My second week here in Jumbok Haos has ended. On Monday cam a group of teenagers from Phnom Penh ready to experience adventure learning in Preah Vihear. It's quite different here when there is a group. While last week my day was spent leading worship in the morning then teaching English for about an hour and a half to the staff that works here then fending for myself for all food related activities and falling asleep right around 8 or 830 at night and trying not to get bit by my animal buddies, this week was different in almost every aspect.
So, first the good. Every meal was made for me!! Since there was a group here we have two cooks that make food for them. They're nice enough to know that I'm a vegetarian so I get my own little meal every time. And it's always ready for me when I get there!! So that's awesome. Also there's people here! Not only the group here to learn and do the activities but the whole staff come out here and live here for the week. So I got to better know the people I work with. By spending more time with people I've learned a lot more khmer than I did the first week. The activities themselves also provide a lot of entertainment. Something I was lacking the first week. Not just watching the kids overcome their fears and having all this fun but they all wanted me to try the activities with them. Some of the things we have here that are my favorite: The climbing wall, repelling, gibbon's swing and the 600m zip line about 18 meters up! Last but not least I had electricity for a couple hours at night!! So I'll admit I watched a couple of movies here on my laptop instead of writing the blog earlier but I'm here now so get over it.
Now for the cons. There were people here!! haha So I was starting to like the peace and quiet that came with this empty jungle. There were some times when I just wanted to go back to that for a couple hours but couldn't, privacy was sometimes an issue. Also we were busy all day! While it was a fun type of busy I wasn't able to do the reading and stuff I had gotten used to being able to do. This also meant that we cut our English classes shorter than normal, but I'm glad they still wanted to continue with them after the day was about over. The staff could have very easily decided that they were too tired to have class but I was encouraged to see how much they want to learn.
Mostly I enjoyed the week a lot. I like kids of that age so to interact with them and have electricity was really fun. I'm looking forward to the next time we have a group here, although I'm not sure when that will be. As always thanks for reading! I'll try to get some pictures up here soon. I don't know how yet and I haven't taken many pictures yet but I'll try. See ya
Friday, October 21, 2011
Thursday, October 13, 2011
I don't have much time! Now that I've started to settle in here in Preah Vihear I am able to get internet from a little modem that connects me. But the problem is I don't have electricity! My computer is at 24%!! So I will tell you all about my first week here quickly.
My first night was a little, well eye opening. I arrived on Monday from Phnom Penh by bus then moto. My new place is small, no door, no windows, just openings. But thats alright, it stays cooler that way and no one gets here who shouldn't be here except for a few mostly frindly creatures. Its about a 10 by 12 feet space with stairs leading up to it, very cozy. I like it a lot. I have about a 2inch thick mattress thats on the floor that I sleep onand I'me covered by a mosquito net at nights when I go to bed which is usually around 8pm these days as there is nothing to do when the sun goes down except read with my headlamp. So after getting all my things in here I went to wash up because it was already getting dark. (battery at 19%) I go to the bathing area here, which is just a slab of concrete with to round things that hold lots of water. I brought my soap and did my think like a sauna but outside. The water was a little cold, but I didnt scream, I'm cool like that. Well I stayed cool until the ants started biting me. I hate those guys, I couldn't even see them because it was dark but it seemed as if they were everywhere I stepped!! I finally won the battle with the help of my water bucket, but they had struck some harsh blows to my feet. As I was finishing I saw a big snake, maybe 4 ft long with yellowish stripes slither about 2 feet from me. Later found out it was a Malayan Krait! Venomous snake, but God had my back. He probably had it in the battle with the ants too, but I needed to learn that lesson.
Anyway, I'm learning how to get arounf out here, I have a moto now I can drive to town. The teaching is really fun and next week we have a group come in whih means I get electricity for a couple hours at night so see you guys then!!
The people that work here who I teach English too have been great. Very helpful in every way
My first night was a little, well eye opening. I arrived on Monday from Phnom Penh by bus then moto. My new place is small, no door, no windows, just openings. But thats alright, it stays cooler that way and no one gets here who shouldn't be here except for a few mostly frindly creatures. Its about a 10 by 12 feet space with stairs leading up to it, very cozy. I like it a lot. I have about a 2inch thick mattress thats on the floor that I sleep onand I'me covered by a mosquito net at nights when I go to bed which is usually around 8pm these days as there is nothing to do when the sun goes down except read with my headlamp. So after getting all my things in here I went to wash up because it was already getting dark. (battery at 19%) I go to the bathing area here, which is just a slab of concrete with to round things that hold lots of water. I brought my soap and did my think like a sauna but outside. The water was a little cold, but I didnt scream, I'm cool like that. Well I stayed cool until the ants started biting me. I hate those guys, I couldn't even see them because it was dark but it seemed as if they were everywhere I stepped!! I finally won the battle with the help of my water bucket, but they had struck some harsh blows to my feet. As I was finishing I saw a big snake, maybe 4 ft long with yellowish stripes slither about 2 feet from me. Later found out it was a Malayan Krait! Venomous snake, but God had my back. He probably had it in the battle with the ants too, but I needed to learn that lesson.
Anyway, I'm learning how to get arounf out here, I have a moto now I can drive to town. The teaching is really fun and next week we have a group come in whih means I get electricity for a couple hours at night so see you guys then!!
The people that work here who I teach English too have been great. Very helpful in every way
Saturday, October 8, 2011
I'm Back!
Hey everyone, so lots to say but if you know me then you probably know that I'm back in Cambodia! It is Sunday morning here in Phnom Penh and I'm at "the Shop" to get some food and some internet. Over the summer I went home to Washington DC to see friends and family. I was planning to come back to Cambodia in late August to start my new position as a volunteer for ADRA (Adventist Development and Relief Agency). The idea to work for ADRA came when I went with the seniors from CAS to their senior retreat at Jumbok Haos. Jumbok Haos is a place groups from around the country can go and learn what " a little belief in themselves and in what they, together with their friends and community can do, then they can really do anything … " according to ADRA cambodia's website. (http://www.adracambodia.org/index.html) I had a lot of fun and one of the staff told me about how they've been looking for someone to teach them English, well, I can do that.
After the school year was finished at CAS I made my way back home. While I was home I broke my pinky finger playing american football. Who knew the pinky was so important?!?! 2 months later I'm almost completely healed and healthy enough to start working in Cambodia!
My church was/is awesome. My last Sabbath, my pastor called me up to the front and the whole church prayed for me and my newest adventure. After the service people started coming up to me and saying goodbye and stuffing money into my pockets. Money that has gone to good use so far, and if anyone from my church is reading, I'll go into more detail about that a little later...
I finally arrived in Cambodia late Tuesday night, Cambodia time. Over the next couple days I started to get to know the staff here in the main ADRA office. They helped me get settled, I now have a cambodian bank account, a phone along with an official contract that came when they gave me an ADRA shirt and hat. I've also been able to spend sometime with my former students at the school or at the mission, my old hangout places haha Seeing my students and the other missionaries and friends has been great.
Now, about that money... So the first thing I spent some money on was before I even left the States. I have a friend who now teaches music at an orphanage in Siem Reap, but she didn't have any instruments. Almost anything would help so my mom, the music teacher, and I went to the music store and bought 25 recorders for about $4 a piece to bring to the orphanage here in Cambodia. I hope the kids enjoy them!
After that I didn't spend much money until I arrived here. If some of you follow the international news closely you may have herd that Cambodia has experienced a lot of flooding the past few weeks. This has caused a lot of problems in the rural areas where agriculture is the main source of food and income for most families. Over 160 Cambodians have even died as a result either from drowning or from snakes. ADRA is working now to help in this emergency and in addition to the money they use to get rice to the families we've also been collecting donations from people in this area to help even more. So this was my next use for some money from my church.
Tomorrow morning I leave the capitol and go to my new home in Preah Vihear province, Rovieng district. I will be living at Jumbok Haos. My main job is to teach the staff that run the camp English so they can better communicate with the groups that come in who don't speak Khmer. I will also be leading worship every morning with them. Outside of the Jumbok Haos project I will be helping with other projects in the province with surveys and analysis. So I will be able to teach and use some of my statistics and economics background. All while living in the trees! I think I will have a great time.
Finally I'd like to thank all the people that have helped me get to where I am now. My parents, my brother, the rest of my family all over the country, my whole church family and all my friends back in the States as well as here in Cambodia, and of course Jesus for healing me and giving me the opportunity to serve him in this fantastic country. I'm not sure how often I will be able to update this blog, I'm not quite sure yet how available the internet will be in my new home, but I'll try!
After the school year was finished at CAS I made my way back home. While I was home I broke my pinky finger playing american football. Who knew the pinky was so important?!?! 2 months later I'm almost completely healed and healthy enough to start working in Cambodia!
My church was/is awesome. My last Sabbath, my pastor called me up to the front and the whole church prayed for me and my newest adventure. After the service people started coming up to me and saying goodbye and stuffing money into my pockets. Money that has gone to good use so far, and if anyone from my church is reading, I'll go into more detail about that a little later...
I finally arrived in Cambodia late Tuesday night, Cambodia time. Over the next couple days I started to get to know the staff here in the main ADRA office. They helped me get settled, I now have a cambodian bank account, a phone along with an official contract that came when they gave me an ADRA shirt and hat. I've also been able to spend sometime with my former students at the school or at the mission, my old hangout places haha Seeing my students and the other missionaries and friends has been great.
Now, about that money... So the first thing I spent some money on was before I even left the States. I have a friend who now teaches music at an orphanage in Siem Reap, but she didn't have any instruments. Almost anything would help so my mom, the music teacher, and I went to the music store and bought 25 recorders for about $4 a piece to bring to the orphanage here in Cambodia. I hope the kids enjoy them!
After that I didn't spend much money until I arrived here. If some of you follow the international news closely you may have herd that Cambodia has experienced a lot of flooding the past few weeks. This has caused a lot of problems in the rural areas where agriculture is the main source of food and income for most families. Over 160 Cambodians have even died as a result either from drowning or from snakes. ADRA is working now to help in this emergency and in addition to the money they use to get rice to the families we've also been collecting donations from people in this area to help even more. So this was my next use for some money from my church.
Tomorrow morning I leave the capitol and go to my new home in Preah Vihear province, Rovieng district. I will be living at Jumbok Haos. My main job is to teach the staff that run the camp English so they can better communicate with the groups that come in who don't speak Khmer. I will also be leading worship every morning with them. Outside of the Jumbok Haos project I will be helping with other projects in the province with surveys and analysis. So I will be able to teach and use some of my statistics and economics background. All while living in the trees! I think I will have a great time.
Finally I'd like to thank all the people that have helped me get to where I am now. My parents, my brother, the rest of my family all over the country, my whole church family and all my friends back in the States as well as here in Cambodia, and of course Jesus for healing me and giving me the opportunity to serve him in this fantastic country. I'm not sure how often I will be able to update this blog, I'm not quite sure yet how available the internet will be in my new home, but I'll try!
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