So, I have been back in Kambodge for two weeks and getting into the swing of things. It was lovely to be welcomed by the other volunteers with no mention in the previous blog of my imminent arrival and a week of doing their work as they scampered off to Siem Reap. Yes, Cambodia (or the volunteers) failed to prepare sufficiently for a whinging POM. Obviously, I’m just living up to the stereotype.
In fact, most of the enjoyment of our time together is exploring the Aussie and English stereotypes. The way I dunk my biscuits into hot drinks, the way they massacre our beautiful language with words like 'rattifanger' (don't ask), the intelligent English sense of humour (although, I haven't told them that most English people don't find the orange-for-a-head joke funny either), and the ha-ha-you-fell-over Aussie humour. Good times.
But, in all seriousness, we have a great team here; working hard, but enjoying it at the same time. My lesson schedule has been stacking up, nicely. Averaging about 3 or 4 a day. There is a real range of understanding, meaning I have to be on my toes. It is exciting that this time I have 4 months to develop relationships with my students and be able to make a much more significant impact.
This Saturday sees another baptism of a Dormer. This time it is Theung (pronounced a bit like 'tongue') who Kez has been taking through. We also have John & Melinda coming tomorrow and he is scheduled to do five talks on Revelation, so it's going to be a pretty full, but fun weekend ahead. We've had a public holiday today, for Independence Day, to make up for it.
I had my first Khmer language lesson the other today with the other volunteers who have been studying for awhile, so I was way out of my depth, but the teacher is going to go back to basics for two lessons a week. Turns out he uses his own brand of phonetics! Based on the old French colonialists way of understanding the local language! Not only do I have to learn a new alphabet and a new language, but also a new phonetical system!
Every Sunday, Dan & I got up early to join some of the boy dormers to play volleyball at 7am. As previously experienced, they are amazing. Not just in a way that means they hit every shot but each player knows his job on the pitch, the spiker, the setter, the smasher. And if you get yourself in the way of a smash, you know about it! But I didn't do too badly and Dan is as average as me, thankfully. At the end of 4 months, I will be heading to Australia, so I should be able to shock a few Aussies with my picked up volleyball skills.
Talking of shocks, it turns out that for a period of about 2 weeks in January, I will be the only Western volunteer here! So, if anyone fancies popping out for a while and taking some of the workload and keeping me company, that would be rad!
On the mouse situation, my 'good copy' Vans flip flops (or thongs if your Aussie, which never ceases to amuse me) got chewed through with only the mouse and Debs as suspected culprits.
Tally ho, then, old chaps.
Simon (pronouned sigh-mon, not see-mon which means chicken in Khmer)
In fact, most of the enjoyment of our time together is exploring the Aussie and English stereotypes. The way I dunk my biscuits into hot drinks, the way they massacre our beautiful language with words like 'rattifanger' (don't ask), the intelligent English sense of humour (although, I haven't told them that most English people don't find the orange-for-a-head joke funny either), and the ha-ha-you-fell-over Aussie humour. Good times.
But, in all seriousness, we have a great team here; working hard, but enjoying it at the same time. My lesson schedule has been stacking up, nicely. Averaging about 3 or 4 a day. There is a real range of understanding, meaning I have to be on my toes. It is exciting that this time I have 4 months to develop relationships with my students and be able to make a much more significant impact.
This Saturday sees another baptism of a Dormer. This time it is Theung (pronounced a bit like 'tongue') who Kez has been taking through. We also have John & Melinda coming tomorrow and he is scheduled to do five talks on Revelation, so it's going to be a pretty full, but fun weekend ahead. We've had a public holiday today, for Independence Day, to make up for it.
I had my first Khmer language lesson the other today with the other volunteers who have been studying for awhile, so I was way out of my depth, but the teacher is going to go back to basics for two lessons a week. Turns out he uses his own brand of phonetics! Based on the old French colonialists way of understanding the local language! Not only do I have to learn a new alphabet and a new language, but also a new phonetical system!
Every Sunday, Dan & I got up early to join some of the boy dormers to play volleyball at 7am. As previously experienced, they are amazing. Not just in a way that means they hit every shot but each player knows his job on the pitch, the spiker, the setter, the smasher. And if you get yourself in the way of a smash, you know about it! But I didn't do too badly and Dan is as average as me, thankfully. At the end of 4 months, I will be heading to Australia, so I should be able to shock a few Aussies with my picked up volleyball skills.Talking of shocks, it turns out that for a period of about 2 weeks in January, I will be the only Western volunteer here! So, if anyone fancies popping out for a while and taking some of the workload and keeping me company, that would be rad!
On the mouse situation, my 'good copy' Vans flip flops (or thongs if your Aussie, which never ceases to amuse me) got chewed through with only the mouse and Debs as suspected culprits.
Tally ho, then, old chaps.
Simon (pronouned sigh-mon, not see-mon which means chicken in Khmer)
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P.S. watch Vanny on the smashing front.
P.S.S. 7 PM isn't nearly early enough, 4:30 was the name of the game back in my day :D