Suzy

Hello, I'm Susie and welcome to the Wander World School and Slow Family Travel podcast, where we discuss the stories, logistics and finances of long-term traveling families and the multitude of ways to learn and educate along the way. Today, I'm joined by Melissa Levy. Originally from Canada, Melissa has made Cambodia home for the last many years and shares her world school offering in Kampot. Welcome to the show.

Melissa Levi

Hi, so my name is Melissa and I was born and raised in Montreal, Canada. My sister and I are first generation Canadians. So my parents got married in Turkey and then came to Canada and then we were born in Canada. I also have twins. My husband is from India, I'm from Canada, and we live in Cambodia. So our children are very multicultural, let's say.

Suzy

Before we talk about your WorldSchoolHub in Cambodia, I'd love to hear more about your personal travel origin story. You shared a little about your origin, but if you can share a little more about some of the travel memories you had growing up.

Melissa Levi

As a first generation Canadian, I always had this bridge to Turkey. So we would travel every summer to Turkey for a month during summer holiday. And something I learned from my parents a lot is, you know, these little travel hacks. There were no direct flights from Montreal to Istanbul. So my parents would choose which places they wanted to go based on which airline we flew with. If we flew with Air France, we would stop in Paris for a few days and then we would continue to Turkey. For me, summers were spent abroad, even though it didn't feel like a holiday, it just felt like another home, if that made sense. We would usually stay with my grandparents and always be with family. For me, travel wasn't so much about exploring, but more, a connection to family. I think that taught me a lot.

Suzy

How did your upbringing shape your travel philosophies now that you're an adult?

Melissa Levi

Finding these kind of travel hacks, like how to extend your holiday, you can very cheaply travel by using these kind of layovers and staying a few extra days. They also always use these coupons and points. I got a credit card so early on so I can use the travel points. Learning which credit cards have promotions, like sometimes you sign up and they give you like 40,000 points, which is a free ticket to Asia. When I was 26, I decided to quit my job and get rid of my apartment and a lot of my belongings. I decided to travel for a year. I was able to fly from Canada to Asia for free just with points. That was just from using a credit card, especially for big purchases. So I could accumulate points and getting those welcome points. I learned from them how to really take advantage of all these small bonuses.

Suzy

You mentioned that your parents were immigrants to Canada. And what was that like as child of immigrants in Canada? And I think about this because my husband was an immigrant to the US and then we spent a lot of time in Spain and I didn't have that upbringing. So I'm curious how that influences people that are children of immigrants to bridge many cultures.

Melissa Levi

I think it was really interesting in a way because my sister and I didn't like we don't have an accent. So we're we kind of fly under the radar. But I would see how my parents because they do have an accent, for example, people would always ask like, where are you from? Even till this day, people ask my parents where they're from, even though they spent most of their life in Canada, more so than Turkey. But then especially when we travel, people would ask them where are from? And they would say Canada and be like, where are you really from? People ask me less because I don't have an accent. And it just taught me that an accent is a really beautiful thing. It means you did something really courageous and it's really like a bridge. I felt like the bridge between two countries in a way. For example, in our neighborhood, there weren't so many immigrants. So I felt like some of my friends that were, Canadian for many generations, they would perceive me as less Canadian. And then when we would visit Turkey, even if we would try to speak Turkish, even though we understood most of what was being said, we were not seen as Turkish, right? So it's kind of like being in between and not really belonging anywhere. At least it wasn't as lonely because I had my sister and we were pretty close in age, like two and a half years. So we always had each other. It's kind of like wearing different masks, you know? So we knew each other's masks, like this is our going to school mask, this is our going to family functions mask, and this is our Canadian mask. So even now when people ask me where I'm from, I used to say I'm Canadian. Now I just say like, I was born in Canada, cause it feels more reflecting more the truth, because it's such a complex question.

Suzy

It's one of those things where it depends on who you're talking to. How much you really, are we going to go down this long story or am I just going to tell you a sentence and let's move on? So there's a lot of brain power being used to determine how much am I going to share about where we're from or where we've been. So let's talk about those family travels. You said your twins were born in Canada, correct? And then tell me more about some of the travels that you've taken as a family since then.

Melissa Levi

So I had been living in Cambodia for quite some time, my husband for even longer than I. This was also during COVID where we were also in limbo, we were not necessarily stuck in Cambodia, but the only place I could go to was Canada as a Canadian and the only place he couldn't go to was India as an Indian because the borders were closed, right? We were able to stay in Cambodia. And then I got pregnant and we didn't think of leaving right away. But then when we found out that we were having twins, it's considered a high risk pregnancy. We're not even in the capital city of Cambodia, we're in like a small town, like a three hour drive away. So we visited a local hospital to see if they even had a NICU which they did, but they only had two incubators. So they were like, if there is a child in one or in both, there would not be incubators for you. So they recommended me to go to Phnom Penh. But then pretty much my family convinced me that we should go to Canada. And it had been a really long time since we had seen each other because of COVID, I hadn't visited for, maybe three years. It had been three years already. But still, we were waiting for a visa. I wasn't too stressed out, but it was pretty stressful in retrospect. We moved to Canada when I was 28 weeks pregnant with twins. So we also brought our cat with us to Canada. So it was quite a move. And then they were born in Canada in the same hospital I was born in, which was pretty special. Then we lived with my parents for a year, which was also really special, especially because that's the house I grew up in and that's the house I was brought to as a baby as well. So bringing my babies into that house, it felt so symbolic in so many ways. And like the kids slept in the room I used to sleep in. That was really special to see their bond with their grandparents too for the first year and having their help.

Suzy

And did you always know that you would head back to Cambodia at some point?

Melissa Levi

We were not planning on going back to Cambodia. We got rid of everything. We sold everything. We said goodbye to everybody. It's so weird for me. I feel Cambodia is more my home than Canada in some ways. I feel more at home here. Maybe that's a better way of saying it. So it wasn't in the plans and we came back like a day before the kids turned two. I'm sure families know this, but kids fly for free until they're two. So we took advantage of that for two years. We moved around a lot. The kids have been to almost 10 countries so far and they're three and a half. It was fun, but I did not feel grounded at all. So we just decided we fly to Asia now or never because four flights are more expensive than two flights for sure. We got here like the day before they turned two and we've been here since.

Suzy

And you said you did some traveling before they turned two. What were some of those destinations and what was that like traveling with young twins?

Melissa Levi

I was really, really nervous. We both read a lot before. I spoke to a lot of my friends and anyone who has kids and asked them for their advice. I was really nervous about being on the plane with them for so long. So what we did to break it up, we were planning to go to India so that my in-laws can meet the kids as well. We left when they were nine months, and we stopped in Europe just to break up the flight a little bit. And then from there, we went to India, to my husband's hometown. And we stayed there for about a month. And then we were not planning on coming to Cambodia, but we ended up coming to Cambodia for four months after that. And after that, we went back to Canada for a few months as well. And then we spent about two months in the States, in New Mexico. After that, we went to Mexico. And the plan was to try to do like six months in Canada and six months somewhere around Mexico since it was closer. In my mind, I would find somewhere like Kampot over there, because it was closer. But it's not that simple. We just, didn't really find our groove there. And then the twins were turning too and we were like, let's just go to Cambodia.

Suzy

What about Kampot is so wonderful or brings you keeps bringing you back to it?

Melissa Levi

No place is perfect. But for me, it checks off a lot of my, like perfect ideal place. I don't like to live in big cities, so I like that it's not a big city. But it's really close to the capital city. So if I need to, it's really easy to get there.

Suzy

But still three hours, right?

Melissa Levi

Three hours, yeah. It's a really quiet town, very like laid back, relaxed vibes. There's big, beautiful mountains and a lot of water around. We live on a mangrove. This is like my dream. I'm able to work online and earn US dollars. But, I get to live here, and they use US dollars here too. So I don't even have to worry about exchanging currency. The most important is the community. It's a very small community. We live far from town, so we feel very secluded, but we're also far from town is just a 10 minute drive. That's how small Kampot is. It's just such a beautiful place. There's rice fields everywhere and mountains. I lived in Phnom Penh. I lived in the capital. I also lived on Koh Rong Island, which is the most beautiful place I've ever seen in the world. White sand, turquoise blue ocean, and you can live on a bungalow on the beach, on the water for not so expensive. So I think this is a good in-between. Korong was like really removed. Everything came on a boat. It was really nice to live there, but I don't think I can do that now, especially with kids. So I feel like Kampot is the perfect in-between. And the community is just so wonderful. There's so many yoga places. There's so many good restaurants. So for me, this matters a lot.

Suzy

Good food.

Melissa Levi

Yeah, it's really important.

Suzy

That's great. My friend and I, before I was even married, before I had kids, we did about four months in Southeast Asia. We mainly only did Angkor Wat, of course, in Cambodia, and an island. I'll have to see if it was the one you talking about. But I just remember how peaceful a lot of the cities were and how welcoming people were. When you share about the community, who makes up the community in Kampot? Plenty of local people, I'm sure, but are there also people from all over that have settled in Kampot?

Melissa Levi

So of course there's locals and there's also a really big expat community. And another thing, like what I love about Cambodia is when I say everyone's chill, it's like even the Cambodians, even the expats, like everyone is chill. I feel like everyone's always smiling. Cambodians are just like the best, most hospitable people and they're so warm. And I find also they're like not yet jaded by tourism. Since tourism is a bit newer in Cambodia because of a very complicated history, there was a civil war up until like 1980.

Suzy

Very recent for many people's memories, I'm sure. There.

Melissa Levi

Exactly. It's very rare to see old people here. And when you do, it's just like, wow, I would love to hear your stories. So yeah, it's a very young population. And the next generation are so incredibly awesome and innovative and so hopeful for the future. It's just such a warm, warm place. The kids in the neighborhood just sometimes they'll just show up. They like poke their head in the gate and see if we're around. If they see our kids, they'll just come and play. Like the first time they asked, can we come play? And we were like, yeah, of course. And we have like a soccer net and a soccer ball and it was just so sweet how they felt so comfortable to just ask, I come play? And they were so excited. You know, sometimes older kids don't really like to play with younger kids. Cause they were older than my kids. They were, maybe seven or something. but it was just so sweet. They like made sure to still pass the ball to my kids and they made them feel included and they played together. It warmed my heart. For me, this is such a good education that I can give to my kids is to see the world and see different things.

Suzy

What languages are spoken in your household as well as in the community?

Melissa Levi

I grew up this way. So for me, it's really normal to speak many languages at home because in Montreal, most people are bilingual. We speak English and French. So I think that's not really common in the rest of the world. So I already had that as a starting point. And then at home, we had a very Turkish household. Like Turkish was spoken at home. My parents spoke to each other in Turkish. My mom spoke to us in Turkish and we answered her in English. And my dad usually spoke to us in French or in Turkish and we would answer him in English too. So our house was like continuously a mix of three languages. My husband grew up speaking Hindi at home and that's it. I guess a mix of Punjabi and Hindi and he learned English at school as well. We decided that if we want them to be like really native speakers, we have to speak to them exclusively in another language other than English. I speak to them in French and my husband tries to speak to them in Hindi as much as possible. English comes out very naturally for him. But yeah, now all the kids are at a point, they mostly speak English. Even if I speak to them in French, they answer me in English, but they understand everything I say in French. And now they started to sometimes ask me like, how do you say this in French? We did colors a lot. Now we're doing numbers. And now they started to ask my husband as well, like, how do you say yellow in Hindi? How do you say red in Hindi? Or how do you say this number? So that's just kind of our approach to education. Anyway, since the beginning, I never like sat down and taught them one, two, three, and ABC or anything. We just try to follow their curiosity. So they learned colors in like a few days because as soon as they discovered, they would ask me, what's this color? What's it like our whole house? Like for weeks, I was just constantly telling them what each color was. But then I guess that's just such a more fun way of learning. So I guess that's seems to be that it's going to be the same with language, I think. I can see that they're getting more comfortable speaking French because French is for sure a lot harder than English. And I know it's really common for bilingual kids to take some time before speaking like the second, the harder language. So many times I was like, I'm just like, they're not, I'm just gonna stop. And then it's like, no, I just keep going, keep going.

Suzy

Exactly. I encourage you to because it does pay off. My kids are five and eight and my husband spoke German to them and then they had English in the community and now they're going to school in Spain and a Spanish school when we're in Colorado. They definitely only speak back to us in English, but I see that they are learning so much and around other people where it's more appropriate for them to respond in Spanish or German. They will. Remind me in Cambodia, what is the local language and then how much English is spoken?

Melissa Levi

The main language or official language is called Khmer.

Suzy

Alphabet, totally different, right? It's more like a tie? Exactly. Okay.

Melissa Levi

Yes, exactly. Yeah, they're very similar. A lot of the languages in Southeast Asia come from Pali and then before that from Sanskrit. So they share very common roots. So the letters are different, but similar in a way, like very, they look very squiggly, let's say. So I don't know how to read Khmer. I am learning. There's like a hundred letters or characters to learn. Most Cambodians also speak English, especially if they're working in tourism. A lot of the young kids speak English and Chinese as well. They learn three languages at most schools. And there's also a lot of French schools, especially in Phnom Penh. Nowadays, I think most Cambodians don't speak French unless they're like French Cambodian.

Suzy

I always think the language history is so interesting. What brought you to Cambodia for the first time?

Melissa Levi

So when I was about 26, I traveled for a year. I thought I would like see the whole world, but I pretty much stayed in Southeast Asia. So I visited Cambodia for the first time actually like 10 years ago now in September. So from Laos, I came into Cambodia and from Cambodia, I went to Thailand. So I spent a month here 10 years ago. Then towards the end of that one year trip, I went back to Cambodia. I was in Thailand and I did a visa run and long story short, through a mutual friend. That's when I met my now husband. We met in Phnom Penh when I was doing this kind of visa run. And then I went back to Canada after my year of travels. Then I just felt like things had changed. Things had shifted so much for me that I just felt like I did not want to stay in Canada. So I worked for a few months. and then I came back to Asia. Originally I was trying to live in Thailand, but I found it very difficult. Like visa wise, you have to do a lot of visa runs and, and, my now husband met me in Thailand and, we were just getting really fed up with the visa bureaucracy. And he was like, you know, it's pretty easy in Cambodia. Just pay and you get like a business visa, you can work legally and you don't have to do visa runs. Okay, let's go to Cambodia and the rest is history.

Suzy

You mentioned your children attend a playhouse. I'm curious more about what they experience at their schooling in Cambodia, and then also what your thoughts are around schooling as they continue to grow.

Melissa Levi

They did not attend any daycares or anything in Canada or in America or anything when we were there. They were mostly with us until they were two. And then when we came back to Cambodia, I have a really good friend who, her daughter is six months older than our twins. So she actually started this playhouse. It's called the Pineapple Playhouse because that was the type of place she wanted for her kid and it didn't exist. So she created it. So what makes it really different than the other places is that it's very child led, play-based. There's no, classroom. It's a very Montessori and Waldorf. It aligns. There's weekly themes that change like every week. And the kids do all kinds of arts and crafts. They even do like science experiments. They do a lot of sensory play, a lot of like really messy things that parents don't want to do at home. They make like slime and all this kind of stuff. Kids love to touch and make messes. I'm so happy that they have that space to do that. I like that it's like child led if, if they don't want to do any of the activities, they don't have to. They're not forced to sit down and color if they don't want to. If they want to go outside and play in the sandpit for three hours, they also have like bicycles that they could play and swings and things they could climb. I really liked that the outdoor space is like three times the size of the indoor space. So the kids love to play outside and the grass and they play, they pick up rocks and flowers and, Yeah, I really like that too. I think that's really important as well.

Suzy

Lots of outdoor time is great, especially when they're young. Yeah. And you mentioned you work online and earn in US dollars and then you're able to spend in dollars in Cambodia. Tell me a little more about what you do for work and how that fits in with your life too.

Melissa Levi

I started teaching English online in 2019, which was before COVID. My goal when I came back to Asia, when I left Canada, like the second time, I had just found out about like, digital nomad that you can earn money from anywhere, working online. And for me, this was just very appealing because I thought I would have to keep going to Canada and work and then go and come back and work and go. That just blew my mind. Wow, I can work and travel at the same time, like sign me up. So before teaching, I had tried a bunch of different data entry or whatever stuff on Upwork and Fiverr. But then I found that teaching English was way more steady. It was a lot more like predictable. I think I joined in the golden era before the market got really flooded. Whatever time slots I was opening would get booked. I can completely choose my days, my hours, everything. So for me, this was just really ideal. And it still is, I'm still doing this. I'm with the same company to this day. I've taught around the world, I taught in Singapore and Canada.

Suzy

Yeah, what is the company?

Melissa Levi

It's called VIPKID. I also have a referral code. It's M-E-L-I-S and then the numbers 1, 2, 5, 9. So that's my referral code.

Suzy

If I remember correctly, there was like a VIP kid that was predominantly teaching English for Chinese students and then it like shut down. That was like a big unfortunate situation for many teachers. Is this similar or is this totally different? And who are the students that are mainly taking classes from you?

Melissa Levi

It's an American Chinese company, so half American, half Chinese. And I remember when I joined, I actually joined in 2017 and their selling point was that Kobe Bryant was one of the first investors in this company. So it was one of the first of this kind of English tutoring online for kids in China. It was only China for a long time. I believe it was around after 2020, after COVID, it was actually the government of China that changed the laws. Foreign teachers that are not in China can no longer teach kids in China. So if I was in China, I was able to teach kids, but not outside. So when that happened, there was like a big reorganization in the company. And then they opened up to different markets. So for some time I taught exclusively Korean kids. Now the company has shifted a lot. They're also doing reading classes and math class and they're also operating in the US as well. There's like a math program for kids in the US. So they just kind of diversified. So they never shut down. I teach adults in China. I still sometimes teach kids. I think they just sign up for the adult class and then it's a kid. Or it's kids outside China, like in Hong Kong or sometimes in Japan. I've taught some kids in Japan too. And I think I read recently now they're in Saudi Arabia as well.

Suzy

So teaching and education has been part of your professional side for many years, and now you're offering a world school hub in Kampot. I'd love to hear more about the program, the logistics of it, and share more about what you've been putting together.

Melissa Levi

So this is our first year operating as a hub. There is one hub up in Siem Reap. That's where most tourists go because of Angkor Wat, which is one of the oldest and most beautiful places.

Suzy

Amazing.

Melissa Levi

Yes, it's really, really such a powerful place. So we're quite far. I believe it's like an eight hour drive, depending on the time of day, of course. So we're kind of coordinating with them where our dates follow their date. Usually when people come to Cambodia, they're here on a one month visa. This way, you can really, take advantage of that one month visa and do the two hubs. We're also giving a discount to anyone who comes to us from the Siem Reap Hub. And so far what we have planned is a one week meetup, let's call it. And we're having one meetup per month. What we do during this week is we do a lot of adventure, a lot of nature activities. We were thinking of even expanding it to 10 days. We're gonna do things like going to the salt field. Kampot and Kapp are big producers of salt and pepper, actually. So we're gonna visit both of those places on separate days. We're going to also visit caves from the sixth century. We're going to visit waterfalls where we have to hike. It's a very family friendly hike for maybe 20 to 30 minutes and then swim in a natural waterfall. Other activities are sunset boat ride where we get to see fireflies in the trees at night. A bunch of other fun things. And for me, the most exciting is to tie in crafts and workshops with the kids that will tie in with what we learn. Like for example, the day we visit the salt fields, we will learn about, how do we get salt and what's water evaporation? And then the next day we're going to do like a science experiment about water evaporation. I think that's a really fun way for kids to really understand what they're seeing and like absorb it as well.

Suzy

That sounds great. So what is included? And then also, accommodations part of that? Or do people pick their own accommodations?

Melissa Levi

Yes, people book their own accommodation. I have a really handy list of accommodation nearby. There's really so many options and there's something for every budget. For example, there's three options in walking distance of us. One is like very budget. It's a budget option. It's maybe 15 to $20 a night for a room with a fan. Very beautiful room on the water as well on the mangrove. Another option more in the mid range is about $30 a night. And that also those rooms have air conditioning and there's also two pools at that resort. There's also a restaurant. And then higher end option also walking distance, it's about $100 a night. They also have I think several pools and breakfast included stuff like that. So there's a lot of options and that way you can choose, depending on your budget and comfort level as well.

Suzy

What ages of students or kids would be your target audience? And also, could parents participate?

Melissa Levi

Yes, for sure. All the every activity is family friendly. So the idea is that we do the activities together. I think something really special about our hubs is that we decided that transport is included in the price. Wherever we're going, you don't have to think about how am going to get there? We've decided everyone will get their own tuk tuk driver, which is like a very Asian experience as well. So everyone, every family could have their own tuk tuk driver so that everyone has a little bit more freedom as well. If you want to leave early, you can. If you want to not participate, that's also fine. There's also the option for the kids to attend the Pineapple Playhouse if for example, parents have to work. So we're very mindful even when we make the itinerary, it's not every day is a crazy adventure so that everyone's like exhausted and burned out by the end. We have a day of adventure and then a day off that's more relaxed. So we're trying to be very mindful and flexible as well.

Suzy

What is the pricing for right now?

Melissa Levi

So the cost is $200 for adults or children older than 12. For children 4 to 11 years old, it's $150. And for kids under 4 years old, it's $50. And we also have discounts for siblings as well as the discount for the alumni from the Siem Reap Hub. So that includes all the activities, all the transport, not all meals, not three meals a day, but it does include, two barbecue dinners and two lunches as well as snacks.

Suzy

Great. And I love that you've combined it with the other hub in Cambodia because you're right, Southeast Asia is so easy to spend months on end because there's so much to do, so much to see, so much culture, and it's quite easy to get around, with the tuk-tuks. People are so welcoming that it makes sense that people want to spend a longer period of time there and get to take advantage of an opportunity to see another part of Cambodia. So I love that. That is such a cool opportunity. Thank you for sharing more about that. I think it's important to share the joys and the challenges sometimes of traveling long-term, putting on hubs in other countries. What is a challenge that you're experiencing right now?

Melissa Levi

The greatest challenge, I do speak a little bit of Khmer, but I wouldn't call myself fluent at all. So probably the greatest challenge is the language barrier that if someone does not speak English or French, and we do this, you know, with my few broken Khmer words and their few broken English words and a lot of body language and a little bit of sign language. Thank goodness for phones that save me so much. I can show a picture if I want to buy something at the market. I know how to say, where can I find this? You know, maybe I can't explain a mosquito net, but I can say, where can I find this? So learning the language is so, so important. And that's just something else I love about Cambodia is even if you know one word in Khmer and you say it to someone, they will be so happy and be like, you speak Cambodian, people are always so encouraging, You like Cambodia and I love Cambodia. And then they're so happy.

Suzy

And what are some wins that you or your hub are experiencing right now?

Melissa Levi

Honestly, I think just finding this place, this property, it was like pure luck. It's just such an amazing property. It's really big. There's so much space for the kids. It's on a mangrove. I think we were just really intentional and like I say that we manifested this because this is like everything we wanted. And then just like one day my husband was at our friend's office he does our visas and they also do real estate And we wanted to find a new place. Then he got a call from the landlord in that moment, he was like, there is a place you want to go see it. You know, so we were the first people to see it. And we saw it and we're like, we're going to take it, I think that was just like divine timing.

Suzy

I love when those things come together.

Melissa Levi

It feels like it was meant to be.

Suzy

Tell me the name of the Shanti Shanti Kampot. Am I saying it correctly? yeah.

Melissa Levi

That part is the name of our business here. So we do other stuff besides the World Schooling Hub. We're actually about to start to launch our yoga offerings. We just finished up renovating our yoga space. So we're going to be offering daily yoga as well as food, vegetarian and healthy food. And we also have a healthy kids menu. Usually kids menus are at least here, they're usually pizza and hamburger and fried chicken. So we felt that this was more aligned with our values. We know, kids can have very good and good tasting and good for you food as well. So that's another thing we're doing, offering, we call it curious kids weekend. So on weekends, we invite families to come, and play and learn together as well. We have different workshops and we have kids yoga, we have yoga for adults as well. So that families can come together and usually one parent could take a yoga class at a time, but here we have something for the whole family. We're planning on doing like family yoga retreats as well. So sometimes you have to sacrifice some hobbies when you become a parent, but it doesn't have to be that way, right?

Suzy

Exactly. If you can incorporate the kids into your passions, it's a way to continue them. And I remember doing yoga all around Southeast Asia. It was like the best thing just to move your body when you're traveling. It feels so good. I love that that's an offering that you have as well. This has been so great. So we have a lightning round where I'm going to ask you some fairly quick questions. What is your favorite place, city or country?

Melissa Levi

Cambodia.

Suzy

Perfect, very fitting for what we've talked about. What is the most unusual food you've ever tried?

Melissa Levi

It's a Turkish dessert, like a delicacy. It's tavukkizi and it means chicken eyes, like direct translation. It tastes like pudding. It's like a milk pudding. And I remember eating this when I was a kid and loving it. And when we finished, my mom told me that it's made from chicken and it kind of freaked me out. I don't know why. It just made me feel really weird to eat like a chicken pudding, but it's literally a milk pudding made with chicken breasts and apparently this was like a delicacy in the Ottoman days. They would serve it only to the sultans in the palace.

Suzy

Does it taste like chicken as well?

Melissa Levi

No, it tastes like chicken. tastes like pudding. It's very sweet and delicious, yeah, kind of cream. Interesting. I know, that it's made with chicken.

Suzy

And what is one item that you cannot travel without?

Melissa Levi

my headphones.

Suzy

Do you prefer bus, train or car?

Melissa Levi

I think it depends on the country, but it would have to be a tie between car and train.

Suzy

And what is the first thing you do when you arrive to a new country?

Melissa Levi

probably eat.

Suzy

Yes, try some of the new food. Do you consider yourself an early bird or a night owl?

Melissa Levi

Early bird. When I was growing up, I was a night owl and then it became an early bird.

Suzy

Yes, kids kind of shifts that, doesn't it? And what is your favorite subject to world school?

Melissa Levi

I think science. I really love science experiments with kids.

Suzy

Those are fun. What's one piece of advice for our family just starting out?

Melissa Levi

Two things, first thing is don't stress the small stuff and maybe something like you think is not small, you'll see eventually that it's pretty small. And another one is a really good piece of advice that I got when I started traveling and it's when in doubt, leave it out.

Suzy

That like packing advice as well. if you don't think you need it, leave it out.

Melissa Levi

It's so universal.

Suzy

Last quick question, if you could teleport to one place right now, where would it be?

Melissa Levi

Wherever my parents are.

Suzy

That's the hard part about being around the world is sometimes we're not where family is. Thank you so much for sharing all about you, your travels, your family, and your world school offering and Kampot. I will make sure to link all of this information, the show notes, Thank you so much.

Melissa Levi

Thank you for having me.

Suzy

What an amazing story Melissa shared. Check out the show notes for her referral link if you want to start teaching English remotely or want to visit her hub in Kampot. It sounds like so much fun. Don't want to miss a show? Follow me on Instagram at @suzymay.wander. Until next time, stay curious and keep exploring.