Getting settled, let the games begin.

It is so amazing to finally be a little bit settled. Though I do highly recommend living out of a backpack for a couple months. It's a great way to figure out what you actually 'need' and what you just 'enjoy' or 'want'!

Phnom Penh is an amazing city. Not necessarily the city itself (it's not the buildings or the location of the rivers), but the people. Khmer people are impossible to describe, they are so kind and giving and loving and helpful and sweet. I want to be like all of them :)

We have been doing orientation with the school (conversations with foreigners-CWF) for about a week and we have another week of orientation and then start teaching Monday June 6. The school is amazing, because all of the teachers are volunteers it is an (somewhat) affordable program for Cambodians. We get to have middle class students who might be working in a salon or in the market at a stall or they might be high school or university students, etc. They are all ages and it will be great to begin building relationships with them. For the students it costs $40 for one semester (3 months) and they have class for one hour every day (because most of them are doing this in between school and jobs and don't have much time). Other schools cost hundreds of dollars for similar programs. All of the volunteers are foreigners (there are 20 total) and they are from EVERYWHERE, New Zealand, Australia, Denmark, Texas, Florida, California, New York, England, Wales, etc. It has been great getting to know them all during orientation. They are all wonderful people with various backgrounds, education, and experience. I will tell more about the students and classroom experience after I begin teaching. We have a book as a general guideline but the actual lesson planning and assessing is entirely up to us. I cannot wait to get started. I have 3 different classes every day (they are all at different levels so are placed in classes accordingly). Each class will have between 10 and 14 students. Everyone in class already has had English classes but has not had much experience practicing speaking and listening. They have been taught to read and write but need to be able to understand the language conversationally. It is a HUGE asset here to speak English for almost any job. They usually have had Khmer teachers so need to practice with foreigners so they can hear how the language sounds and be able to understand many different accents. I am so excited to be able to help with this and also have had a lot of fun starting to learn Khmer. It's a really interesting language!

The other organization we will be working with is Daughters of Cambodia. Unfortunately we have not been able to start yet because we have been busy all day every day with orientation (CWF). I will be able to start as soon as orientation is finished so hopefully June 6 also. I cannot wait to get started (check out the website: daughtersofcambodia.org).

Every day here is simply amazing. I cannot imagine being anywhere else. Everywhere you go you cannot but help but smile and be happy because the people are so happy and friendly and funny. If you are upset about something you can just walk outside and everyone smiles and says hello and you cannot help but smile back. Their smiles light up their whole faces. I don't know if I am ever going to be able to leave :) Apparently it is very easy to get a job here so I might look into that after finishing with CWF (the end of August). They need people everywhere who are fluent in English. I met a lady today that was a previous volunteer and she is working now at a school making $11 an hour and you don't even have to have previous teaching experience lol. So I could teach part time and volunteer with Daughters part time :) I will keep you all posted.

The things that we don't always think about...

In light of immigration laws...
(from the 'end human trafficking website')

Many human trafficking victims are undocumented immigrants. Some enter the U.S. legally and willingly, but their immigration status expires after they are enslaved. Others enter illegally and unwillingly, smuggled in by traffickers. Some victims are forced to travel to the U.S. through legal means (like fake marriages) and others are voluntarily smuggled, only to find themselves in slavery after they arrive. But the new requirements of the Arizona law won't help identify human human trafficking victims and get them to safety. They'll actually hurt that effort.

Human trafficking victims are victims of a crime, regardless of their immigration status, and many of them have suffered severe physical and emotional trauma during the course of their captivity. When victims come into contact with law enforcement, it is critically important that they are treated as victims as opposed to criminals.

Traffickers will often convince victims that police officers will arrest them if they are in the country illegally, and not believe their stories of force or coercion. This law promises to make the traffickers' threats true. It promises to train all law enforcement people to look at potential undocumented immigrants as criminals and people doing something "illegal" first, and not as victims. The fact is that this law is going to up the chances that undocumented trafficking victims end up detained or deported and documented traffickers walk free.

And it's not just trafficking victims who will be affected. Undocumented immigrant victims of domestic violence or child abuse may be less likely to come forward and seek help under the new Arizona law. Currently, there are specific immigration remedies available to immigrant victims of abuse, including providing them with legal immigration status, which the law doesn't change. But the law does change the level of fear of law enforcement and the legal system immigrants may feel, and possibly be one more barrier for victims of human trafficking and abuse from coming forward.

Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos (so far)

SE Asia is so amazing!
Every town (or city or village) in every country that we have visited has been so unique and so beautiful. I think I expected things to be more similar from one place to the next but that is not the case.
The people are different, they look different and definitely act different! They do have friendliness and smiling in common and respect for all people around them!
The cars are different, the tuk tuks are different, roads are different! In Cambodia you drive on the right (supposedly, I don't know if anyone follows that haha), in Thailand you drive on the left, and now we are in Laos and it's back to the right.
The prices are different, Cambodia is cheap(er), Thailand is relatively cheap, and Laos is by far the cheapest we have seen so far!
Speaking of prices...the money is different, U.S dollars to Cambodian Riel to Thai Baht to Laos Kip haha. All over the board, getting better at figuring all of them out though! :)...so that we never get ripped off!
The faces are different!...Thai are pretty and have the almond eyes of Chinese but not as defined. Cambodians are dark and beautiful, big eyes and big lips! Laos are lighter complected(like Chinese) than Cambodians but also have the big eyes and big lips :) sooooooooooo pretty! Its so fun to see how unique each person in each culture can be!
It's pretty green everywhere, even though we are nearing the end of the dry season. I don't know how it stays this green without rain! Laos is SOOO beautiful, it's pretty much all jungle so far. It's actually nice traveling by bus (super cheap is a plus), even though it takes quite awhile you get to see the countryside while you travel. It's amazing the people and places that you pass.
The people you see along the road usually have a little wooden shack (always on stilts, I learned that it is not only to keep you up out of the rain but also to keep out all the wandering pigs, dogs, and chickens). The little shacks are about the size of one of the rooms at our houses, they seem to be just one 'big' open room for everything. There are always animals and kids wandering around outside.
Hopefully we will get to go trekking at some point so we can see how these villagers live and what their daily lives are like! That would be an unforgettable experience.
Ok, more about the people here soon. Sorry if this is boring :) Can't wait to start working with people and learning from them.
Much love...