Life here is simple. We have 12 world racers and about 8 interns/students living together. We live on Vuthy’s compound which consists of two classrooms, a kitchen, a dormitory, and a hammock pagoda. We sleep in bunk beds with mosquito nets. We take showers from the pond water that is pumped into the bathroom. We brush our teeth, do laundry, and cook food using rain water. Vuthy’s Mom makes us lunch and dinner every day. We rotate between; noodles and French fries, meat and veggies, potato soup, and eggs. Rice is served at every meal if you are still hungry. Every morning we eat oatmeal. (Add a dollop of peanut butter and it’s amazing.)
Each day we teach English to the students. There are different level classes which range from little kids learning the alphabet to students doing reading comprehension. One hour a day we go to a nearby public school to teach. My public school class has about 50 kids in it J It is fun to teach them the alphabet and songs such as heads, shoulders, knees, and toes through my much needed translator.
(Complex: two classrooms straight ahead)
(Kitchen=blue roof, Dorms=red roof)
(Girl’s room which has 12 beds. Mine has the white mosquito net)
(Squatty Toliets and bucket showers. There are 4 for the 20 of us. Surprisingly I’ve never had to fight to use one.)
(Hammock hangout spot and tuk-tuk that takes us the the public school.)
A typical day’s schedule:
6:45am wake up
7:15 breakfast
8-10am Teach class with Rebekah
10-11:30am Quiet time/nap time
11:30-12:30 Teach class with Kyle
12:30pm lunch and devotions
1:30-2:30 free time/nap time
2:30-3:30 prayer walks/time with God
4-5pm Teach class at a public school
5:30pm team meeting
6:30pm dinner
After dinner we play card games, watch movies, or sit a chat. We have gotten to know the interns and students. I enjoy a relaxed life style. During my free time, I watch movies (I’m making my way through Harry Potter and the Walking Dead), read books (currently reading Redeeming Love and Under the Overpass), sit in the hammocks, and sleep. Cambodia is very hot! We are required to wear pants and t-shirts while teaching. Some days there are no cool spots to escape the heat. Sometimes a shower is needed in the middle of the day just to cool down. I love days that it rains because the temperature is so much cooler.
On Saturdays we explore the country. Last weekend we went to a mountain and saw an abandon mansion and waterfall. This weekend we went to the beach. Next weekend we will travel to Phnom Penh (the closest big city) to see the killing fields and go shopping. On Sundays we have church, go to an internet café, and play soccer against the interns. Last weekend we were able to beat the Cambodians!! Let’s see how we do this weekend.
I’m excited to be able to celebrate Thanksgiving in Cambodia. This is be Vuthy’s first thanksgiving celebration. We are inviting about 30 church people from the village. We are attempting to cook dressing, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, and some desserts. I am excited to have a fun day and share with the Cambodias. We will also be putting together arts and crafts for the kids and a turkey trot! If you would like to help with the celebration you can donate $5 or $10 here.
Thanks for the continued support and prayers. Next update at the end of the month when I travel to Malaysia.
