Teaching English

I really love teaching English here! It'e been so interesting though to try to come up with lessons and activities to suit different levels as some cannot yet pronounce the alphabet and others have a strong grasp of the English language and are just looking to refine conversation skills. I am particularly enjoying being with the Khmer teachers. I am with them 4-5 times a week and, especially since their English is advanced, I am getting to know them well. They are so much fun to talk with and we are learning from each other as we share about language, holidays, history, stories, and our own lives.

Yesterday I share American fables with them and once they recognized the form of the story, were able to explain some Khmer ones to me. As we went over some idioms earlier in the week, I learned that Khmer has its own expression for "That's a piece of cake" which roughly translates: "It's as easy as peeling a banana." To which, if you don't agree, you respond, "Ya-- a GREEN banana!" We had some varying opinions on whether speaking Khmer was a ripe banana or a green banana. :)

So often we just talk and I think we all enjoy and benefit from this. A few days ago I completely scrapped the lesson after starting class by asking them to share something they had learned over the weekend. I had planned on just saying something simple such as I learned that the Cambodian royal court wears a different color depending on the day of the week. However, the woman who started the discussion shared that she's been learning about fear and how how she needs to trust God in the midst of it because fear is not from Him. She shared her anxieties about moving to the US (she will be marrying an American in September) but also how she is learning to surrender these to God. As a class we were able to look at a few passages of scripture that address fear and discuss them in both English and Khmer. The next to share about what she learned responded on an equal level as she talked about how she has been disappointed and depressed recently, especially with regards to her relationship with her boyfriend, but also shared ways she's been encouraged and how she's learning to take it before God. So many of the conversations I've had with them is just like talking with friends back home. I really enjoy spending time with them and am excited to continue to build these relationships.

Today I head back to the village. It will definitely be different here as I am pretty much thrown into a classroom of onlooking eyes and told to teach English, not knowing any idea of where they are at. It will be challenging but I'm looking forward to it!