moto'd

I handed $$$$$ to a complete stranger in exchange for this shiny thing:

Never mind my fear of Phnom Penh traffic and hauntings of a past accident (I got into a bicycle accident and limped around in a luxury cast for a month). The need for freedom was too great. 

It's been a month now since I've had my moto and it's pretty dang sweet. Sometimes I'll catch myself speeding around at night all the way up to fourth gear at 40km/h thinking, "I AM SO DANGEROUS." And then I remind myself that 40km/h translates to about 25mph. So no worries, I may be moto'd but I'm going very slow*. 

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*Phnom Penh gives off the illusion of being a large city largely due to the fact that city traffic is at an average pace of 30 km/h (19mph) so it takes time to get anywhere which makes the city seem much bigger than it is.

Job No.1

These kids are a hoot and a holler.

One out of my five jobs is spent teaching English to these guys. Three evenings out of the week they come filing in the art classroom where we meet, noisily arrange tables and chairs and then sit and stare at my face in anticipation for something magical to begin. Okay, maybe not magical but they do wait for me to say, "Hello! How are you?"

"I'M FINE THANKS, AND YOU?!" they reply. 

In October School-in-School (a free after school program for Cambodian kids in the community) added an English class with me as the teacher. I had no idea what to expect except for I was volunteering for a school-year long commitment. 

These kids have bared with me through my inexperience and have trusted me even when I double and triple checked my spelling on the white board or changed activities halfway through because I realized no one understands.

They are patient with me as I try to explain concepts to them in broken Khmer. My favorite memory is when I was trying to communicate something but they didn't understand the English word and I couldn't find the right Khmer word so the entire class started shouting words in Khmer trying to help me out. It was like a spontaneous game of charades with 24 guessers.

I have so much to learn as a teacher. 

It's hard building relationships with students outside of class. I had the chance to get to know one student a little better and got to interview her and her grandma for a newsletter I wrote for Asian Hope (job #2). I know Lida's story a little better than my other students and how she doesn't attend school because of finances and her grandma's health (read Lida's story here). But I don't know much about my other students. I still have much to learn. 

I feel spoiled that I have found a career that brings me so much joy.