On this particular Monday morning, I needed to finish my attempt at making bread. Based on my needed arrival time at school, that meant the alarm went off bright and early... Wallace the bear was less than pleased.
After getting the bread dough mixed and rising, I headed out for a run. The best time to run here is between 4:30am and 6:30am - in my opinion. It is still dark for much of that time. This means 1) Fewer people are going to comment on the crazy running white girl; 2) It is cooler; 3) And most importantly, there is less traffic at this time of day. Unfortunately, my success rate is low and I have only managed to get out between 2-3 times per week. It is always great when I do. There are loads of folks out on the streets cooking, cleaning, or walking. Once I get to the Olympic Stadium, and a bit along the way, there are always folks doing calisthenics (AKA dancing and waving around their arms).
After running, it is most important to stretch! Love the AWEA yoga mat one of my colleagues gifted me. This is definitely within the top ten most used possessions I brought with me.
My language school schedule currently includes a morning chunk of time and an afternoon chunk of time. Thus, I must take lunch. Gotta love the rice cooker! And, I have gotten in the terrible habit of leaving my evening dishes for the morning... I usually just want to go to bed by the time I have break to think.
Showering is usually a good thing to do after running... And, when living in 90 degree weather :)
And, homework with my lovely oatmeal breakfast. My language teacher enjoys making fun of me because we always talk about what I did the day before (in Khmer, of course). A few weeks back I learned to say breakfast and so he always asks what I ate. The answer is always the same.
Multi-tasking is also an important skill... Here is the rest of my lunch. Some yellow beans and stir-fry veggies! SO GOOOOOOD!
And, this is me realizing I am late! EEK! I used to walk to school and was supposed to leave at 9:30am... Needless to say, I often had to walk VERY quickly. I now have a bike and can get there in under ten minutes on a good traffic day - AKA if all the spaces between motos/cars exactly align at the moments I reach intersections. Quality of life, increased dramatically with my wheels :)
Language school! Due to my nearly tardy arrival, I didn't have time to get a time piece in this shot but it was probably about 9:58am. I spend four-five hours each day here. My schedule is different every day but on this particular day. I have my male teacher from 10-12, then an hour long break. After that, I have my female teacher from 1-3pm. This includes learning new words, speaking Khmer, learning to write and read, saying lots of things incorrectly, making all kinds of 'strange' noises, laughing a lot.
Lunch at language school. Thankfully, they have an unused classroom in which I can eat and study. You can't read the time on my classy mobile but it is around 1ish. Look at that colorful lunch!
After language school, I usually walk home and give myself a mental break. And, have a snack. As those of you on facebook know, FRESH MANGO is possibly my favorite food in the world. SO GOOD! I usually read or respond to emails for my 'mental recharge.' Though, by 4:30/5pm, I need to start studying and doing my homework.
As you can see, maybe, by all the junk in the background, I spread out over an extensive space when I study. And usually eat dinner and keep on studying. Again, note this was probably not a week I was reading a book. This past week, I was so engrossed in my book that I was a terrible study-er. Fortunately, I seem to retain well enough without studying us much, so my teachers have not yet been able to figure out when I do or don't study. As long as I get eight hours of sleep, I function well (note contributing factor to not getting out running).
On this particular day, I also had to finish bread making. You will notice, this bread is rather sad. I have been trying to learn my oven and it has been at times a frustrating process. I finally sought advice and have now increased the gas flow (suggestion of my Maryknoll groupmate) and started covering things with a large wok to hold in heat. I also have played with the liquid proportions. I joined this awesome bread maker message board and posted my problem. A number of folks offered some great suggestions and things are now working much better. I will have to post some photos of better bread experiences so I don't lose my baker street cred.
*Please note: my day does not usually start this early, as much as I would like it to begin so early. Nor is my day this productive always. I just happened to photo document a incredibly 'good' day by perfectionist-over-achiever standards. Usually, my day starts one to two hours after this, depending on my personal motivation and how late I was up reading... Though, the basics of this day are a good representation. LOTS of time on language, food prep, and just normal daily things :)
It was a decent attempt at being a type one for a day.
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ReplyDeleteGreat post! Jedd has also been perfecting his bread baking. Yesterday (after two years), was probably the most perfect loaf ever! Anyway, thanks for sharing the photos.
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