In past homestays, I knew nothing of the city, less of the culture, and MUCH more of the language, so I never needed English. This one is a study in contrasts to those: I’m living with a close friend, Sovannary, and her family, while still paying rent a couple miles away where I usually live.
This doesn't exactly qualify as language immersion. My Khmer is still limited enough that it’s nice to switch into English some of the time, which they’re well able to do, since she and her daughters are fluent. This is the "chicken" way of doing it: if I were serious about maximizing learning, I'd have moved in with strangers in the province who spoke no English and weren't at all westernized. However, this was much easier to arrange on my own, and it's comfortable enough that I can still enjoy my summer and hopefully not start school exhausted. Still, I’m learning a lot about Khmer vocab, alphabet, and culture. More soon on my progress, but first, let me introduce you:
Sovannary: Formerly the owner of a restaurant where I frequently ate last year, she’s the first Khmer person I became close to. If you remember my trip to an orphanage in the province, she’s also the one who took me to visit there. She’s quite the go-getter. A teaching assistant at another international school, she first learned English by cooking for the Americans who started Logos and the orphanage associated with it. She’s very curious about the world and seizes every opportunity to learn, despite having little formal education. She told me, “I get in trouble because I speak my mind too much,” and I can see what she means. She exhausts herself on behalf of her girls, fighting to get them good nutrition and a solid education...not easy, even with great scholarships for them at the school where she works. She’s been an invaluable help in my adjustment to Khmer culture the last two years, and now, a great Khmer language teacher for me.
Her husband, Nara: I'm comfortable around him but always a bit nervous about talking to him. I forgot his name while in the US, and was too embarrassed to ask! They told me to call him by his first name (not normal in Khmer) but I just called him “Uncle” when I have to, since “older brother” is reserved for your husband. Anyhow, he’s very reticent: he probably says 10 words a day to me. However, he’s very laid back, and can always make Sovannary and the girls laugh. He’s a softy who spent weeks weaving a giant jump rope out of hundreds of rubber bands for the girls to play with. He caters food for the school’s lunches and loves playing Solitaire in his free time. He’s the only one who never speaks English to me, although he knows a bit.
L to R: Elizabeth, Chrismoon Their girls: Chrismoon, age 8, and Elizabeth, age 7. (She’s named after an American friend who did a lot for Sovannary.) They almost act like twins: they’re inseparable, love dressing alike, and amazingly never get on each other’s nerves. They spend probably an hour a day in fits of giggles, mostly at potty humor or at tricks they’ve played on me. Chrismoon is quieter and more obedient; Elizabeth is very bright, but is a total ham who’d rather goof around or charm her way out of finishing her rice or doing her math pages. Sadly for me, they don’t like speaking Khmer with me (too impatient and too good at English), but lucky for me, I learn a lot when they talk with their parents. I spend lots of time with the girls helping them read books in English, or playing games like chess or badminton in the living room, or being victimized by their mimicking and pranking.
Translation of a sample quote from Elizabeth the comedian:
Elizabeth: I'm from Colorado, just like [1st grade teacher] Miss Tanya!
Sovannary: No, I'm Cambodian and you're my daughter, so you're Cambodian too.
Elizabeth: No, I'm not! Mommy had me in Colorado and she brought me back to Cambodia in a tuk-tuk!
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