If you have never eaten four gigantic mangoes in one day, allow me to give you some advice: do not attempt. Mangoes are excessively filling, and if consumed in excess, render one unable to move. It is mango season here. Every two weeks or so some fruit or another ripens and then said fruit is everywhere. There are literally piles of if lying about. People try to give the fruit to one another, hoping that they will somehow reduce the amount in their possession. This doesn’t work, because people just end up receiving as much as they give. So anywhere you go, people are begging you to eat their fruit. The pile of mangoes on our table is larger everyday, as though they multiply during the night. I was even forced to eat one before I left the house this morning. And I’m sure more will come after dinner.

May 1st was Earth Day, and as with any day that has a notation on a calendar, there was no school. So one of the NGOs took some students to pick up trash along the main road. It was pretty stellar. I got to hold a sign and everything. As with any special event in this country, there someone with a megaphone there too. It was pretty much a perfect morning. We had rubber gloves, well glove I should say, there weren’t enough for everyone to have 2. We also got those cool little blue masks that make your face sweat. Sweetness. Mind you, picking up trash in Cambodia is kind of like collecting sand on the beach, the idea that one could gather it all is slightly ludicrous. But it was a step and a very positive activity for the students. People just throw trash wherever, and they really like to throw it in water, the same water people bathe in. Not pretty. Some of the ponds and ditches in my town would require a HAZMAT unit to safely clean up. But they filled six bags and that means six less bags of nastiness hanging out on the streets.

We also had our first Spanish class yesterday. It was super fun. I feel much less pressure when teaching Spanish than when teaching English. The NGO guys were unsure that this was a good idea, but everyone had fun and they seemed convinced in the end. Granted I taught them greetings and the alphabet, but it’s more Spanish than anyone around here knows. I don’t know if it is useful, and that is kind of why I’m excited about teaching it. These kids want to learn something simply for sake of learning. That’s really rare here and definitely something I want to encourage. I’m planning on giving them Spanish names and maybe teaching a little salsa *scandalous*.

Speaking of scandalous things: My host family found my dress. I bought a sundress in Malaysia. In Cambodia, sundresses are considered pajamas, while actual pajamas are considered appropriate attire for almost any occasion. Why, they asked, did I not wear my new pajamas? I told them it wasn’t for sleeping, but for nice occasion. We went back and forth for about ten minutes before I finally managed to convince them I was not going to wear the only decent dress I own to bed. They’re funny folk.

As always, I love and miss you all. Peace and Love and all that good stuff.
If you have never eaten four gigantic mangoes in one day, allow me to give you some advice: do not attempt. Mangoes are excessively filling, and if consumed in excess, render one unable to move. It is mango season here. Every two weeks or so some fruit or another ripens and then said fruit is everywhere. There are literally piles of if lying about. People try to give the fruit to one another, hoping that they will somehow reduce the amount in their possession. This doesn’t work, because people just end up receiving as much as they give. So anywhere you go, people are begging you to eat their fruit. The pile of mangoes on our table is larger everyday, as though they multiply during the night. I was even forced to eat one before I left the house this morning. And I’m sure more will come after dinner.

May 1st was Earth Day, and as with any day that has a notation on a calendar, there was no school. So one of the NGOs took some students to pick up trash along the main road. It was pretty stellar. I got to hold a sign and everything. As with any special event in this country, there someone with a megaphone there too. It was pretty much a perfect morning. We had rubber gloves, well glove I should say, there weren’t enough for everyone to have 2. We also got those cool little blue masks that make your face sweat. Sweetness. Mind you, picking up trash in Cambodia is kind of like collecting sand on the beach, the idea that one could gather it all is slightly ludicrous. But it was a step and a very positive activity for the students. People just throw trash wherever, and they really like to throw it in water, the same water people bathe in. Not pretty. Some of the ponds and ditches in my town would require a HAZMAT unit to safely clean up. But they filled six bags and that means six less bags of nastiness hanging out on the streets.

We also had our first Spanish class yesterday. It was super fun. I feel much less pressure when teaching Spanish than when teaching English. The NGO guys were unsure that this was a good idea, but everyone had fun and they seemed convinced in the end. Granted I taught them greetings and the alphabet, but it’s more Spanish than anyone around here knows. I don’t know if it is useful, and that is kind of why I’m excited about teaching it. These kids want to learn something simply for sake of learning. That’s really rare here and definitely something I want to encourage. I’m planning on giving them Spanish names and maybe teaching a little salsa *scandalous*.

Speaking of scandalous things: My host family found my dress. I bought a sundress in Malaysia. In Cambodia, sundresses are considered pajamas, while actual pajamas are considered appropriate attire for almost any occasion. Why, they asked, did I not wear my new pajamas? I told them it wasn’t for sleeping, but for nice occasion. We went back and forth for about ten minutes before I finally managed to convince them I was not going to wear the only decent dress I own to bed. They’re funny folk.

As always, I love and miss you all. Peace and Love and all that good stuff.
If you have never eaten four gigantic mangoes in one day, allow me to give you some advice: do not attempt. Mangoes are excessively filling, and if consumed in excess, render one unable to move. It is mango season here. Every two weeks or so some fruit or another ripens and then said fruit is everywhere. There are literally piles of if lying about. People try to give the fruit to one another, hoping that they will somehow reduce the amount in their possession. This doesn’t work, because people just end up receiving as much as they give. So anywhere you go, people are begging you to eat their fruit. The pile of mangoes on our table is larger everyday, as though they multiply during the night. I was even forced to eat one before I left the house this morning. And I’m sure more will come after dinner.

May 1st was Earth Day, and as with any day that has a notation on a calendar, there was no school. So one of the NGOs took some students to pick up trash along the main road. It was pretty stellar. I got to hold a sign and everything. As with any special event in this country, there someone with a megaphone there too. It was pretty much a perfect morning. We had rubber gloves, well glove I should say, there weren’t enough for everyone to have 2. We also got those cool little blue masks that make your face sweat. Sweetness. Mind you, picking up trash in Cambodia is kind of like collecting sand on the beach, the idea that one could gather it all is slightly ludicrous. But it was a step and a very positive activity for the students. People just throw trash wherever, and they really like to throw it in water, the same water people bathe in. Not pretty. Some of the ponds and ditches in my town would require a HAZMAT unit to safely clean up. But they filled six bags and that means six less bags of nastiness hanging out on the streets.

We also had our first Spanish class yesterday. It was super fun. I feel much less pressure when teaching Spanish than when teaching English. The NGO guys were unsure that this was a good idea, but everyone had fun and they seemed convinced in the end. Granted I taught them greetings and the alphabet, but it’s more Spanish than anyone around here knows. I don’t know if it is useful, and that is kind of why I’m excited about teaching it. These kids want to learn something simply for sake of learning. That’s really rare here and definitely something I want to encourage. I’m planning on giving them Spanish names and maybe teaching a little salsa *scandalous*.

Speaking of scandalous things: My host family found my dress. I bought a sundress in Malaysia. In Cambodia, sundresses are considered pajamas, while actual pajamas are considered appropriate attire for almost any occasion. Why, they asked, did I not wear my new pajamas? I told them it wasn’t for sleeping, but for nice occasion. We went back and forth for about ten minutes before I finally managed to convince them I was not going to wear the only decent dress I own to bed. They’re funny folk.

As always, I love and miss you all. Peace and Love and all that good stuff.