Pramaoy, Cambodia, is not a city by any stretch of the imagination, and after 2 months here it's becoming more and more obvious that I'm the first foreigner most people have ever seen or met.
First, A Little Distraction ✍️
We are still getting settled more and more each day here in Pramaoy, and now as of this morning, the @kidsisters are finally re-enrolled in Cambodian public school and a private English school program. Before running off to school, I caught the above shot of Srey-Yuu putting the finishing touches on a DIY face-drawing she learned from YouTube.
Chaos At Smart Child International School 🧠
I've lived in Cambodia long enough to know that I'm a novelty in this frontier town, and basically any town that doesn't have tourist attractions. Needless to say, when @sreypov and I visited the only English educational option in town, Smart Child International School erupted into chaos.
Initially I heard the typical oohs and aahs, and everyone kept screaming "barang," which basically translates to "France." I assured all the students that not only was I not the country of France, I was a human from the United States with zero connections to France outside of my love of baguettes.
The director of the school assured me all the students know thousands of words, so I attempted to find one student that could spell "C-A-T," and even after speaking Khmer and explaining to the students to try and spell cat, not one student was sure of the task at hand. I didn't expect much from the school, but I do hope the @kidsisters are able to build their confidence and social skills here.
While Srey-Yuu and Monkey-B were busy taking the placement test, I was unable to find any kind of peace and quiet, so I began speaking a mix of Khmer and English with the students, but none of them were able to respond to anything other than very basic questions about name, age, etc.
The Placement Test 📝
I was glad to see the @kidsisters humbled by their placement test, and even though their English speech is pretty good by Cambodian standards, both girls need major help with grammar and spelling, and of course confidence.
Srey-Yuu did okay with the test, but she had a really hard time writing 100 words about herself, something I thought would be easy for her after 6+ years of studying English and a few years of Hive-blogging. I was actually relieved, because if she started off as the best student in the school, there would be little motivation for improvement.
Everyone Line Up 📣
We ended up staying at the school so long that we not only experienced breaktime, but we got to witness the end-of-the-day routine, which like most schools involves lining up and participating in a loud and distorted call and response, and then all the students jump in minivans and are gone within a minute.
Casual Racism At The Khmer Public School 🤦
Fast-forward a day, and we find ourselves at the only public school in town, and I must say the campus was very nice, but I've learned not to be impressed by exteriors, because often there is no substance behind the impressive shell. I'm glad I didn't get my hopes because the school director didn't once look me in the eyes nor acknowledge my presence in the room.
Even Srey-Yuu noticed I wasn't part of the conversation despite sitting at the same table and right next to my wife. I sat respectfully for 15 minutest, but even when I attempted to answer a few questions, my own wife hit me and didn't allow me to speak, further emasculating and dehumanizing me.
Not only did I feel a great sense of disrespect, but the director went on to indirectly berate me via my wife by saying how bad it is for a child to know so much more English than Khmer. For me that was the last straw, so I casually stood up and left the room, not needing to hear that racist fuckry from an entitled VIP.
She (the director) didn't once think that I've only been in the lives of my daughters for 6+ years, and yet they've learned more English from me in a relatively short time than they have learned Khmer from a life of public school and time with their mother. I think this speaks highly of me and shows the ineffectiveness of the Khmer educational system, but I kept my mouth shut.
Want A Dress? 👗
Well, I decided any future trips to the public school must consist of Pov going alone or myself going alone. If I go alone, the director will have to acknowledge my human existence, communicate with me, and look me in the eyes. The last photo is totally unrelated, just a random shot I took of a local Pramaoy "dress store." This town is full of small businesses, and I quite enjoy not seeing the typical big business chains here.
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Return from 🧔♂️ White Guy Visits Cambodian English School 👨🏫 Absolute Chaos Ensues ⚠️🤳⚠️ to Justin Parke's Web3 Blog
