Khmer Letters

The ones in blue I got right on the first try

Today was a milestone moment in my Khmer writing class. I have officially finished learning all the consonants and vowels! I even was able to write most of them without help.

Knom reen Khmer*

Independence Monument

During the week I wake up around 6:30AM (when I don't over sleep). I roll up the mosquito net that goes around my bed, make my bed and go shower. As I get ready for the day I greet my host family. Once I am dressed and clean, I gather my school things and helmet and head out the door. This process generally includes a mostly mimed conversation with my host mother, her telling me that I need to cover my arms so I don't get dark and me saying that I'll be fine. I hop on my bike and head over to eat breakfast at a restaurant.

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum

After breakfast, I head over to Khmer Friends, the school where I study reading and writing. There I sit with my teacher for two hours practicing reading and writing khmer letters. There are 33 original consonants, 11 added consonant, and 24 vowels most of which have two vowels. I have learned to read and write all 44 consonant, though I have a hard time remembering them, and I've learned 14 of the vowels. Though Khmer is not tonal, there are many sounds that don't exist in English. I spend most of class writing and reading the letters, and combining consonants and vowels.

On Tuesdays, I ride my bike across the city (~30 minutes) after Khmer Friends to go to a program called LINK. LINK is a natural language acquisition class. The teachers only speak in Khmer and the students are only supposed to speak English. This way we get used to the sounds.

On days that I don't go to LINK, I meet with the MCC Reps to go over MCC guidelines and get some orientation to MCC Cambodia.

Royal Palace

An hour later, I head back to the MCC office for lunch with the rest of the staff, made by our wonderful housekeeper, which also includes rice and some kind of soup. Later in the afternoon, I have an hour of speaking Khmer lessons with a tutor. We work on memorizing and pronouncing words, grammar, listening and forming sentences, with some Cambodian cultures lessons thrown in. When all of my Khmer lessons are done for the day I hang out in the office, write emails and do my homework.

Fridays are my break from Khmer lessons. Instead, I get to learn about Phnom Penh and Cambodia by doing fun tourist things. So far I've gone to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda, and the National Museum of Cambodia.

Around 5PM, I head home. At home I study some more, play with my host sisters, laugh with my host mother, and eat dinner (which again always includes rice). My host sisters' current favorite thing to do with me is stretch. Around 8PM everyone starts getting ready for bed (most people are awake by 6AM). I brush my teeth, arrange my mosquito net, turn on my fan, and crawl into bed.

*Khmer for: I study Khmer.