Cambodia Blog 14
Family
February 12th 2011
Another brilliant week is drawing to a close. It’s weird how quickly time passes here, and even stranger to think I have now spent more than half my time here in Cambodia. My weeks grow more precious by the day.
I have begun to stop resisting the pull back to NFC I feel whenever I leave work, and staying overnight two nights a week. Somehow sharing sleeping space brings my relationship with the kids to a new level. I am a teacher and friend, but for as long we have each other, we are family. In some ways I feel dishonest, painfully conscious of how soon I will leave. But I have to believe the times of real happiness -- talking about ghosts and monsters, or reading bedtime stories as the girls snuggle down into their blankets, are worth it. Every day they amaze me more. Weather it is letting me use their towel, or putting the best bits of prawn-sauce soaked egg on my plate, they always find ways to share with me.
This week I have also begun to feel really satisfied with my teaching. My most challenging and rewarding job at NFC is teaching English to a group of five 10-14 year olds. I plan my own lessons and create my own evaluations, and teach the class alone. It has been difficult at times, the kids are not used to discipline or having to pay attention in class, so for the first month or so it has been a real struggle. But I realized how far we had come when I took the class outside to play a game in the middle of class and no one lost concentration or tried to wander away or even complained about going back to lessons. I have learned so much from them. I can only hope that they have truly learned from me, but I know what I have learned from my time as a teacher I will carry with me my whole life.
So yes, a normal, idyllic, beautiful, ordinary week. :-)
Today we went to the Killing Fields, but that is a story for a different blog. One will be up very soon.
Next week I will be going to Ratanakira province in Cambodia with my friends! We will ride elephants and swim in volcano craters and play in waterfalls. Check back next Sunday for stories!
Family
February 12th 2011
Another brilliant week is drawing to a close. It’s weird how quickly time passes here, and even stranger to think I have now spent more than half my time here in Cambodia. My weeks grow more precious by the day.
I have begun to stop resisting the pull back to NFC I feel whenever I leave work, and staying overnight two nights a week. Somehow sharing sleeping space brings my relationship with the kids to a new level. I am a teacher and friend, but for as long we have each other, we are family. In some ways I feel dishonest, painfully conscious of how soon I will leave. But I have to believe the times of real happiness -- talking about ghosts and monsters, or reading bedtime stories as the girls snuggle down into their blankets, are worth it. Every day they amaze me more. Weather it is letting me use their towel, or putting the best bits of prawn-sauce soaked egg on my plate, they always find ways to share with me.
This week I have also begun to feel really satisfied with my teaching. My most challenging and rewarding job at NFC is teaching English to a group of five 10-14 year olds. I plan my own lessons and create my own evaluations, and teach the class alone. It has been difficult at times, the kids are not used to discipline or having to pay attention in class, so for the first month or so it has been a real struggle. But I realized how far we had come when I took the class outside to play a game in the middle of class and no one lost concentration or tried to wander away or even complained about going back to lessons. I have learned so much from them. I can only hope that they have truly learned from me, but I know what I have learned from my time as a teacher I will carry with me my whole life.
So yes, a normal, idyllic, beautiful, ordinary week. :-)
Today we went to the Killing Fields, but that is a story for a different blog. One will be up very soon.
Next week I will be going to Ratanakira province in Cambodia with my friends! We will ride elephants and swim in volcano craters and play in waterfalls. Check back next Sunday for stories!
With Sokha, one of the students in my class, on her 12th Birthday!
Shhhhh... we are hiding!
No comments:
Post a Comment