One of the training villages where PCTs are currently staying is called "Kirivong." It is by far the most scenic of our villages, so last weekend, a group of twelve of us from Traing decided to pile onto a romo to get there, which is basically a moto with a wagon attached to it, used to transport way too many people at a time from place to place. We had to get off and push it at one point after it rained...

It took about an hour to go 40 km (about 25 miles), but once there, we met up with some of the other volunteers who live in the village and began a hike up the mountain. The path was long, with an intense two flights of stairs at the end, but it was worth it to see the view of Kirivong from one side of the landing, and Vietnam from the other.

Hey! That's Vietnam!

Just as we got to the landing, it started to rain. Then again, when we got to the bottom of the mountain, it started to rain. It felt really refreshing, and we were graced with better luck than the group of volunteers who came down after us; they had to descend the mountain while it was still raining (not the safest when the stairs you're going down are covered with a thin layer of moss). One of the volunteers had her shoe break and had to hike down with one bare foot.

When we'd finally assembled our whole group and the rain had let up, we crammed twenty-five people into one van (yes, we really did that. No, I don't know how), and traveled a few K to see Kirivong's waterfall, which, although sort of pitiful in reality, still offers a shady haven with its many hammocks, plus the added bonus (is that redundant?) of Angkor beer and banana chips. :-)

All in all, it was a great day. We were all exhausted and happy on the ride home. And this was our view:

This upcoming week is practicum, which means that we'll be co-teaching classes together in a Cambodian classroom, with students that are apparently sort of just rounded up off of the streets and asked to be our guinea pigs, since school isn't actually in session right now- it's their summer until September. I am excited to co-teach with my peers, since we get a lot of freedom as to what the curriculum is. For example, we're doing a whole day on holidays, where we talk about Halloween in comparison to Pchum Ben, a Cambodian holiday in October which celebrates ancestors. One of us is dressing up and we're going to "trick or treat" with plai-mein, this eyeball-looking fruit that we're going to exploit with the most grotesque of details... It's going to be great.

I am a little more nervous for co-teaching with a Cambodian counterpart, which is going to happen Thursday through Saturday. I've heard horror stories about teachers showing up intoxicated to teach... I am hoping that won't be my situation, and that my teacher will extremely receptive to my ideas and open to moving away from teaching the lesson straight out of the book. Hey a girl can dream, right?

So, to tie up this blog post with something completely irrelevant, but warm and fuzzy nonetheless: A puppy!

This is our Peace Corps puppy at the market, who resides at our favorite place to get coffee in the morning. Yes, we have dubbed him "our" puppy, and taken it upon ourselves to modify his name from "Chuh" in Khmai, to "Chuck" in English. Imperialism at its best, my friends.

Keep it coming with the comments! I love to hear what you think of my stories (i.e. if they're putting you to sleep...), as well as what's going on at home. Also, feel free to keep me updated on pop culture in America (Hannah, remember what happened when I was gone in Italy for a year? I became a cultural nincompoop and basically couldn't communicate in any social circles for at least six months) I just heard the new Lady Gaga song... Pretty country. Thoughts?