My trip to Angkor Wat was great! I could have done without a stop in Phnom Pehn though as I was quickly bored with the market scene and wasn't looking to be drunk the whole weekend. It was fun to take the bus there, meet another university student, and see the countryside surrounding the Mekong Delta. I found it hard to meet people at my hotels as my tour package had me staying at fairly expensive places. I learned a lot; for instance next time I would prefer making my own arrangements and staying at a youth hostel in hopes of meetings other young singles with whom I could share conversation and costs with. We live and we learn. This has become my mantra.
The temples were INCREDIBLE! They cover such a large distance (think upwards of 50km between some of the temples)! I really enjoyed seeing Bayon, the temples with the faces- 216 faces to be exact (they reside in Angkor Thom- a series of temples in a 9km square area). It was really special to see the sunrise over Angkor Wat too! That would be the highlight of my trip; I took a tuk-tuk (motorcycle carriage) tour to see the sunrise at Angkor Wat and then to other more remote temples. There were swarms of people at Angkor Wat, but after that I found that the other temples were less crowded- I even had one to myself for 20 minutes. It was nice to see the temples before it got so hot. All in all a great long-weekend adventure/solo trek. Check out some of my photos here.
This has been a good weekend to catch my breath and look towards next week. I'll be teaching social studies and reading groups and helping a lot with math this week. Though I don't know about this teaching gig- I'm pretty bored with the third graders and not as patient as I should be. They are so little, and need to be taught how to open three ring binders and the like. I do love them- as individuals they are bright, caring, and friendly. I guess I'd just rather spend more time teaching content I enjoy- say humanities, sociology, English or the like to middle schoolers or even high schoolers. I guess it's best I learn this now rather than later, but still frustrating to come this far and feel like I need to go back to school (for another degree) before I can really enjoy teaching.
But again, I do love my students! Personalities are coming out and classroom dynamics are changing. Students are losing teeth, passing notes, playing with Pokemon and folding origami in their desks as though they think that we don't see them, and tattling on each other. I forgot what it was like to be a third grader! I do remember being more concerned with my sticker collection than with learning my multiplication tables though. My other mantra has become "Be patient with yourself and others." These kids are really special, and though I don't think I'd like to ever work in a third grade classroom again I am learning a lot in the process.
Last night I went with my cooperating teacher Nancy, her husband Bill, their grandson Stevey and two other couples to a restaurant owned by one of the families from the school. They are from Hong Kong and served us a 10 course Cantonese meal! I think 5/10 courses were shellfish based, but I was served chicken and vegetarian options instead. Had to pass on the shark fin and crab soup though, and three courses with shrimp. Our students dined with us, and their mom too. The food was incredibly tasty and they wouldn't accept any payment. So generous! The restaurant is 4 stories tall and serves up to 2,000 guests. There was a wedding reception on the floor above us. Quite an experience!
Also- I'm still allergic to something. I saw a doctor who thinks it may be alcohol, the sun, or the swimming pool. So I am to avoid these this week, take some more meds and report back for a check up. I don't know what I'll do without my nightly swim... I'm starting to think I may be allergic to third graders.
And with that I will return to the experience of lesson planning while listening to Jack Johnson and Coldplay as it streams on the stereo here at a favorite coffee of mine here in the 'burbs. Oh life...
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