The day to day

I wanted to share with you all some of the things I do here on a day to day basis... including some of my friends, my job, and our latest Phnom Penh activities.

As I write this, I'm sitting at our usual swimming pool hangout, but I've actually been diving full force into the Khmer traditions, and learning a lot more about what it means to live in Phnom Penh. One of my favorite new activities are my Saturdays that I spend out at the Harpswell Foundation. This is an organization that supports the brightest women from the provinces who want to get an education, but cannot afford to live in the city. The foundation gives them housing, motobikes, and scholarships to study everything from accounting and business, to medicine and law. The girls are shy, but extremely nice. They serve us lunch and we have a chance to talk to them about their goals, the role of women in Cambodia, and what they do for fun (which is have dance parties... all the time).

Here is the front porch of the Harpswell Dormitory. Val is continuing the education outside the classroom, so it seems.

Lunch with the girls. They eat all of their meals on the floor, and usually consist of rice, with a vegetable soup of some kind. Also on the menu was fried fish. The girls take turns cooking, cleaning, going to the market, and other chores. It seems well-run and organized, and the girls support eachother in this community that they will live in for the 4 years they have at their universities.

Here is the classroom we teach in at Harpswell. With only 2 lessons so far, we're just now getting an understanding for their english level, and what is the most beneficial type of lesson. Last week I taught a class on health care. We read a few paragraphs about sickness and health, and learned some new vocabulary like contagious, epidemic, disease... and sayings like "It will be worth it" and "meanwhile". For homework, i assigned Barack Obama's speech on health care, and told them to come up with their own opinion about the role of government in health care. It was fun to develop the lesson plan, and use current events to teach english.

Even though it feel like my job at Pannasastra University just started, we have a 3 week break for the Khmer New Year. I'm happy to have more free time, but I already miss my students. It was wonderful getting to know them. Most of them were about 20 years old, and were very smart. There were doctors, dentist assistance, NGO workers, and more... Some needed english to continue their studies in other universities, and others needed better english for the jobs they already have. It was wonderful to see them every day, get to know them, and help them improve. They took their final exams on Tuesday, and I'm now in the process of grading 90 exams. On wednesday, one of my classes took me out to dinner to celebrate. We went out to a traditional Khmer restaurant called "BBQ Party." We cooked our food on the table in front of us. They showed me how to use my chopsticks, and we cooked shrimp, beef, and vegetables in pig fat over a grill. For dessert, we had this weird slimey jello thing that wasn't very sweet. My students were wonderful. They couldn't stop taking pictures with me, giving eachother cheers, and talking and laughing. For them, it has been 2 years together in english class, and they are now receiving their diplomas. I was really honored to be a part of their celebration, and even more touched when they gave me a few presents of a scarf and a beautiful wooden carving of an Apsara dancer.

One of my favorite students, Ti.

My morning level 3 class, who is learning writing. They are really fun and actually better english speakers than my level 4 class. Peace signs all around!

We had a party on one of our last days.... Sithika brought a guitar, and they sang some songs in English. We ate PB&J crackers, and crackers with cheese. I found most of the cheese crackers in the trash can on my way out.... Cambodians apparently aren't huge fans.

Dinner with my level 4 class for our ending party. Chan, the girl on my left, is adorable and told me a lot about the role of women in society.

Dika and Mony, showing me what's for dinner and how to manouver with the chopsticks.

Fresh shrimp, vegetable patties, and veggies. Typical.

Gift giving. Complete with a card where they all professed their love for me.

Two of my favorite students, Dika and Chan.

Pre-party photos in front of our University. Lucy is their other teacher who teaches them writing. I felt a little underdressed next to her. Also, notice the hand signals in these pictures. If you're traveling to Asia soon, you better learn some of them.

Pannasastra University of Cambodia... Chatanimuk Campus. There are 4 campuses around Phnom Penh. Luckily I taught at the one that is right around the corner from my house. I could easily walk in 5 minutes, but often my students often to take me on their moto.

Two of my students brought Val and I to Psar Toul Tom Poung market in Phnom Penh, where they could help us navigate. They bargained for us, because as a westerner it's hard to get a fair price in the market. They also told us about the traditional use for things, their history, and their culture. They are both 19 years old, and are incredibly sweet. As a thank you, Val and I took them out to lunch for some western food, and it was fun showing them about cheese. They also seemed surprised that we ate different food for breakfast. In Cambodia, Breakfast lunch and dinner is the same... Rice with meat and vegetables or Noodles with meat and vegetables.

Lida and Ti, trying out western food.

Val's mom comes next wednesday, and then a week from Saturday we will be heading to Vietnam. I'm excited to do some more traveling. I hope to have some good stories for you when we get back!

I have some more pictures that I will be uploading to facebook, once I get things more organized. It's really nice to share these with all of you, and thanks for reading!