Wait...How old am I??

So,I have some new classes this sem and every time I meet new students for the first time,its always the same.Introduce myself,ask them to introduce themselves,then tell them that they are free to ask me any questions they would like..just to know me better.The questions are always the same...1)"Excuse me Ms. Kim how come you have such small ears?"...I like this question,because i never know how to answer it,doesn't matter how many times I have been asked.I know I have small ears,my brother alwaaaaays teased me about it when I was home,but they are not really quite easy to notice..especially not the first time you meet me,coz what are you doing looking at my ears??Well some observant people always notice after say the 6th or 7th meeting,but rarely the 1st.


 Next question is always...2)"Tr why are you so black".I like this question..its asked in the most innocent of ways.They are really honestly just curious.So i go on and on about different races bla bla..(really boring). this is always followed by...3)"But Tr, my mama told me Africans are black because Africa is sooo hot that they get burnt by the sun"...so I have to explain this..(again so so boring...as I have had this conversation a million times since I came to Cambodia).

Next question is always ....4) "Tr how old are you?"Well,I never tell any of my students exactly how old i am...I just don't.I always say something like am so so so so old,and they keep asking how old..and I say sooooo sooo old and after some time it gets boring and we do something else and forget about my age.FYI..i stopped telling them to guess,coz they would guess some ridiculous numbers.Do I seriously look 35??or 38??*sigh*.But this time when my new class asked me how old I was,and after so many am sooo sooo sooo old,I finally said that I was 214 rs old!!They went silent for a while...then a tiny little hell broke loose..haha"Tr.how come your hair is not grey,that is not true,how come your back is still straight,how come you are not wrinkled...." Ooooi too many questions i had to come up with something....So here is what I told them:

 "In Kenya there is a mountain with a magical spring at the top,if you go up the mountain and drink from this spring,you will never grow old.When I was young,I was lucky enough to get a drink.The journey up the mountain is not easy at all,there are crazy dangerous spirit animals everywhere and you cannot bring your own food or water!!There are spiritual beings that try to lure you by telling you they have the magic water and you dont have to go all the way to the top,but if you follow them,they will KILL you!!The journey up the mountain is a test of your strength and endurance by the spirits that guard the mountain.If at all you can't get to the spring,they have to kill you,no one comes back from the mountain alive unless they drank the water from the magic spring." LOL


So after staring at me for a few seconds...they started asking all these questions...
1. Why cant you carry food up the mountain?...coz the spirits will make it disappear.
2.Were you attacked by animals?what kind of animals?...uh yes.lions,tigers...crocodiles..name it,it attacked me!
3.How did you fight them?...well i mostly ran and hid..or climbed a tree until the animals left. 
4. Why cant you put the water in bottles and bring some back with you?...uuuh coz the spirits allow each person only 1 palm scoop of water..even if you scoop it up and it spills,you cant have another scoop!!no one can put the water in bottles!!
5.So if the water spills the spirits will kill you?uuh no,why would they?
6. But you said you can't come down the mountain alive if you dont drink the water?..oh yeah yeah..they would definitely kill you,i had forgotten.
7. What will happen if you put the water in bottles?...uuuh it will disappear! 
8.. How old were you when you went up the mountain?....uuu 16.
9.. How long did it take you to get to the spring?uuuh 2 weeks!
10.So you spend 2 weeks with no food or water?Yes i did.!
11. What is the name of this mountain?...uuh cant tell you,you are not Kenyan.
12.Can just anyone go up the mountain to get this water?uuh no,you have to be from a special tribe and a special family.
13.So you are special?...yeah,you have no idea.
14.If someone shoots you can you die?..yes i can.
15. If a car hits you,can you die?...yes I can.I can die if am hurt or in an accident but not from old age!!
16. So will you live forever and ever?...yes my dear,i will!!

This questions went on for a while but stopped after sometime. Then we were doing something else when one student asked me...do you have a mum,I said yes...why not.Is she alive?..i say yes she is.Then he asked me..where is your mum?I said ..at home.I dint know where this was going.Then he pauses for a second and asks me...Then how old is your mum???hahahahhahahaha this caught me completely offguard!He was clearly wondering if am 214 yrs old,and my mum was alive,then how old was my mum!!!hahaha little rascal!!I had to get myself out of that one.......

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  2. LOL, this is the funniest blog ive read. Maggie, why are u giving these kids hope. When they grow up, they will want to do a feature on that fountain of youth!
    Isabell

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  3. Hahaha I feel so sorry for them at times.But am sure they will forget about this.What am mostly scared of is the Cambodians I told that in Kenya there is no sunlight...it's dark day and night..lol.Some of them might actually go to Kenya one day...and then what?lol

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