Happiness, Slacking, Khmer

Happiness

The enthusiastic students at Tiny Toones

The happiness in this photo pretty much sums up my own happiness over the past week.

I have been here for enough time now to know that the next few months are definitely going to throw, well - some erupting volcanoes at me. Metaphorically of course. Yet the smallest token of appreciation from those silly scallywags above gives me such an immense volume of satisfaction.

For the past few weeks, I have been receiving a large number of - well, gifts from the students! Many of them have taken to drawing me a picture (and then squabbling over who gets to present it to me) and even more prise open my notebook to draw "A is for apple" there. One girl even presented Will and I with Cambodia bookmarks. During class time, making origami boats and flowers is also a must.

Some examples of the wonderful presents I have received

A large portion of the time at Tiny Toones is also dedicated to the students drawing me pictures in my notebook, which I am then forced to identify in English. They then accept this new word into their new vocabulary with curiosity and joy (although a few days after I had told him the correct saying, one boy kept saying 'Eleven' instead of 'Elephant'. Oh the joys of cross culture).  The connection achieved through a Khmer child drawing you an object that you have to identify in English is a surprisingly effective way of bonding - and even an effective way to teach. This week one of our classes proclaimed that (after countless vocabulary and grammar lessons) they greatly wished to draw - so we obliged, to some wonderful results.

Slacking

This is the first time I've blogged in quite awhile and I have to admit I'm out of the habit. I will offer you a long explanation/excuse as to why this is:

I started reading my book on the first day of Cambodge. 2 weeks, 3 days later and I was barely half-way through it. This was mainly because I was spending all my usual reading time blogging instead - thus, the book gets untouched. 

So of course, by the 3rd week it was time to switch it up - time dedicated to reading and not blogging.

Here's a list of items from my notebook that I was SUPPOSED to blog about last week:

• The washing machine broke? (temporarily - Erica's clothes came out all soapy and there was a brief kerfuffle in which it was carried downstairs - but now it's made a comeback and is better than ever...well, to be honest it's just the same as it ever was but that wouldn't be so interesting now would it?)
• Amazing sausages and mash (back to many of our Western roots, with a hint of Asia - wasabi in the mash and naturally, very suspicious looking chicken sausages)
• Sept 1st = Cambodian tradition of the morning classes switches to the afternoon and vice versa - in other words, we get new students - EEK! (...this TECHNICALLY occurred, although now we have half our old students and half new, which is a bit confusing. Backup lesson plan...always colouring!)
• Khmer class - which I will discuss below vvvv

Khmer

Posin'

Since the last time I blogged, we've had several Khmer lessons (aka, lessons in the Cambodian language). It feels like IB again! Just kidding. If it did, I'd probably have killed myself by now (If you're currently in Grade 11/12 then again, of course, that's a joke. If otherwise...cue crying). 

Some cheeky words & phrases to add to your foreign dictionary:

Hello = Soou sdey

Goodbye = Lia hery

My name is... = Kh'ohm ch'moous...

How are you?/I am fine = Sok sa bai (yes, it's the same thing! Which means the people involved have the potential to get considerably confused)

Nice to meet you = Rik riay dehl ban joub niak

Stop talking = Chob moat (very useful during class time)

And just for kicks...

Food = Ah-ha (Alan Partridge-style)

Rice = Bye (which is why when we bid our students farewell they expect food as opposed to departure)

Noodles = Me (lol I'm a noodle)

Knock knock! Who is there? = Koous koous! Nor na ke? (!!! although unfortunately I don't know how to say the rest of the joke)

Must depart my lovelies. Promise not to take so long a blogging brrrrrrrrreak next time!

Juliet

(NOTE: The pictures throughout this blog don't always have much connection with what I'm talking about - I just happen to like the photos XD)