2nd - 21st

Today we started our three weeks at the Cristina School which was 30 minutes from Siem Reap! We Got picked up at 9:30 by putty who took us to the Cristina School buy tuk tuk with another fellow volunteer who was starting that day, Caroline.

We arrived and put stuff down then he took us straight to the public school where we met loads of little ones and I observed a year 5 class!

We Then came back my trailer to Cristina school where we had lunch of noodles tomato and carrot! We then had to wash up everything in the outside buckets using the well water!

Later We went with Sokran, Josie and Matida to a school party! We Took the bicycles but mine had really bad tyre! The children kept saying it’s very close when really is was a 20 minute bike ride in 30degree heat. Plus I was cycling on the metal as the tyre had burst completely! So half way I got taken by scooter as the children felt so so bad!

We Arrived at the party and it was so so crazy! I sat on a mat with some kids waiting for the others to get here! They offered me pineapple which had a spicy red topping!

We then Danced and looked round school. The dancing was crazy and the kids just loved to dance! There was also a bbq there which was selling green sausages, like bright green!

I then Came back by a 13 year old on a scooter, I still couldn’t wrap my head around that the children ride scooters!

The Cristina school was a non government funded project where kids go there to learn English in there own time and to hang out. The public school was compulsory and this was were we taught two hours a day in there main school.

We observed classes for a few days then I was Given my two classes. I was so so happy! I had the abcs and lower beginners. The abcs where adorable, they aged from 3-5! The lower beginners was an all boy class with one girl and they aged between 8-13! I was really happy with what I was given. Normally you would have public school classes too but this was closed for the three weeks we were there as it was Khmer New Year.

I was lucky enough to go to the New year public school party! We arrived and the teacher was doing end of year speech but getting various children to come up and talk. If there speech went well they were awarded with a school book and pen! We then danced like crazy, it was the typical Khmer songs that I had heard before! It was so lovely to see the teachers really getting involved. Everyone in Cambodia really does like to dance! There was also a lot of white talc powder being thrown around and wiped on people’s faces as this was a tradition. The little kids were fascinated by us and kept grabbing our hands to dance. We then had school dinners at the school, we sat on the stone seat and table and were given all sorts of dishes, even ant salad! It was amazing to see how grateful the children were. They get three free dinners a day whereby the rice has minerals and vitamins added to it! We then danced some more before leaving!

When Caliz left on the first Friday she brought some paints and was drawing tattoos on them, was so lovely to see how chuffEd they were with them! However, after lessons it all went slightly crazy, the little ones had got hold of the paint and were drawing on our faces! At first I had a pretty pattern, then the more kids that kept adding to it I ended up with a black and orange full face of paint, I looked horrific! Was a good activity though!

After the leaving party I completed my First hitch hike with Sarah. So every weekend the volunteers go to Siem Reap for a bit of luxury as our rooms at the school are not great - oh and the bathroom! Sarah and I had a double bed with just a yoga mat on a wooden bed with a thin quilt, it was super uncomfortable. So we hitch hiked back to our favourite hostel onederz where the beds are so so comfortable! The hitch hike was successful although we had to pay a pound but I got free lychees! We also went to our favourite restaurant ‘try me’ for dinner so I could have the greatest smoothie!

We then would go back the Sunday evening by tuk tuk and have a team meeting! The dogs and cats always got so excited when we came back! Especially flip flop the dog!

The second week had no exciting new year festivities as that was all the following week. Jess bought some henna and did patterns on all of us in our 5 hour break in the middle of the day, as there was no public school. This was a dangerous move as all the kids were asking for one after they had seen ours!

Pow our cook picked a Giant Duran in the back, it was massive! It was double the size of my head and so so heavy! We then used to do an hour exercise workout before lunch! It was so much fun, we put the speakers on and did it as a team effort!

After lunch I would normally Cycle to the market, with the bikes provided by the school! The market was 10 minutes away by bike but we were able to get fresh fruit and veg for the week as the portions never really filled us up!

The kids used to Swing on palm tree leaves! I even gave it a go, but I didn’t go as far as they did! I also learnt how to count to 100 in my spare time:

Moi, B, Bye, Bown, Bram, Bram moi, Bram b, Bram bye, Bram bown, Dap

Dap Moi, Dap b, Dap bye, Dap bown, Dap Bram, Dap Bram moi, Dap Bram b, Dap Bram bye, Dap Bram bown, Moi Pai

Pai moi, Pai b, Pai bye, Pai bown, Pai Bram, Pai Bram moi, Pai Bram b, Pai Bram bye, Pai Bram bown, San sup

Says sup...
Ha sup...
Hot sup...
Jets up...
Peds up...
Cals up...
Moi roi...

One evening during the week the kids all departed at 7 and then all Came back with putty at 8 as they had found a snake! Sokvat was running around with it, chasing us volunteers around the table! Apparently it was a poisonous one and is very expensive.

Some days I would go on the school drop off with putty, as all the kids lived so far away, putty picks up two trailers worth of kids and takes them home!

One of the weekends sarah, Caroline, Melina and I visited Angkor Wot. On the Saturday we went for the sunset. We found a friendly tuk tuk man who we paid for both days. He took us to the ticket office where we had our photo taken for the ticket, very strict if you loose it in the area too with an additional big fine! We watched the sunset in one of the other buildings, it was stunning although it was so so cloudy!

We then woke up and left at 4:30am the next day for the sunrise. As we were staying in Siem Reap it took 20/30 minutes to get there! We went to the main temple and it was spectacular, the reflections on the lake outside the temple was just beautiful!

After the sun was up we went and explored. We first looked round the main temple, this was were I was blessed by a monk twice. I did it the first time and had Caroline film me so I could put it in my cambodia video but she didn’t press record... so 2 minutes later I did it with another monk! Very funny!

We then went around another 6/7 temples as we were on the long tour! They were all special in individual ways. But by the end of the day, we were definitely temples out!

On Saturdays the children learn Chinese by also a volunteer who comes in and teaches! It’s amazing how many hours of learning the kids do in a week! Sometimes the kids would come with gifts, I always got a bunch of lychees, I loved it!

Abc class: was such a pleasure to teach, well try to teach as they are so young and have such a short attention span! We played a lot of games and did many colouring sheets! I had one boy called Roshen who was adorable and always wore a Spider-Man outfit! He used to do the funniest of dances and whenever I asked him something he would give me a cute “nooo nooo noooo”.

Lower beginner: this was a great class and the kids were so good most of the time! It was all boys and one girl who used to come in rarely! We always started with the class songs: hello and how are you, 1-10, Monday to Friday, heads shoulders knees and toes and if your happy and you know it! We then had a topic such as what you are wearing or talking about your family or he and she! We would then end the lesson on bingo which they all went crazy for! They would use the blackboards for this.

In my spare time I would catch up on my journal and chill in the Hammock. It was so hot most of the time, so did my washing and had a nap!

On our last hitch hike to Siem Reap, we managed to get one but we got in the vehicle and there was a goose in the back making such a racket!! Which we had to sit next too! That weekend we celebrated twice for new year on pub street as it was when everyone gets water guns and talc powder and goes crazy. You cannot leave your hostel without getting wet! People are soaking you from roofs, restaurants and little kids hiding in there homes! The first night I got a bad handful of talc in my eye and couldn’t see out of one eye and it stung so much! So the next night I bought myself some protective glasses which worked a great! Everyone was trying to steal them! There was lots of dancing and when we got back we all jumped in the pool to clean up!

On the last week, which was a New Years week, We had a Day at the lake which was great fun, it was 30 minutes away! We played with the kids in the local lake, most of them couldn’t swim so it was good to supervise.

On the main New Year’s Day we went to Angkor wot and also stopped on route to watch cow racing, it was very bizarre!
Angkor wot was great, we went with two of our students! On the way there in the open trailer, we got attacked by water guns! We walked around and got food there and then later we went and danced! I think the kids were in shock seeing the teachers dance! They were both so well behaved and so generous, whenever they bought something to eat they all gave us some! And they also bought there parents a sandwich to take home!

It was my Last day, so I planned to do games and sweets! I only did the lower beginners as they were in the morning. We did a test on what they had learnt in the week in the first hour then the next hour we played bingo a lot! We also took lots of photos and selfies and the kids were sad to say bye! I cried when I left in the tuk tuk as they were all shouting bye as I left! I think I will definitely be back!

Next stop South THAILAND!