Provincial Spelling Bee

After finishing the spelling bee at my school a week later we headed into the provincial town to compete with 4 other schools in our province. I felt like my students stood a pretty good chance, they had worked hard, and were really smart. I brought 2 10th and 11th grade students with me into the provincial town, and my co-teacher. We didn't have enough funding to pay for transportation, so we all arrived separately. I was a bit nervous one of them wouldn't show up, but we all made it there

In the morning grade 10 competed. There were 10 students total competing for each grade.

Aren't my 10th graders just adorable?

So...something you should know. Cambodians are SUPER competitive. Sometimes they're terrified to answer  a question, in case they get it wrong and look bad in front of other students, but if they know that answer, they're fighting to say it out-loud first. That's a big thing here, appearance and saving face. No one wants to look or be wrong. Anyway, you could see it on their faces the look of terror when they didn't know the word you said, the utter relief when they got it right, and sheer look of cut throat competition when it was another student's turn.

Neither of my 10th graders placed in the competition, but they both did a great job. After lunch the 11th graders competed. 

And guess what....2 hours later we were down to my male 11th grader, and one other student. Check it out.

Ok, well we didn't win, but we came in 2nd!

It felt so good to be a part of a Peace Corps project and to bring students together from different areas in the province. That is, it felt so good until that night I came down with Dengue Fever.