We are finally teachers

Teaching is here and it is awesome.  (Ben is convinced he needs to teach his students the word awesome.) We have been teaching all week and enjoying the educational profession, Khmer students and our newfound pace of life (which is still very chill).  A typical day in the Cambodian countryside might look like this: we get up around 6 am, make breakfast in the room we have converted to a kitchen, stop by the office to pick up teaching materials, and head to our respective classes.  We both teach third year English classes but in different concentrations, I teach in tourism, Ben in electrical engineering.  The students all over campus know who we are and where we live.  We are the only white people around for literally miles and it is funny how they stop and stare. As we walk around campus students step off the sidewalk to get out of our way and always bow and say good morning or hello. In class they all stand when we come into the room and stay standing until asked to be seated.  Upon leaving class they will do the same thing. All classes in Cambodia have a class monitor who is in charge of bringing the eraser, erasing the board, taking attendance and opening the windows if that is what the teacher desires.  If something were to change in the schedule or all the students in class needed to be reached the class monitor is responsible for this, one of the only sensible things you will find in the Cambodian educational system.

After teaching we usually have an afternoon to ourselves.  We spend this either making lesson plans, grading, or reading in our little dorm room.  I am trying to befriend the children of the woman who cleans our dorm.  They just follow her around all day while she sweeps.  They are usually naked and quite dirty.  The three of the (mother, daughter and son) come up to our third floor landing to take a nap every afternoon and when they wake up I usually offer them a snack or try to talk to them in my limited Khmer and sign language.  I bought a small toy for both of the kids last week and I would love to develop a relationship with this family so the kids could play with me while the mom cleans, but that is a ways off I think. 

We then make dinner in our awkward kitchen and sit around talking after dinner for a good long while as a team.  Life in the countryside is slow and it makes you focus on relationships. We have time to focus on our marriage, our team relationship and getting to know students and staff.  They are a very warm people and easy to get to know. Everyone you meet in Cambodia is dying to learn or improve their English.  It is fun to be a part of something that is simple, but can make such a drastic difference in people's lives.  Thank you all so much for your support in sending us on this journey.  It is hard, but it is good, very good.