Speaking at a Khmer Sunday Service

Sharing at the Grace Church Young People's Fellowship, Phnom Phen

What a great day!

I have been invited to speak by various community organizations and churches before. But I have never been invited to speak three times on the same day until today.

I was privileged to have been invited to share messages at the services and fellowship at Grace Church in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

I shared a message from the bible at the nine a.m. Sunday morning service as well as in the fellowship that followed, plus at the Khmer Service in the afternoon.Khmer is the language spoken by the Cambodia people.

The Khmer Service Started with Songs and Worship

Shortly before three p.m. in the afternoon, I arrived at the chapel for the Khmer service.

There were a few people there. I was enjoying the worship team’s rehearsal when a lady sat beside me and asked me to pray for her.

She told me about her nephew’s illness. Her heart ached for this sick little boy. As we prayed together, she poured out her heart and sadness to God – her compassion and  her love for this boy was evident in her earnest tearful prayer.

Timothy, Pastor of the Khmer Service

We held hands, prayed and lay down our burdens to Jesus and asked for grace and mercy.  Soon after our prayers,
 the service started with a time of songs and worship in Khmer. It was beautiful supplications in songs.  Timothy, the leader of the worship team led the congregation to worship in songs.

 Though I could not understand the Khmer language and  when I shared my message, I had to rely on an interpreter, I found the Khmer Service an inspiring and touching one because of the genuine, open expressions and the trust the congregation placed in God.

It does not matter where we are or what language we speak, God is there when we worship Him, ready to listen to our prayers and be there for us!

R.T. Grace Church
Phnom Phen, Cambodia
Nov. 18, 2012

Christian International School, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Open House – Christian International School, Phnom Penh

Last Saturday was our school’s first Open House. Here are some of the pictures we would like to share with our parents:

Teacher Sopeak reading to children with Teacher Jerry Assisting

Teacher Sopeak shared a big book story with the children in her kindergarten school.

 Teacher Jerry, music and dance teacher, taught the children an English song and the dance to go with it.

Learning Mathematics in  English & Khmer  in Teacher Sokhom'\s Class

Using pictures and a story about butterflies, Teacher Sokhom taught the children numbers in both English and Khmer. Children got to take a beautiful butterfly home as a follow up activity!

Teacher Rosie taught the children the alphabet song and how to pronounce some of the sounds of the letters.

All the parents and children who attended the school Open House loved our program and enjoyed our teachers’ creative and hands-on activities. They all wanted to enroll their children in our school.

Unfortunately, one of the students is only two and half years old, too young to attend junior kindergarten which accepts children starting three and half.  So this little girl will have to wait until she turns three and half year next August before she could join us.

Christian International School is a non-profit Canadian International school that incorporates both the Canadian and Cambodia curriculum in the students’ daily learning. The lessons and activities will be conducted in English ( 50% of the school day ), Khmer and Chinese ( 25% each of the school day). The school also offers piano, guitar and keyboard lessons as extra-curricular activities.

The mission of Christian International School is to provide affordable, accessible and quality education to children in Phnom Penh. Therefore, the tuition fee is set at 

$70.00 - full day program

$40.00 - a half day

School busing service is available to students who require it at an additional cost.

 R.T.
 Phnom Phenh, Cambodia
Nov. 20, 2012

An Affordable Canadian International School, Phnom Penh - Open House

Christian International School, Phnom Penh

One of the main purposes of my visit to Cambodia is to assist the staff and support the Christian International School in Phnom Penh. This is a non profit kindergarten and elementary school operated by a Christian church in Cambodia and supported by a number of Christians and churches in Canada.

Some School Staff and I did a community Outreach to Inform Parents.

School Open House Flyer in Khmer Language

The school staff and I have been working diligently since my arrival here last Thursday. We made a number of changes, re-assigned some classrooms, had great discussions at our teacher training workshops, planned programs together and got many things accomplished.

The school has been preparing for its opening and we are hosting an Open House next Saturday to inform parents in the community about our kindergarten programs.  




There is an urgent need in Cambodia for schools to deliver quality education to its children. Though there are public schools that are free for children, many parents prefer to send their children to schools  where they could  receive a bilingual  ( English, Khmer) and sometimes even trilingual education ( Khmer, English, Chinese).

 However, the cost at these school is often prohibitive. Currently, there are over one hundred and forty private schools in Phnom Penh but most are beyond the reach of ordinary Cambodians.

Kindergarten Playroom at the Christian International School

The School's Kindergarten Classrooms

The Christian International School has been planning its opening for the past two years and they are now ready to receive students. The teachers did a community visit last Saturday afternoon. Armed with  school flyers written in three languages: Khmer, English, Chinese, we formed three groups and went visiting residents in the immediate community.





While most international schools in Phnom Penh charge a hefty sum of between US$ 180.00 - $ 250.00 a month for student tuition fees, Christian International School is a non-profit Canadian International School that follows Canadian curriculum and standards.

The school is committed to offer Cambodian and expatriate students a high quality yet affordable trilingual education. All our teachers are university graduates, certified with teaching training and experiences.









It is our mission to level the playing field for children in Cambodia so that Cambodian parents who wish to send their children to receive an excellent education will be able to do so without sacrificing their livelihood.

We also believe strongly that when our students graduate from our school in the future, they will be fluent in two out of three languages of their choice, English, Khmer, or Chinese as to enable them to enrol at universities or higher education institutions at home in Cambodia, go overseas to continue their studies in English speaking or Chinese language countries.









 
We are delighted that our dedicated teachers and staff will be able to help prepare and equip the next generation of Cambodia leaders.







Information regarding the school's Open House is as follows:

                                                  Christian International School
                                     
                                                              Open House

                                                Saturday, November 17, 2012
                                                     4:00p.m. - 6:00p.m.


                                    
School Address -
                            #99 Street 294,

                            Sangkat Boeung Keng Kang 1, 

                            Khan Chamkarmon,

                            Phnom Penh, Cambodia

                                             
R.T.  Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Nov. 16, 2012
p.s. Unfortunately, due to a lack of human resources,
        the school closed its door in June, 2015.

The River Side Park in Phnom Penh - My Favourite Place in Cambodia

5 a.m. - is my most favorite time of the day in Cambodia! I cannot believe I would ever say that because I have never been an early riser my whole life. Never in my life had I ever gotten up before 5a.m., except might be for a very unusual circumstance such as catching an extra early morning flight out of the Canada or something. Otherwise my normal wake up time is 9ish in the morning now that I am a retired person.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

But all that change after I landed in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Maybe it is due to the time difference, or I have been getting to bed early because there is no TV at the church house where I am staying. It is a positive change, a change I have always wanted – getting up early and watching the sun rise.

Watching the sunrise over the Mekong River, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

I have achieved this dream of watching the sun rise, ironically, not in Canada but in Cambodia and have been enjoying a fantastic time of being physically active every morning at the river side park since I arrived here a week ago.

The park by the river side is my most favorite place for my daily morning walk in Phnom Penh.

The Park by the River - a Perfect Place for Morning Exercises

Carol knows that I need to do my daily exercises, therefore she goes with me everyday to the park – a beautiful and busy place in the morning. Because the sun is very strong already by 8 a.m.,  in order to beat the heat, there are lots of people doing their morning exercise in the park by 5:30a.m.

I was surprised at how many people were there when we got there!  People in the tropics do get up early and take advantage of the sun as it sets early. By the time 6 p.m. arrives, the sky is completely dark in Phnom Penh, unlike it is in Toronto, Canada, my home town, where the sun is still there at 8:30p.m. and does not get dark until 9 or 10p.m.

People were doing all kinds of physical activities at the park. We found people, young and old, running in groups or by themselves. 

People taking turns working out on the exercise machines provided free of charge at the river side park. Instructions are posted to inform people how to use them.








There were group exercises going on such as a Tai Chi Club whose members showed up dressed in their smart white uniforms, performing their slow but elegant moves accompanied by soft soothing music playing in the background.

This lady here was demonstrating some line dancing steps to her group of friends while they were waiting for others to arrive and join them.

Like many others who come to the park to do their exercises and enjoy the fresh air, Carol and I look forward and enjoy our daily early morning walk. Though there is no weight scale at the church house to show that I have lost weight, I could feel my clothes fitting better and roomier.

This is a pleasant surprise for me as I did not expect to find such a beautiful place to do my daily exercises close to where I am staying on my Cambodia trip!

R.T. Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Nov. 2012

Teacher Training - Phnom Penh, Cambodia

This was my second day in Phnom Penh, Cambodia and we had a very productive day indeed!

People woke up bright and early in Cambodia, so did I this morning! I had a great night of sleep and I was awoken in bed by the gentle morning sun which came shortly after 5a.m. Already, I heard chanting coming from the building next to ours. "Wow, people are religious here," I thought to myself. I was barely up at such early hours yet those who were chanting clearly were awake before dawn.

Carol and I were able to get out of the house by 6:30am. What an achievement for me! I couldn't remember the last time I got up so early. Carol, my host in Cambodia, drove us to the riverside and joined many others already there. This was a busy place: people were playing badminton, basketball,  exercising on the machines provided free of charge at the water front park, walking their dogs, reading newspaper, chatting with their friends, riding their bikes or like us, just walking and enjoying the morning breezes before the late morning sun. Motor bikes were everywhere carrying passengers to and from their destinations.

We walked past many beautiful traditional buildings: the palace with the King's pictures hanging all over the place, a beautiful gold colour and elaborate decorated Buddhist temple, fancy Parian style hotels dotting along the water front, government buildings etc. Unfortunately, I did not bring my camera; will definitely get to it next time.

Some of the staff members at the school

It was easy walking for 45 minutes when we had so many things to look at. By the time we finished breakfast after the morning walk, it was 8:30am only!

Ice Breaker Activity

I had more than an hour to set up my ppt, and computer equipment before my first staff meeting at ten a.m.with the teachers at the school. I found that the staff were young, humble, and eager to learn with a positive attitude. That positive attitude would carry them far in life.

Cambodian Teachers Working Together in a Small Group

 I did an icebreaker activity with the staff giving them plenty of time to go around getting to know each other and building positive rapport with me. That worked well and got everyone in a receptive and relaxed mood. I demonstrated a few teaching techniques such as Brainstorming, Cooperative Learning and PLC strategies for the teachers and asked them to work in small groups and apply these techniques to their problem scenario.






They seemed to enjoy the activities and were immersed in their tasks. Teachers from each of the three groups took turn to present their solutions to the challenge questions posted to them.  I must say that I was impressed by the many creative solutions in their answers.

Public speaking in front of one's peers is never an easy task, even when I am doing workshops in Canada to Canadian teachers; many of whom are reluctant to speak.

The Cambodia teachers were eager to share their ideas

 But the Cambodian teachers rose to their challenge and at the end of today's meeting, they came up with a good action plan to address the challenges at their school. I encouraged them to continue refining their action plan over the weekend and we would reconvene next Monday and prepare to implement the plan!

A great productive day, better than I have anticipated! Praise God!







R.T. Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Nov. 9, 2012

Hello Cambodia!

One of the Finest Dining Areas at Airports - Hong Kong Airport

After a fifteen hour flight across the Pacific, a wait of two hours at the Hong Kong International Airport for a 2 hour transfer flight on the Dragonair, I arrived at Phnom Penh, Cambodia safely!

Ikea Coffee Tables with Artistic Touches - HK Airport

This was the first time I traveled solo for an overseas trip. I have been fortunate that I have always have travel companions, either my wonderful husband or friends from various organizations. I have a special job to do on this trip - providing teacher training and support to a school in Cambodia.

Arrived Safely at the Phnom Penh International Airport

Carol, Mark, her husband and another fellow came and picked me up at the airport. After having lunch at a local restaurant and feasting on fresh seafood, I was introduced to the school staff and given a very warm reception. Carol told me that the staff had been expecting me for sometime and they looked forward to the professional development and training they would receive.

I started an informal assessment in the late afternoon and was able to have a one on one conversation with  a number of teachers at the school, which gave me a rough idea of what kind of training programs would best meet the needs of the staff.

A great night of sleep!

R.T. November 8, 3012
Phnom Penh, Cambodia