Food is a Good Thing

Friday, October 19

Up at the crack of dawn (yes, again!) to go see the sunrise over Angkor Wat and walk around the temple for a few hours. The Angkor site is immense - can't even see it in a day or two. Today, just the main temple, then through the gauntlet of vendors to get back. Two girls approached me to buy postcards, and I said no. One asked where I am from, and I said United States. "United States capital Washington, DC!" she said. I stopped and said, yes it is. "What state are you from?" "California." "California capital "Sacramento!" Yeppers. Fine, I bought the postcards. Her little cohort also was spouting off facts, such as the population of the US (something kids in the US most likely do not know). ANyway, I showed them my little photo album, we talked for a long time, and eventually bought them breakfast. How hilarious, to see them ordering breakfast from,,,,their MOM (who ran the outdoor cafe). When she served them, she called them "VIPs"and all the other vendors were making remarks about it. Those two girls were so happy they couldn't contain themselves.

Nobody here has enough to eat. As far as I can tell, every kid is about 5 years older than he/she looks. Fifteen-year-olds are the size of the average nine-year-old in the states. They are mostly so skinny they look ready to snap, but they always have a ready smile and a loud, "Hello!"for you. In fact, tonight as I was getting yet another massage, the girl was actually singing to herself. It's amazing how people so poor can be so happy, but they are.

This afternoon, I taught two classes of kids at Savong's School. Some of these kids are smart as a whip, let me tell you. I had them in stitches, trying to teach them prepositions..."Where is the water bottle?" I would ask, putting it on top of my head. "ON THE HEAD!" they would shout. "on the wall...under the table...behind the chair..." I was a smashing hit, especially when I was testing them by picking up a pencil and saying, "Is it a dog?" "noooooooo" and then pointed at one boy and said, "Is it a girl?" That brought gales of laughter.

I had a long talk with Savong about the whole concept of "total immersion" language instruction. I think that the teachers speak too much to the kids in Khmer, but I'm no expert. I do know that once the teacher came into the second class I was in, the kids really relied on her to translate things. But, up to that point, we were doing just fine. I think back to my father, who spoke no English until he went to kindergarten, and then learned it in a matter of weeks.

Three classrooms at this school service over 300 kids, in shifts every afternoon between 1 and 8 pm. They come willingly at their appointed times, even though they have already spent their required time in the state school. These kids are so eager to learn, and it made me think of how much our kids in the US complain about school. Some of these kids ride a bike a couple miles each day, AFTER doing the same to get to their regular schools.

Speaking of bikes...motorbikes are everywhere, plus tuk-tuks (which are like a motorbike rickshaw), and cars, and trucks. Often, some combination of those vehicles is on the road 5 or 6 across. How there aren't accidents is beyond me, but I haven't seen one yet. I have to admit that I have closed my eyes a couple times and waited for a crash, but so far, so good.

Record to date of number of people seen riding on one motorbike: 5 (including an infant). Amazing.

Enough for now. It's already 9:30 pm and I haven't had anything to eat since breakfast (which was a pineapple pancake with honey on it - incredibly good - the fruit here is amazing).