Once upon a time there was a rat. His name was Bilbo Pete. For while, he led a good life. He minded his own business and let others do the same. But then he got greedy. Bilbo Pete broke bad, and started stealing things. At first he was subtle about it. One day, he went too far. He stole items of value. Their owner thought she was just losing things, until one night, she heard a noise. She awoke, grabbed her handy flashlight, peeked out from under her mosquito net, and saw her toothbrush moving toward a hole in the floor. She rescued the toothbrush, and declared war on Bilbo Pete. For a few weeks, he behaved himself. But last night, he was emboldened once again. She was aroused from sleep by the pattering of feet upon her bed. Bilbo Pete had returned. She hit him, which sent him flying to the other side of the bed. He ran to the top of the mosquito net, where he was beaten with a bottle of baby powder. That was the last time I saw Bilbo Pete. Although he is sure to be back.
In other news, I spent yesterday afternoon doing yard work. It was nice to do some sort of labor, as people seem afraid to let me do anything that requires exertion. Well, they didn’t exactly let me do yard work, I sort of took the hoe-like instrument from my friend and told her to get another. They were so amazed to see a foreigner doing work that they even took pictures. We were clearing the front yard of the NGO, they are preparing for a big festival. The NGO is run by Khmer people, it’s called Bright Future. They do a lot of agriculture and health work. A lot of my students hang out there. And the staff are some of the nicest people I’ve ever met. The festival is a pretty big deal. So we had to rid the yard of grass. Yes, grass. Here, grass is bad. Yards are to be covered in dirt. This makes sense when you realize they can’t have grass because they have no lawn mowers. This realization took me about a month. Anyway, it felt really good to do something that yielded visible results. Whenever I am given a task that requires the destruction of things, such as grass, I attack with a vengeance. I am proud to say that the area I was assigned is completely void of all vegetation.
As of this writing I have been a volunteer for two months. Wow. That was fast. The year is almost over, and people back home are celebrating Christmas. I miss winter. I miss wearing hoodies and warm paja,as, and having to convince myself to leave a warm bed and go into the cold of the outside world. We have had winter, of sorts. It got down to about 68 degrees for a week and everyone nearly died. I laughed a lot that week. But here I sit, at the computer lab in Battambang, sweating once more. I received many Christmas and Thanksgiving cards. Thanks so much! Love and miss as always.
05 December, 2008
30 November, 2008
So thanksgiving has come and gone in a rather inconspicuous fashion. But it was excellent. Whitney and I went to visit Tyler. He has a stove and some pans so we made thanksgiving dinner. I was rather proud of us. We had pineapple ginger chicken, sautéd green beans (both prepared by yours truly) and mashed potatoes. It was divine. There are pictures of it somewhere. One of the awesome things about Cambodia is how fresh the ingredients are. We went to the market mid-morning, and were greatly distressed to find that there is no more chicken. But that didn’t stop our Khmer friends. They took us to the house of the woman who sells chickens. After explaining our dilemma, she asked us to wait ten minutes, grabbed on of the chickens running about the yard, and went into a shed. Ten minutes later, a defeathered, gutted chicken is presented to us, still warm. He was delicious. We spent the afternoon hanging out and walking around Ty’s place. Unlike all the other volunteers, he doesn’t live at a house with a family, but with an NGO. They have programs for kids, many of whom are orphans. They teach life skills and provide a place to sleep for those who have no home or live far from school. The ride back to Pursat was pretty interesting, as we thought we were going to flag down a bus. We were mistaken in this assumption. It was a pickup. It was loaded to the brim. We rode on top. I thought it was slightly awesome, being outside and going really fast. Whitney wasn’t as thrilled. Let’s just say it was good to get back to Pursat.
When I get back to Kravanh I really must visit the people at the market and explain my absence this weekend. I missed one day last weekend and everyone thought I had went back to America. Next weekend we have to go to Battambang. While I’m excited (they have real ice cream there) we’re supposed to be having a language class. Now, there will be around 15-20 people, all at drastically different language levels, in one class. We have yet to be informed the exact location of said class, exact date, time, or lodging arrangements. Good times.
School is progressing. I have an activity list saved to the computer there, which one of my co teachers is very excited about. I have taught my students to say “Just Peachy” and “Fantastic” in response the question “how are you?” I feel this is progress. I’ve also managed to teach some of the faculty that one should not say things like “you’re fat,” “how much do you weigh?” or “how much money do you make?” as these are rude in other countries. Khmer people say these things all the time. This new knowledge blew their minds.
In other news, I face a dilemma. My school director has offered to buy me a police uniform. Like any sane human being, my first thought was “Heck yes that’s awesome!” The logic on his part was that if the president comes to visit, all the teachers should wear police uniforms(?) I think this has something to do with showing support for the ruling party. As a peace corps volunteer, I feel very uncomfortable doing this. Although what would be a better souvenir than a Cambodian police uniform? Nothing, that’s what. Anyway, theoretically Peace Corps will come visit me in December. I’ll talk to them then.
The hardest thing about the process of attempting to improve education in Cambodia is that it is just that, a process. I was totally expecting this, and things could totally be worse. I have an awesome (if not rather eccentric) school director. He picked up trash by hand with the students, something that is simply never done here. I was impressed. My primary co-teacher is a cool person, we’ve become good friends. The other teachers are starting to show interest in improving; my faculty English class is really progressing. These are small steps, but significant ones. We are still in hot, crowed rooms, crammed with uncomfortable desks, and I sometimes have to shout to be heard above the noise of the pigs squealing, small children playing outside, or the monsoon-like rainstorms. But I really love the students. The activities are awesome because you get to see them come alive and really express their personalities. I’m especially proud of some of the girls. They take charge and do their best; challenging their classmates. Alai and Muilai are two of my favorites. These kids tend to shut down if they are put in any situation that makes them uncomfortable. One of which is speaking English. It can be really hard to get them to do anything. And the teachers don’t force them to do it! I was amazed when a teacher asked a student to do something and he said “No, I can’t” and the teacher just went on to someone else. Another thing I’m working on changing. Anyway, overall life is good. I miss everyone, and demand that turkeys be fried in my honor over the holiday season.
When I get back to Kravanh I really must visit the people at the market and explain my absence this weekend. I missed one day last weekend and everyone thought I had went back to America. Next weekend we have to go to Battambang. While I’m excited (they have real ice cream there) we’re supposed to be having a language class. Now, there will be around 15-20 people, all at drastically different language levels, in one class. We have yet to be informed the exact location of said class, exact date, time, or lodging arrangements. Good times.
School is progressing. I have an activity list saved to the computer there, which one of my co teachers is very excited about. I have taught my students to say “Just Peachy” and “Fantastic” in response the question “how are you?” I feel this is progress. I’ve also managed to teach some of the faculty that one should not say things like “you’re fat,” “how much do you weigh?” or “how much money do you make?” as these are rude in other countries. Khmer people say these things all the time. This new knowledge blew their minds.
In other news, I face a dilemma. My school director has offered to buy me a police uniform. Like any sane human being, my first thought was “Heck yes that’s awesome!” The logic on his part was that if the president comes to visit, all the teachers should wear police uniforms(?) I think this has something to do with showing support for the ruling party. As a peace corps volunteer, I feel very uncomfortable doing this. Although what would be a better souvenir than a Cambodian police uniform? Nothing, that’s what. Anyway, theoretically Peace Corps will come visit me in December. I’ll talk to them then.
The hardest thing about the process of attempting to improve education in Cambodia is that it is just that, a process. I was totally expecting this, and things could totally be worse. I have an awesome (if not rather eccentric) school director. He picked up trash by hand with the students, something that is simply never done here. I was impressed. My primary co-teacher is a cool person, we’ve become good friends. The other teachers are starting to show interest in improving; my faculty English class is really progressing. These are small steps, but significant ones. We are still in hot, crowed rooms, crammed with uncomfortable desks, and I sometimes have to shout to be heard above the noise of the pigs squealing, small children playing outside, or the monsoon-like rainstorms. But I really love the students. The activities are awesome because you get to see them come alive and really express their personalities. I’m especially proud of some of the girls. They take charge and do their best; challenging their classmates. Alai and Muilai are two of my favorites. These kids tend to shut down if they are put in any situation that makes them uncomfortable. One of which is speaking English. It can be really hard to get them to do anything. And the teachers don’t force them to do it! I was amazed when a teacher asked a student to do something and he said “No, I can’t” and the teacher just went on to someone else. Another thing I’m working on changing. Anyway, overall life is good. I miss everyone, and demand that turkeys be fried in my honor over the holiday season.
22 November, 2008
It’s hard out here for a pimp. In Cambodia, there is a great deal of talk about gangsters. Many people fear them. I laugh at them. When we think of gangsters, we think of people, who, well, actually belong to gangs for one thing. We think of people who sell drugs and commit violent crimes. You know what gangsters do here? Wear earrings. Oh yes friends. They’re bad. Sometimes they steal lunch money from little kids. But that is the extent of their criminal activities. Having “unusual” hair and wearing earrings are enough to make a boy a gangster. Basically gangster means punk. If a boy is rude, someone might call him a gangster. I, on the other hand, like to make fun of them. I have tried to explain the concept of real “gangsters” to people, and they are very surprised to learn that America has people this bad. “Ko’it” is the word used to describe people who commit serious crimes. It literally means broken. I was having dinner at a friends house the other night, and she was reading the paper to me, telling me about all of the atrocious crimes committed in the past month. She said “Kampuchea ko’it”, Cambodia is broken. It kind of struck me on a much deeper level than she meant. A few minutes before her friend, a woman in her mid forties, told me that she was illiterate. During the Pol Pot regime, there were no schools. Everyone had to work. In asking a little more, I learned that many people their age can’t read or write. I never cease to be amazed at how the scars from years past just kind of lie hidden. Looking at the country, one wouldn’t guess the horror that went on here. The wounds are healing, but the scars remain. Sometimes its startling.
On a completely unrelated note, should the planet ever be attacked by fierce aliens, rest assured that I am in good hands. The faculty at my school can beat down any aliens that the “Alien Shooter” computer game can throw at them. Yesterday I walked into the teachers’ lounge to soft Khmer music playing while three of them were talking excitedly about all the blood. Woot.
Also, today I rode my bike to my provincial town. I’m excited. While a taxi is much easier, the bike ride was free and it gave me a sense of accomplishment. So I ate a hamburger and some ice cream. Then I will bike back home. It is a little less than two hours by bike, so I’ll have had plenty of exercise for today. That is pretty much it for exciting news.
I will be spending Thanksgiving in Krakor, about an hour away from the provincial town. The volunteer who lives there has his own kitchen. The three of us will make chicken and mashed potatoes. Yummy. PC is also sending us to Battambang for “language training” in a couple weeks, which I don’t really understand. I can’t imagine what we could possibly learn in an afternoon in BB that we couldn’t learn at site. But it means PC pays for me to go to Battambang, so I’m not complaining.
Site is still cool. There’s an awesome NGO that works with agriculture and AIDS education. A lot of my students hang out there, and I’ve made friends with some of the staff. So that is promising for future projects. I’m still missing everyone very much, but I do think I have the best job ever, despite its many complications.
Mom, I told you wrong, I got Maw-Maw’s box instead of yours. I also got Nanny Jan’s card. Thanks to all!
On a completely unrelated note, should the planet ever be attacked by fierce aliens, rest assured that I am in good hands. The faculty at my school can beat down any aliens that the “Alien Shooter” computer game can throw at them. Yesterday I walked into the teachers’ lounge to soft Khmer music playing while three of them were talking excitedly about all the blood. Woot.
Also, today I rode my bike to my provincial town. I’m excited. While a taxi is much easier, the bike ride was free and it gave me a sense of accomplishment. So I ate a hamburger and some ice cream. Then I will bike back home. It is a little less than two hours by bike, so I’ll have had plenty of exercise for today. That is pretty much it for exciting news.
I will be spending Thanksgiving in Krakor, about an hour away from the provincial town. The volunteer who lives there has his own kitchen. The three of us will make chicken and mashed potatoes. Yummy. PC is also sending us to Battambang for “language training” in a couple weeks, which I don’t really understand. I can’t imagine what we could possibly learn in an afternoon in BB that we couldn’t learn at site. But it means PC pays for me to go to Battambang, so I’m not complaining.
Site is still cool. There’s an awesome NGO that works with agriculture and AIDS education. A lot of my students hang out there, and I’ve made friends with some of the staff. So that is promising for future projects. I’m still missing everyone very much, but I do think I have the best job ever, despite its many complications.
Mom, I told you wrong, I got Maw-Maw’s box instead of yours. I also got Nanny Jan’s card. Thanks to all!
05 November, 2008
Phnom Penh, Day Two:
Some people love parades. They love them so much that they even write songs about them. I am not one of those people. Next week is the Water Festival. This is when dozens, sometimes hundreds of boats race on the Tonle Sap. The population of Phnom Penh will double over the weekend. Festivities have already begun. Namely, these are parades. These parades take up the entire riverfront road, blocking traffic for blocks. Good times. So now, I’m in a café, unfortunately the TV has stopped working, so I can’t watch election coverage at the moment Oh, it’s working again. Woot. So I will probably spend the morning here, I have to go shopping in the afternoon. Maybe buy a camera, exciting stuff. It is very interest watching all the expats (i.e. expatriates, foreigners who live abroad) during election season. When we went to another café earlier this morning, the Democrats Abroad were having a big party. I felt like a spy. It was pretty fantastic. I forgot how weird it is too be around Americans again. Phnom Penh just doesn’t even seem like Cambodia to me. The feel is completely different than it is in the provinces. I almost harbor resentment to foreigners when I see them in the city. “Who are you? What are you doing in my country?” I feel almost Khmer sometimes. The problem with foreigners is that they tend to exemplify the worst traits of the West. They are tourists, impatient and demanding. I love the fact that when I say one word in Khmer here, the people get really excited. In the café this morning, there were dozens of people, but I was the only one who waited patiently and spoke Khmer to the staff, they definitely appreciated it. I do not speak Khmer well, by any means, but they totally appreciate the effort.
I find myself thinking in Khmer and English simultaneously. Sometimes on the weekends, I don’t use English at all. There are many words that come to me more quickly in Khmer than in English, and there are some words that just don’t really mean the same thing in Khmer that they do in English. For instance, the word “mui tuk” is translated “to bathe.” But in my head, taking a bath involves sitting in a tub, a shower involves running water, but “mui tuk”is flinging a bucket of cold water on yourself. This would be a typical thought for me “After I nyam some bai I should probably ting plai chu before I deit” Which means: After I eat some rice I should probably buy fruit before I nap. Also words like sraleinh and nuk, to love and to miss, are not used at all the same way we would use their English equivalents. Someone might ask you if you love someone after only knowing them for an hour. The same is true with miss. Often Khmer people will call you to say they miss you a lot, ask if you’ve eaten rice yet (if so, was it delicious?) and then hand up. So if you talk to me, and I use a random word you don’t understand, it’s probably just my linguistic ADD. Jonathan, good luck at OIL, I know you will do fine. And I will personally beat whoever has been pulling the fire alarms at night. Trust me. I know people.
Some people love parades. They love them so much that they even write songs about them. I am not one of those people. Next week is the Water Festival. This is when dozens, sometimes hundreds of boats race on the Tonle Sap. The population of Phnom Penh will double over the weekend. Festivities have already begun. Namely, these are parades. These parades take up the entire riverfront road, blocking traffic for blocks. Good times. So now, I’m in a café, unfortunately the TV has stopped working, so I can’t watch election coverage at the moment Oh, it’s working again. Woot. So I will probably spend the morning here, I have to go shopping in the afternoon. Maybe buy a camera, exciting stuff. It is very interest watching all the expats (i.e. expatriates, foreigners who live abroad) during election season. When we went to another café earlier this morning, the Democrats Abroad were having a big party. I felt like a spy. It was pretty fantastic. I forgot how weird it is too be around Americans again. Phnom Penh just doesn’t even seem like Cambodia to me. The feel is completely different than it is in the provinces. I almost harbor resentment to foreigners when I see them in the city. “Who are you? What are you doing in my country?” I feel almost Khmer sometimes. The problem with foreigners is that they tend to exemplify the worst traits of the West. They are tourists, impatient and demanding. I love the fact that when I say one word in Khmer here, the people get really excited. In the café this morning, there were dozens of people, but I was the only one who waited patiently and spoke Khmer to the staff, they definitely appreciated it. I do not speak Khmer well, by any means, but they totally appreciate the effort.
I find myself thinking in Khmer and English simultaneously. Sometimes on the weekends, I don’t use English at all. There are many words that come to me more quickly in Khmer than in English, and there are some words that just don’t really mean the same thing in Khmer that they do in English. For instance, the word “mui tuk” is translated “to bathe.” But in my head, taking a bath involves sitting in a tub, a shower involves running water, but “mui tuk”is flinging a bucket of cold water on yourself. This would be a typical thought for me “After I nyam some bai I should probably ting plai chu before I deit” Which means: After I eat some rice I should probably buy fruit before I nap. Also words like sraleinh and nuk, to love and to miss, are not used at all the same way we would use their English equivalents. Someone might ask you if you love someone after only knowing them for an hour. The same is true with miss. Often Khmer people will call you to say they miss you a lot, ask if you’ve eaten rice yet (if so, was it delicious?) and then hand up. So if you talk to me, and I use a random word you don’t understand, it’s probably just my linguistic ADD. Jonathan, good luck at OIL, I know you will do fine. And I will personally beat whoever has been pulling the fire alarms at night. Trust me. I know people.
04 November, 2008
Some names have been changed to protect the innocent…
Apparently, my last name isn’t pretty enough for Cambodia. Sorry mom and dad. On the official school flow chart I will be listed as Bri “Rowat”, the Khmer word for state. At first it was an honest mistake, and when I corrected the pronunciation, they told me their way was prettier. So I am now the state of Bri. It kind of pleases me to think that I comprise my own state.
Things are still going well here. On Sunday, I went with a friend to visit her grandmother, who literally lives in rice paddy, about 20 minutes past the middle of nowhere. It was so cool! First of all, surrounded by the green of rice, with palm trees and mountains on the horizon, I just couldn’t imagine anything more beautiful. Or more muddy. I fell into the waist deep water twice. It was good times. Oh, yes, and there are leaches. There are very few physical objects that scare me. But leaches definitely fall into that category. I can almost feel their desire to drain me of blood. If you think I exaggerate, I invite you to join in a rice paddy expedition. Yes friends, they are six inches long and you will scream like a little girl.
On a more positive note, it was really awesome to spend the day in such a rural area. I live literally down the street from everything I need in my town, these people live miles away from a market. My family is technically “middle class”, but the middle class here is considerably smaller than in the US. Compared to a lot of rural people, my family is really rich. Many of the people in the rural areas don’t even have their own wells. But they are super warm and generous. While I was at my friend’s aunt’s house, a guy came over who looked really familiar. It turns out that he was one of the guys who helped me when my bike broke down. He stayed behind (and got really wet cause it rained) While his friend took me and my bike back to town. He did three things Khmer people rarely do:1) he spoke slowly. Most of them have never tried to learn a language, so when you don’t understand they tend to speak more quickly and yell, as though that will help. 2) he told me how everyone was related to everyone else. People here just kind of come and go, leaving you to guess who they are, and why they are at your house. 3) he actually explained words I didn’t know, instead of just laughing. Overall, it was a good day. My family and school staff are still overbearing, but I love them and I think we are working it out.
Also, I am planning on giving my students names of famous people, since I can’t remember the real names of six hundred people. So if anyone have any suggestions, I could use all the creative help I can get. And a special thank you to Ruth Ann, Nanny Joni, Nanny Jan, and Mom. I got your packages and they were awesome!!!! It was definitely the highlight of my week.I got them all at one time, when I got to the office. So I shared some of the food with the other volunteers. Eddie, Whitney, Mitchel, and Jason all say thank you!!!!
Apparently, my last name isn’t pretty enough for Cambodia. Sorry mom and dad. On the official school flow chart I will be listed as Bri “Rowat”, the Khmer word for state. At first it was an honest mistake, and when I corrected the pronunciation, they told me their way was prettier. So I am now the state of Bri. It kind of pleases me to think that I comprise my own state.
Things are still going well here. On Sunday, I went with a friend to visit her grandmother, who literally lives in rice paddy, about 20 minutes past the middle of nowhere. It was so cool! First of all, surrounded by the green of rice, with palm trees and mountains on the horizon, I just couldn’t imagine anything more beautiful. Or more muddy. I fell into the waist deep water twice. It was good times. Oh, yes, and there are leaches. There are very few physical objects that scare me. But leaches definitely fall into that category. I can almost feel their desire to drain me of blood. If you think I exaggerate, I invite you to join in a rice paddy expedition. Yes friends, they are six inches long and you will scream like a little girl.
On a more positive note, it was really awesome to spend the day in such a rural area. I live literally down the street from everything I need in my town, these people live miles away from a market. My family is technically “middle class”, but the middle class here is considerably smaller than in the US. Compared to a lot of rural people, my family is really rich. Many of the people in the rural areas don’t even have their own wells. But they are super warm and generous. While I was at my friend’s aunt’s house, a guy came over who looked really familiar. It turns out that he was one of the guys who helped me when my bike broke down. He stayed behind (and got really wet cause it rained) While his friend took me and my bike back to town. He did three things Khmer people rarely do:1) he spoke slowly. Most of them have never tried to learn a language, so when you don’t understand they tend to speak more quickly and yell, as though that will help. 2) he told me how everyone was related to everyone else. People here just kind of come and go, leaving you to guess who they are, and why they are at your house. 3) he actually explained words I didn’t know, instead of just laughing. Overall, it was a good day. My family and school staff are still overbearing, but I love them and I think we are working it out.
Also, I am planning on giving my students names of famous people, since I can’t remember the real names of six hundred people. So if anyone have any suggestions, I could use all the creative help I can get. And a special thank you to Ruth Ann, Nanny Joni, Nanny Jan, and Mom. I got your packages and they were awesome!!!! It was definitely the highlight of my week.I got them all at one time, when I got to the office. So I shared some of the food with the other volunteers. Eddie, Whitney, Mitchel, and Jason all say thank you!!!!
17 October, 2008
I love my site. It really is some place I think I will feel at home for the next two years. The scenery is simply breathtaking. My house is bigger than it was in my training village, but my room is a little smaller. I really don’t care since this house has a toilet INSIDE! There are no words to describe how exciting this is. My family is pretty awesome. My host mother doesn’t like to be called mother, because it makes her sound old. She has two sons, Rathanak, 14, and Rathana, 12. Their father left before the oldest turned three, so he is not in the picture. But their mom is set to get remarried in December. And a relative is getting married in January. Yay for wedding season. My favorite person is the grandmother, who is fantastically awesome. She was a midwife and managed to survive the Khmer Rouge, (they killed anyone with education). Her husband unfortunately did not. She keeps the cleanest house I ‘ve seen in Cambodia. She was boiling the family’s water long before I got there, and makes the best food ever. Since meat can be rather sketchy here, she gives me eggs at every meal to make sure I get enough protein. She even does my laundry, even though I have attempted to do it myself many times. This is rather convenient right now, since I teach every day and three nights a week.
My school is pretty awesome as well. I teach grades 10, 11, & 12, currently with a Khmer teacher but that will probably change. The school is grossly understaffed. There is only one official English teacher, and he teaches every class that he can. Two other teachers teach when there are time conflicts. There is also a problem of materials. While students must take three years of biology, all they have are tiny photocopied books with outdated black and white drawings. The biology asked me to teach him how to mix chemicals, since he had memorized formulas but had never in his life seen a lab. The need here is overwhelming. Everyone wants me to help with things that are so far beyond my control. It’s really hard, because I want to help, I just can’t.
I also teach the school faculty three nights a week. The school director is quite a character. He lost all his money after the coup in ’97, so his friend made him the director of the school, even though he’s never taught before. Normally, that would be a recipe for the disaster that is the Cambodian educational system. But this guy believes in open communication, which isn’t something one finds a lot of here. His belief in this principle is so strong, in fact, that he never stops openly communicating. He is definitely the most high-strung Cambodian I’ve ever met. We had a meeting with all the students last week, to go over the schools rules and regulations. He not only told the girls not to wear skirts above the knee, he actually got out of his chair and acted out wearing a short skirt and having your butt fall out. It was fantastic.
The other teachers are pretty cool. They are all about getting away from the textbook (which is a much better aid to sleeping than learning). There are two very nice female teachers, but most are single males under 30. And five of them live in a dorm at the school. It’s like a little Khmer frat house. Good times. They definitely rock the butt slap, I swear it’s like a football huddle sometimes.
A week ago, the fine staff at school threw a “party” for me. By “party”, I mean there was literally a cow roasting in the school courtyard, I was given a mysterious blue beverage, and watched everyone get ridiculously drunk. Then there was dancing. Traditional Khmer dancing is lovely, but when they try to do anything modern they look like stoned American Idol wannabes. The problem with Khmer parties is that one has to be ridiculously drunk to enjoy them. I was not ridiculously drunk. I was also wearing my teacher clothes. A word about teacher clothes, friends: they make me want to cry. Teacher clothes consist of a baggy button down shirt (under which another shirt must be worn) and a long Khmer style skirt. While the fabric is beautiful, it is also synthetic, making these skirts incredibly hot and constricting. In the Cambodian heat, it is no fun at all. So why do I wear these clothes? Because for some reason it makes them super happy. They keep talking about how beautiful it is (and trust me, by western standards this is the most unflattering outfit ever) and how I’m different from other foreigners because I dress like Khmer people. Only for you, Cambodia, would I dress like this.
Today I took the day off from school to come to my provincial town. I came by taxi because I need to purchase large items and because I am “not allowed” to bike the 18 mile distance by myself. Ugh. My only complaint about site is that the people are freaking over protective. It is understandable, Khmer would never think of biking 18 miles. It just isn’t done, especially by girls. I have yet to figure out what exactly good Khmer girls are supposed to spend their time doing, but it involves not wandering around on a bike. The morning I was supposed to bike to the provincial town, my co teacher came to my house and forced me to take a taxi. While I know it was done out of concern, my American sensibilities were still incensed that someone had the audacity to dictate to me what I could and could not do. But I think I’m wearing them down, they are slowing growing less resistant to the idea. And if they still don’t let me go in a month, I’ll get Peace Corps to tell them that I will have to leave if it really is too dangerous for me to bike. It really isn’t too dangerous, but they are super scared that Peace Corps will pull me out.
This fear has been compounded with the recent events on the Cambodia-Thai border. I don’t know if they’ve been reporting on it in the states, but two Cambodian soldiers were killed when fighting broke out at Preah Vihear. Nobody expects the situation to escalate, but is still rather worrisome. They have just concluded talks which eased the situation, but didn’t really resolve anything. I live fairly far from the Thai border, so it has had very little effect, but in a country where memories of war are all too recent, folks are uneasy.
But back to the taxi thing, taking a taxi isn’t all that bad. One has the most interesting conversations with fellow travelers. If there are middle aged women, you will learn who is sleeping with whom (it’s like Cambodian ‘Desperate Housewives’), if there are middle aged men, you will learn who is bribing or beheading whom (it’s like Cambodian ‘Sopranos’) and if there are just men, well I try to pretend I don’t understand Khmer. That is getting to be rather hard in my village, since everyone has heard that I can speak a little. I definitely had a random dude start a personal conversation, and when I pretended not to understand, he said “I know you speak Khmer”. Busted.
In answer to recent questions: Yes, by all means use the post office box. I don’t remember what it is but Whitney has probably posted it. For those of you who don’t know Whitney, ask my mom, she knows more about my friends than I do:) I am definitely keeping Pat in my prayers, please let me know how he’s doing.
One last thing: You have all been fantastic about sending me very useful things, and I really appreciate. With Christmas and my birthday coming up, you might be tempted to send me nicer things. Please do not. I completely understand your wanting me to have certain things, but one of my biggest struggles is convincing people I don’t have a lot of money. As soon as I tell people I’m American, they respond ‘oh, so you’re rich’. This is a problem, because all these people know about the US is that there is less trash and people make more money. While that is true, they have no concept of how much things cost in the US. Here, breakfast will run you about a dollar, a pair of shoes, maybe two, and a bag of laundry detergent is maybe 50 cents. To them, America is completely sterile, and its people have unlimited amounts of money. This leads to questions such as ‘Teacher, may I have $3000 for my first year of college?’ Here, money is perceived differently. People always ask how much your things cost, how much money you have, how much you make, how much your parents make, etc. I always either answer ‘Enough’ or ‘I don’t know’. A lot of this is cultural. Because this society is based on patronage, people with money are highly respected. Also, the Buddhist belief in Dharma means that rich people must have done something right in a previous life to have so much in this one. I personally think another reason they are so obsessed with money and rank is because of Khmer Rouge. Communism didn’t do so well here, and with everyone having either witnessed a brutal murder or had a family member murdered (many witnessed the brutal murder of family members) it’s understandable to want to stick it to Pol Pot posthumously.
At first glance, you don’t see the remnants of that era. While the poorest country in the region, Cambodia isn’t third world by any means. The people here aren’t starving. They have phones and motorbikes. There are small vendors all over the roads, and all provincial towns have internet access. But when you look my closely you can see the scars on people’s bodies and minds. Hollow eyes and bullet wounds are common, but it is estimated that nearly everyone born before 1965 suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. So you have generation of people with tenuous mental health, and a generation raised by them. It makes it difficult to deal with change. They know things are better now than they were before, and they know just how bad things could get. Life may not be perfect, but it’s better. They don’t want anything to change that delicate balance. Wow. This is a long post. But I haven’t been able to write in a while so I hope you all enjoy it. Love and miss you all!
My school is pretty awesome as well. I teach grades 10, 11, & 12, currently with a Khmer teacher but that will probably change. The school is grossly understaffed. There is only one official English teacher, and he teaches every class that he can. Two other teachers teach when there are time conflicts. There is also a problem of materials. While students must take three years of biology, all they have are tiny photocopied books with outdated black and white drawings. The biology asked me to teach him how to mix chemicals, since he had memorized formulas but had never in his life seen a lab. The need here is overwhelming. Everyone wants me to help with things that are so far beyond my control. It’s really hard, because I want to help, I just can’t.
I also teach the school faculty three nights a week. The school director is quite a character. He lost all his money after the coup in ’97, so his friend made him the director of the school, even though he’s never taught before. Normally, that would be a recipe for the disaster that is the Cambodian educational system. But this guy believes in open communication, which isn’t something one finds a lot of here. His belief in this principle is so strong, in fact, that he never stops openly communicating. He is definitely the most high-strung Cambodian I’ve ever met. We had a meeting with all the students last week, to go over the schools rules and regulations. He not only told the girls not to wear skirts above the knee, he actually got out of his chair and acted out wearing a short skirt and having your butt fall out. It was fantastic.
The other teachers are pretty cool. They are all about getting away from the textbook (which is a much better aid to sleeping than learning). There are two very nice female teachers, but most are single males under 30. And five of them live in a dorm at the school. It’s like a little Khmer frat house. Good times. They definitely rock the butt slap, I swear it’s like a football huddle sometimes.
A week ago, the fine staff at school threw a “party” for me. By “party”, I mean there was literally a cow roasting in the school courtyard, I was given a mysterious blue beverage, and watched everyone get ridiculously drunk. Then there was dancing. Traditional Khmer dancing is lovely, but when they try to do anything modern they look like stoned American Idol wannabes. The problem with Khmer parties is that one has to be ridiculously drunk to enjoy them. I was not ridiculously drunk. I was also wearing my teacher clothes. A word about teacher clothes, friends: they make me want to cry. Teacher clothes consist of a baggy button down shirt (under which another shirt must be worn) and a long Khmer style skirt. While the fabric is beautiful, it is also synthetic, making these skirts incredibly hot and constricting. In the Cambodian heat, it is no fun at all. So why do I wear these clothes? Because for some reason it makes them super happy. They keep talking about how beautiful it is (and trust me, by western standards this is the most unflattering outfit ever) and how I’m different from other foreigners because I dress like Khmer people. Only for you, Cambodia, would I dress like this.
Today I took the day off from school to come to my provincial town. I came by taxi because I need to purchase large items and because I am “not allowed” to bike the 18 mile distance by myself. Ugh. My only complaint about site is that the people are freaking over protective. It is understandable, Khmer would never think of biking 18 miles. It just isn’t done, especially by girls. I have yet to figure out what exactly good Khmer girls are supposed to spend their time doing, but it involves not wandering around on a bike. The morning I was supposed to bike to the provincial town, my co teacher came to my house and forced me to take a taxi. While I know it was done out of concern, my American sensibilities were still incensed that someone had the audacity to dictate to me what I could and could not do. But I think I’m wearing them down, they are slowing growing less resistant to the idea. And if they still don’t let me go in a month, I’ll get Peace Corps to tell them that I will have to leave if it really is too dangerous for me to bike. It really isn’t too dangerous, but they are super scared that Peace Corps will pull me out.
This fear has been compounded with the recent events on the Cambodia-Thai border. I don’t know if they’ve been reporting on it in the states, but two Cambodian soldiers were killed when fighting broke out at Preah Vihear. Nobody expects the situation to escalate, but is still rather worrisome. They have just concluded talks which eased the situation, but didn’t really resolve anything. I live fairly far from the Thai border, so it has had very little effect, but in a country where memories of war are all too recent, folks are uneasy.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7672506.stm Follow this link for more info about the dispute with Thailand.
But back to the taxi thing, taking a taxi isn’t all that bad. One has the most interesting conversations with fellow travelers. If there are middle aged women, you will learn who is sleeping with whom (it’s like Cambodian ‘Desperate Housewives’), if there are middle aged men, you will learn who is bribing or beheading whom (it’s like Cambodian ‘Sopranos’) and if there are just men, well I try to pretend I don’t understand Khmer. That is getting to be rather hard in my village, since everyone has heard that I can speak a little. I definitely had a random dude start a personal conversation, and when I pretended not to understand, he said “I know you speak Khmer”. Busted.
In answer to recent questions: Yes, by all means use the post office box. I don’t remember what it is but Whitney has probably posted it. For those of you who don’t know Whitney, ask my mom, she knows more about my friends than I do:) I am definitely keeping Pat in my prayers, please let me know how he’s doing.
One last thing: You have all been fantastic about sending me very useful things, and I really appreciate. With Christmas and my birthday coming up, you might be tempted to send me nicer things. Please do not. I completely understand your wanting me to have certain things, but one of my biggest struggles is convincing people I don’t have a lot of money. As soon as I tell people I’m American, they respond ‘oh, so you’re rich’. This is a problem, because all these people know about the US is that there is less trash and people make more money. While that is true, they have no concept of how much things cost in the US. Here, breakfast will run you about a dollar, a pair of shoes, maybe two, and a bag of laundry detergent is maybe 50 cents. To them, America is completely sterile, and its people have unlimited amounts of money. This leads to questions such as ‘Teacher, may I have $3000 for my first year of college?’ Here, money is perceived differently. People always ask how much your things cost, how much money you have, how much you make, how much your parents make, etc. I always either answer ‘Enough’ or ‘I don’t know’. A lot of this is cultural. Because this society is based on patronage, people with money are highly respected. Also, the Buddhist belief in Dharma means that rich people must have done something right in a previous life to have so much in this one. I personally think another reason they are so obsessed with money and rank is because of Khmer Rouge. Communism didn’t do so well here, and with everyone having either witnessed a brutal murder or had a family member murdered (many witnessed the brutal murder of family members) it’s understandable to want to stick it to Pol Pot posthumously.
At first glance, you don’t see the remnants of that era. While the poorest country in the region, Cambodia isn’t third world by any means. The people here aren’t starving. They have phones and motorbikes. There are small vendors all over the roads, and all provincial towns have internet access. But when you look my closely you can see the scars on people’s bodies and minds. Hollow eyes and bullet wounds are common, but it is estimated that nearly everyone born before 1965 suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. So you have generation of people with tenuous mental health, and a generation raised by them. It makes it difficult to deal with change. They know things are better now than they were before, and they know just how bad things could get. Life may not be perfect, but it’s better. They don’t want anything to change that delicate balance. Wow. This is a long post. But I haven’t been able to write in a while so I hope you all enjoy it. Love and miss you all!
05 October, 2008
So I am officially a peace corps volunteer! We were sworn in yesterday by Piper Campbell, a really cool person and the DCOM (Deputy Chief of Mission), which is sort the deputy ambassador. Currently, Cambodia doesn't have an ambassador. Last week, the Senate took a break from bailing out financial institutions long enough to confirm six new ambassadors. So by the end of the month Carol Randley will present her credentials to the King and we will have an ambassador again. This will give Piper a break to travel around Cambodia, which she hasn't really been able to since she was busy representing America. All the new volunteers are either in Phnom Penh or Battambang for a day before we go into lockdown for the next 90 days. Peace Corps doesn't let us leave the province for the first 90 days after we get to our permanent site.
On another note, anyone with T Mobile, please email your numbers! I have heard that I can text T Mobile in the states from my phone here. I want to try it out.
I think we're all a little nervous about isolation when we get out to site. And yes, this would kind of suck if we had joined the Peace Corps to hang out in a foreign country for a couple of years. But we came to help Cambodia develop itself, which is kind of hard to do from a guesthouse in Battambang.
Although there is a great deal to be said for eating an ice cream sundae on the bank of Tonle Sap. I will miss the summer camp feel of training, but it's time to move on and be a grown up and stuff.
Tomorrow morning my director wants me at school at 7am. This means that I will probably be done by 8 and can go buy a hammock. I really like hammocks a lot. My new house doesn't have one, so that will be my first order of business. That's about it for now, I am kind of between homes, so there really isn't anything new to report. but when there is, you will be the first to know.
On another note, anyone with T Mobile, please email your numbers! I have heard that I can text T Mobile in the states from my phone here. I want to try it out.
I think we're all a little nervous about isolation when we get out to site. And yes, this would kind of suck if we had joined the Peace Corps to hang out in a foreign country for a couple of years. But we came to help Cambodia develop itself, which is kind of hard to do from a guesthouse in Battambang.
Although there is a great deal to be said for eating an ice cream sundae on the bank of Tonle Sap. I will miss the summer camp feel of training, but it's time to move on and be a grown up and stuff.
Tomorrow morning my director wants me at school at 7am. This means that I will probably be done by 8 and can go buy a hammock. I really like hammocks a lot. My new house doesn't have one, so that will be my first order of business. That's about it for now, I am kind of between homes, so there really isn't anything new to report. but when there is, you will be the first to know.
02 October, 2008
We left our training host families yesterday. It was kind of sad, but at the same time I'm ready to get to site. I'm really excited about the next two years and really nervous about the next few weeks. On site visit, people were overwhelmingly excited to see me. This is good, but it can be intimidating when a school director hopes that you will teach everyone and their mom and their mom's dog to be fluent in English. I hate to disappoint people, but that isn't exactly realistic. So the first few weeks might require a lot of boundary setting. Good times. In other news, I received a Khmer dress shirt from a current volunteer, so I have something appropriate to wear to swear in. And it isn't even that tacky. I'm excited. Right now I'm in the internet cafe. "Beautiful Girl" is playing for about the eighth time in two hours. Khmer people REALLY like this song. It's really funny to hear them sing along. Oh wait, now there is a song about duck eggs playing. Don't ask.
So Pchum Ben was fun. During one of the services, the monk mentioned me by name. Everyone in the Pagoda turned around and looked at me. Then he went on about how it was okay that I can't understand what they're saying.Then he tried to speak English but all I could make out was the word "pretty" repeated about five times. This happened about three times during the two hour service. My limited understanding of Khmer made for a rather interesting time, as could figure out that one monk was asking for people to donate phone cards to the wat, and another kept going on about spoons. I'm sure this all made some kind of sense in a larger context, but to me it was super ridiculous and amusing. I have to go to our last seminar day. 8am-7pm. In a stuffy room. With uncomfortable chairs. Pretty sweet. But it is the last time! Btw, thank you so much to everyone who contributed to the package containing the bicycle seat, biscotti, and other assorted awesomeness. It was definitely appreciated.
So Pchum Ben was fun. During one of the services, the monk mentioned me by name. Everyone in the Pagoda turned around and looked at me. Then he went on about how it was okay that I can't understand what they're saying.Then he tried to speak English but all I could make out was the word "pretty" repeated about five times. This happened about three times during the two hour service. My limited understanding of Khmer made for a rather interesting time, as could figure out that one monk was asking for people to donate phone cards to the wat, and another kept going on about spoons. I'm sure this all made some kind of sense in a larger context, but to me it was super ridiculous and amusing. I have to go to our last seminar day. 8am-7pm. In a stuffy room. With uncomfortable chairs. Pretty sweet. But it is the last time! Btw, thank you so much to everyone who contributed to the package containing the bicycle seat, biscotti, and other assorted awesomeness. It was definitely appreciated.
22 September, 2008
There are three very importan ceremonial occasions in Cambodia. One is Khmer New Year, on is the Water Festival, and the last is Pchum Ben. The fun thing about these festivals is that sometimes cell phone service crashes because the network is so busy. So if anyone has been trying to call me and can't get through, not to worry, it''s just Pchum Ben. This a fifteen day period in which one's ancestor's who went to hell are allowed to return the mortal world. In order to try and make up for the bad things these ancestors did in a past life, people go to the wat (temple) and offer money and food, similar to the catholic concept of praying people out of purgatory. One really fun thing about Pchum Ben is that it starts at four in the morning. Music starts playing on the loudspeakers so all can hear for miles around. People go to the wat seven times (ideally, those who can't afford the offerings or are less devout go less frequently) in this fifteen day period. I went with my family a couple of times. It was really fascinating. People pray and offer food and money to the family shrine. Then, the whole family (extended familes with as many as 100 people) carry the shrine around the outside of the wat three times, chanting and lighting incense. After this, the shrine is taken inside and placed before the Buddha. The head of the family offers prayers and then the monks chant a blessing over everyone. While this ceremony is beautiful, one is required to sit a certain way when listening to prayers and blessings. You must fold your legs underneath you, clasp your hands in prayers, and not move for 45 min- 2 hours. Good times. For those of you who think this doesn't sound so bad, I have two words for you: try it. It is extremely uncomfortable. The ceremony becomes significantly less moving when your extremeties lose circulation.
But all in all, I have enjoyed the experience. The last day is the big ceremony at the wat, it is the third most important day to Khmer people. There will no doubt be more food than I can possibly consume. In other news, less than two weeks from now I will be a volunteer. I feel totally unprepared. I will miss my host family and all the other trainees. But I'm also super excited. I can't believe it's almost october in the states. I'm jealous of the drop in tempeture. It only gets hotter here. But I miss you all and can't wait to hear from you!
But all in all, I have enjoyed the experience. The last day is the big ceremony at the wat, it is the third most important day to Khmer people. There will no doubt be more food than I can possibly consume. In other news, less than two weeks from now I will be a volunteer. I feel totally unprepared. I will miss my host family and all the other trainees. But I'm also super excited. I can't believe it's almost october in the states. I'm jealous of the drop in tempeture. It only gets hotter here. But I miss you all and can't wait to hear from you!
13 September, 2008
So Kravagn, or Kravanh, however you want to spell it, is a pretty cool place. It is pretty much in the middle of Pursat (also spelled Poutsat, there seems to be a great deal of spelling discrepancy here) It is a pretty small town, only accessible by bike and pick up. The school is small, only 600 students. There are about 30 treachers. Most of them are under thirty and several speak English quite well. Everyone keeps telling me how excited they are to have me. Everyone and their mom wants me to teach them English. Everyone and their mom and their mom's dog is super excited that I am coming to teach themEnglish. I am super excited as well, not to mention slightly overwhelmed. But the scenery is gorgeous. The town is surrounded bywats, mountains and rivers. Definitely the most beautiful place I've ever been. The host family is very relaxed. The mother is about 40, with two sons, 12 and 14. Her mother also lives with us, as she is currently renting her house to a very cool NGO called sustainable Cambodia. Some of the teachers at the high school work for this organization, as well as a few foreign volunteers. The town also has a health clinic funded by Doctors Without Borders. In less than a month I will officially be living there as a Volunteer.
Wow.
We arrived in Phnom Penh yesterday. We had to arrange some financial matters and let Peace Corps know how site visit went. Being in Phnom Penh is always a little strange, the huge expat community here can be so overwhelming that you almost forget you're in Cambodia. Almost. Then, you're hanging out at an internet cafe and half of a rooster walks in the front door. Yes, that's right, half a rooster. I am staring at him, wondering how and animal that seems to only be composed of a neck and feet can possibly be alive. But this is Cambodia, and there are many things that defy explanation. I would send a picture if I could. For those of you worried about the camera, part of the problem could be the address. The last few things I've received fromt he states didn't have the PO box number on it. It will still find it's way to me, it just takes much longer. The second line of the address should have PO Box 2453 on it.
Yes, it is nice being in Phnom Penh and [pretending like we are back home. I almost wonder how the first three months at sitee will go, since we will be prohibited from leaving our provinces. We will definitely miss having each other. But it will be good to do what we came her for. Part of me is apprehensive about having to train a new community. People here believe (and often rightly so) that Americans have machines to do everything for them. This leads Cambodians to believe that we are complete invalids. For the next few months I shall convince people that I am capable doing excessvely complex tasks such as: eating rice, riding a bike, taking a shower, washing clothes, and various other arduous chores.
They just don't want me to experience any discomfort at all. That would signal the end of the world. Ironically, the discomfort I feel when I am asked how much money my family makes, or why I am so fat, or why don't I sit even though everyone else is standing,is of no consequesnce whatsoever. Sometimes it is frustrating to be doing absolutely nothing, and people stare as though I am the most entertaining thing they have ever seen. Yes, being white is about the most exciting thing a person can possibly. To my American sensibilties, this all very tiresome. I find myself feeling offended that they think such an imbicile as to be incapable of eating rice. But they are just doing they''re jobs as hosts. People here don''t have the American aversion to being served. It's all about where a person fits in the social grid. Everyone has a place. This is why Khmer people ask such intrusive questions, in order to correctly map one's place in this grid. Having a cush place on the grid is desired. People revere power and money. Because this society is based on patronage, the rich are respected as possibly the primary means of income. People like being patronized, as the alternative is often starvation. This makes it extremely hard to get things done, as connections are more important the actual work. Also, the belief in reincarnation means that Cambodians tend to view time as rather infinite, there will always be more, like air or water, it will never run out. The rich should be respected, they did something virtuous in past life to be so well off in this one. The reverse is true of the poor. They should serve the rich in order to gain more merit. I cannot emphasize enough how overly generalized this picture is. There are plenty of people who resent the rich and respect the poor. But the past has a strong hold here. People here know how bad things can get. Often they are resistent to change because of this. Things are better now than they used to be. They aren't perfect, but change could mean going backward instead of forward. Showing people what is possible is maybe the hardest job we have.
Wow.
We arrived in Phnom Penh yesterday. We had to arrange some financial matters and let Peace Corps know how site visit went. Being in Phnom Penh is always a little strange, the huge expat community here can be so overwhelming that you almost forget you're in Cambodia. Almost. Then, you're hanging out at an internet cafe and half of a rooster walks in the front door. Yes, that's right, half a rooster. I am staring at him, wondering how and animal that seems to only be composed of a neck and feet can possibly be alive. But this is Cambodia, and there are many things that defy explanation. I would send a picture if I could. For those of you worried about the camera, part of the problem could be the address. The last few things I've received fromt he states didn't have the PO box number on it. It will still find it's way to me, it just takes much longer. The second line of the address should have PO Box 2453 on it.
Yes, it is nice being in Phnom Penh and [pretending like we are back home. I almost wonder how the first three months at sitee will go, since we will be prohibited from leaving our provinces. We will definitely miss having each other. But it will be good to do what we came her for. Part of me is apprehensive about having to train a new community. People here believe (and often rightly so) that Americans have machines to do everything for them. This leads Cambodians to believe that we are complete invalids. For the next few months I shall convince people that I am capable doing excessvely complex tasks such as: eating rice, riding a bike, taking a shower, washing clothes, and various other arduous chores.
They just don't want me to experience any discomfort at all. That would signal the end of the world. Ironically, the discomfort I feel when I am asked how much money my family makes, or why I am so fat, or why don't I sit even though everyone else is standing,is of no consequesnce whatsoever. Sometimes it is frustrating to be doing absolutely nothing, and people stare as though I am the most entertaining thing they have ever seen. Yes, being white is about the most exciting thing a person can possibly. To my American sensibilties, this all very tiresome. I find myself feeling offended that they think such an imbicile as to be incapable of eating rice. But they are just doing they''re jobs as hosts. People here don''t have the American aversion to being served. It's all about where a person fits in the social grid. Everyone has a place. This is why Khmer people ask such intrusive questions, in order to correctly map one's place in this grid. Having a cush place on the grid is desired. People revere power and money. Because this society is based on patronage, the rich are respected as possibly the primary means of income. People like being patronized, as the alternative is often starvation. This makes it extremely hard to get things done, as connections are more important the actual work. Also, the belief in reincarnation means that Cambodians tend to view time as rather infinite, there will always be more, like air or water, it will never run out. The rich should be respected, they did something virtuous in past life to be so well off in this one. The reverse is true of the poor. They should serve the rich in order to gain more merit. I cannot emphasize enough how overly generalized this picture is. There are plenty of people who resent the rich and respect the poor. But the past has a strong hold here. People here know how bad things can get. Often they are resistent to change because of this. Things are better now than they used to be. They aren't perfect, but change could mean going backward instead of forward. Showing people what is possible is maybe the hardest job we have.
04 September, 2008
Phnom Kravagn, Pursat Province. It has mountains and waterfalls. About 20 kilos from the national road (easy biking distance in the right season) there is a well funded but understaffed high school. That is where I will be teaching for the next two years. I will be living with a market vendor, her 65 year old mother, and her 12 and 13 year old sons. Tomorrow, I meet my counterpart from the school. We will have conferences for the next two days, and then my counterpart and I will go to my site. For the next couple of days, I'll get to know my host family, the school staff, and the general layout of the community. Afterwards we spend a couple days in Phnom Penh, and then back to the training villages. There are currently no volunteers in Pursat province. Me and the girl who will be living in Pursat provincial town are the first. I think it will be a fantastic site, especially since I will be in one of the few non landmined mountainous regions of Cambodia.
I like being the first. I feel like some sort of explorer. Also, I will be close to Battambang, on the Thai border. It has all of the amenities of Phnom Penh, like western food, with fewer tourists. But I won't be there for a while, we have to be at our permanent site for 90 days before we are allowed to leave the province. I will do a lot of biking. I'm kind of sad that my friends won't be close, but they are in the surrounding provinces.
As excited as I am to be going to my permanent site, I will be sad to leave the training village. This is the most gangster town in Cambodia (in a good way) People here do awesome things like wear gold chains, hike one pant leg up, throw dance parties for no particular reason, and other assorted activities that are simply stellar. I will miss it.
One of the most interesting things about this place is how incompetent I feel. We are possibly the most educated people for miles, yet we can barely feed and bathe ourselves. The other day, I definitely dropped the family's bucket into the well. It took my host brother almost half an hour to retrieve it. Also, Khmer people tend to eat rice with a spoon and use chopsticks for noodles, which seems counterintuitive to me. I am working on the fine art of eating noodle soup with chopsticks and not having it end up all over my clothes. Thankfully, I am not the most incompetent person in my group! Just a few days ago my genius friends decided that they putting two people on one bike was a good idea. Understand that Cambodians do this all the time. Most bikes have a seat attached to the back for carrying things and people. The key to this is weight distribution. The larger person should be in front. My college educated friends forgot this little detail. It went down like this: Friend A was riding a bike, Friend B (anyone who knows the story about the guy with the sarong, this is that guy) was walking. Friend A thinks riding Khmer style would be a good idea. Friend B agrees. The problem: Friend B outweighs Friend A by a little over 50 lbs. Basically, the bike nearly flipped backward. Friend A managed to keep hold of the bike and land on his feet. Friend B, not so lucky. He fell backwards into barbed wire and cut his arm all the way up to his shoulder. He hasn't showered for two days in order to keep the bandages dry. Oh yes, we are a sharp group of prospective Peace Corps Volunteers. Pray for the people who have to put up with us for the next two years.
Thanks to everyone for sending me stuff and keeping me in your prayers. You have no idea how much it means. I should be near internet for the next week, so I hope ot keep you updated as much as possible.
I like being the first. I feel like some sort of explorer. Also, I will be close to Battambang, on the Thai border. It has all of the amenities of Phnom Penh, like western food, with fewer tourists. But I won't be there for a while, we have to be at our permanent site for 90 days before we are allowed to leave the province. I will do a lot of biking. I'm kind of sad that my friends won't be close, but they are in the surrounding provinces.
As excited as I am to be going to my permanent site, I will be sad to leave the training village. This is the most gangster town in Cambodia (in a good way) People here do awesome things like wear gold chains, hike one pant leg up, throw dance parties for no particular reason, and other assorted activities that are simply stellar. I will miss it.
One of the most interesting things about this place is how incompetent I feel. We are possibly the most educated people for miles, yet we can barely feed and bathe ourselves. The other day, I definitely dropped the family's bucket into the well. It took my host brother almost half an hour to retrieve it. Also, Khmer people tend to eat rice with a spoon and use chopsticks for noodles, which seems counterintuitive to me. I am working on the fine art of eating noodle soup with chopsticks and not having it end up all over my clothes. Thankfully, I am not the most incompetent person in my group! Just a few days ago my genius friends decided that they putting two people on one bike was a good idea. Understand that Cambodians do this all the time. Most bikes have a seat attached to the back for carrying things and people. The key to this is weight distribution. The larger person should be in front. My college educated friends forgot this little detail. It went down like this: Friend A was riding a bike, Friend B (anyone who knows the story about the guy with the sarong, this is that guy) was walking. Friend A thinks riding Khmer style would be a good idea. Friend B agrees. The problem: Friend B outweighs Friend A by a little over 50 lbs. Basically, the bike nearly flipped backward. Friend A managed to keep hold of the bike and land on his feet. Friend B, not so lucky. He fell backwards into barbed wire and cut his arm all the way up to his shoulder. He hasn't showered for two days in order to keep the bandages dry. Oh yes, we are a sharp group of prospective Peace Corps Volunteers. Pray for the people who have to put up with us for the next two years.
Thanks to everyone for sending me stuff and keeping me in your prayers. You have no idea how much it means. I should be near internet for the next week, so I hope ot keep you updated as much as possible.
30 August, 2008
Ice cream and pancakes. Yes my friends, within the past 24 hours I have had both. After a couple weeks of practice teaching in Cambodian high schools, the peace corps decided that we should all wander about the nation testing our transportation procurement skills. It is called an adventure, but really it is more of a field trip. Practicum was a lot of fun. I really loved the kids, although their enthusiam was a bit overwhelming sometimes. Once, a moto with 4 16 yr old boys came alongside my bike. The kids wanted to practice their english while an 18 wheeler came barreling down the road. But that's Cambodia. I didn't particularly enjoy the co-teaching portion. My co teacher was the head of the English dept. He had been teaching for twenty years. This translated to a reluctance to deviate from the book. Bear in mind that the book was published in Britain, and has a chapter with vocabulary such as: provencial (meaning uneducated), air ticket, working holiday, and non-finite clauses. The kids basically just read a dialogue full of words they will never need to use.
Since practicum, I've just been studying language, often while swinging in hammock. Yes folks, peace corps cambodia is hardcore. This trip has been pretty fun. Last night in Phnom Penh I had pancakes and a vanilla orange latte. It was pretty much made of awesome. Today, we wandered around the Russian market, I got some books and a muffin. Then, I discovered what might possibly be my favorite passtime ever. Bargaining with taxi drivers. Picture it: A loud, dirty, smelly lot, full of minivans and toyota sedans. Men come from every direction yelling and grabbing us to take their vehicles. We take our time, telling them they are dreaming if they think we will take that price, or if they think we don't know that 2 dollars is the same as 8000 riel. In the end, we cram 15 people in an passenger van for two hours. My field trip buddy and I finally arrive in our destination, Takeo. Takeo doesn't really have much to see. But the whole point of the trip was introducing to the transportation system (or lack thereof) in Cambodia. So here we are. We checked into a guesthouse that has a huge package of condoms at the front desk. The funny thing is, this is definitely the least shady one in town. The main attraction of Takeo is Telamart. This is a gas station that offers two indespinsible items: Pringles and ice cream. We're talking real pringles, not the random potato crisp knock off. So that is pretty much all there is to do here. But the room gets the discovery channel, and that's all that really matters.
At the moment, it is pouring rain. I'm just chilling in an internet cafe trying to relay all the information of the past few weeks. Next week we will find out where our permanent sites will be. The day after that, we have a two day conference with the people we will be teaching with for the next few years. The day after that, we have a four day visit to our permanent sites. I am very excited. That's about all there is. A few minor items: my little cousins are no longer scared of me, and now like to lead me around by my hand and teach me words I already know. The chickens here are not only the ugliest but possibly the stupidest in the world. Seriously, they look like starving vultures. And if you thought American chickens are dumb, the ones here actually make a game out of attempting to fling themselves into the spokes of bike tires.
Language learning is progressing, I can now have conversations about things such as how many times a day one bathes, when I will be back for lunch, as well as the many useful phrases for discussing diarrea. Oh yes, oh yes. Hopefully the next post will be when I have permanent site. Fingers crossed!
Since practicum, I've just been studying language, often while swinging in hammock. Yes folks, peace corps cambodia is hardcore. This trip has been pretty fun. Last night in Phnom Penh I had pancakes and a vanilla orange latte. It was pretty much made of awesome. Today, we wandered around the Russian market, I got some books and a muffin. Then, I discovered what might possibly be my favorite passtime ever. Bargaining with taxi drivers. Picture it: A loud, dirty, smelly lot, full of minivans and toyota sedans. Men come from every direction yelling and grabbing us to take their vehicles. We take our time, telling them they are dreaming if they think we will take that price, or if they think we don't know that 2 dollars is the same as 8000 riel. In the end, we cram 15 people in an passenger van for two hours. My field trip buddy and I finally arrive in our destination, Takeo. Takeo doesn't really have much to see. But the whole point of the trip was introducing to the transportation system (or lack thereof) in Cambodia. So here we are. We checked into a guesthouse that has a huge package of condoms at the front desk. The funny thing is, this is definitely the least shady one in town. The main attraction of Takeo is Telamart. This is a gas station that offers two indespinsible items: Pringles and ice cream. We're talking real pringles, not the random potato crisp knock off. So that is pretty much all there is to do here. But the room gets the discovery channel, and that's all that really matters.
At the moment, it is pouring rain. I'm just chilling in an internet cafe trying to relay all the information of the past few weeks. Next week we will find out where our permanent sites will be. The day after that, we have a two day conference with the people we will be teaching with for the next few years. The day after that, we have a four day visit to our permanent sites. I am very excited. That's about all there is. A few minor items: my little cousins are no longer scared of me, and now like to lead me around by my hand and teach me words I already know. The chickens here are not only the ugliest but possibly the stupidest in the world. Seriously, they look like starving vultures. And if you thought American chickens are dumb, the ones here actually make a game out of attempting to fling themselves into the spokes of bike tires.
Language learning is progressing, I can now have conversations about things such as how many times a day one bathes, when I will be back for lunch, as well as the many useful phrases for discussing diarrea. Oh yes, oh yes. Hopefully the next post will be when I have permanent site. Fingers crossed!
06 August, 2008
So I think my camera is dead. Sad story. Thankfully, my awesome family is sending me a new one! Yay! I love getting mail (hint). I've been with my host family in the village of Baribo for almost a week. The first night was a big awkward party. My host mother spent most of it relating every odd or unusual thing I did to the neighbors. I knew this from her acting out everything and then all the old ladies laughing. A typical meeting with an Om Srei (woman close to mother's age) goes something like this: They comment on how white and fat I am. Here, fat isn't necessarily bad, most people associate it with healthy. They rub my arms and talk about me as though I;m a piece of furniture. Then they laugh. It is actually pretty fun. It took me a while to figure out that they weren't mad at me though, as they tend to scream instead of talk. We had been told that Cambodian women tend to be conservative and quiet. These rules don't seem to apply when one reaches the age of about 50. They Oms (aunts) and Yiyays (grandmothers) sit around gossiping about EVERYTHING and dipping snuff (I think it's called pan). It's really gross. But they are cool people. After ab out ten minutes of trying in vain to correctly pronounce my name, they decided to just give me a new one. Unfortunately, as I couldn't communicate, I wasn't aware of this until several hours later. Everyone in the village now calls me Avi (which is much nicer than 'barang', the kmher word for foreigner).
There are three people who live at my house besides myself. My mother, her daughter, and the daughter's husband. It took me forever to figure out that this guy was my brother in law. At first, my mother told me she had three daughters, one in Phnom Penh, one who lived across the street, and one who lived with her. Imagine my surprise when she hands my bag to a man who then drives off in a moto (on which Im not allowed to ride). She the proceeds to tell me that he is my brother.
There are three people who live at my house besides myself. My mother, her daughter, and the daughter's husband. It took me forever to figure out that this guy was my brother in law. At first, my mother told me she had three daughters, one in Phnom Penh, one who lived across the street, and one who lived with her. Imagine my surprise when she hands my bag to a man who then drives off in a moto (on which Im not allowed to ride). She the proceeds to tell me that he is my brother.
28 July, 2008
The longest Monday of my life...
San Fran was fantastic. the journey between there and Phnom Penh, not so much. But I love this country. It is a strange mix of poverty and vibrancy. I'm still not sure what to make of it. Phnom Penh is filled with color, and also sobering reminders of the past. We hadn't left the airport ten minutes before I saw a landmine victim. Here in Kamong Chhnang, the pace is a little slower. Weare revcieving training before we meet our host families on Wednesday. I'm ready to go. I still am a bit nervous about the language, but I'm good at charades so I should do okay. Some interesting thigs about this place: People shower with their clothes on (most showers are outside). A single moped is capable of transporting five people and pig at almost 60 miles an hour. In Phhom Penh, people take their elephants for walks, and don't clean up what the elephant leaves behind. The huge nationwide elections left things relatively unchanged, Cambodia is fill with plastic chairs, and the people are some of the nicest I've ever met. So far it has been relaxing. In Phnom Penh we had a dance party. Here, I've spent many mornings reading at sunrise while being serenaded by the Cambodian People's Party, and many afternoons lazily sitting about in the rain. I'm ready to get to my host family, to have my own space. I love the other trainees, they are all fantastic people. We've been getting a lot of help from some of the current volunteers, who are helping to calm many of our fears as well as laugh at us when we try to order food in Khmer. I ordered scrambled eggs and coffee with sweetened condensed milk all by myselft. I was quite proud. Wednesday we move to training villages, from then til october we will wait and see where we are placed. Until then, I love and miss you all!
San Fran was fantastic. the journey between there and Phnom Penh, not so much. But I love this country. It is a strange mix of poverty and vibrancy. I'm still not sure what to make of it. Phnom Penh is filled with color, and also sobering reminders of the past. We hadn't left the airport ten minutes before I saw a landmine victim. Here in Kamong Chhnang, the pace is a little slower. Weare revcieving training before we meet our host families on Wednesday. I'm ready to go. I still am a bit nervous about the language, but I'm good at charades so I should do okay. Some interesting thigs about this place: People shower with their clothes on (most showers are outside). A single moped is capable of transporting five people and pig at almost 60 miles an hour. In Phhom Penh, people take their elephants for walks, and don't clean up what the elephant leaves behind. The huge nationwide elections left things relatively unchanged, Cambodia is fill with plastic chairs, and the people are some of the nicest I've ever met. So far it has been relaxing. In Phnom Penh we had a dance party. Here, I've spent many mornings reading at sunrise while being serenaded by the Cambodian People's Party, and many afternoons lazily sitting about in the rain. I'm ready to get to my host family, to have my own space. I love the other trainees, they are all fantastic people. We've been getting a lot of help from some of the current volunteers, who are helping to calm many of our fears as well as laugh at us when we try to order food in Khmer. I ordered scrambled eggs and coffee with sweetened condensed milk all by myselft. I was quite proud. Wednesday we move to training villages, from then til october we will wait and see where we are placed. Until then, I love and miss you all!
21 July, 2008
Guess What!?! I can get calls for free! So feel free to call as much as you can afford. On Thursday I will be getting a phone. To call me, dial 011 855 17 790 246. The 011 part gets you out of the
PCV
Peace Corps (
Not to fear, anything sent to other address will find its way to me, it just might get there a little faster with this new one.
Other things of note, most vendors would rather be paid in US dollars than Cambodian riels, so no inconvenient currency conversion. All volunteers will be at least 50 miles from
It has really been a whirlwind. I forgot my phone, so I’m sorry I haven’t been able to call any of you. I just want you all to know that I love and miss you already. It might be while before you here from me, be assured that I’m eating strange food and sweating and learning a lot. I will get in touch as soon as possible.
Love again,
02 July, 2008
My plan is to travel the world in a panda suit
1 July, 2008.
My diploma finally arrived yesterday. It is the most expensive sheet of paper I am ever likely to behold. But it’s official, only two months after I walked across the stage. But two months of unemployment lead to boredom, and no money with which to alleviate said boredom, so thankfully I will start work soon. I’ve spent the last two months visiting people, and twiddling my thumbs. The frustrating part of boredom was that I knew there were things I had to do. However, the Peace Corps hadn’t given me any clue as to where I would be spending the next two years, making preparation next to impossible. I do, however, know where I’m going now. After being told I would be placed in Latin America, then the Middle East, then Eastern Europe, the Peace Corps has finally made up its mind. Cambodia. I couldn’t be more thrilled or freaked out. At the moment, I’m vacillating between “I’ll be in Cambodia in three weeks!!!!! *high pitched happy voice*” and “I’ll be in Cambodia in three weeks!!!!*super stressed out voice*
Most of the stress has to do with clothes. Boo. When I thought I was going to the Middle East, some of you might remember that I quite excited about the prospect of being completely covered. I mean, you don’t have to worry about clothes or hair, just roll out of bed, throw on a chador (the full body veil many Muslim women wear) and no one will know that you’re still in your pajamas. My mom said that if that happened, I would become a total slob. She didn’t want that to happen. So mom got her wish. Cambodia is a very formal country. I will be teaching in collared shirts in long skirts. These are quite possibly my least favorite items of clothing ever. Finding appropriate clothes has been pretty hard.
However, Cambodia’s other attributes far outweigh this challenge. Here are a few things I have gleaned from my research:
· RICE!!! Rice makes me happy. I will be expected to eat tons of my favorite food.
· A bike. I will receive my very own mountain bike. I don’t have to worry about buying gas or getting ripped off by local moto drivers.
· Hammocks. It seems that every home has a hammock, and that a great deal of time is passed reclining in them.
· Architecture. The Khmer empire was influenced by the Ottomans, Arabs, Chinese, Hindus, etc. Their buildings are a fusion of these styles, and they are magnificent. I can’t wait to see them up close.
Overall, I’m super excited. There are some things I will miss. I went to my hairdresser for the last time today. It was kind of sad. On the way back I had to slow down for the tractors and combines that are on the road, trying to get in the field and finish while the weather holds. I’m sitting in my mom’s garden as I write this. These pictures were all taken there. In a way, it seems like I’m crazy to leave my amazing family, but it’s definitely time to go. I’ll miss my dad singing along to the free credit report commercials and watching him scare mean cats with a nerf gun (don’t ask, you just have to know my dad, I swear, no harm came to the cats). I’ll miss hanging out with mom while she works in the garden and having debates with my brother.
It’s all a little overwhelming, but I think that’s a good thing. I know that I don’t really have a handle on it, and that the people I’ll meet in the next two years have just as much to teach me as I have to teach them. I’m not gonna lie, I feel kind of inadequate. While that expensive piece of paper says that I’m skilled in international relations, I’ve never really worked with SE Asia before. Latin America, that would be much easier (gracias a mis amigos bolivianos). I‘ve taught ESL for four years, but this is first time I’ve ever been out of the country. My family has been amazingly supportive, and school friends, I miss you guys like crazy. PLEASE keep in touch. I will try and get you all cool stuff from Cambodia, just tell me what you want.
My diploma finally arrived yesterday. It is the most expensive sheet of paper I am ever likely to behold. But it’s official, only two months after I walked across the stage. But two months of unemployment lead to boredom, and no money with which to alleviate said boredom, so thankfully I will start work soon. I’ve spent the last two months visiting people, and twiddling my thumbs. The frustrating part of boredom was that I knew there were things I had to do. However, the Peace Corps hadn’t given me any clue as to where I would be spending the next two years, making preparation next to impossible. I do, however, know where I’m going now. After being told I would be placed in Latin America, then the Middle East, then Eastern Europe, the Peace Corps has finally made up its mind. Cambodia. I couldn’t be more thrilled or freaked out. At the moment, I’m vacillating between “I’ll be in Cambodia in three weeks!!!!! *high pitched happy voice*” and “I’ll be in Cambodia in three weeks!!!!*super stressed out voice*
Most of the stress has to do with clothes. Boo. When I thought I was going to the Middle East, some of you might remember that I quite excited about the prospect of being completely covered. I mean, you don’t have to worry about clothes or hair, just roll out of bed, throw on a chador (the full body veil many Muslim women wear) and no one will know that you’re still in your pajamas. My mom said that if that happened, I would become a total slob. She didn’t want that to happen. So mom got her wish. Cambodia is a very formal country. I will be teaching in collared shirts in long skirts. These are quite possibly my least favorite items of clothing ever. Finding appropriate clothes has been pretty hard.
However, Cambodia’s other attributes far outweigh this challenge. Here are a few things I have gleaned from my research:
· RICE!!! Rice makes me happy. I will be expected to eat tons of my favorite food.
· A bike. I will receive my very own mountain bike. I don’t have to worry about buying gas or getting ripped off by local moto drivers.
· Hammocks. It seems that every home has a hammock, and that a great deal of time is passed reclining in them.
· Architecture. The Khmer empire was influenced by the Ottomans, Arabs, Chinese, Hindus, etc. Their buildings are a fusion of these styles, and they are magnificent. I can’t wait to see them up close.
Overall, I’m super excited. There are some things I will miss. I went to my hairdresser for the last time today. It was kind of sad. On the way back I had to slow down for the tractors and combines that are on the road, trying to get in the field and finish while the weather holds. I’m sitting in my mom’s garden as I write this. These pictures were all taken there. In a way, it seems like I’m crazy to leave my amazing family, but it’s definitely time to go. I’ll miss my dad singing along to the free credit report commercials and watching him scare mean cats with a nerf gun (don’t ask, you just have to know my dad, I swear, no harm came to the cats). I’ll miss hanging out with mom while she works in the garden and having debates with my brother.
It’s all a little overwhelming, but I think that’s a good thing. I know that I don’t really have a handle on it, and that the people I’ll meet in the next two years have just as much to teach me as I have to teach them. I’m not gonna lie, I feel kind of inadequate. While that expensive piece of paper says that I’m skilled in international relations, I’ve never really worked with SE Asia before. Latin America, that would be much easier (gracias a mis amigos bolivianos). I‘ve taught ESL for four years, but this is first time I’ve ever been out of the country. My family has been amazingly supportive, and school friends, I miss you guys like crazy. PLEASE keep in touch. I will try and get you all cool stuff from Cambodia, just tell me what you want.
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