Cambodia!
While the month is quickly coming to a close, I thought I’d tell you what we’re doing here! So far I love Cambodia! I think I may prefer the chilly Nepalese weather to the 95-degree heat here, but the country and culture are pretty fantastic. We have been extremely blessed in that we are able to get iced coffee every morning (caffeine is readily available in every country). On our off day’s we’ve been able to visit the central part of Phnom Penh, seeing the palace and the touristy part of town. Technically we live in Phnom Penh but we live an hour outside of the city in the slums. I was able to visit the Daughters of Cambodia restaurant and shop for a delicious lunch that helps to combat the sex-trade industry. Check them out at http://daughtersofcambodia.org/ .
Being all touristy…
Our ministry this month is teaching English classes Monday-Thursday at Cambodia Slum Ministry or CSM. We live in our school building so the morning commute isn’t bad. On Sundays church is held in our living room and we do a small bible study. During the week in the mornings from 8-11 we teach pre-school! They’re pretty stinkin’ cute. We review both Khmer and English alphabets and numbers; they’re very enthusiastic about singing the ABC’s (did I mention the building echoes??). We eat lunch and then have a break until 4. Not gonna lie: having that 4-hour break is the best schedule that I’ve had on the race so far. It allows time to breathe after dealing with little ones and prepare for the next lesson. It’s great for journaling or catching up on some reading! At night we teach the older kids. There are 3 classes: one at 4, 5, and 6. There we teach everything from basic phonics to animals. Teaching here is a lot more structured than teaching in Africa, mostly because there is a routine. At the end of the day we set the room back up for the pre-school. We have dinner, do team-time and then relax before bed. Have I mentioned that I absolutely loveee the structure? Structure isn’t always guaranteed on the race, (next month may be crazy!) but I’m soaking it in to my type-A bones while I can!
That’s pretty much it! The kids are great. They all have such sweet and willing spirits. They want to learn and absorb the native English speaking as long as they can. Cambodia’s atmosphere is a lot lighter than Nepal’s. I went into Nepal thinking that it would be my favorite month but I think Cambodia is gunning for first!
Thanks for reading!
Also if you haven’t gotten the memo, I’m fully funded!!!!!!
Love y’all,
Katie
