Vacation Again

In the middle of February RUA had its semester break. After administering exams I took off for some travel time with my parents! They came to visit for just under two weeks. It was a wonderful mixing of blessings for me as I got to travel, spend time with my parents and have two extra people to help me with my grading. :)

Our first trip was up to Siem Reap to see the temples of Angkor Wat. This fantastic area is the most famous part of Cambodian history and it was very easy to see why. The thought that these were all created and survived this long was quite a marvel in itself. The hotel room with air conditioning and hot water was also a marvel, but mostly just for me. We also had a lot of fun exploring the craft shops in the town of Siem Reap as well as spending time with an MCC family that is stationed up there.

After returning to Phnom Penh for one night we next headed off to the coastal town of Kep. We only spent one day there, mostly relaxing and eating a lot of seafood. Returning to Phnom Penh again my parents were faced with the reality that after 1, maybe 2 days there is literally nothing to do in this city. So they joined me in my regular activity of sitting around the office being bored.

Overall we all had to make adjustments for the heat. Them because they are coming from American winter (40-50F), and me because I was coming out of Cambodian winter (70-80F). We also had more than our fair share of traffic incidents which I think was unfortunate for such a short visit. I think my parents are probably now very concerned about me driving in city traffic. But I'm really ok with that because I'm concerned about me driving in city traffic.

Now I've finished my grading and have just a couple more days to enjoy being bored before teaching starts again on Monday. I have a feeling that second semester will fly by, especially with all the extensive vacations coming up. More travel to come!

Drawing Near

Today is the beginning of the end...of the semester. We will be grading students' speaking today and then the final written exam is next week Monday and Tuesday. I have no idea how to grade a speaking exam. And I am also becoming increasingly aware that these final exam grades are a reflection on my competence as a teacher, awesome.

Also a new thing learned for today: Having the thought "We're going to die" more than three times on the way to the MCC office in the morning is a less than optimal way to start the morning.

Almost....

My parents are coming in four days. It's crazy. And yes, I'm trying not to think about it too much, but even so it still doesn't seem that close. What does seem very close is the exam review and speaking evaluation I have to do this week. Then the final exams next week. And then the grading of everything after that. Those seem close because they are very tangible. They exist here in Cambodia. My parents do not yet exist in Cambodia. I think it might be a little strange when they do. Clash of Contexts.

This weekend was pretty busy with a couple dinners on Saturday and Sunday night. Although enjoyable, I think I need to work on my people skills in large groups of people I don't really know well. Or just remember not to move to Washington, DC anytime soon.

This Week

On Monday morning my parents called and told me that my Grandpa died. Well, he was technically my step-grandpa, but the only one I'd ever known. I was pretty upset. But after the non-Super Bowl party that I was at at 6:30 in the morning I headed to school. Taking the day off was not an option because of how close it is to the end of the semester. Teaching was rough on Monday, but has been a little better since then. But the week has still been crazy with all the teachers trying to compile bits and pieces into a final exam. It is hard to prep students for a final exam when you haven't seen the thing yourself yet. So mostly I've been walking around half insane this week. If you're here in Cambodia with me, you've had fair warning... If you're not in Cambodia with me, wait until next week if you need coherent conversation. As you can see, this blog post is a good example of non-coherent communication on my part.

Correction

For a better (and much funnier) account of our time in Kep, please visit Christa's blog. http://fatherseyes86.blogspot.com/

Vacation Time!

Chinese New Year is not an official Cambodian holiday. But would students think about coming to school during a non-official holiday??? Given that we were forewarned about this event, Christa and I officially canceled our classes Mon-Wed (maintaining a slight illusion of control). Feeling somewhat stressed, or just somewhat lazy, we decided a vacation at the beach was very much in order. So we headed out on Saturday morning and after a somewhat bumpy bus ride we arrived in Kep around lunch time. Kep is a sea-side resort town that was very popular before the Khmer Rogue time. Now there is a strange combination of new development and tourist-oriented projects along with ruins of old colonial style buildings.

Sadly there are no pictures for your enjoyment as both Christa and I forgot our cameras (also sunscreen, but that's a different matter). On Sunday we took the short boat trip out the the biggest nearby island and spent all day lazing on the beach and occasionally swimming. We also ate fresh crab and enjoyed the general hilarity that seems to be a part of our daily lives. On Monday we met up with Sothea, who works with us at RUA. We met his sister and her boyfriend and spent time at a nearby river which is a swimming area in the dry season. Overall there were a lot of people enjoying the holiday and the nice weather, as it wasn't as hot near the coast.

Now we're back in Phnom Penh spending our last "vacation" day preparing the final exam. I'm also trying desperately to figure out how to prepare my students in the scant time that remains.

It was a short season

The cold season, or what there was of it, is definitely over. I have now returned to sweating while sitting still and looking for shade instinctively. It's getting lighter in the mornings, but only very slowly. Our early morning runs are still cool and dark, and at my new house I have to search around sometimes before I find a motodupe at that early time.

School is going ok, though time is winding down before the final exam. I realize this but the students don't seem to see it as clearly as I do. Taking almost this whole next week off for Chinese New Year is a nice break, but it means that there are only a few classes left in the semester. A donor conference involving most of the teachers on campus this past week meant that most of the students decided their holiday would start an extra day early and many of us were faced with empty classrooms, or two or three forlorn students.

My new host family situation is going fairly well, with still the occasional mis-understandings. Sometimes I feel that I am either being followed around constantly or ignored. I guess it is hard to have a middle ground when my vocabulary is focused around food and basic daily events. Last night I ate some strange candied fruit that though being deceptively coated in sugar, still managed to set my mouth on fire. I must say I am coming to somewhat appreciate the sour, hot and sweet tastes, and in various combinations, but it still is always a novelty.