Lost in translation? Perhaps....My first week teaching @ Panha Chiet University!

Monday, Sept.27- Friday Oct. 1, 2010
This week started off a bit different than expected, but we quickly adapted! We had out first HIV Education/Prevention class at Panha Chiet University in Phnom Penh. It was supposed to be 30 students (males only) taught in all English,  with access to a white board. We wanted to have separate classes for the male and female students to help ease the difficulty Khmer culture has when it comes to talking about HIV, specifically when it comes to the sexual transmission of HIV and proper condom use. By separating the class by gender we hoped it would ease some of that tension and encourage the students to ask questions maybe they normally wouldn't in a mixed gender setting.

Monday afternoon we arrived at the University and suddenly learned we would have to quickly adapt our plan. The class was 70 students, a mix of males and females, no whiteboard, and an expectation that we would be using a power point presentation (which we did not have). Thankfully our translator was there because everything we said had to be translated into Khmer. About 3 students of the 70 spoke some English, but besides that I could tell the translation wasn't exactly going as I would have liked. I had to use a microphone which I am sure didn't make it any easier for the students who didn't know English to understand what i was saying. As expected the translator felt uncomfortable saying words related to sex and sexual transmission of HIV. At one point we were standing in front of the class (the translator and I) going back and forth because she refused to tell the class what I was saying about HIV transmission modes because it required "sexual words" which were actually just the anatomical correct names for male and female sex organs and the three types of sex that can transmit HIV. This was incredibly awkward and uncomfortable for everyone involved. Finally I decided to switch to a different topic because I could tell the students were getting restless. We ended up not getting through the material we had planned, but that was ok. I decided to try and lighten the mood of frustration by speaking some Khmer. The students seemed to enjoy it and it broke the ice a little. Some students came up after and asked for my email and were very thankful for having us! It was time to go home and get a powerpoint prepared for the rest for the week. I hate not feeling prepared, but have gotten used to "winging it" as necessary! What a first day!

Tuesday I thought would run much smoother since I had prepared a powerpoint! Well we had another curve ball thrown at us when we arrived for the second class. We were told Monday that we just needed a flash drive with the presentation on it. They forgot to tell us we would have to bring a computer! Lesson learned- never assume! So, we scrambled for about 45 minutes trying to figure out how to insert my flash drive into the projector. No such luck! Finally a student let me borrow his laptop and we were on our way! At least now I could be sure the students could see in writing what I was saying despite if my translator chose to leave anything out. We reviewed the material from Monday's class and tried to get into Tuesday's lesson. We were able to get about halfway through the set lesson plan, but would have to play catch up again Wednesday. I was able to grab the students attention pretty well when I pulled out a condom and said we would be learning the 12 steps of how to use a condom properly! That got some smiles and giggles and lots of attentive faces! Unfortunately we didn't have a demo model to do the demonstration on so I just had to go through the 12 steps individually on the powerpoint. I explained to the students that usually we have an actual fake penis model so we can accurately demonstrate each step, but we did not have one yet. Then i saw everyone pointing at the microphone I was holding and start giggling. They wanted me to do the condom demo on the microphone! Everyone started busting up laughing! I said unfortunately that is not an accurate model so I could not use it! It was pretty funny!

The students had a lot of "what if....." questions when it came to HIV Transmission. They were good questions, but after a while it became clear we could spend an entire day on possible situations that may or may not transmit HIV. I just kept referring back to the 4 body fluids that carry HIV if someone is infected, the 5 open doors that can let the virus into the body and the 4 transmission modes that can introduce HIV into the body. We played an epidemic game which the students seem to enjoy.

The rest of the week went well in terms of teaching the class. The students became more involved and it was great! I tried to use my Khmer as much as possible which was fun too! The one frustration I had was not always knowing what was being said by the students and the translator. I became very frustrated by the end of the course of classes on Friday. There were multiple times the translator would have lengthly conversations with the students, the students would burst out in laughter, I would ask what was being said and the translator just shrugged her shoulders and said to move on with the lesson. Finally on Friday I got really upset and said (in front of the students) to the translator, "I need to know what is being said. I need you to tell me. I need you to translate for me because that is why you are here!" She could tell i was frustrated, but still only gave me a very brief overview of the conversation. I decided to ask one of the students I had come to know over the course and who knew English was what going and he told me. That was the most frustrated I have been in a very long time!

The class ended well. Friday was spent reviewing what we learned throughout the week and also answering  questions they had asked on a survey that was administered Monday. The students wanted a copy of the powerpoint and my contact information so we could stay in touch. I got some pictures with the class and a group of male students who always participated and helped me out. I was exhausted by the end of the week, but so happy to have completed my first class! A very fun, challenging, and enlightening experience. Having to explain HIV in ways I had never imagined I could and really pushing my knowledge of the disease. Week three in Cambodia-check!

Panha Chiet students, my translator and I.