Class is Unbelievable

Alright gather 'round it's story time.

So for most of March I was given a rest from my day to day duties as a teacher.  University students studying English were placed in my class, and for 4 weeks tried there hand at teaching.  I will admit it was boring sitting in the back of class, taking notes and offering advice.  Not to say they did a bad job.  My mind, however, can only concentrate on the English Language for so many minutes at a time.  I became very productive in writing postcards during class, but that is besides the point.  I want to take you back to one particular class where I was paying attention.

As an experienced English professor there isn't much I don't know about my mother tongue(wink).  However, on this particular day my practicum student introduced me to a term that I had never come across.  Part of the class was on affixes; prefixes such as re- and suffixes such as -ology.  After introducing these two terms to my students the student trainee went on to a third term.  Infixes.  I shifted my weight in my chair and leaned a little closer to listen to what she was going to say, after all this was new to me and I was slightly interested.  As I guessed, infixes are words that include another word inside of the them.  The trainee wrote one word on the board to demonstrate all three terms.

Unbelievable

In this word un- represents the prefixe and -able represents the suffixe.  I thought to myself  "well where is the infixe?" She wasn't finished.  To demonstrate to the class an infixe she added a word to the middle of unbelievable.  With her back to the class she busily wrote this word on the board.  When she turned around there it was basically shouting at us on the board!

Un(bad word that starts with F)believable

I was taken a back at first.  Was this actually happening?  After the shock came laughter as she casually pronounced the word to the class and explained how it could be used (I'm afraid they are going to start using  it when I hand them back their midterms).  She had lost my concentration. and would have lost any students concentration in Canada, but the students wrote it down like they were learning a new vocabulary word and then continued on with the lesson.

At the end of the lesson I approached her and told her she probably shouldn't use that example in class in the future.  I then asked her where she found the term infixe and the example she so eloquently used.  I will admit I was thinking it had to be Urban Dictionary, but she said it was in her textbook.  "Hmmm can you bring it tomorrow?".  "I won't be here tomorrow, but I can bring it next Monday."

Sure enough, Applied English Linguistics, page I forget, but it was there.

One Place you Must Certainly Visit When you Come to Cambodia

Well of course you should visit Angkor Wat.  I don't think I have to go about telling you that.  So you will be happy to know that this post is not about Angkor Wat, but instead about a little beach town called Kep.

I would describe Kep as a quaint beach town.  I am not sure what the population is but it can't be more than 40,000.  There are a few foreigners that you will see scattered throughout the town and on the beach, but on the whole it is very quiet, and a scene much different than the other beach town Sihanoukville.  Things quiet down around 8 and I mean quiet down; the city feels dead by that time.  Perfect, if you are looking for a relaxing getaway.

I was down there this past weekend to remove myself from the hustle and bustle of the capital.  Most of the day was spent around the pool soaking up the sun, however we did stop to eat lunch near the crab market.  The prawns were amazing!  Yes family,especially Mik, this does mean you will have to try some prawns.  We then watched the sunset from the beach.  I did not get a picture of it but you will have to take my word that it was beautiful..  Dinner was at the Veranda, a real treat.  Great food and an amazing environment definitely a must do.

That basically caps off my trip to Kep.  Not a lot to do, but when you are looking for some R & R this is the place to go.

Livin' the AsiaLife

Some of you may have already seen this, but for those of you who have not, yes that is my mug.  I was fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time, or should I say know the right person.  Thanks to April and the crew at AsiaLife for letting me start my modeling career off with a bang!  Anywho my face is all over Cambodia on one of the more popular magazines here.  You can marvel at the lovely cover for as long as you would like, but I also encourage you to go to www.asialifeguide.com and check out the article that goes along with the photo!  You can also check out a story on our group of guys and gals that play hockey here in Phnom Penh at montreal.openfile.ca/

Hobbies in Cambodia

I am not sure if I have mentioned one of my new found hobbies in any of my previous posts.  And frankly I am to lazy to look back through all of them, so I will continue with this post. There is no ice to play hockey on (though I have found street hockey).  The only hockey that I can watch is on really early in the morning in one of the sports bars here.  The mountains in Cambodia would typically be referred to as hills back home, so hiking is a rarity.  To add to that I forgot my saxophone at home and so I have had to search out new hobbies.  One that I have become particularly fond of is shirt making.  

The first step to shirt making usually involves lunch.  A great spot is Asian Spice as it is on the way to Oressei Market, where all the best fabric in town is.  At lunch we discuss what kind of fabric we are looking for and for what purpose.  Often the reason for purchasing the fabric is for a new shirt.  After lunch we go to the market and begin the hunt for that one piece of fabric that we have on our mind.  And oh what a search it can be!  Looking and feeling making sure it is exactly what you want.  Alas! you see that perfect pattern starring you right in the face.  Cue the dramatic music as you make your way over to your new found treasure.  And now the bargaining begins (sorry Grace my efforts last week were less than spectacular)

"Tlay ponmaan?" you say

"Muey Mite, pram muey dollar" says the seller

"Buen dollar?" you respond

"at tee, pram muey"

"Pram dollar" you try to be a little more forceful this time

"Pram muey" She is not budging!

One more try

"Pram dollar kanlah"

"Chaa"

You got 50 cents off, but she won that round!

With fabric in hand now you need to find a tailor.  And there are many options here.  First there is the best tailor, a favourite among MCCers.  He practices his trade at the Russian Market.  Other options include tailors at Orussei (very convenient) or a new place that I have found just down the street from my house.  After getting all measured up you play the waiting game.  Finally the day comes when you get to pick up your shirt.  After that it is time to start the process all over again!

And that my friends is the art of Shirt Making!

 One of my shirts

A Visit to the Province

So another update is in order!

I have settled into my new host family and have found my role as proh poh quite enjoyable.  Growing up as the oldest in my family I always had to be the mature one.  I am now the youngest sibling in my host family and am enjoying some of the riches of being the spoiled one.  Not that my little sister has ever been spoiled ;).  I have been treated to great food, as well as some interesting food (last weekend I ate some pig stomach as well as some crickets).  We have also played numerous games of dutch blitz and sequence and for the most part I have been on the wrong end of those games, but it has been great fun so far!

Let me look back to last weekend.  I joined some my host family as they traveled to the province for a wedding.  This was my second wedding, so I had an idea what to expect but this time I did not have the safety net of my fellow MCCers.  We arrived in Kompong Thom Friday evening and made the rounds greeting all the family members.  Then it was off to bed because we were going to have to get up mighty early the next day.  Turned out to be 5:30 in the morning early!  This was to attend the first part of the traditional wedding ceremony, the fruit walk.  The grooms family walks from the grooms house to the brides house with platefuls of fruit.  The distance between the two homes was a little far for this, so we just walked a little ways down from the brides house and then walked back.  Somehow I found myself at the front of the procession.

The one Barang among many Khmer.  The guy to my left kept asking me if I wanted a Khmer wife.

After the procession we ate, watched another ceremony called the hair cutting ceremony.  Do not worry the brides lovely locks were not harmed during the ceremony.  They only pretend to cut their hair.  Then it was time to have our noon time nap.  With a two hour nap in me I was ready to get back at it, and by at it I mean the food.  One of the real treasures of Khmer weddings is the food.  Now I know you read earlier that I ate pig stomach and crickets and are probably thinking that doesn't sound much like fine dinning.  That assumption would be correct.  However, those items were not on the menu for the wedding dinner.  Instead we were treated to barbecued beef, fried octopus (slowly becoming a favourite), a big old fish, and I completely forget what we had for dessert but I can assure you it was not cake.

The fish that we ate

Once again we head back to freshen up and then head back to the party for another meal and some dancing. By the time we got back to the party unfortunately all the food was gone so that left one thing, dancing.  I have had a few different occasions to practice my Khmer dancing and though I am getting much better it is still far from being any kind of spectacle that anyone would want to watch.  Unless, that is, you are into car wrecks.  Nonetheless I always have fun out on the dance floor and it was no exception on this particular night.  There were some interesting events out on the dance floor but if you are really interested you will have to ask me about those events.  That concluded the wedding and what a great wedding it was.

Sunday morning we went to the local church where I shared a bit of my testimony and why I was in Cambodia.  After church and lunch we started our journey back to Phnom Penh.  We were stuffed into a 15 passenger van, that by the time we hit Phnom Penh had 28 people in it!  Of all my experiences in Cambodia it has probably been the least pleasant.  Thankfully I had a window seat and could stick my head out and get some fresh air.  We arrived safe and sound thus ending another one of my great adventures in this lovely little country!

1st Semester a howy'

They said time was going to fly, but it is hard to believe that it is February already.  So much has happened in the last 5 months and so much has happened in the last few weeks.

Let me get you caught up on some of the recent events in my life over here in Cambodia.

• Semester 1 classes finished at the university on the 19th of January.  It was nice to have a couple weeks off as I was definitely starting to feel burnt out.  I think I can be forthright in saying that teaching is not in my future career plans.  However, having one semester under my belt now qualifies me as an expert, as I will be having student teachers observing my class this semester.  They will be taking notes on my technique, which will be a little nerve wracking.   The benefit of this this situation is that these students will then be teaching my classes for a couple of weeks.  Ahhhh the perks of teaching, maybe I should rethink the teaching thing altogether.

Giving some serious direction to my students

•  Us Cambodian SALTers were blessed with the presence of Isaac and Jenny, fellow SALTers from Vietnam, last week.  We had a great time checking out some spots in Phnom Penh as well as up in Siem Reap.  Up in Siem Reap we were able to check out one of the partners that MCC works with.  Philip Hosler, one of the current SALTers, is currently helping them with there ceramic studio, and you can take a look at the project click here.  We of course spent a day up at the temples.  I have never really been a museum guy, so although these are the Angkor Wat temples I still had a feeling it might get boring rather quickly.  I was pleasently suprised that I was able to be entertained throughout the entire day.  There is just so much to take in and you spend a lot of time walking and tuk tuking from temple to temple.  Most of the structures are awe-inspiring especially their size.  By the end of the day we had visited most of the temples near Angkor Wat, but there were many more that we did not get to. 
We also had the opportunity to bike around Siem Reap and take in the countryside.  Being a country boy at heart I am always happy to get outside the city and be amongst the rice paddies.  Phil was an excellent guide and showed us some of the different attractions that are must sees when traveling to Siem Reap.  It was sad to say goodbye to Jenny and Isaac, but it was great to spend a week with them hearing about their stories.  Now I have to return the favour and meet them in Hanoi.

Jenny, Isaac, and I in front of one of the temples (Bayon I believe)

• The last significant event happened this past Sunday when I moved in with my new host family.  My family actually hosted a SALTer last year and one of the members of the family was an IVEPer 2 years ago.  One thing I have already learned is that they love to play games.  The first night I brought dutch blitz and even though I was sick and went to bed early they continued to play until 11:30.  Looks like my remaining months will be filled with lots of fun.

It is hard to believe that I am coming up on the halfway point of my term here.  I want to thank all of you for your support so far and look forward to sharing the second half of my journey with you.

New beginnings

So who else is still trying to get used to writing and saying 2012? I am sure I am not the only one having that issue.  The turn of the calendar has given me a nice boost of energy.  The difficult Christmas season is over, and I am extremely excited about the next 6 months here in Cambodida.  The beginning of 2012 has also become a period of transition.  I am currently living at the MCC Guesthouse getting ready to move into a new host family.  What, what, what!  That's right I am switching my host families.  My host father from my first host family recently left for Malaysia where he will be working for the next 8 months.  This past Sunday I moved out, but not before my host brother took me to wade through some lotus flowers on piece of land that the family owns.  Not sure why he waited this long to take me there, but I was glad he did because it was a lot of fun.  After multiple goodbyes, and promises to meet up again for dinner I made my way to my new home.  

The family with a lot of motto hair going on

As disappointing as it has been to move away from a place that had been my home for 4 1/2 months, I am looking forward to meeting my new host family.  Right now the plan is for me to move into my new host family in early Februaury, right around the time I start my second semester at RUPP.  It is funny that all of this is happening around the same time.  It reminds of my early days here in Cambodia, when I was living at the Guesthouse and waiting for my job to start at the university.  

On another note I was able to experience my first Khmer wedding last weekend.  One of my Khmer colleagues at MCC got married in her hometown of Kratie.  A crew of us from MCC rented a bus and headed out to Kratie Friday morning.  About halfway along we picked up our Prey Veng workers, and then continued on to Kratie.  We arrived for lunch which was the quiet part of the wedding.  In the evening we pulled up to music that could be heard blocks away.  The way it works at a Khmer wedding is that you find a table and once the table is full they start serving you food.  Our table took a while to fill up so we had to wait awhile as the other MCC table got their food.  After the food (probably the best beef I have had in Cambodia) a number of us partook in the dancing, both traditional Khmer and Western style.  My traditional Khmer still needs a little work, but it is coming.

The scene from our table

The next day Michael, Lisa, Ryan, Daphne, Grace, Mok and I all went to take in the famous Iriwatti dolphins.  I would love to put up a picture of them, but unfortunately all my attempts failed.  Because of that I have a whole album of  beautiful water photos.  There were some really neat moments when 3 or 4 dolphins came out of the water at the same time near our boat; It was certainly worth visiting.  That afternoon we all climbed back into the bus and made the trip back to the big city.  At that is my story of my first Khmer wedding.

Tip of the week:  When students ask whether you are married or not the right answer is always married.