we're halfway there!!!

We are here!!! We have finally setteled into siem reap and have our set schedule and it is great. I feel as though i have a set full time job. It is fun but it is tiring. Me and two of my roomates are are working at a safehouse. I love it and that is the ministry i wanted to get into. It is amazing and i am already loving all the girls so much. We work there 6 days a week and our schedule is so full. We teach two to three english classes a day at different levels, we teach two different life skills lessons a week, we teach arts and crafts three times a week, and they have given me all day on wednesdays to teach any sports I want. Then on Sundays we got to pioneer a Bible study. We found a translator to take with us and we go to the girls' house and do an hour "Youth Group" with them. We play games and sing songs and then teach a lesson then do an activity on the lesson. It is amazing. I love all the girls so much. The hardest part about this is the language berrier because i want so badly to be able to really communicate with the girls but a lot of them do not speak much english at all and if they speak any english it is memorized. THey speak as much english as i speak khmer so it makes it really hard at times but we are finding ways to communicate. We have learned to act things out or point to what we are talking about. Each class is so different so preparing for the different groups is fun.
With our English classes we each are in charge of one but we all help and are there to teach them. It is so different than classes in America. When you go in you take your shoes off at the door. THis is Asian Culture. Most places you go here you take your shoes off. Even when you to nice restraunts you take your shoes off at the door. It is so dusty here that your shoes will track so much dust in. So at class we take our shoes off at the door and go in. When you go in there are sitting pillows on the floor and little tables that are maybe a foot and a half off the floor.THe tables have "Lamb before time" pictures on them which makes me laugh so hard i haven't seen that in forever. The white board is on the floor and I, as the teacher, sit on the floor by the white board and then the girls sit at the mini tables. It is really casual which is really nice. Then one of our classes is a little more advanced and they are learning grammar. It is so much harder than it sounds to teach english. We have grown up speaking it but to people who are 17-20 and have never spoke it before they ask why things are the way they are. Literally i have to just say because they are. You can't say because it doesn't sound right because they don't know what sounds wrong. It has been tough but I love it and i think i am better at it than i ever thought i wold be. It is pretty fun and i feel like a legitimate teacher. The other English class that I have the girls do not speak any english other than maybe "hello." THis makes things a little difficult but they are my favorite girls. They are so happy and they just memorize what i say and pretend like they can read what is on the board, so i have had to start from scratch and now we are going through the alphabet and learning the sounds. I am basically teaching them how to read. It is really an awesome opportunity. Who would have thought that English would so much fun, and extremely tiring at the same time.
Our life skills class is one I never thought i would be teaching but it is stuff they need to know. We cover the basics of how to brush your teeth, hair, why you shower, and all the aspects of personal hygiene. This is stuff that seems like so much common sense but no one has ever taught these girls so we are teaching them. I have learned to make it fun so we implement little skits whith them. It is so cool to see the girls get into it. We teach them about lice and germs and why it is important to stay clean not just for social reasons but also for health reasons. Lice is a big issue here so teaching the girls to keep their hair up is a huge issue. I can tel it is hard for them to stay with us when we are talking about hygiene because it can get boring it is like a health class. Once we started doing skits and bringing prizes they got way more into it so i believe it is going to be really good for the next five weeks.
Arts and Crafts. . . . I am not an artsy person. If you know me that does not shock you, so i kind of sit back and let the other girl take charge of this one. HOwever i am getting more into it. I am googling origami and i am going to teach the girls next week. THey are so artsy so it is hard to come up with somehting that they dont know how to do. So far we have made flowers out of fabric and buttons and paper beads for bracelets. I am probably slower than the girls when it comes to this but they all help me and laugh. When they laugh though it makes me smile so big. They laugh all the time. So much more than i have ever seen anyone laugh at home and with what they have gone through it is so good to see they all still have a sense of humor. Even if it is because of my artwork at times! Their laughs are so contagious even if you dont understand why they are laughing you cant help but laugh to.
Sports is my favorite i am trying to start a volleyball day but i need to get some supplies which are hard to find around here. I love teaching them PE so much though. It is obvious it is somehting that they have not done much of before. I am learnign so much through all of this i am writing lesson plans and doing grown-up stuff. I love it and GOd is showing me so much through my job here. My heart is totally with these girls. I love them so much. When i am at the house i feel like i really would rather be no where else. I love it,
Work is fun but Cambodian life is proving to be a bit of a challenge. BIG SHOCK i know. We went through a period where the water was off for days at a time. Which ment we took water bottle/wet whipe showers. Toilets didnt flush which left a wonderful smell throughout the house. Fortunately i think that problem is fixed for good. Thank GOd. THe dust will get to you after a while. And it has been interesting having a curfue ahhahaha but i love it here. I am excited to come home though. God is definitely teaching me patience. It is really hot here and tons of bugs. I am not complaining just stating truth haha. I do love it here i just miss familiarity. We eat a lot of rice. I got a fish foot mesage which was soo wierd. I have learned how to bargain. I am definitley growing a lot through all of this. I cant wait to share all that God is doing here. Cant believe it is half way over!