Winners and Losers, Pt. 3

I love the winners/losers format, so much so that my only contributions to this blog seem to be in that structure. Efficient, organized, concise - that is winners and losers. Here we go.

Winners

1) The Last Days of School

Finals begin this week and I am in good shape. I have learned how to end the school year in a manner that does not make me lose sleep at night. In my first couple of years of teaching, my finals grading and report card misery was often compounded by piles of belated grading and late work. No more! I am a man in control of my own destiny, small amounts of grading, updated gradebooks and an empty grading bin... beautiful!

My extracurricular responsibilities at Logos are also finished. I am the junior class homeroom teacher and we were responsible for throwing an end of the year celebration for the senior class called, ready for a moment of brilliance, Banquet. It was a night full of delicious food, dancing, videos, singing and 100+ degree temperatures. However, the event was held right on the bank of the Mekong at one of Phnom Penh's most elegant hotels and the whole thing was wonderful! Now it is time to run down the clock and take a knee, time is almost up on my 4th year teaching. Wow.

2) American Idol
The only thing I do not like about American idol is that it makes Leanne cry every week. We had never watched the show before but we are avid followers now. Perhaps it is Scotty's smooth, deep voice, Lauren's innocent country spunk or the fact that our only other option is the BBC or Hollywood movies dubbed over in Khmer or Chinese. Whatever the case may be, we are idol fans and it has made Thursday nights feel more like home than I would have ever imagined.

3) Khmer
Last time I did winners/losers, I put the Khmer language as a loser. Now, it is a winner for sure. Leanne and I have learned all 33 consonants and 23 vowels. There are some more vowels to learn but we are able to read simple phrases and words. Last week I went to a bookstore and almost bought a book called Josie and the Duck written in Khmer, which is probably at a kindergarten level. However, it was much too difficult for me to read at this point. Perhaps at the end of the summer I can make it all the way through a picture book. Dream big.

4) Weekends
When we were in the States, Leanne and I loved our weekends. We would carve out a few hours here and there to ride our bikes, go get coffee or go out to dinner. In Cambodia, weekends are like real mini vacations. Saturdays typically consist of hanging out with some friends, taking a mid-morning nap, going out to eat and watching a new pirated movie. Sundays are even lazier, with Granola pancakes, coffee, Johnny Cash, church and naps making up the bulk of our days. We take our recovery time seriously around here, and we need it to make it through the losers!

5) Skype
Over the last few weeks, we have Skyped with family and friends around the world. Leanne's cousin's wedding in Quanah, Texas. Friends in D.C., Denver, Portland, San Francisco, Albuquerque and Guatemala and short chats with people that just want to say hello. I cannot imagine what living abroad would be like without Skype. Probably like Taco Bell before the Chulupa; good without but much better with the new creation.

Losers
1) The heat
Most people that have lived in Cambodia for some time assure us that this is the most pleasant hot season in the last decade. That may be the case for April and May as a whole, but the last five days have been oppressive. It is not that the daytime temps get too hot, it is not even the feeling of driving through a hair dryer on my way to work or home. It is the evening, when my body expects a cool down and nothing comes. The breeze stops, the temperature hangs and my sweat poors incessantly. 94 degrees at 9:40 at night is no bueno, but the rain has started to come and with that means cooler temperatures and far less dust.

2) Our little rat friends
Leanne and I live in a wonderful place. I am proud of our home, it is clean, comfortable, well designed and in a good area. However, we still cannot seem to kick our rat habit. Every few days one will scurry behind our tv, under our fridge and 007 itself behind the oven. No amount of banging, Raiding, yelling or poking will get it out. We bought two new traps today and I am sure that I will be in the business of drowning more rats soon, but until then, I am sure that our new roommate will wake me up tonight when it is running around or floors and counters.

3) Being an America in a Cambodian world
We are too big, particular and impatient for this country. Our kitchen is the size of a jacket closet so when I put dishes away I break at least one thing or ram my knee into a drawer or cabinet. I cannot handle the logic behind some drivers, the lack of customer service and the slow pace of interactions. However, these are boundary-expanders which are helping me learn about myself and the people I am working with. Cambodians and Americans are outrageously different and we are still learning how that looks in our lives, relationships and jobs.

There is a little glimpse into our lives. Cambodia is treating us well. I must go help Leanne kill mosquitoes in our apartment, after all, it is 7 p.m.