I left grading papers to write a blog. What? Grading Papers? You heard it.
This month we are teaching English to Cambodia children. I have never taught English in my life. I quickly realized how much I take my own language for granted. The translator asked me what all of the “model verbs” were yesterday. I had to pause (quite a long pause) and try and remember what a “model verb” even was! I trip over spellings and simple grammar mistakes constantly. EMBARRASSING. I find myself thinking back to my French and Spanish lessons in high school and college and remembering how they were taught. I am assigned to teach three classes (with a partner). The first two classes are titled Let’s Go I. They are first level students. We are teaching the basics. They range from age seven to twelve. The third class I teach is in the evening titled Headway Beginner. They are a bit more advanced; conjugating verbs, etc. In this class ages range from thirteen to nineteen. Each class is roughly an hour long. It is much harder than I imagined. They are held in small house structures built on the property we are staying.
The translators that are provided for each class learned English from the same classes throughout their lives. They have grown up around the English classes we are teaching. They are also all fairly new Christians. Of the translators that I have spoken with, they have found Jesus through attending the classes. They are all volunteers.
From working in 2nd grade classroom and a learning support classroom throughout the last year in my behavioral therapy job, teaching seemed appealing to me. I fell in love with learning support, but sort of brushed the thought aside. And here I am, loving teaching. This teaching is a bit different but I love knowing that I am giving these kids so many more opportunities for their life, rather than just thinking I’m “teaching them English.” So many doors are being opened for them by knowing a second and major world language. We are giving them necessary tools for life. That thought is overwhelming! And awesome. God couldn’t have given me a better opportunity. We also travel to nearby villages and pray or read the bible (thats what they want us to do, just read the bible). We share testimonies and preach on Sunday’s.
This month we have an amazing Cambodian ‘set-up.’ Boys and girls each have a room with bunk-beds and FANS. Its extremely hot during the day, unless you find a nice hammock in the shade, but gets cold during the nights. What could be better? Our site has a sand/mud volleyball court in our front yard. We usually play with the local Cambodian boys around 4pm before 5:30 class. We have bicycles readily available to ride where ever. There is a store down the dirt road that sells snacks, soda, and delicious iced coffee. The bikes are also awesome for riding around on the trails to see the other nearby villages and scenery. We drive to the “big market” daily for breakfast and sometimes internet. And BEST of all we have the best sunset view in Cambodia. Every night is breath taking. And shortly after the sun sets, the stars come out. I have never seen more stars in the sky than in Cambodia. The second breathtaking nightly view. Pure bliss.
It was some bit of a shock coming to Cambodia, however. They use the US Dollar and drive on the right side of the road. After four months on the left side of the road I was more thrown off than I anticipated. Here are some crazy, post-genocide facts about Cambodia I found fascinating:
93% Buddhist religion
50% of the population is under the age of 20
80% of the population is under the age of 30
Only 3% is of the population is over the age of 65
Most of this is due to deaths during the conflict era, 1969-1999.
Im excited for what the rest of the month entails! I am in love with Cambodia already.
FUNDRAISING: I still need $2,000 more to meet my final deadline in January! Pray and give as you feel called 🙂
