Stuff

Things are still pretty busy around here, but I actually have some time on the internet right now. Usually, I am trying to squeeze it in before our seminars, which are in a different town from where I live.

We had to come here today to go on a field trip. We just got back and I have the rest of the afternoon, so I am taking advantage.

Our field trip was to the Cambodian zoo: Phnom Tameo. It was kind of like a safari and you could walk up to all the non-dangerous animals. I got a cool picture with an antelope, which I will post here eventually.

There were no tour guides, but some kids followed us around and pointed things out. People are always staring as us in Cambodia. Most of them have never seen a westerner before. And little kids yell "hello"and, occasionally, "I love you" when we pass on the street. They don't know much English.

Other than that, everything is still good. I've been eating lots of rice, working on the language and learning about my other responsibilities. In addition to teaching English, I'll be working at a health center and using my role as a teacher to teach community members about health. I'm also hoping to work on some microfinance/business development projects, but it depends on my permanent site placement.

My host family has been quite helpful with me learning Khmer. I need to listen more though. It's tempting to dive into the language, but so many of the sounds are so different from any sound I've ever made. I attempt to speak a lot, but listening is so important.

I've been lucky to have internet so much in the past few days, but this is unusual. Over the next few weeks we have our Cambodia Adventure, where we go visit a volunteer at their actual site and we have to get there by ourselves in small groups. We also have our practice teaching with real Cambodian students. Wish me luck!