This was said to me yesterday afternoon as I was sitting with one of my first years while she was waiting for her ride to come pick her up. Now when she said this she was really only talking about her English, that I have made her brave to speak her English, but it really got me thinking that I hope I am giving them so much more than just being able to speak English, that hopefully through our class I do get to share a bit about what I have learned about life so far, yes I know I still lots to learn but that they learn to be brave in life and not just English.
She went on to tell me about her normal routine everyday, "I wake up at 5 or 5:30 and sell (food)with my sister in front of the factories. Then I prepare my bag, help my nephew getting dressed, cook food for breakfast and then go to school"all of this before 7:30 in the morning and she is 19 years old. I asked about her family, the sister works in the factory and she was waiting for her "brother" to pick her up from school and she said he was working at a market in city who she later told me was actually her cousin but she lives with him so she calls him brother (they do that here, they call bus drivers uncle and girls older than themselves Bong which translates to I believe sister) then she continued by telling me she did have a real brother but that he died 3 years ago by a moto accident around Khmer New Year, so we are basically at the three year anniversary and she slips out a picture and tells me that that is her brother in the picture. I understand the nephew to be the sisters that sells in the morning and then goes to the factories for the day. As she tells me all of this I wonder how she is the one that got to go, many families only one or two children that get to continue education or actually find a good job and the others help or are in the fields or factories, but it makes me think of her saying "Teacher, you make me brave" and how I hope she learns to be brave in so much more than her English, that she has an opportunity for so much more, and yes although there are many rules on how to act, dress, greet and work in these businesses, but I hope she also finds her own little way through it all, that she will make her own decisions about her life and her future for herself and help all of those she calls family. I hope that she learns to be brave in everything that she does.
I wish I could tell you that this is the only tragic story I have yet to hear while being in Cambodia, but no, we here them all so often, the daily struggles are the way of life for many and many of our girls have lost siblings, parents or do not live with them at all because they cannot afford to feed them and realize that organizations give them the opportunity for a future. I'm not saying all of this to bring you down, but so that you can see how beautiful they truly are. Many have these stories, yet at school with their friends and with us teachers, they are so joyful, singing and laughing and so willing to learn (most days, i mean everyone has a bad day). They see their opportunity for a job, a purpose and a different way of life and how much this education drives so many of them to want to help others.
So I hope that I not only help share my stories and teach them English but also MAKE THEM ALL TO BE BRAVE
life is good :)
thailand was beautiful
and things are moving really quickly
to june when the second years with leave
us for the big world out there
fill you more in later
