Don't Fail Me Now, Brain!

After picking up quite a bit of Khmer from simply living here and learning from the people with whom I live and work, I decided that I wanted to take some time to more actively learn the Khmer language. So, I started taking Khmer lessons from a friend's sister in February. I think I am doing pretty well, and my teacher says that I am a very good student (though I think she might just be saying that to flatter me).

Regardless, I thought I would show you some photos of what I am up against in learning this language.

As I am sure you are aware, Asian languages are quite different from English or any of the Romantic languages (Spanish, French, etc.) that we are typically exposed to in the U.S. This is the Khmer alphabet. The vowels are on the left page, and the consonants are on the right page.
And here I am learning to combine consonants and vowels to make words and phrases.
I have lessons two days a week, and for next week's lesson, I have to compose 5 written sentences of my own using words that I know. Plus, my teacher is taking me to the market, so she can watch me practice my Khmer with people other than herself. EEK! Thus, my prayer is that my brain will not fail me! Your prayers would be appreciated...