A Glimpse at Celebrity

So today was ridiculous!  It was the open house for the school in which the entire kindergarten and elementary school staff were present!  We had to be there for 7am to get prepared.  They had covered the front lawn with red carpets and added a stage at the front.  Parents and guests began arriving around 8:30 and were first greeted by some of our staff in tradition Cambodian dress, they were then seated and offered refreshments by the catering services that were hired for the event. There were cameras galore, and I mean you could not move!  Virak my employer and myself were their key subjects and so our every move was being recorded and they did not hesitate to get right up close!  When the event finally began I was seated beside Virak in the important people seats (nice cushioned chairs).  First the the MC introduced us to the crowd and then the opening ceremony began.  They had traditional dancers do a dance which was so amazing.  Their movements were so measured, they moved as though they were whisps of a cloud in the sky.  Just a simple twist of their hand and the placement of their fingers was delicate...of course these were only some of the bits I was able to see as those camera crews I mentioned decided to set up camp right in front of us so that they could capture our every facial expression.  After the dance Virak made a speech, something I could not understand as it was in Khmer but sounded good none the less from what the peoples response was.  Next up was me!  I first introduced Davy our academic director as well as our sport coach and music teacher, and then I talked about the Canadian Curriculum.  Surprisingly this responsibility did not make me nervous because most of my audience had no idea what I was saying and a max of ten people were actually paying attention.  It was pretty fun though to stand up there and be the star performer for a brand new school!  After my speech the ceremony came to an end and we were ushered towards the main door to cut the ribbon of the school.  I was handed a pair of scissors as well as the minister of Education, and Virak, and together the three of us initiated the opening of the school (again all caught on tape at very close and unflattering angles).  Although we had planned on having mini tour groups to proceed throughout the school at this point people just wanted in and began looking around themselves.  Within 45 min from the cutting of the ribbon most people had meandered through the school and then taken their leave of absence which left me and all the teaching assistants from the kindergarten school to eat the remainder of food and have the hired clowns make us toy swords and flowers.  The girls also love to take pictures, they were almost worse than the camera crews!  And so the event that has been the focus of everyones attention was finally over and we all had the afternoon off before it was time to return for our Christmas staff party later that night.  The staff party was a blast since it was an opportunity to see everyone in their element, where we were all relaxed and there for a good time.  There was a live band, and by live band I mean a very old man playing the stand up keyboard, and older woman who should not have been wearing such a short dress, and a guy who occasionally danced around the woman.  There was lots of karaoke and dancing and everyone eating and having a good time.  All around it was a great day and night

 talking to some of my kids

 veda (vay-dah)

 sereiboth (siri-bought) and Jonah

 sawa (zzzz-owe-ah)

 Panha pronounced panya

 Dawin (a real character, tries to tell everyone what to do)

Brian (employers son)

Virak, myself, and Becky greeting people as they come in

Sitting in the big boy chairs!

opening ceremony dancers

close up

 giving my speech

another speech shot from the many camera men

 yet another angle

cutting the ribbon

 picture time with the girls.  Girl on the right holding flowers is Rhoda, one of my teaching assistants. Girl in black is Becky, she's one of the kindergarten teachers and she's from England. The girl on the left is Marra and I love her to bits!

 more pictures

 fun in the kid room

 group shot

My two TA's

The end of the Event

Later that evening. Girls went all out, some even wore prom dresses!

A whole lot of firsts

This week has been a whirl wind of activity, emotions, and firsts.  Monday was straight to work at the Elementary school (I arrived Sunday).....but there really wasn't much for me to do as I do not have my students until January.  So I spent the day trying to look busy and stay out of the way as there is still construction going on at the school.  Luckily Virak my employer took me shopping for school supplies so that passed some of the time. When he took me shopping it was at this international school supplies store which was pretty far from the area in which I live and where the school is located.  On the drive there I was trying to remember how to get there but let me tell you the streets are not easy to navigate!  So by time we arrived I was lost.  We got inside the store and Virak realized he needed to go to the bank to get money first so he left me at the store which at first I didn't think twice about but after a couple of minutes panic set in.  All possibilities started setting in, what if I was left to my own devices?  How would I get back? I wanted to curl up in a corner but just as my fight or flight was about to set in so did Virak! (thank goodness)  I know I had nothing to worry about as I knew my address and the location of the school but an active mind is not always the greatest thing to have.  After that I was not thinking straight so I did not shop efficiently and now I find that I am still in need of other supplies. Tuesday I got to pick which classroom I would like and then I began setting up my things.  I had brought some calendar supplies so I put those up, that took all of an hour or so so then again I had to occupy my time for the rest of the day.  I am starting to get to know some of the staff, and the ladies in the front office are lovely.  I am hoping once things settle down at the school then we will have a chance to get to know each other better, it'd be nice to have someone to hang out with after work!  Wednesday I spent the morning at the school but then after lunch (my first lunch having Cambodian food) I went to the kindergarten to meet some of my future students!  The kids are so adorable and it reminded me of why I am here.  Their english was way better than I had thought which means I need to regroup and think about what I am going to teach them (I had thought I would need to start at the basics with the alphabet)  I was feeling energized after having such a good afternoon with the kids that I decided to walk to the grocery store on my own (another first as Virak has been taking me grocery shopping).  The store is all of three minutes away walking and you may wonder why it was such a big deal that I did this on my own but you wouldn't believe the traffic so its quite the obstacle to get there!  I got some essential items (all things I would eat at home since my stomach has not adjusted yet) and then meandered on home.  On my way back through the market square I noticed fake snow falling and all the locals playing in the snow taking pictures, it was a magical moment, one I did not stop to fully enjoy because the sun was setting and that was not a first I was ready to have! Thursday was Christmas, tis the season!  I did not want to spend Christmas alone at the school knowing what I was missing out on at home so I kept busy at the kindergarten.  The kids were excited and we spent the day playing games and watching movies.  Overall the day was perfect and while I miss my family and I am never sure about whether this is right for me I am going to take it in strides because today was a good day and I know that some time from now I won't remember the hard times but I'll have an abundance of memories that will fill me with so much joy and appreciation that it will make everything worth fighting for.

Merry Christmas xoxo

 All of the kids at the kindergarten school.  They have three preschool classes and two kindergarten classes.

 The kindergarten class I spent the day with.  Some of these kids will be in my class in January.

A Day of travels

Well the day finally came and it was time to say goodbye to Canada and hello to Cambodia.....but not until after 3 planes, 4 airports, 4 bags, 1 overweight bag, 1 too many carry-ons, and 24 hours of travel.

December 19th was departure day, and it was a day I was both anticipating and dreading.  Saying goodbye to my parents was one of the most difficult things I had to do, and it nearly broke me.  It is never easy to separate yourself from your family by traveling half way across the world, especially when you have such an incredible family like the one I have been given.  After having said goodbye the adrenaline kicked in and I was in travel mode.  I am a very queasy plane traveller so I have accumulated a very focused traveling persona, one which involves no talking and lots of deep breathing to prevent any excessive sickness.  My first flight took me from Kamloops to Vancouver.  When I arrived in Vancouver I trekked the airport to arrive at my next gate.  Upon getting to my gate I was told I was not allowed my two carry-on bags (a small wheely and backpack) and so I had to last minute check my wheely bag.  This was not a huge inconvenience however I had things in my carry-on which I then had to transfer to my backpack making it burst at the seems.  The lady at the counter was exceptionally nice about it and waved the additional fee.  I then boarded my flight to find that a little old lady was in my seat, she kindly moved into the middle to free up my seat, however that seat was not hers either.  Three seats later I am hoping she finally found her correct seat.  I was fortunate to have a window and a gentleman was next to me in the middle seat, and a young lady on the aisle.  Neither of which spoke any english but that was fine with me as my travel persona does not account for chit-chatters.  After being fed dinner, beef and rice, I was happily knocked out by some pharmaceuticals.  I awoke after 7 of the 12 growling hours.  I attempted to get my personal tv to work but the buttons did not co-inside with the tv function so eventually I gave up and resorted to reading and watching my neighbours tv without any sound.  Breakfast was served right before landing, our options consisted of mushed rice goulash, or an omelette with sausage and potato fries...guess which one I chose?!!  We landed in Taipei and I proceeded to wander around the airport which was decorated differently at every gate.  One gate was jungle themed, another was like a movie theatre, one had a library where you could take free books in place of one you wanted to leave behind.  Honestly up until this point time had flown by, but the remainder of my layover in Taipei felt like an eternity.  No one spoke english so I was incapable of eavesdropping to pass the time and I was anxious to reach my final destination for both fear and excitement as to what awaited me.  My last flight from Taipei to Phnom Penh was the worst of them all.  Not because I did not have a good seat, I had an entire row to myself! And not because people weren't friendly, a little girl and her mother sat across the aisle from me and where very friendly.  But the flight was so rocky and the sun was on my side so the heat was excruciating! I was deep breathing like a pregnant lady in labour!  I thought for sure I was going to be sick but I willed myself not to smell like throw up before meeting my employer!  I made it off the plane in a daze and was then bombarded by the Cambodian customs madness.  Holy moly do not come here if you do not like small confined spaces with lots of body heat and people yelling.  I sidled up to an American couple and clutched on for dear life in order to get through the craziness.  37 dollars later, and the wrong visa I emerged on the other side.  I collected my bags (which were all there thank goodness) and loaded them onto a cart.  For the life of me though that cart would not budge so with all my body weight, sweating in places I never thought I could sweat I forced that cart forward on unpinning wheels.  My employer Virak approached me right away once I was outside and he graciously took the cart from me, and what do you know he pushed down on the handle releasing the brake and the cart soared easily for him!!   I must have looked hot and sick because he placed me inside the car with the air-conditioning on and then proceeded to load my bags.  Things began to go more smoothly after that, I got to see the school right away, and he took me to lunch at a westernized cafe, he took me grocery shopping and finally brought me to my apartment which was beautifully set up for my arrival.  Although it was only 2pm I settled in for the night by calling home to inform my family I was safe and sound. (I obviously didn't inform them soon enough though because my mother had already emailed my employer three times wondering where I was!) The rest of the night was spent unpacking and getting organized for the following day as I was to be picked up at 7:30 am.

Well Cambodia thanks for having me thus far!

 The school from the front gate.

 The canteen where the kids will put their backpacks and shoes and eat breakfast, lunch, and snack.  On the left is the directors office and one classroom, the far door in the right corner on the back wall leads to the kitchen, and then on the right between the gap in the lockers there is a hallway that leads to two classrooms, a library, a music room, and the bathrooms.

 one of the classrooms

 my classroom

 the unfinished library

 door leading to music room

 looking back down the hallway towards the canteen

 closer look at the cubbies in the canteen

the front office by the entrance gate

 kitchen right as you walk in the front door

looking from the front door into the living room

in the living room looking back at the front door

bathroom which is behind the kitchen

guest bedroom for all of you who plan to visit me :)

closer look at the bathroom. The toilet is around the corner to the left

 living room and my bedroom

my bedroom

Two Days until Take-off

First off I just wanted to thank everyone for how wonderfully supportive you've all been; from my parents helping me get organized, to my Dallas Elementary Family providing me with tips for teaching, and my friends and family who have nothing but positive and encouraging words to send me on my way.  I am so thankful that I have such amazing people in my life who have made saying goodbye so difficult.  I've never found goodbyes to be easy, in fact I resist them as much as I can sometimes even leaving without a word because the sheer fact of having to say goodbye is just too much, so having known the biggest goodbye is only two days away has made me into a bundle of nerves.
Once the goodbyes are behind me I am looking forward to all that awaits me. Mainly I am super excited to set up my classroom and meet my students.  It seems surreal to me to finally be done my University career after six years and to be starting an actual career as an Educator! Although I am done my education I hope that I never stop learning, the world is now my classroom and my first assignment will be Cambodia!

Wish me luck!