Work – For Real

‘Yeah, I’d like to go to Bokor Mountain tomorrow morning.  Which tour is better?’ I asked the owner of the guesthouse.

‘I like this one more.  The guide is funny and he can speak better English.’ The lady said.

‘OK. I will take this one then. Let me go back to my room to get some money. Oh, that will mean I will stay here for one more night and could you please help me book the bus on Monday as well? Thanks.’  I headed back to my room and took my wallet. As I did that, I checked my phone.

I got a message from the college.

‘Can you arrive before 7:30am on Monday? Is it possible?’ He said on WhatsApp.

‘The bus leaves here at 8:30am on Monday unless I go back to the college on Sunday evening. Will there be anyone in the college on Sunday?’ I typed.

‘I will try to be there on Sunday evening.’ He wrote.

‘If there is someone at the campus, I can go back tomorrow evening then.’ I typed.

‘Yes, thanks.’ He responded.

I went back to the reception of the guesthouse, ‘Sorry, I have to go back to the college tomorrow. That means I can’t join the tour.’ Sad face.

‘No problem. So shall I book the bus for you for tomorrow?’ The friendly lady asked.

‘Yes, please.’ I said.

Good and bad.

Good: I didn’t need to continue with this holiday and spend money (because the place, which is provided by the college and where I normally stay during the weekend was closed for more than one week). I had no place to stay in Phnom Penh so I escaped from the capital city and went to Kampot.

Bad: I didn’t get to see more of Kampot and its neighbouring places. When I schedule to see a place slowly, I mean it and really do it slooowly.

But it’s ok. I heard I didn’t miss much. (I later had a chance to go to Bokor Mountain. 🙂 Check it out here.)

It turned out that there was a back-to-school ceremony on Monday morning to welcome all the students. (That means it was also a back-to-work ceremony for the lecturers. Oh, well) Yeah, their academic year is very short. It starts in November and ends in May or June the following year when the rainy season starts. The Director of the school wanted to introduce me to the students at the ceremony. That’s why he asked me to return before 7:30am Monday.

As the school year starts, I also have to work for real.  That means I need to co-teach in their English lecture, or to beautify it, I am now a lecturer lecturing English phonetics.  I have never imagined I could give lectures at a college. You see, I am not a PhD yet. Apparently, the Khmer lecturer is also learning in the class too. When I asked the students to repeat the words, he repeated them too. LOL!! 😀 I couldn’t help laughing in the class. But he’s better than the staff in the village who attended my classes without paying. This lecturer doesn’t pay me too but he knows the contents and he knows phonetics. The reason why he asked me to co-teach with him was because of my accent. Well, they seem to like my accent. 😛  The funny thing was, when we had the discussion about how to deliver the lecture before the holiday, he told me to just follow the textbook. I didn’t expect to do all the talking in the lecture but I did in the end during our first lesson. (No, I am not talkative at all. Hm… I just couldn’t stop. :P) Next week, when I lecture my second lesson, I’ll talk less.  After I am gone, he will be delivering the entire lesson so it’s better for the students to respect him too.  Oh, guess how long their lecture is? 3 hours!!!! Yeah, I talked for 3 hours, non-stop! 😛

Another task for me will be to continue with the English Club.  Previously, before the Water Festival where I saw the King of Cambodia, we did it for the freshmen. After the academic year starts, we need to include all the students in the college. I don’t know how many students will come but we have come up with some topics already.

Work! (rubbing my hands)  I like to work. 🙂