Daily Life

ahhh, how i love the unsupervised, unofficial, chaotic lack of structure in 3rd world countries....this is why i have chosen to come to these places! one of the finest examples of this is The Aquiring of a Job in places such as Cambodia. it's quite simple. I simply went around town and asked if any schools need teachers. No resume, no fancy business casual outfit, no one cares if I graduated college, have a work visa, look funny, plus no taxes, paid in cash! What would have been considered my ''interview'' consisted of the questions ''Do you have experience?'' no, ''Can you handle a classroom of 40 small children?'' sure...?, and "Áre you available to start on Monday?" yeah! Well that was easy....why did i ever try so hard? Clearly, my seemingly laziness and lack of responsibilty and career motivation are just misunderstood personaly traits in America! Obviously, they were just signs that I am meant to live in another culture! Here, laziness is not only socially acceptable, but necessary to survive in such hot temperatures. So I am quite content with working 2 hours a day and spending the rest of my time lounging in a hammock or by the pool drinking fresh coconuts with friends.
So anyways, the experience of teaching in a school here is an excellent opportunity for observation of the life here. First, all the kids in their uniforms of dirty white shirts and blue shorts/skirts "line up" roughly outside, while the principal shouts through a megaphone various English songs and commands such as "clap your hands". I like this part. Then the bell rings and they run into their classrooms. Here they all scream "hello foreign teacher!!! how are you today!!"and I commence their foreign studies portion, meaning i draw pictures of animals on the board and spell them and sing songs with them. (well this is for one class, the other ones are younger and too busy hitting each other, climbing on tables, crying, screaming, etc. for them to hear much I or their regular teacher say, much more like crown control than teaching) My confidence as a teacher to small children was quite low initially, but so far the teachers say I am doing a great job and I speak very clearly and they like my accent. So all in all, very little is required of me. There is a break between classes in which the kids run around outside and buy snacks such as shrimp crisps, and I converse with the other American English teacher and the Cambodian teachers. After the 2nd class is over, its time for siesta, and the gates open and all the parents on motorbikes drive in, right up to the classroom to pick up their child(or up to 5 children on one motorbike even). During this time I observe the dress of all the people in this situation. Kids in their uniforms, teachers wearing black long sleeve and pants business suits, but with flip flops with colorful socks, parents in Angry Birds sweatshirts and pajama pants (the standard cambodian attire, apparently Angry Birds is very popular) and also wearing flip flops or sandals with socks. Everyday here i am baffled by how these people wear sweaters and jeans and hats and gloves. It makes me more sweaty and uncomfortable just looking at them. I just don't get it! I guess the reasoning is that they don't want to get anymore tan, because the whiter you are the higher your status. But really, if i dressed like that i am 110% sure I would have a heat stroke. I already often feel like I might!
Anyways, then I ride my bike through the crazy moped traffic, its really fun! Everyone wants to talk to me too."Helloh teecha! Whas yor nam?'' After that i go to the local market (also a ridiculous overwhelming fun experience) and eat some noodles and various unidentifiable things that sometimes taste really good and sometimes are just confusing, but atleast its cheaper than anywhere else and i get to bask in the attention of being looked at funny. Luckily now they have started to recognize me though.
And then, I purchase and consume the glorious Mango. These mangoes are the best i have ever had! and only 50 cents!!! Yes, life in Cambodia is too easy and good. There is no reason not to stay here, really.
After this I lounge for about 8 hours as mentioned earlier, and occasionally hang out with my local Khmer friends. This is always an interesting, exciting cultural experience. They take me to strange places where few foreigners have dared to go before, and they share with me foods and drinks that also probably few foreginers have dared to attempt to consume before. Oftentimes I cannot even determine what they are. I think i had some sort of duck dish (free range, they are hanging out with us, actually), frog legs (best i've ever had!!! spicy!) water beetles (ok i didn't actually try that one yet, i'm working up to it, they eat them like peanuts, peeling off the wings and spine first), strange leafy but delicious vegetables in spicy sauces with what seems to be some sort of bird liver, something they told me was a passion fruit (it so was not), and little bites of spicy fish wrapped with plastic into a small circle shape. For drinking we have beer with ice usually, although one time i had the misfortune of drinking the palm wine. I shudder at the thought. It did not taste good, but i didn't want to be either rude or wimpy so i had a few glasses. The way they drink here is you cheers everytime, you pretty much never just drink at your own leisure. Its kind of nice to always drink at the same time together. While all of this goes on i enjoy listening to the guys speak Khmer (only some of them know a little English) and laugh kind of nervously when they somewhat jokingly ask if i will be their wife. The courting rituals in countries like this is worthy of its own entire blog post....
So all in all, its great fun and i highly recommend it! (Except the palm wine maybe....)