A day in the life of a Khumer School Teacher.....

In the musical Avenue Q, they have a song titled, 'Everyone's a little bit racist', which i believe is true. I know this is true of myself as i am loving Cambodia but have been very surprised by how different it is to Thailand- why did i think it would be the same? Luckily it has been raining a bit and so brought the temperatures down to a pleasant level in which we can enjoy experiencing this laid back place with people who seem to know more about England than ourselves (one boy can name prime ministers going back 60 years) and almost love shouting 'Hello' to us more than they enjoy hearing us shout hello back (all accompanied by perfuse waving on both sides). We are enjoying being in one place, and getting into a routine. And here is that routine:

7.30am Alarm goes off and we lay awake but refusing to start the day until we know we are definitely going to be late.

08.00am Arriving downstairs in our share house (ex-hotel) we eat cold croissants we bought the previous night at half price from the bakery in town.

08.10am leave for school by bike. we cycle next to a calm river on mud roads waving to as many as possible.

Xss on his way to teach. Note that he has carefully put his cycle helmet in the front basket to keep it safe.

09.00am - Xss teaches the Lions class with a Khumer teacher for translation and Alison another volunteer (although she is leaving soon and he will have to do it alone later this week). He can choose the material but the subject must be around, 'Me and my body'.

This class was all about keeping healthy by moving around the classroom and not doing the work.

Some of my Creche class still thinking about whether they like me or not yet.

11.00am - Lunch break. We eat the meal cooked for us (it costs $2 a day) which is very tasty. Then we go to the local 'cafe' (shack) for an iced coffee or two.

Volunteers eating their lunches, whilst wearing a uniform suggesting where people should put their hands.

01.00pm - Classes again for Xss whilst I help interview some of the kids about their home backgrounds and try to find ways to support their families.

03.00pm- Schools out and we race home on our bikes to shower and eat fresh fruit (pineapple, melon, mango or papaya) bought on the way home.

04.00pm -SHOWERING! book reading and snoozing. Its hot.

06.00pm - Head out to town for a meal, there are lots of restaurants in town to choose from. Ecstatic Pizza last night ($5). Probably a drink or two in town.

The 'Dr. Fish' experince. I really enjoy these little friends of mine biting my feet, any of my friends wants to learn how to do this in Britain for when i get home?


08.30pm - Home to relax, read our books, try to glimpse a TV (me) or use the Internet before we fall asleep and start the cycle again. Rewarding and relaxing, what more could you want.