Another week in Siem Reap

Kids discovering that if you pretend to clean your teeth you can create more spit, and legitimately spit in public.

I didn't think i was getting along that well with my 'creche' class (aged 3-9) but on Friday someone was sick so i had to cover the preschool class instead. As i went to creche to let the Khumer teachers know, the kids all looked very excited and waved and said hello to me. The younger ones now all grab my trousers and try to climb up me as well. I really do like them and was sad to spend the day apart from them.

Taking pre-school was fun as well. As you enter the classroom all the kids shout, 'GOOD MORNING TEACHER' to which i replied 'I am LE and I've come today as Lyn is sick', they all look at me silently.......... and then i remember myself, 'Good morning class, how are you today?' 'I'M FINE THANK YOU AND YOU?' to which you can say anything you want and they will all say, 'THANK YOU TEACHER. They dont really say the above but shout it as loud as they can, while smiling immensely, and stopping abruptly at the end of each word like a drill sergeant.

Even though the preschool are young (4-7) (note that for some bizarre reason they are younger than some of the creche!) they know lots of English and enjoyed naming all the animals they could think of, including some odd ones like Kangaroo and Buffalo (they have volunteers here from USA and Oz) and some alphabet ones like Yak. It made me smile and they were very enthusiastic. I then took them outside to play a game where groups of 3 kids were an animal and when i shouted out their animal and a number they had to race to the other end of the football pitch and collect that many ping pong balls and race each other back. Unfortunately by the time we got to the football pitch and i checked their animals we had 12 Gorillas and only 1 Cat amongst others. So i redistributed names and checked again, this time 11 Cats and 2 Gorillas. I settled for this and they ran up and down a lot and didn't seem to care who won which was great.

Children pretending to be asleep so they don't have to play the animal game again.

Xss started teaching classes by himself on Friday as the other English volunteer in his class has now left. He seemed to enjoy this. He is a giant here so its always funny to see him with these little kids. Several have made themselves his friends, and I'm keeping an eye on all the girls as they keep passing him pretty pictures on which they have written their names and 'I love you'. There is one major culprit and i know she doesn't support Norwich City, so i doubt she'll get very far.

Xss and one of said girls pretending to pick up litter, however she doesn't have any free hands.