Update

So it’s been awhile…. Life here has been busy, and hot. My sister Katie came to visit in April and it was so good to see her again. We went to the ancient temples in Siem Riep, saw the sights and hit up the markets in Phnom Penh, went to a floating village and stayed beachside at a bungalow in my town.

Kate was a real sport. She tried everything and as she says, “got out of her comfort zone.” The first time we traveled on a moto taxi we saw a bad wreck.  I’m on the back of the bike thinking, “Oh great she’s probably never going to get on one again,” but she did, and with no complaints. When we went to the floating village, little kids were chasing us around with boa constrictors, my sister hates snakes…  she even went up and down flights of  temple stairs so narrow that you literally had to climb on all fours.  I was so impressed with her willingness to try new things and to truly experience life here.  It was hard saying goodbye to her, but I feel so blessed to have a sister who will fly around the world just to visit. Seriously, she is the best. <3

                                                                Floating Village

After Kate left, it was back to work and I added a few new things to my classroom. We expanded our classroom library thanks to generous contributions from back home. We now have a writing station and each student has his/her own “mailbox” where they receive notes from teacher and from their friends. We even got a few real games, not handmade! I wish you all could see their faces when they get stuff “all the way from America” they are quite thrilled.

April also brought a lot of reflection on my part as I considered staying on here another year. It’s been such a challenging/rewarding time and it’s hard for me to think about leaving. I came here prepared to serve and as I did, I have been blessed more than I could have ever imagined.  I’ve decided right now I have to look for a job elsewhere due to the fact that I have to start paying back loans in June. I will stay on a bit longer to help with the summer school program and fly back home early September. I've put out resumes all over the world, so we'll see! (Note to people that might miss me a bit... don't worry, I plan on applying in the states too ;)