Reasons Why I Love My Students

            I already posted a list of funny things the American students wrote to their Khmer pen pals. Now here are some wonderful things my students wrote in response. It is all typed exactly as they wrote it.

• ·         At 5 o’clock, we went to temple Bakheng and we rode on elephants to watch the sunset at temple Bakheng on a moutain. It was really interesting! I am happy and very happy! Do you want to visit Cambodia? Will you go to Siem Reap with me?
• ·         I never thought I would know you as my pen friend like this because we are really far away from each other. It’s like a dream that I know you and see your letter. Especially when I can write a letter to you. Since I have read your letter I always think about you. I want to know about you more.
• ·         Finally, can you send your photo to me when you write the letter back for the next time? I hope you send it for me. I’m waiting for you. (the last sentence immediately made me think of nick.)
• ·         At home I have some pets such as: a dog, a pig, a cow, and some chickens. I also almost always feed to all my pets.
• ·         My favorite kind of music is sentimental song. (who taught this girl the word sentimental??)
• ·         My name is Lisa. I’m 17 years old. I’m 42 kilograms. And you?
• ·         I hope you will visit in Cambodia one day and see me too. I want to see your face and meet you. Can you send your photo in the next letter? I hope you can and I’ll send my photo to you. It’s not pretty but I hope you can keep it!! All right? How do you think when you see my photo? Please tell me about your fell!!
• ·         I have some pets but I don’t like them as much as you. I think you love pets very much.
• ·         I know you like elephants and want me to make friend with it. So do you want to ride an elephant? But I don’t because I’m afraid of it. It’s a big animal. So I can’t make friends with elephants. Sorry na my friend!
• ·         My English Honor Society is taught by teacher Diana. I love her. She’s a kind person.
• ·         When I read your letter I always think about you all the time. I feel in my heart you are lovely, clever and cute also.
• ·         I have 3 kinds of pets: a cat, a dog, and three water buffaloes. In there have some water buffaloes or not? Do you know the buffaloes in Cambodia?
• ·         My parents are farmers so they go to the field in rainy season in order to transplant the rice pump water into the field and take care of the rice. And in the dry season my parents stay at home. And about your parents? What is the weather like in there? My family doesn’t have a tractor so my family uses water buffaloes to raking the soil. It is difficult.
• ·         In my free time I like watching TV, going to gym (I want to go to a gym, but we don’t have one), going shopping with my friend, and I like dancing too.
• ·         All in all, thank you for sending this letter. I miss you.
• ·         Good luck, good study, good health na! Joanna bye bye!
• ·         What do your best friends like? How many best friends do you have? Have you ever come to Cambodia? How much do you weigh?
• ·         If you join your badminton team I wish you or your group win win.
• ·         My plan is to study at college, but I am not excited like you. Because my family is poor. My parents don’t have enough money to support me. So I must find a good job in the city when I study in college.
• ·         I have a lot of pets. I have two dogs two cows and one cat. We always make fun together every day.
• ·         Finally I would like you to forgive me when I have any mistake in gramer or writing. Because it is the first time for me to write the letter.
• ·         I don’t know about how is Taiwan because I live in Cambodia.
• ·         I have some chickens in my house.
• ·         My life, I haven’t a best friend. I want to have a best friend soon. I want to be best friends with you. Even as a child, my mother taught me how to ride a bike. First I fell on the floor and I bled. And them, my father taught me how to ride a motocycle. When I ride a motocycle, I never fail only one.
• ·         First I’m sorry for my English because, I know a little English I hope you don’t hate me.
• ·         Anyways, I like flowers, animals, people in the world and earth. More importantly I live countryside so I have two cats, two dogs, one cow, ten ducks, twenty hens and field. Here don’t have restaurants, tall building, park, supermarket only have small shops, farms, animals, fields.
• ·         I happy that I know you. And you? I will remember your name Jessica and you don’t forget me Patricia. Jessica I’m happy after reading your letter and I hope smile forever. If you understand my letter I am sorry for you.
• ·         Especially I love my family, friends, myself, happiness, and knowledge.
• ·         Would you mind if I asked you some questions of your personal? But first I want to tell you of my background. I want to know you clearly and I would like you to know me clearly, too. I’m doing this because I think you and me can make relation much less. Will I can meet you? I really want to meet you. Speak with you. Would you mind if I take you as my good friend.
• ·         I am a sad person a little, sometime I don’t speak with someone. I don’t like noisy.
• ·         I’m welcome so bad for you for you want to be my friend. And I want to say I like you Garret and I want to tell you study hard and I think that you really clever and you must smile forever.
• ·         If I have mistak please apologize to me.
• ·         Finally, I wish you health, handsome, clever, and luck in your life.

           The following pictures are from a trip to Battambang I did like... 5 months ago. 

This was a cool looking building in the middle of the Wat

So we went in to explore. This was before we discovered a human within the depths of the ruins and ran out screaming.

At the Wat

These are graves. Khmer cremate their dead, and if the family can pay for these things, they do.

A new temple being built

Inside the new temple. Buddha is already in place, but the walls and the ceiling aren't yet painted. Soon this place will be super colorful with scenes depicting Buddha's life on every piece of the wall.

You can tell this isn't Prey Veng because there are trees and actually some GRASS!

At this Wat in Battambang is also the memorial for the Battambang Killing Fields. The memorial is incredible

 and heartbreaking. Those pictures will come next.