks on stilts. Across the trail
from our house is a small factory where men and women are constantly sewing
something that will probably be sold in American stores. Everything stops in
the middle of the day when the heat is debilitating. The only thing my team and
I can bear to do is be completely still. Any slight movement only creates a
deeper pool of sweat around each of us. However, at around 2:30 each afternoon,
we run out to the street to buy homemade popsicles to help cool us down.
This month my team and I will be teaching English in various
schools around the village. After one week, I am already in love with each of
my students. Most are older kids who know basic English, but want to learn
better pronunciation:
“THA. THA. THA. VA
VA VA.”
“Thir-TEEN.
Thir-TY. Thir-TEENTH.”
“FR-esh. PR-ess.
FR-esh. PR-ess.”
Also, the kids love any opportunity to ask whatever
questions they have learned in class:
“Did you eat
breakfast?”
“What do you do in
your free time?”
“What kind of man do
you like?”
Even more they love learning about American culture. With
two minutes left in class, I asked the students what they wanted to do. Their
reply was to ask someone to dance with me.
I proceeded to turn up music and teach them a few key moves: the
sprinkler, the shopping cart, and the running man. After my performance I
believe the kids are going to want to dance every day. I would not object.
I am so thankful for where God has me this month. I am soblessed to be a part of such a wonderful community and have the opportunity to
build relationships. In a few weeks I will be back to the comforts of my real
home: good food, a car, air conditioning, and shelter from bugs and rodents, but
I will miss the simple life here in Prektey. I will miss the smiling faces of
my students and the friendly waves of the Khmer people. I will miss being surrounded by banana trees
and rice fields and watching rain storms move across the village. While I am
looking forward to coming home and finding what God has for me in America,
Cambodia already has a large piece of my heart.
