February 17, 2015
When we came to Cambodia, our team was assigned to a school called Samuel’s House. It is situated in Siem Reap and teaches 3-8 year olds English, Math, and Bible. There are actually two Samuel Schools, and Heather and I were sent to one in the village of Bakong, which is about a 45 min drive from Samuel House.
A typical day looks like this:
1) Every morning, we all bike from our hostel to Samuel house.
This statement needs more meat ha ha. Biking on the streets of Cambodia is no easy task, for there are no rules. And bikers are thought of no more than bugs on a windshield. 
At least, that is how we perceive it. If we were not fully awake when we get on the bike, the adrenaline that surges through you as you dodge motorcycles, Tuk Tuk’s, cars, and even buses that are constantly swerving at you, coming up behind you, and in front of you, will surely jolt in you some energy by the time you get to the school. There are many trips that have ended in laughter, gasps, and sounds of alarm. One night, while biking to our hostel, a Tuk Tuk hit my left underarm while passing me. I still have the bruise. And poor Victoria Baker seems to be a magnet for moving vehicles! We are usually in the back of the bike line, and it seems as though a car may wait for two bikes, start to get impatient by the third and fourth bike, and then not think twice before moving in on the road—even though there are two bikes directly in front of its bumper. Most don’t have even that patience. It is always an adventure biking here ha ha! 
2) We arrive at Samuel house and prepare for the day. This includes making up worksheets and making copies, possibly selecting books that we want to read to the students.
3) At 10 am or sometimes 10:40 am Heather and I are driven to Bakong school with two other Cambodian teachers.
4) We open up the school, sweep the floors, set the chairs and desks, burn the previous day’s garbage, and pump water from the well for the bathrooms. Sometimes setting up the school day could mean battling three gigantic spiders that look an awful lot like little tarantulas. They are quick but our brooms are quicker! The school is one big room, and two classes are always going on simultaneously.
5) Then Heather and I teach one hour of English to students who have just started coming to school the previous months. This class ranges from 3-7 year olds. One three old comes to school crying, still working on her separation from her family. After a crayon is put in her little hand, however, the tears slowly stop, and she graces us with small and triumphant smiles as she draws circles all over her paper. The alphabet, colors, and little phrases are all new to this class and we go pretty slow. We have taught them a few phrases, words, songs, and colors.
6) The next hour is with students who are the same age, but have been in school longer. For example, one of the smartest squirts who knows every color and word that we have taught is only three years old. We teach them similar things like the other group, but we get to challenge them more. Whenever we are teaching one class, the Cambodian teachers teach the other class math.
7) Then the students have snack time and then play time for an hour. Out in the village, there really are not a whole lot of toys, and the kids don’t venture outside. So all playing is inside and it explodes! Heather and I play with them, and our arms, legs, torso, and even heads are free reign, as though we were just an interestingly made jungle gym. When it gets to the point where clothes are almost being torn and my body just can’t handle any more of the chaos, I drag myself over to one of the Cambodian teachers and ask if we can play music to dance to (I get to her slowly because usually there are two little kids attached to my feet and legs, two on my torso, and one hanging on my shoulders)
8) Dancing here is one of my favorite things! The teachers here already have come up with motions to a variety of songs, usually Christian or some pertaining to English: Hokie Pokie, head and shoulders knees and toes, Who’s the King of the Jungle, Every Move I make, etc. It is so fun doing the motions and watching cute and rambunctious Cambodian kids following your every move. The more you get into the dance, the more they do as well.
9) After the kids leave, we clean the school a little and then ride back to Samuel House.
10) When we get there, all of our World Race team is reunited to teach Korean Missionary kids English from 4:30-6. These kids range from 10-16 yr olds, and are so fun. We usually teach them one song a week, sometimes two, and then go over one Bible story that at the end of the week they will have to act out. There are a variety of games and crafts we do as well.
11) After we bike from Samuel House to the hostel where we are staying, we usually do something for dinner. After dinner we have some sort of team time and then feedback on the day.
12) On Saturdays we also teach Bible school at Bakong School from 8:30-11am.
So our days here in Cambodia are full and adventurous—and full of cute and feisty little Cambodian kids!
If I could request prayer over my team for health, that would be great. Two team members have had constant and harsh colds, I have had pretty bad headaches, and one got a heat rash. We are all pretty tired. It’s always a shift in the immune system when you work with kids, especially sick kids ha ha. We also all requested prayer for creativity, energy, and Jesus’ love for these special children.
That I would continue to know His heart and claim His heart for my own.
God Bless everyone!
~Tori
