A Cambodian Thanksgiving

The holiday season is here. Well, it's not really here in Cambodia.  Though the weather is a bit cooler, we still have AC's going in the classroom.  There's none of the commercialization of the holidays that America is so notorious for.  None-the-less, the holidays are here in our hearts and minds as we go about our daily business.

There are four of us girls from America living in a sizable house.  So we were ambitious and decided to host a Thanksgiving dinner at our place.  We wanted to invite other foreigners and Khmer folks to share our traditions with them.  So we did!

I taught my students a bit about Fall and we cut out lots of leaves on colored paper.  I was totally honest with them, and I told them all about Thanksgiving and our feast and by cutting they would be helping me decorate my house for the party.  They looked great hanging in garlands on the windows.

We borrowed plates, silverware and extra chairs from our school.  We even borrowed the projector.  One of the girls downloaded the Macy's Day Parade and a Charlie Brown special (ingenious idea).  We projected that onto one of the walls.  Our guests watched a little of the parade before dinner was ready.

Of course there was the usual activity in the kitchen.  Anyone who's ever been involved in producing a Thanksgiving feast knows what that's like so I'll spare you the details.  I'll only say that it involved a lot of sweat.  But Rebecca had music playing and reviewed the cooking schedule at regular intervals to keep everything organized.  Danielle was a great rover and kept the dishes washed and was an extra pair of hands when needed.
 
 
I was in charge of the 'turkey'.  Turkeys are not common here.  You can buy them in the store... for about $40.  So Khana and I walked down to the main road and bought our 'turkeys' from the grilling man on the street.  She bargained us a slightly better price.  When you buy a chicken here you get the whole animal.  But we Westerners do not like the whole animal, so I asked if he could chop off the heads and feet for us first.  One of Khana's neighbors happened to be shopping for rotisserie chicken at the same time so we gave him the perfectly good roasted chicken feet and heads to take home.  Waste not, want not.

 

 
 

Back at home everything was coming out the oven and onto the table.  As we gathered around the table, we gave a brief history of Thanksgiving, "It was the 1600's in the land of England...."  Our Australian coworker gave the blessing and the feasting commenced! 



Our Khmer friends brought sweet, sticky rice treats to share

 

Liz, our AP, made REAL apple and pumpkin pies from scratch.
  They were beauties, and made it really feel like Thanksgiving



 

 

It was a feast to be thankful for.  



A Christmas Wishlist

Many of you have asked if there is anything that I need for my classroom, so I thought I would answer everyone with one blog post.

First let me say, that we have the necessities.  We can order supplies through the school so we have most of what we need to function properly.  But sometimes it's nice to get something special.  Often there are things you can get here, but it's poor quality.  It's great to have items that work well and last for a long time.  Those are the type of things that I've listed here.

So if you feel like sending off an extra Christmas package and don't mind handing over an arm or a leg to the postmaster, this blog's for you!!

Our classroom wish list:

• Mr. Sketch Markers (yes the colorful, smelly ones!)
• Crayola markers
• Command hooks of all shapes and sizes, that can stand tropical heat and humidity (my 'local' hooks regularly come off the wall)
• sharpies, black and colored
• lots of dry erase markers (they refill ours here which is cheap, but the ink is terrible and is really hard to get off the board and mucks up the erasers)
• cute, small stuff for kids that I can put in my Good Box for rewards
• any fun pencils, erasers...
• 2nd grade books about light, water, Thanksgiving, Christmas.  Books by Arnold Lobel.  Christian books are ok here!
• Anything organizational (space is limited here)
• anything you can think of that will work in the classroom!

Please do not send magnets.  Our whiteboards are not magnetized and won't work.  And of course don't send liquids or anything hazardous, but the postmaster should take care of that for you ;)

If you mail something off, it might be good to mention it in the comment section so everyone doesn't send the same thing. 

Happy, wonderful, merry Christmas to everyone!!!

Thank you!

Before I flew off to Cambodia, I packed up some odds and ends from the classroom and asked friends to mail them to me.  Now this is really a good deed because it costs many times more to send these things than the stuff is actually worth.

Not only that, it's really wonderful to get a package at school full of treasures.  Especially for things that aren't available here.

So this is a thank you blog dedicated to those who sent off a very expensive package to me in Cambodia.  The story below is especially for you.

Here is a sample of a few things that have arrived by mail

I have a special story to share about the red plastic bin in the picture that arrived a few months ago.  I have 3 of those bins in lovely primary colors.  When the package with the bins arrived, I had my classroom set up in 4 groups.  Did you do the math?  4 groups, 3 bins.  So one of the groups was left with the same basket that they had used since the beginning of the year.  They are nice baskets, and perfectly functional.  Everyone was completely satisfied with their original baskets, that is until the package came.

When I put the new baskets out on the table I had a talk with everyone on the mat about how to keep their things neat and organized.  I showed them an example bin with glue and scissors in one compartment, pencils and erasers in another, and the crayons in the last.  Everyone oooohhed and aaaaahhed like they were watching a fireworks display.  Isu twiddled her fingers together and her eyes were rounder than I ever thought possible.  I never would have guessed the new (but used) plastic bins would be such hit.  Everyone was delighted.  The group who didn't get one on their table was disappointed, but quickly got over it and moved on with their little second grade lives.  That is, everyone except Jimmy.  Jimmy was downcast.  He was forlorn.  He was drooping over his table and really couldn't accept that his table couldn't use one of the "new" bins.  There may have even been a slight pooling of tears in the eyes, but not enough to overflow.  Before I go on I must tell you a little more about Jimmy.

At the beginning of the year Jimmy felt it necessary to announce to the class (unasked for, I might add)  That his shoes were from the U.S.  and he had two pairs of new shoes.  When his birthday rolled around, he announced to the class that he was going out to a restaurant twice and would have two cakes.  I'm not sure if that included the one his family brought to class.   I might also add that Jimmy drives up to school in a nicer car than I have ever driven in my life.  So I know that Jimmy is blessed and well taken care of.  So my compassion meter was on low in regards to Jimmy. 

When we both had a moment, I sat down and had a conversation with Jimmy and it went something like this:

"Jimmy, weren't you excited to tell the class about what nice shoes you have that came all the way from the U.S.?   Didn't you have a great birthday with two cakes?  You have many wonderful things in your life.  Do you remember during our Bible lesson we learned about a lady named Fanny Crosby?  When she was little she got very sick.  The doctors made her blind by giving her the wrong medicine.  But when she grew up, she never complained.  She spent her life thanking God and writing songs to praise him and thank him.  Jimmy you have very nice things that you should be thankful for.  And if someone else gets something nice, you should be thankful in your heart for them, that they got something nice."

Jimmy listened intently the whole time.  He didn't have much to say, but he looked as if he was considering what I had to say.  I'm happy to report that Jimmy has survived quite nicely using one of his old baskets.  A month or so later I rearranged my room and everyone has a special bin on their desk now, including Jimmy. 

So if you were one of the ones to mail a package of school supplies, thank you again.  You didn't just bless us with fun and useful things for the classroom, but you provided a lesson in character for Jimmy as well.

Three Wishes

We had story problems for math homework this week.  The problems were all worded about wishes and at the bottom of the page there was a bonus question that had nothing to do with the math.  It said, "If you were given 3 wishes, what would you wish for?"  I was quickly scanning the homework, but then I noticed some of the things they wrote about.  By the way, I'm impressed that everyone wrote something, because back home many of the kids would have left it blank because it was an extra question and not part of the math lesson.

There was the usual.  I wish I was rich, a bigger room, a big house, 100 Barbie dolls....  Then there were some interesting responses.  "I wish I had a nice teacher."  That was from one of the brightest boys in class, but also one who likes to orate at inappropriate times.  "I wish Necru Khana and Miss Carson would be my teachers again."  Ok, now I feel affirmed.  "I wish I could stay with God." Mmm.  "I wish I was a shiny boy." "I wish I was cool."  I think your cool, buddy.  Especially when you spike up your hair a smile till your eyes disappear. "I wish everybody believed in God and I became very smart."  Those are both my wishes too, little man.  "I wish for my friends red eyes to get better."  Yes, we all hope the pink eye will go away.  "I wish that I can have a gold wing."  Just one will do, apparently.  "I wish that I can go to heaven."  You will my dearest.

And then this one.

I have a boy in my class.  He's new to our school this year, whereas most of the kids have been together for a few years.  He's a sweet kid.  I think he seems a little young for his age.  There's a gentleness or sweetness about him that I can't quite put words to.  He reminds me of one of my nephews a bit.  Anyway, I've already got a tender spot for him, then his first wish, "I wish more clever."  Ah, he pulled my heart strings with that one.  We'll work on it together my friend, and you will do just fine.

Sihanoukville~ A Holiday at the Seaside

We had a mid-semester break around the Cambodian holiday of Pchum Ben.  We had the whole week off sandwiched between two weekends.  The roommates and I decided to do a bit of traveling.  So to Sihanoukville we went.  Sihanoukville (see-uh-nook-vill) is a touristy beach town about 4 or 5 hours away by bus.   We boarded the Giant Ibis, and bumped on down the road. 

One day we went to Sokha Resort and used their private beach.  It's much nicer and safer than the public beach.

 

Our second day in we were almost robbed.  In the bag they tried to steal was a bikini that Meredith just bought.  Because it's the rainy season, it's the low season for tourism.  That means cash flow is down in a tourist town, and some resort to a sinister means of earning cash.

 

 

Two fellows on a moto tried to rip a plastic bag out of Meredith's hand.  They didn't succeed and I earned myself some road rash in the scuffle.



The tuk tuk drivers were a little wily here.  They charge you a cheap price to go somewhere, but it's twice as much to get home.

Another day we tried to spend an entire day at Sokha, but for some reason they had closed it to outsiders.  So we went to the Independence Hotel instead.  It was 1/2 as much to use their pool, beach and towel and we stumbled upon a treasure.

 

 

This is the view from the pool looking down towards the beach.

See that little boardwalk hidden behind the trees?  We will visit that pretty scene later.

We had the pool almost to ourselves.  The temperature was perfect.  It wasn't salty and didn't feel chlorinated.  It felt like I was swimming in bottled water!

The girls, caught off guard.

This is the stuff vacations are made of: sun, water, books and of course a refreshing mango shake.

This picture was taken from a glass elevator that took us down to the beach.  Sea foam green is my new favorite color, can you guess why?  It was cloudy a lot but when the sun shone on the sea it was beautiful.

I body surfed and caught two waves on this beach!

There was a walkway all along one direction of the beach.  Every time we went around a corner it was another beautiful view. 

This is what happens when you let teachers out of the classroom!

 

 

We did a few other things around town.  We found ourselves a nice little spa to visit.  Extravagant you say?  Not at all!  I had a mani/pedi (yes both) for $8.  Perfect for a teacher budget.

 

Another afternoon we visited Top Cat, the only cinema in town.  We rented our own private air conditioned room and picked a movie to watch on a big flat screen.  Indulgent you say?  Not at all!  We paid $4 (not including our snacks).  Just right for a teacher budget.  

 

Another day we took the Island Hopper tour out to Bamboo Island.  Meredith loaned me some Dramamine so it was a fabulous day!

 

The girls on the boat

 

 

 

There was some beautiful snorkeling in these waters~ Not only where there beautiful fish, there were urchins and all manner of coral.

One of the boat fellas barbequed our lunch on the back of the boat.  There is some tasty marinated fish in those little packets.

Our trusty sea vessels

On the shores of Bamboo Island

 

 

Our tour boat was a converted fisher.  Definitely not her maiden voyage,  she's been around the currents a few times.

 

 We rented beach chairs for 2000 riel (that's 50 cents) and the boat crew put together a great little lunch.  On the island we snoozed, swam and snorkeled.  I saw and enormous eight-armed sea star under the water.  It was bigger than both my feet end to end.

Feeling salty, crusty, damp and utterly fabulous on the way home.

I like to call this picture mango and a mani~ 

 

Overall I give Sihanoukville 3 1/2 stars out of 5.  The beaches, pools, and snorkeling were great, but the crime put a damper on things.  It was a great, and much needed break from work.  Time to transition back to real life, but I'm taking my mango fetish with me...

Flooding

We are definitely into the rainy season.  We had some very heavy rain early this week and this was the result.  Please pray for the water to recede.  Over 100 have died to far, and I just read some sewers are bursting and mixing into the flood waters.  Lots of people are displaced.  These pictures are from our ride to and from school.  We hired a tuk tuk instead of biking through this.

 

 

 Take a look at Thouen (two-en) in the mirror!

Thouen is our best tuk tuk driver.

This is a recycle man and his cart.

The ride was bumpy, hence the blurry picture.  You can't see potholes under the water, so it's a rough ride.

 

This is the road in front of our school.

 

 

Road in front of school looking the other direction.

 

 

There's our school gate on the left.

 

 

Our librarian arrives at work.

Kids and staff arriving in a tuk tuk

 

The ride home