I still feel dirty

If you don't know about the Tonle Sap, well you need to know that the lake is used for everything. The locals use it for bathing, washing clothes, cooking food, personal sewage, and not to mention drinking. Ask anyone who's been there, this water is NASTY.

Last Wednesday, during our play time, one of the girls decided to go off the boat and go get something to drink. The only way on and off the boat is to walk down a plank that leads to the shore. Normally as the kids are walking off the boat I shake the plank just a bit, just to tease them. As the girl walked off I playfully started wobbling the plank. Unfortunately this time the girl lost her balance and fell into the water. She stood up and started crying. The girl wasn't hurt, but I had just embarrassed her in front of her classmates. I felt awful. I went over and tried to console her, but to no avail. I sent the girl back up the plank, back to the boat. I knew the only way to redeem myself was to allow this girl to get justice. I stood on that plank contemplating other options, but this seemed to be the most effective way to replenish this girl's sense of dignity. I told the kids to wobble the plank as much as they possibly could. The children jumped at the opportunity. How often do you get the golden opportunity to shake your teacher into the water? They tried their hardest to shake me off my balance, but my weight was too much for them. I knew what was about to happen. I was about to fake getting off balance and fall into the utterly disgusting water below. They shook with all their might. I "lost my balance" and lept off the plank. I remember my last thought right before hitting the water... why. I landed in the water horizontally faced down. Everything went under, head and all. I stood up and the children were in a frenzy of laughter, even the little girl. I made my way back up to the boat. I literally felt a certain filth all over my body. It was like my body was wrapped in a film of disgustingness.

After falling in the water, the other children decided to go for a swim. They used the rest of their play time swimming. Many of the kids jumped in the water and pushed each other in. They were having a great time. Sey and I were standing off to the side talking. That's when one of the children cried out, "Teacher!" Sey and I quickly turned our attention over to the children. One little girl had been pushed in and she didn't know how to swim. Her head was being held just above the water by one of the students aboard the boat. She was screaming for help. The kids weren't strong enough to pull her up onto the boat. The wakes from boats would come and cover her face. Sey and I quickly darted off towards them. We jumped over the boat railing to where the kids were. I layed down on my belly and grabbed her hand. I lifted her up onto the boat where she started spitting water and coughing. Sey ran and grabbed her a towel. The little girl sat there and shivered for the rest of the class time. I was surprised though. I assumed that all the children that lived on the lake knew how to swim. It would make sense that the parents would teach their children to swim. It must be an important skill for their survival. It makes me wonder how many children die each year from drowning. It would be easy for toddlers to wander right off their homes and into the water. If Sey and I hadn't been there, she could have easily drown.

The day didn't end there. After everyone settled down from the incident the kids continued to swim. The all jumped in and when they were in the water they yelled up to me, "Teacher!" they were wanting me to come swimming with them. I was hesitant. Not only was this water rancid, it was crawling with snakes. Nearly everyday I've been out on that lake, I've seen people carrying dead snakes. I've even been invited over for dinner where the main course was snake. Unlike Indiana Jones, I do not have a fear of snakes. However, I do have a smart respect for them. But something told me that if I didn't go swimming with my students at least once, I would regret it. So I tossed my shirt to the side and sent my body hurdling over the side into the (extremely) murky water below. I plunged deep into the dark waters. I could feel weeds and plants that were growing from the bottom, this water was very deep though. I reemerged to the surface and all the kids were laughing and carrying on. I squeezed every muscle in my lips to make sure that no water got inside. It didn't matter how much I squeezed, water somehow always made it into my mouth. I was constantly spitting out dirty brownish black water. We swam for a while, but eventually we all got tired and got out. This was the one day that I missed the Ocoee river in Cleveland.

I went home took a thorough shower, dried off, and took another shower.