Starting work

This one is dated June 9, 2008.

Though my last entry may have ended on a bit of a low note, I feel a bit better today about my situation. It is true that Cambodia is extremely underdeveloped and conditions are far worse than I imagined. There are no paved roads, garbage lines the streets, and the stench of rotten meat is all around. Children walk about the streets, begging for money; however, they are being forced to beg by an older man who takes the money. The children at the orphanage have no family and can rely only on themselves, the staff, and the occasional volunteer. The children range in age from four to seventeen. Despite their hardships, these children are extremely loving and affectionate. I am greeted each morning with hugs and kisses, and they thank me for being there with them. They are made happy by the simplest things; for example, I brought several gifts for the children, which included toothbrushes, hair ties, jump ropes and other toys. As I distributed the hair ties, they looked at me with the utmost admiration and thanked me throughout the day.

Their way of life is so different, and it makes me contemplate the status of the United States and the lavish excess that overtakes American culture. I was discussing this with one older child, who visited the United States a few years ago; her parents were government officials before they passed away. The child told me how she was appalled by the size of the food portions and the media attention on celebrities. It was fascinating to hear this commentary from her, since I really felt out of my comfort zone in such an underdeveloped nation. I realized I take a lot for granted in my life. This includes readily available food and drink, electricity, clean water, and most importantly, a loving and caring family. The children at the Palm Tree Orphanage have so little, but they are so grateful for what they have. It is truly inspiring.

Today marked my first day of work. I was given my schedule, and I was assigned to teach several classes of English each day. In the early mornings and the evenings, I will be taking care of the children; this could range from playing games with them, to brushing their hair, to helping them clean up their rooms. This will surely be a job that takes up my entire day! My first classes went very well today. One class is basic English, for beginning students. These are very young children who have been exposed to very little of the language, so it was a challenge communicating with them. Fortunately, I have an assistant who is fluent in Khmer, Marian, who fills in the gaps where I cannot understand a child or vice versa. Another one of my classes was with slightly older students, who were one level up from the beginners. This was the hardest to teach, because the kids were older and thus more prone to talk out of turn or disrupt. The class was a bit frustrating, especially because I could not say “please raise your hand!” I also have an assistant for that class as well, but it seems she may be used to the students running around the room arbitrarily.

The classes went very well, overall. The children are fast learners and they are excited to be speaking in English. I have a hard time figuring out if they truly know what the words mean, or if they are simply hearing the words and repeating them phonetically. I suppose it takes a bit of time before I can truly gauge their comprehension. Later this month, I will be writing a test for the children, which should be exciting. They are graded on several items, including reading, writing, speaking and hygiene. I thought the hygiene part was a bit random, but it is the only time that the orphanage staff can meet with and examine each child to ensure they are washing their hands and brushing their teeth.

I love the children very much, and their smiles each day remind me of my true task. As I stated in my goals, I would like to express to each child that there are people who care about them, and they can do anything they want in this world as long as they dedicate themselves. I have been asking the older children about what they want to do when they grow up, and I have received wonderful answers. One girl wants to be a fashion designer, and another wants to be a doctor. I told them that they should study hard and stay in school to achieve these goals. I have also been helping them with their other studies in my spare time. Children at the orphanage go to class at Palm Tree (the courses I and volunteers teach) and also government sanctioned school. Thus, they are receiving a huge benefit in that they are learning much more than average Cambodian children, who hardly receive any education. By encouraging them to study and work hard, I hope to help them achieve their goals, despite their current hardships.

Things do get difficult at times. For example, time moves extremely slowly here, since there is limited internet access, no television, and basically nothing to do in your spare time except play with the kids or read. I still face a great deal of jet lag and my sleeping schedule is completely disjointed; I often fall asleep at 10pm, wake up at 2am, and then cannot return to sleep. Since I must wake up at 6am, this makes things very difficult. I am also missing my family and partner very much. Luckily I can talk with them online every so often, but it is much less contact than I am used to! I am hoping either my mother or my partner will visit me during my time here. However, despite these minor troubles, I remind myself that I am here for the kids. I must dedicate myself to whatever these children need, since we are all they have. I hope I can change their lives as they are certainly changing mine, everyday.