My Learning Jungle!: 2015

Wednesday, 30 December 2015

What I've Learned This Year

The world is my classroom as I continue to travel and learn new things about myself. Here is what I learnt this year...

1. Transport is not always accurate, add a couple of hours to the time it will take to get somewhere.

2. Never run up to a group of cute puppies, the momma dog is likely to want to attack you and Sharon will not come to your rescue!

3. When your students complement you you feel like the most beautiful person in the world.

4. When a bar offers you free popcorn just say no despite it being your favorite snack.

5. Never try going down a dirt road that's been washed out by the rain on a motto (Codi)! And when the doctor says your finger isn't broken, even though it clearly is, get a second opinion.

6. Always have someone you can laugh with at work (Lauren).

7. Drinking Chai before bed keeps me awake for two days straight!

8. Sharing a room with Sarah is never a dull moment, especially when she is looking for a toilet!

9. Polar Bears live in Alaska!... Sharon you will never live that one down!

10. And you can make a lifetime of memories in the blink of an eye so enjoy it while it lasts.

Cambodia, and those I met along the way you will never be forgotten. Thank you for putting up with me!

Now for 2016 and all the new lessons that await me

Saturday, 19 December 2015

Everywhere I go a piece of my heart stays behind, and in its place my heart grows twice the size from all that I experienced along the way. Thank you to those who inspire my heart to grow. I hope to always be a part of our Jungle Family, you all will be in my heart forever!

Sharon, myself, and Ms. Vanny

Sharon, I could not have done this without her!

Codi, my partner in crime when it comes to doing the unexpected!

The heart of Learning Jungle, Mr. Virak and Ms. Vanny

Seda and Cheata (TA's), the ones that bare the weight making the teachers life easier!

Sarah, my traveling roommate who makes life more exciting

My Jungle parents

The teachers that make being away from home that much easier

Whittney, my would be bestie if she didn't resist it so much!

Lalen, took care of all of us teachers and she too will be leaving!

These wonderful people made my year in Cambodia one that will never be forgotten!

Wednesday, 16 December 2015

Last Day with my Class!

Going into teaching I guess I had hoped to make a difference. To offer children the opportunities and support that I had been given throughout my own life, something I am so lucky to have had and I know that not everyone is as fortunate as I am to get. But never in my life did I ever fathom the way my students would make a difference in my own life! They have inspired me to be the best teacher I possibly can be, and they have shown me such profound love and admiration that it pains me to say goodbye. I have loved every last minute of being their teacher, and I will never forget the way they made me feel...Loved, respected, inspired, and capable of conquering the world!

Sasa, one of my younger students who pushed through showing that she can do anything she sets her mind to.

Dawin, a natural leader she loves to take control and be the boss. I'm sure she will be a wonderful Business Woman!

Malachi, mature beyond his years! He loves stories and is one of the most imaginative kids I know!

Yuth, barely knew any english when I started and is now one of my top readers. He works so hard and is bound to do wonderful things in the future!

Our last day together we celebrated Yuth and Sawa's Birthdays

Casey, once unable to play has now let her hair down. I love seeing her laugh and play with her friends.

Panha, a perfectionist at heart. He is one of the best behaved boys always being an excellent example for his friends!

Alex, despite some learning difficulties he is now speaking and able to interpret emotions. He is the first to come up and ask if I am ok when hurt, rubbing my back and giving me hugs.

Dana (hand raised), beautiful on the inside and out! She is good at everything she does!
Veda (sitting), purely kind and always wants to do good by everyone. Her empathy and understanding for others gives me goosebumps, and makes me want to be a better person just like her!

Jacky, curious about everything! His energy for life and for learning make me so proud!

Brian, tries his best to please everyone! He is one of the younger and smaller boys but he has the biggest heart! He always cracks me up with his little comments, like handing in his work and saying "special delivery"! He is such a character!

Aliza, quick to adapt and steel your heart. She is one that is quietly confident and everyones friend!

Billy, happiest kid you'll ever meet. Loves helping the teacher!

Lido, biggest personality! I like to call him the question master, because he is so curious to understand everything around him.

Abby, my little monkey. She always on the move and often thinks I am something to climb on.

Reiyance, her facial expressions are boundless. When I am mad she likes to inform the class that my heart has been broken. "Teachers heart broke"

My beautiful classroom and wonderful students have provided me with a lifetime of memories that will never be forgotten. Thank you.

Monday, 30 November 2015

Krystal and Kim experience Cambodia!

My sister is in Cambodia! After missing her by two days last December (I left the 19 she came home the 21) we haven't seen one another in over a year and a half!!

Krystal and Kim arrived on Friday November 20th and I was able to slip out of work and get them on my lunch break. I quickly dropped them at my apartment and returned to work with minor instructions on how to find me later. Sure enough they found their way by Tuk Tuk and the kids were ecstatic, turned hesitant at the sight of their pasty skin, turned joyous again once they got used to it. They kids were working in the journals to introduce themselves to krystal and Kim. They quickly had to show off their work to them and get their seal of approval. After work we walked home in which case Kim and krystal proceeded to swim along in their sweat. Needing time to adjust we ate dinner at a legit restaurant and called it a night. To ease them into the chaotic life of Phnom Penh we hit central market and... Ya no that's all we did. Later that evening I introduced them to the other girls I work with at one of our favourite places to go, showbox, as you get free beer from 6:30-7. Although still fighting jet lag they made it past 10pm and were up at 6am to make our bus trip to siem reap!

Having been to Siem Reap before and having had a positive experience I booked us into the Mad Monkey Hostel. However once shown to our room it was anything but positive and so goes the first of many incidents. First our bed was wet so we asked for the sheets to be changed (although we couldn't find the source of the leak). Then no sheets were clean so we went to the market to wait. At the market it began raining so we braved the quickly flooding streets (sorry Kim and krystal who soaked their shoes running through the streets) to take cover at one of my favourite restaurants only to be mauled by cockroaches who were also trying to flee the flooded streets!! The restaurant then had to close because of the growing colony of infested creatures. So we headed back to see if our room was ready. Somehow our room had now become a pool of water on the floor and the sheets still had not been changed. After many trips to the front desk and them clearly hating despising us we had to move to a new hotel. Despite the trouble the manager was lovely and worked his magic to get us into nicer rooms, problem was we now could not all be together so we got two rooms. The next morning we headed to the temples for the 4am sunrise! It's by far something you need to experience when ever you get the chance! The last time I did the temples we could have been passed my a turtle as we took forever to get through the temples managing only to see 4. This time I knew the trick was in and out before the crowds followed so we got to do 9 temples and basically have the places to ourselves! It was an awesome day and tomorrow we head to sihanoukville. Having had the interesting wet bed experience in Siem Reap we were pleasantly surprised with a nice hotel with three single beds and a pool right outside the door. We lavished the pool and took to our beds... Only to discover bed bugs!!! Now Cambodia has given me many obstacles over this past year but this by far takes the cake! After changing rooms we were so repelled that we packed up and left....only there was an even bigger issue, no other hotels had any vacancies because it was water festival!!! We spent 5 hours wandering helplessly. Our guardian angels, four guys working at a fancy hotel, let us rest in their prestige lobby while they searched the Internet for us to find us a place to sleep. Just when we were about to give up and accept being homeless, another angel came and said he'd found a place to stay and just down the road was a place we could have. We literally jumped for joy. The place had two single beds no bigger than a shoebox but it was something! So we slept for all of five hours before having to catch our boat to Koh Rong Saloem Island.

Island life took on a new positivity. It was calm and beautiful, but as it turned out NOT bug free. Either we brought the bed bugs with us or they already had them but krystal got eaten alive! This time we stuck it out so not to be homeless again and tried to focus on the little time we had left. We ate lots, swam even more, and snorkelled the days away. To wrap it all up with a nice little bow, we had the craziest boat on the way back to the mainland. Imagine splash mountain for three hours straight while in a bouncy castle... Then multiply by 100!!

Once home we took all the precautions necessary to rid ourselves of any bed bugs and we aggressively boiled everything we had on us!! Took two pots, one kettle, and three hours but we were finally clean and hopefully bug free!

To end their visit through Cambodia I finally got to do something I've been eager to do!! Cambodian traditional pictures!!! Krystal and Kim were good sports about it and agreed to partake in my obsession with this idea. So we set off to find a local studio that gives you the whole shebang! Hair! Makeup! Dresses! Awkward Poses! The works! I of course was in my glory while krystal and Kim proceeded to resemble line backers in Cambodian kilts! I will be keeping these on my mantle for all to see when they come to visit!

Well krystal and Kim definitely got to experience Cambodia at its prime, with the triumphs and tribulations it so happens to offer. But along with all that Cambodia throws at you its been my home for this past year and I'm so happy I got to share that with my sister!