A Trip Back in Time! … 23.2.11

Well, I have survived just over a week!! Hooray!!

Let me tell you a bit about the place where I am actually living. It is called Wat Preah Yesu, which means "Jesus Pagoda" or "Temple of Jesus". It is an Adventist Orphanage, School and Church run by an Australian couple, Tim and Wendy Maddocks.

The School - high school on the right

From the other side of the school - the primary school on the left

The School teaches from Kindergarten till Grade 12, although there is currently no Grade 12 class. Most of the children live in the orphanage however there are some boarding students who stay in the dorms as they come from different parts of Cambodia. There are also quite a few students who come from the surrounding villages.

The Church

I am teaching Kindergarten and helping the Khmer teachers already in Kindergarten to set up a new Program and to give them ideas and suggestions for making their teaching more effective.

To be honest it’s like going back in time just being here! We have very limited electricity which comes on randomly throughout the day, whenever computer class is being taught, and for about 3 hours in the evening.

We have no flushing toilets and we shower outside at the pump!

We have a little gas stove for cooking on and no fridge or freezer to keep food so we have to eat everything (or give the leftovers to the dogs!) and go to market every couple days for fresh fruit and veg.



I live in a volunteer house with another girl, Chloie. She comes from Canada but her ehtnicity is Filipino, and she arrived the day after me so I have a buddy to work things out and settle into the different lifestyle with!

Our verandah where we sit in our awesome hammocks!!

Chloie :D

 

Fresh drinking water - that red bit is a clay filter pot thingy

Mine & Chloie's Bedroom

Our Staircase & Pantry - toilet is in that door on the right

Our awesome kitchen complete with gas stove :D

Our wonderful non-flushing toilet!!

Our Wonderful Purple House :D

Our brand spanking new clothesline!!

Our loungeroom complete with changing area & wardrobe :D

There are two other volunteer houses. There are four girls from all over the world (Australia, America, Jamaica, England) in one house, and one boy (American) plus his two visiting friends in the other.

The food is AMAZING!!! We have rice for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and for the time being I’m ok with it. Let’s see how I’m feeling in a month or two! We also have some sort of vegetable to go with the rice and two different fruits for dessert (mainly pineapple, mango, watermelon, bananas and mien’s).

So, that’s about all the basics covered! I’ll post more adventures later!