Meeting Cambodian Students in Person for the First Time

Tuesday, Jan, 2025 --- After months of planning and coordinating, we finally landed in Phnom Penh, Cambodia during the second week of January, 2025. Though we didn't apply for the e-visa online for our stay in Cambodia, the process of obtaining a visa after landing in the Cambodia airport was quick and painless. I must say that the process has improved a lot since the last time we visited this country.

This time we are in Cambodia to provide some training to staff of a couple of schools and some charitable organizations supporting girls needing assistance. Hea. came and picked us up from the airport and took us for our first Cambodian meal. After lunch, we bought some refreshments at a supermarket for our meeting with the teachers next day. Hea. drove us to a Cambodia missionary's house where we would be staying during our visit here. We were tired but couldn't rest as S. and I would start our work the next day and needed to finalize our power point presentatons before heading to bed.

Wednesday, Jan. 2025 --- Though S. bought a SIM card at the airport yesterday upon our arrival to Cambodia, unfortunately, we were unable to use our cell phones to order our rides through GRAB, the counterpart of UBER in Phnom Penh. We had to ask Hea. to order a ride from her cell in order to get to the girls home. Located in Phnom Penh, the Pleroma Home for the Girls is a safe place for girls having been rescued from difficult and dangerous situations. We visited this home last year for the first time and since then I have been working with some of the staff there online for almost a year. We revisited this home again on this trip. It was different and exciting as we have established a good relationship with some staff members! As soon as we walked through the door of the home, So. recognized me and ran to me giving me the biggest bear hug I have ever had in my life! It startled everyone in the room including myself. Though we have been seeing each other in our class through Zoom on a weekly basis, we had never met in person until today. So. was so excited meeting me in person for the first time that I was afraid she might burst anytime! She and my other students were very sweet and welcome us with such warmth and enthusiasm that I was deeply touched by their love! We had so much to catch up and talk about! But we were aware that this was their work hours and needed to be considerate of their time. We made plans to meet the next day and we went on to tour the facility of this home. There was another mission team from Hong Kong doing some activities for the residents of this home. We sat and observed the activities in progress.

We left the girls' home and were driven to the primary school where our first teacher workshop would be held. There were a couple of specific workshops requested by the teachers. S. and I decided to work on the preparation and to co-present these workshops this time. I shared some basic background theories on the different styles of learning for students while S. did the interactive part of having the teachers to practise of what they had just learned. The teachers were attentive and eager to improve their skills. We had a lot of fun sharing our experiences and interesting life stories regarding teaching and learning. There were a lot of laughter and our hour long workshop flew by in no time! Yes, the snacks we served to the teachers were a hit! After a day if teaching, teachers were exhausted and appreciate some drinks and food to give them some energy before the training workshop. I must remember to do that again next time! It was a very productive day indeed! RT Phnom Penh, Cambodia Jan2025