We've Passed the One Year Mark!

Happy “Sweetheart’s” Day!

Life here has been chugging along! We celebrated our 1 year mark in Cambodia on the 1st of February. My friend Autumn and I celebrated with sparklers and ice cream and had fun recounting all the things that were once so “weird” and are now just everyday things. It has been a year of new experiences and challenges!

One thing that still makes me chuckle is how comfortable we have all had to become with sharing rather personal information with our host families and others. For example, we all have frequent bouts of diarrhea from mysterious parasites and constipation from too much rice (just can’t win). It has thus become no big deal to discuss with my host parents (and anyone else who happens to be in the house) how many times I have gone to the bathroom in a day or unfortunately sometimes in a week. Healthy living here can be challenging but I’ve learned what works for me. I’ve shed 40 some pounds, work out everyday with weights, pop my vitamins, and have created a wonderful Grape Nuts and coffee concoction to get more fiber. It’s something new to have to pay such close attention to my body and what it needs but it’s made me much more aware of my health.

Right now my life is revolving around school school school! I’ve included some pictures of my school in this blog so you can get a small idea of what it is like. We have 6 buildings and only 1 has electricity. Most of the buildings were built in the 60s and you can see the wear and tear on them. Mildew from flooding, cracks, spider webs, water stains, missing shingles, creaking teaching podiums, and black boards that are more than difficult to write on are what I face everyday. Teaching here is much different than what I imagined when I was studying TESOL while at university but has provided opportunities to learn and be creative with what I have! Often my students and co-teachers ask my how high school in America is different from high school in Cambodia. I honestly have trouble coming up with more similarities that I have with differences! Education here is still developing. During the 70s, the education system as well as almost everything else was wiped out by the Khmer Rouge, then there were civil wars….so education is just starting to get back on the right track. It still has a long way to go, however. (see pics)

One of my favorite little stories from school happened just the other day. I had just gotten a nice new shirt cut in a more Khmer style and wore it to school for the first time. My students all thought I was looking particularly pretty that day. Typically in class I give my students “two thumbs up” and say “Oh very good!!!” when they answer questions or something. Well, I walked into one of my Grade 11 classes and all my students started yelling “OH! Very good teacher!!!!!” and giving me thumbs up because they liked how I looked. It was funny and we all had a good laugh for awhile. J

We just finished celebrating Chinese New Year! While, yes, I’m in Cambodia, many Cambodians are ethnically Chinese or part Chinese. Chinese New Year, then, is a big celebration in some parts of the country. We had specials lunches with food offered to ancestors and the burning of “gold, money, and passports” (fake) to help bring prosperity. A few days were full of fireworks and music from various parties but unlike other areas, my school stayed open so there was not too much partying. (see pics)

In closing, I have begun a count down to my visit home for my little sister’s wedding! Three more weeks and I’ll be sitting on a plane! I’ll be home from March 9 – March 21 and will be busy busy busy but want to see as many of you as possible! So, shoot me an e-mail! Fortunately, the long plane ride will be made easier as I’ll have some company. My boyfriend of almost a year now will be joining me for the trek home! He’s ready to “experience America” so I hope some of you are up for the challenge of helping introduce him to our way of life! This will be my last blog until after my trip so hopefully I’ll be able to share more with some of you IN PERSON!

SEE YOU SOON!