#3 - Tall, 2PM, Lice and Cheers!

‘I am taller than I think’ was what went through my mind as I was talking to someone, and not looking ahead, and promptly walked into the piece of wood from the sloping rooftop of one of the houses on the compound!


I now have to remember to duck!
YES! Finally my five feet and two and a half inches is seen as tall!
For those of you who are not laughing out loud and are thinking of your poor sister Vidya’s head, it hurt, but my pride hurt more! It was the first time meeting my Khmer teaching assistant so he just looked at me and I just had to laugh!


I had asked if it was possible to open a bank account here and a couple of days ago was able to go in.
But what a way to go in:
I was on the back of a scooter holding on to the driver as we went over the bumpy road with the red dust flying up around me. I mention this because I was wearing light-coloured pants and had just washed my hair so you could imagine the sight I was when I got off the scooter!
One good thing about here is that no one even says anything about the way you look. The whole experience took me half an hour at the bank where usually it takes a longer time to get that done. I had to have my passport and a letter from Marie stating that I was working there and had to sign many papers! You have to show your passport here to get most things done! I had to show my passport with visa in it before getting my cell phone, and for the hotel! They not only look at it but print it out as my ID.
And because the scooter was parked out in the sun, it was so hot, let us say, my buns were toast!


First class: The heat is intense and the classes have no fans. I was introduced to my class of 18 kids and given the lesson 3 seconds (no kidding) prior to the class, and was asked to teach with the principal or former teacher in the classroom. The idea is to have no Khmer spoken in the class, only English, but that is not always possible. But the first class went well. The curriculum is simple and the kids know how to write and spell but not communicate.
But this is where I thought of all of you back home. The Khmer assistant was told that I was the only one who was going to teach, that since the Khmer assistant could not pronounce the English words, only the English teacher ( ME!) is able to teach the students the pronunciation!
Ha! I was thinking of how you all would react on hearing that!


Prayer Request: The curriculum does not match the semester timeline given, so I have to be extra creative in stretching out the lesson plan, so please pray that I am able to do this in a fun and relevant way for this class. This class is taught between one and two in the afternoon.


Second class: I was given a class of 8 students: these students are at the lowest level in their class so they were pulled out and given to me. That was wise. I had 15 minutes for the first class since there was a meeting for the whole school, so I only had time to get their names and introduce myself. I asked the Khmer teaching assistant to meet me 10 minutes before the class to pray over the students and the class.


I had no base level from which to compare their literacy levels so I asked them to name something they liked and told them how honored I was to teach them with Poeune who is the T.A translating for me. I asked them to create a ‘name’ for our class as we are a team, and role modeled that it was a good thing to ask for help if they did not understand the lesson. ( I found out saying yes to everything was a norm even when they did not understand! They were too afraid to ask for explanations). I explained how I was asking P for help.


Next class they came up with our team name, 2PM, which is a name of a band! Anytime they see me outside of the class they shout out "2PM!" much to the puzzlement of others!


Prayer request: Class begins at 6pm but the lights do not come on until 6:30pm in the classroom (night time), so half hour is wasted since you have to write the words down and they cannot see your mouth as you form the words.


Yesterday I had the class outside sitting on the ground, trying to ignore other kids milling around! Need to spend time in creating lessons to match the literacy level of this class.


High point: each student had named one thing each liked. P and I printed out each item, for example, one liked cats and another pigs, etc. After trying to teach a lesson on the difference between first name and surname, one asked if they could give a first and last name to their picture!


As I am waiting to go into the capital city where I am now writing this, five kids are sitting with me on the swing across from the AIDS houses. These kids have AIDS. Yet this morning they were my teachers. I was learning the Khmer for flowers, pant, t-shirt, etc. As I am repeating and writing down the words, two kids are trying to listen to my iPod which is attached to my pants and they are pulling at the earphones and my pants! But one kid is moving to the worship music. Another girl from my 2PM class pulls a little girl onto her lap and begins to search her head for lice!
Yes, then she finds one to show me.
I immediately try to move but alas I am sandwiched by another kid who comes to sit next to me! Even now as I am at the hotel I am scratching my head!


Went to the International service on Sunday with Marie. 
Please pray that I would find another service closer to the hotel where I would find community and be fed in His Word.


It takes me an hour to come into the capital city but it is the only time I can write this and get time away. The kids are constantly poking their heads into your windows, or knocking on the door, so there is no privacy. It is good to be in air conditioned building with a normal toilet!
Most importantly, I get to go on the roof top here to praise and pray for the land of Cambodia.
My room at POR has become my roof top for now. Everyone gets up at 5:30am and by 6am, kids are already outside so there is no alone time with God. I have to use my room instead.


Walked into the hotel’s little restaurant and the three servers immediately said "Good morning Vidya!" Felt like Norm from the show ‘Cheers’ or being at RAC! I have written their names down and I am learning to talk with them in Khmer.
The whole city is preparing to celebrate the Khmer New Year so most people are going into the countryside to be with their family and village.


Thank you for your words of encouragement and prayers. I want you to know how much that means to me. You are definitely my Hurs and Aarons. I sense when you are with me especially this past Wednesday which was a tough day with the heat and trying to teach creatively at the same time.


MY love to you all,
Dancing with Him in Khmer style ( The kids all dance at 7 at night, with Khmer worship music --so I dance too!)

Sister Vidya