Well my new best friend (bright-pink) fly swatter just stole the show.
Perhaps that will clue you in to the current bug level in our apartment. Again, I just have to get used to it, but that doesn't take away from the relish with which I swing BPFS or the "HA!" that I yell when I get one.
Anyway. Yes, the students have arrived and today marked the first day of our second week of "Camp Liger." Each morning of last week we started the day with an all-school sing-along with Robert playing the guitar, went over some guidelines for the day and then broke into groups. We currently have 44 students, so last week's schedule consisted of groups of seven to nine kids rotating between Art, Sports, English, Swimming and Medical. After two days, all the kids had completed their Medical workshop, which dealt with things like how to brush your teeth, why staying hydrated is important and what diarrhea is. This last point is key because chances are that our kids have lived with it for most of their lives without knowing that it is an indicator of poor health. Our on-site nurse (with the support of a medical doctor from a local non-profit) then spent the next few days pulling each student individually in order to establish basic medical records (eyes, ears, height, weight, etc.). It is predicted that most of our students have never been vaccinated and that more than a few will need glasses. Even from simple observation we also know that dental issues are common with our students, including broken and rotting teeth.
Another health-related topic that we have been talking about lately is the Cambodian practice of "coining." Coining refers to the practice of taking a small, round, metal object (interesting since Cambodian currency does not actually include coins..), dipping it in gas or oil, and rubbing it along the skin of a person who is ill. The rubbing increases in speed and pressure until the blood vessels below the skin break, leaving harsh-looking, thick, red lines along the skin. This can be done on the back, the legs, the arms...really anywhere. It is thought to restore the health of the person. We learned about coining during the medical portion of our training and our nurse found evidence of coining among our students. Liger has stated that it does not condone coining and will not tolerate it, while at the same time has informed overseas staff that there is a good chance that there are Khmer staff members who believe in and practice coining. If staff members have coining scars on their body, they are not allowed to show them at work.
Once the medical rotation ended, that extra block turned into Drama. Each day we had three morning sessions, lunch, quiet time (staff meeting time), two afternoon sessions and then came back together for an all-school closing assembly. Last week, I was stationed in the library with Jess and Nica, and we structured our days around getting to know the students in two ways (1) gathering baseline data (letter ID, letter-sound correspondence, sight word recognition) and (2) introducing and assessing oral language skills. Most students do not speak English in any deep or fluent way. A few have some isolated vocabulary and many have learned scripts, including, "Good Morning Teacher, how you sleep?" and when asked how they are, can reply "Fine, thank you, and you?" Since we know they like to ask and answer questions, we chose one important topic for each day and paired it with an anchoring question or statement. So, Monday we did "My name is..," Tuesday was "I like..." and Wednesday was "I can." We were able to build in higher-level concepts such as adding the -ing to verbs when saying "I like" and taking it off when saying "I can." On Thursday, Nica designed a really cool mapping activity on her iPad to explain "I am from," and we had the students do a basic writing sample of what they had learned that week. It was amazing how quickly they picked up the basics of the iPad while dropping pins on their home provinces and typing their names.
Today while in the pool, one of our students with very low oral language abilities came up to me and asked, "Where...are...youfrom?" It was priceless. These kids are sponges. Anything that is said in English, they immediately repeat, whether they know what they are saying or not. They also respond really well to songs, including "If You're Happy and You Know It" and "I Like to Eat, Eat, Eat." Listening to a bunch of Cambodian children (with beautiful voices) try to keep up with the changing vowel sounds in "I Like to Eat, Eat, Eat," is hilarious.
Overall, the week held a lot of ups and downs and a lot of long days, but the general consensus is that we have a really special group of kids and that even if we don't really know what we are doing yet, they are having a great time. One of my favorite activities that we did last week in whole group was having the students get into line from shortest to tallest without talking. Below are some pictures of the process and Robert assessing their final line.
On Thursday night I went out to dinner with some of the interns to a restaurant that teaches local street children how to work in a restaurant. We ordered fried tarantula with a lime-pepper dipping sauce and all had a bite. Well, not all of us. I ate a leg (tasted like a french fry) and some of the abdomen, which tasted like chicken. Woo! Max ordered a dish with red ants in it and JoJo and Clara shared some Mekong river fish. I had a stir-fry beef dish with morning glories and crispy sweet potatoes, which was delicious. They also served really good mango-lime margaritas. Yum.
Friday night Nica, Jeff and I were compelled to find some comfort food, so we trekked to the far end of Monivong and arrived at Mike's Burger, a burger joint/add-on to a gas station that is owned and operated by an American. The smell of meat and fries greeted us at the door, as did a shelf of American novelties (Slim Jims, Capri Suns, Vitamin Waters, Blow Pops, etc.). We ordered cheeseburgers, chicken nuggets and fries to share. Although I felt sick the next morning because my body is not used to that much meat/fat, it was totally worth it and comforting to know that it is available when we need a break from steamed white rice and chicken broth soup. For lunch. In ninety degree heat.
Saturday evening Jeff and I tukked into town and happened to run into Max and JoJo on street 278, which is a pretty touristy/ex-pat area. They had been in town all day, and we were checking into a hotel for the night. The four of us grabbed a pitcher of (actually decent) mojitos on the fourth floor rooftop bar Top Banana, a stoner-looking hang out and hostel. Bridesmaids was on the TV in the background and the wireless password was "doyouspeakEnglish," to which I replied "Yes" after asking (in English) and then felt like an ass. By six-thirty, Jess swung by with her tuk-tuk and the five of us headed over to Riverside to meet up with a friend of a former co-worker of Jess' who has been living in Cambodia for four years as a consultant to the Ministry of Health. After some seventy cents Anchor beers, pineapple fried rice, a pizza...some more beers, a banana smoothie...we walked down to the night market where I acquired a zebra print dress with little zebras on it. Yes, both whole zebras and their print...for three dollars.
The rest of the night does not need to be detailed, but did involve flaming shots of absinthe resulting in a blood blister on my hand. It also included a bar called "Heart of Darkness" and a techno remix of "Call Me Maybe." It was a great night with new friends and exactly what we all needed to blow off some steam from the week.
Now on to week two!
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