Sorry I haven't written in a while! We came back to Koh Kong from Phnom Penh Last Monday. While in Phnom Penh we taught English at a local private school for two hours each evening, Monday-Saturday. It was quite the experience, because we never knew which classes we'd be sent to teach until we were led to the classroom full of waiting students. Sometimes there would be a teacher there already, sometimes not. The level of English that the students spoke/understood varied from class to class: in some classes you could engage in a conversation about the differences in Cambodian universities and American universities, while in other classes you'd be met with blank stares after asking them to tell you their names... you can imagine how difficult it was to try to prepare for the next day's classes. Either way, almost all of the teachers we worked with were very nice, and the students were excited to learn from us. I think that Andrew took to it more than I did, although he became notorious for being very hard on pronunciation!
In the mornings we would help homeschool the two eldest Freeze children (we stayed with the Freezes, the same family that we initially stayed with right after we arrived in Cambodia). Andrew taught 7-year-old Luke science and history, while I taught 10-yr-old Abby science and sometimes history & reading. I had a lot of fun with that, especially because Abby was just learning how to use a microscope... we would hunt for different things to look at and compare-stuff I could do all day long. We did have a slight disaster when trying to make petri dish base tho.... long story. :-)
Michael Freeze took the time out to teach us his way of remembering and telling Bible stories, which was really fun because it includes making up a lot of hand gestures... He also gave us a "workshop" on their philosophy of how to best work with the Khmer, based on their experiences. It was really interesting because their culture simply isn't what we're used to as Americans--if you want to know more, feel free to ask.
We made a few trips to the Russian Market--> huge tourist attraction. All the souveniers you could ever want are all around you...you just have to make sure to bargain for a good price. Andrew and I were looking at a small wooden boat once, and the seller first told us that it was $10. "Ten dollars, good price just for you!" We honestly weren't interested in buying it, but since we kept looking at it she kept lowering the price.... $8...... $6..... finally we walked away, and she yelled "ok, two dollars!"
The only problem with the market is that after about 10AM the heat becomes unbearable. The aisles are only about two feet wide to begin with, and it's all in one huge low-slung building. The later it gets, the hotter it is outside, and the more people come to shop.
One place we visited was Tuol Sleng, the Genocide museum. It's a school that was turned into a prison during the Khmer Rouge regime. I cannot explain what it was like to pass by rows and rows of pictures of children, all which were killed. There were rooms with the torture instruments in them, cells that you could walk through... I felt sick to my stomach after about fifteen minutes, but I felt compelled to continue looking and walking around.
We had plans to visit Angkor Wat, but Andrew got sick and was running a fever the morning we were going to leave. We decided to try visiting a few days before we leave Cambodia instead.
In the mornings we would help homeschool the two eldest Freeze children (we stayed with the Freezes, the same family that we initially stayed with right after we arrived in Cambodia). Andrew taught 7-year-old Luke science and history, while I taught 10-yr-old Abby science and sometimes history & reading. I had a lot of fun with that, especially because Abby was just learning how to use a microscope... we would hunt for different things to look at and compare-stuff I could do all day long. We did have a slight disaster when trying to make petri dish base tho.... long story. :-)
Michael Freeze took the time out to teach us his way of remembering and telling Bible stories, which was really fun because it includes making up a lot of hand gestures... He also gave us a "workshop" on their philosophy of how to best work with the Khmer, based on their experiences. It was really interesting because their culture simply isn't what we're used to as Americans--if you want to know more, feel free to ask.
We made a few trips to the Russian Market--> huge tourist attraction. All the souveniers you could ever want are all around you...you just have to make sure to bargain for a good price. Andrew and I were looking at a small wooden boat once, and the seller first told us that it was $10. "Ten dollars, good price just for you!" We honestly weren't interested in buying it, but since we kept looking at it she kept lowering the price.... $8...... $6..... finally we walked away, and she yelled "ok, two dollars!"
The only problem with the market is that after about 10AM the heat becomes unbearable. The aisles are only about two feet wide to begin with, and it's all in one huge low-slung building. The later it gets, the hotter it is outside, and the more people come to shop.
One place we visited was Tuol Sleng, the Genocide museum. It's a school that was turned into a prison during the Khmer Rouge regime. I cannot explain what it was like to pass by rows and rows of pictures of children, all which were killed. There were rooms with the torture instruments in them, cells that you could walk through... I felt sick to my stomach after about fifteen minutes, but I felt compelled to continue looking and walking around.
We had plans to visit Angkor Wat, but Andrew got sick and was running a fever the morning we were going to leave. We decided to try visiting a few days before we leave Cambodia instead.
Wow! I can only imagine the heat & humidity. The market sounds like it's right up my alley ^_^, so much variety. Were you able to take any photos at the museum? What a horror, all the children. You're in our prayers ^_^
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