After one of the craziest months of my life, I am sitting in the Peace Corps office writing this as a new RPCV (Returned Peace Corps Volunteer; although I haven't yet returned, the necessary paperwork is signed, sealed and delivered). Between the LSAT, wrapping up things at site/Peace Corps paperwork and stool samples (yes, I know... I was just as disgusted doing it as you are reading this),

Kim Sokjacqueline is the name of my new host sister! It took me a while to realize that this was actually the name that my host mother gave her very new and very tiny baby girl. I was absolutely taken aback with the overwhelming implications of this namesake.We were sitting at dinner about a week ago and I kept hearing my host family refer to the baby as "Lyn." I started joking with them and

Two months early and only 2 kilos, my host mother gave birth to a healthy baby girl on May 29th. What is her name? Well the title of this post would suggest she is named 'Lucky' which ironically would be a very unlucky name. But the good news is that she is not named Lucky. This is just a temporary placeholder while my host family waits for the drunken grandfather to give her a name, a

Last week I was in PP for K3's Close of Service(COS) Conference. For three days we learned about medical checkout procedures, forms that need to be filled out, transitioning back to the U.S. (which included everything from not breaking down and crying when you go to the grocery store to how to get a job using non-competitive eligibility), and seeing many PCV's for the last time. I'd have to say

This past week, the five girls from my school who participated in Camp GLOW (Sreyleak, Sopheak, Neary, Somros and Sreynet) gave an awesome presentation about leadership skills to 20 girls at my high school. They began planning during Camp GLOW and planned the rest entirely on their own; they created presentation materials, made handouts, bought snacks, and practiced their presentation together

Although I'm about a month late on these, here are some pics from Camp GLOW, which we held March 25th-27th here in Svay Rieng Province (see previous post about Camp GLOW to learn more about it). Enjoy!

That's how much time I've got left in Cambodia. As much as I keep telling myself I can't believe it, you'd think I'd believe it by now. I guess I am so focused on studying and planning my big post-Peace Corps trip to be thinking about it all, which is probably a good thing.Really not much news to report. The Thais and the Cambodians are fighting again near Preah Vihear (literally on the

When you get past pronunciation difficulties, Kmai is a fairly easy language to learn. It's pretty simple, as there is no future or past tense. When I am not quite sure how to say something, I think of the most straightforward way to say it and the idea I am trying to convey is usually comprehensible. Often times, I find myself laughing at certain words or phrases when I directly translate them into English. Here are some of the funnier ones:

But yoom

This is what parents say to tell kids to stop crying.

Literal translation: "close cry"

Meas tweah

This one takes the cake for best Kmai euphemism. This word is used to refer to the vagina.

Literal translation: "Golden door"

tuk kuh-dow

People say this when a drink is really strong, which can be anything from whiskey to sprite.

Literal translation: "Liquid hot"

muhl ciu-poh

This is the phrase used for reading a book.

Literal translation: "Watch book"

(clearly a society that places a high value on reading, eh?)

Tuk da-goh

Milk

Literal translation: "Water breast cow"

Awt bai

Starve

Literal translation: "No rice"

Bot jerng toach

Pee (vb)

Literal translation: "Close leg small"

Bot jerng tom

Poop (vb)

Literal translation: "Close leg big"

S'ray koich

Prostitute

Literal translation: "Woman broken"

And my favorite word that I have decided to use everyday in order to strike up random conversations is the use of the verb "che." This word means "to know how" and is used to ask questions, make statements, and is my favorite get out of jail free card at weddings. Here is how it might be used in conversation:

Kmai person: "Che nam bai awt?" (Do you know how to eat rice?)

Me: "Ja, che." (Yes, I know how.)

Kmai person: "Che lay-up me'rean jerng?" (You know how to paint your toes?)

Me: "Ja, che." (Yes, I know how.)

*At a wedding, when everyone is trying to peer-pressure me to drink:

Guests: "PUKKKKK SRA!!!" (DRINK ALCOHOL!!!)

Me: "Som-toh, awt che te!" (I'm sorry, I don't know how.)

With such little time left, the nostalgia is slowly creeping in. But it'd be a lie to say I'd miss everything in Cambodia, as there are some things I am perfectly happy leaving behind. Here's what I will miss and not miss:

The constant hello's

Verdict: Not miss

While in Indonesia for 2 weeks, I noticed how quiet it was and I couldn't quite put my finger on why that was. Then I realized that the barrage of hello's from natives was noticeably absent. It was SUCH a nice reprieve from people shouting at me everywhere I go, even if they've known me for almost two years. I love that Cambodians are friendly, but by just flashing their awesome smiles, enough warmth is exuded to take the place of obnoxious hello's.

Sense of community

Verdict: Miss

Within neighborhoods (and in more rural areas, the entire town), everyone knows everyone. En route to your house, the neighbors will ask, "Where are you coming from?" If they see something in your basket, they'll ask you "What did you buy and how much was it?" While this might seem invasive by Western standards, I've come to really appreciate this greeting. People are curious about each other and the information they glean from these typical exchanges will usually appear when you least expect it. For example, the other day I was riding my bike back from the market when one of my favorite ladies in the neighborhood saw that I had bought ripe mangoes. The next day, I went to buy something from her stand and she handed me a bag of ripe mangoes, telling me that she knew how much I liked them so she wanted me to have them. This is just one of the many instances when Kmai snooping has pleasantly surprised me.

Thinking inside the box

Verdict: Not miss

I've harped and harped about lack of critical thinking here, but really...I can't stress this point enough. One of the things I appreciate about the good ol' USA is its diversity, not only in ethnic backgrounds, but also people who come from all different walks of life. A seemingly mundane errand back home, like a trip to the post office or a grocery store, might result in chatting with someone interesting who has a different outlook on things. You just never know what a conversation might give rise to, which is part of the fun. But here, I know EXACTLY what the conversation will consist of with random strangers. It's a pretty scripted dialogue, usually involving the following questions: "How long have you been in Cambodia? How old are you? How do you feel when you come to Cambodia? Are you married? Have you eaten rice yet?" Although there is something charming in living a simple life, this is just annoying and monotonous. Someone please just throw me one curveball and I will rest easy knowing some critical thinking is going on here. In a country that is virtually the model for homogeneity and communality, I can see why the questions don't vary much (this is a gross oversimplification about why questions don't vary; there are many other factors that tie in). But I foresee this being a HUGE roadblock in Cambodia's future path to overall development.

My host family

Verdict: MISS THE MOST

The hardest part about leaving will be saying goodbye to my host fam. Enough said.

Peaceful dispositions

Verdict: Miss

I've rarely seen a Kmai person angry. When they are nervous or angry, they generally laugh. I will refrain from psychoanalysis on the reasoning behind the ever-present laugh and just say that I like it. I am not looking forward to getting the bird from some disgruntled 9-5 worker and the constant scowls spread across many miserable American faces.

The weather

Verdict: Not miss

It's way too hot here. See my last post.

Rice

Verdict: Not miss

I am sick of eating rice with every meal. And if I change my mind and decide that I do miss rice, the advantage of living in the consumerist behemoth of the world is that I can get it. Wherever and whenever I want it.

Cambodia is generally hot. This is pretty standard and I've come to accept that I am just going to be uncomfortable (temperature wise) 95% of the time that I am here. But for 2-3 months out of the year, it's not just hot in Cambodia. It is MISERABLE. And yes, it is unfortunately now that time of the year. Scorching, simmering, blistering, sweltering- all appropriate adjectives to describe the current climate. I got back from Indonesia and forgot how horrible the weather here is during this time of the year, until I was reminded by a 3rd degree burn I got from riding my bike for ten minutes under the unrelenting sun. Needless to say, I am not sad that this is my last hot season in Cambodia.

Some more pics from Kmai New Year:

One of my favorite 'mings' from my neighborhood

Theavy and Kunthy at the wat

I'm back in the Bode and damn it feels good! Vacation was incredible, but I forgot how nice it is to be able to communicate with people in their own language, regardless of how simple the conversations may be. It's the last day of Kmai New Year so I went to the wat with my two host sisters to do the usual thing: sit uncomfortably and listen to the monks chant. Now that I am so close to finishing, everything just seems surreal. I feel as if I am trying to soak up everything before it all slips through my fingers; two years of amazing experiences peppered with challenges will be reduced to "Peace Corps was incredible." What else can I say when people ask me the already daunting 'How was Cambodia?' question?

the uncomfortable position women sit in at the wat

My host sister surprised me by making these awesome signs and putting them all over my room. My favorite is the sign above my door which reads, "Thank you for encouraging me" with lots of hearts and other designs (see pics below). My host family showered me with sniffs (the traditional Kmai sign of affection) and I felt right at home the instant I passed through the front gate. I've come to realize that my life here is pretty amazing and the possibility that it will be relegated to nothing but memories makes it all the more difficult to acknowledge it's coming to an end. I've learned so much, been humbled by the overwhelming warmth of Kmai people and tolerated more chanting/obnoxious music crammed into a measly 2 years than I think I will ever listen to throughout the rest of my life. I constantly find myself thinking about what an experience like this can do to a person. Some buckle under the pressure and revert to the comfortable isolation that sitting in their room and ignoring people provides, while others embrace those around them and try to get the most out of living a life as opposite as possible to their old familiar routines. While every volunteer has probably found themselves in both situations, I'd like to say most of us have followed the second path a majority of the time. For most who buckle under the pressure, a premature return to the States has already happened. But for the rest of us, we've been lucky enough to foster some amazing relationships and learned lessons that will forever impact how we see the world.

My host sister's signs

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It's with all of the thoughts above that I am trying to approach these last few months; a sense of accomplishment, appreciation and excitement for everything else that lies ahead. I realize how sappy this all sounds, but I suppose it's a natural human reaction to reflect upon lessons learned as any monumental chapter of life approaches its end. Stay tuned for more sap to follow!

I'm back in Medan for one last night in Sumatra. The rest of the group went back except for me and Kellee, so we are just hanging out here, capitalizing on free wireless at Starbucks and delicious Indonesian food before we head back to the Bode tomorrow. It's been an incredible trip and I highly recommend Sumatra to anyone looking to travel in SE Asia. It's a bit more off the beaten path and we were able to avoid the throngs of tourists who are probably concentrated in Jakarta and other more mainstream spots in Indonesia (we also lucked out because it's not peak tourist season right now). My favorite parts of the trip:

*Trekking through the jungle all day, waking up in the jungle, trekking again and then rafting down the river back to town.

*Eating lunch on top of a volcano as the mist rolled through.

*Biking around Samosir Island with incredible views of Lake Toba.

*Eating Indonesian food. Spicy, delicious and definitely much tastier than Kmai food.

*Scrabble. Our group is incredibly competitive and my novice scrabble skills definitely paled in comparison to some of the veteran players. Add that to my list of things to try to master.

*Just spending time with other Peace Corps volunteers. There are a lot of things that no one will be able to understand about my two years in Cambodia except other PCV's. It's nice to be able to exchange our insights about the past two years, how we started, how far we've come, and how ambiguous the next chapter seems.

Tomorrow, it's back to Cambodia and straight back to site for Kmai New Year festivities. Not sure what it's going to entail this year, but hoping it's a bit more entertaining than last year...

Cooper, Nate, Jen, me and Kellee

traditional Batak architecture

crocodile farm

on top of the volcano

rafting to our camp site

It's been an amazing nine days in Sumatra, Indonesia! I came here with 6 other Peace Corps friends and am here until the 14th. We started off in Medan, then headed to Bukit Lawang to do an overnight jungle trek and see orangutans/other jungle creatures. Next, we headed to Berastagi to climb a volcano and visit hot springs, then arrived in Lake Toba yesterday and are staying here for another 3 nights before heading back to Medan. Sumatra is one of the most beautiful places I've visited and our intense trekking/hiking has been a wonderful way to really soak up everything (quite literally, as we have been sweaty/caught in rain storms for much of the trip). The food here is awesome, the people are friendly, and one last hurrah with some of my Peace Corps friends is just what the doctor ordered before the chaos of slipping back into my "real world" begins in a few months.

Mosque in Medan

One of many orangutans that we were lucky enough to see while trekking in Bukit Lawang!

some serious trekking

all 7 of us

On the way to the volcano in Berastagi

So after 6 months of preparation that involved everything from proposal writing to color-coded name tags, Svay Rieng’s very first Camp G.L.O.W. took place March 25th-27th. I will share some more details about what the camp consisted of, but first, true to my tangential nature, I must answer the following question: So how did this all start?

It all began back in September when Jeremy, Kellee, Kristin and I were sitting at Java, our favorite cafe in Phnom Penh. While discussing the normal Peace Corps banter (what food we wanted to eat, our irregular bowel movements, our host families and school frustrations), someone tossed out the idea of doing a Camp G.L.O.W. in our province. What is Camp G.L.O.W.? It stands for Girls Leading Our World, and as you might guess by the title, it is a camp designed to promote leadership amongst girls. Various Peace Corps volunteers around the world conduct Camp G.L.O.W.’s in their respective communities and while united in their effort to encourage young women to become leaders, you can imagine the amount of variation Camp G.L.O.W.’s around the world boast. Volunteers have a lot of latitude in designing the structure and content of their camp, as community needs vary from community to community.

So there we were at Java, discussing what would be good topics to cover in our own camp. We came up with the following: leadership, public speaking, nutrition, self-esteem, body awareness, HIV/AIDS prevention and promoting the idea of community development. We sat there for a few hours and hammered out a rough schedule. We started talking logistics: how many girls? Who would lead the sessions? How would we pay for this? We had many questions, which took many months to figure out. But it all started with an idea at a little coffee shop in Phnom Penh...

Throughout the following months, we dived into the not-so-fun parts of project planning- the dreaded proposal. Kristin really spearheaded the proposal preparation, but we split up different sections of the proposal, which we each were responsible for writing. We applied for a SPA proposal (Small Project Assistance), which is funded by USAID (US Aid for International Development, a major player on the international development scene) and requires that one-third of the total cost come from community contributions. We were able to get space at the Provincial Health Department donated, and a few other areas which enabled us to reach the 33% threshold. Because our relationship with the Provincial Office of Education (P.O.E) is a bit shaky for reasons I am hesitant to go into here, we went through the Provincial Health Department (P.H.D.) to get support, as I teach classes there and have a close relationship with the vice director. We decided to each select 5 girls from our schools (another volunteer, Dillon, selected 5 girls as well), for a total of 25 girls. We each selected a female Kmai counterpart to help be chaperons and lead certain sessions. Everything would be done in Kmai and we would need one main Kmai female who could be the liaison between us and the female counterparts (our Kmai is good, but it’s not at the point where we can discuss extremely advanced topics like those being covered in the camp; well, clearly at least). We were looking for a Kmai woman with strong leadership skills, an enthusiastic personality, and effective English skills to minimize communication inaccuracies. We lucked out when Vanny, a former language cultural facilitator (LCF) who has worked with Peace Corps training for three years, agreed to take on the role. Once she signed on to help, a lot of pressure was lifted and we had an inkling that things were going to be great.

The camp began on Friday when girls started streaming in to the guesthouse in Svay Rieng town. As I live in the provincial town, I made all the reservations for everything; the guesthouse, restaurants for lunch and dinner, and arranging a screening of a movie at Svay Rieng’s very own movie theater! From the beginning, things were running very smoothly, which positively portended the rest of the camp. We put five girls in one room- one from each district. For most of these girls, it was their first time sleeping away from home and they were SUPER excited and terrified, all at the same time. After check in, we had our first lunch together and then headed to the health department to begin sessions. We began with a few icebreakers, as it was apparent that the girls were nervous and we wanted to get them to feel comfortable with us and with their fellow camp attendees. We tried an ambitious version of the human knot game, splitting into two groups of 12-15. Although neither group was able to “unknot” themselves, everyone had a blast and it was a great way to kick things off. We followed with another icebreaker and then dug right into the sessions.

The next few days were jam packed. Each of us worked with our Kmai counterparts ahead of time to go over what each would present. My counterpart, Ratha, conducted sessions on leadership and self-esteem. Jeremy’s counterpart, Saray, presented on public speaking. Kellee’s counterpart, Soksara, presented on nutrition, body awareness and HIV/AIDS. Kristin and Vanny teamed up to explain designing community projects. The girls were learning A LOT of information, but it was clear that they were really eager to learn about everything. Some of us were talking about how if we had conducted this camp in the states with American 10th-11th grade girls, it wouldn’t be nearly as successful, as we’d get tons of attitude and plenty of eye-rolling. But here in Cambodia, this was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience for these girls. They rarely have an opportunity to even get out of their districts, let alone engage in a leadership camp full of information and activities. We were all so proud of how hard they all worked, and how engaged they all were, especially as each session progressed. Some of my favorite moments:

*The body-awareness session: This involved Kellee wearing an apron displaying the female anatomy, courtesy of her health center. Soksara discussed the female anatomy and handed out copies of diagrams in Kmai and fielded what seemed to be never-ending questions about “girl stuff:” periods, pregnancy, cramps, hygiene, etc. There are so many false ideas surrounding menstruation in Cambodia, and these girls were intensely curious to learn more about these urban legends, such as: Are you really not supposed to bathe during your period? Can you eat spicy food? And many other things that my kindergarten Kmai couldn’t catch quickly enough. After dispelling the rumors, the real awkwardness began: Soksara brought out wooden penises, in order to show women how to properly put on a condom. Pre-marital sex is NOT common here; in fact, if a woman engages in pre-marital sex, she is often abandoned by her family, as she has shamed the family name. However, once these girls get married, the chance that their husbands will visit brothels during their marriage is VERY high. Women here are still struggling to gain an equal footing. After all, how progressive can a society be when they have the following saying: “Women are like cloth, men are like gold.” If you didn’t catch the meaning of that, basically once women are dirty (like cloth), they are ruined forever. But men (like gold) can be dirty and then simply wipe themselves clean. So condom education is essential for these girls, because they or someone they know will eventually be at risk for contracting an STI, most likely from their own husbands. There is no such thing as sex education here, and these girls are way too embarrassed to ask these questions on their own. But by providing girls with a safe and encouraging environment where they could ask as many questions as they wanted without fear of repercussions, their self-consciousness quickly faded, replaced by an insatiable inquisitiveness that surely accompanies teenagers worldwide. I really believe that this is an important area of education that girls need in order to prevent future sexual health risks.

*Traditional Kmai games in the park at night: After our first dinner, we took the girls to the park to hang out and get to know each other more. We ended up playing traditional Kmai games, which (true to Kmai culture) involved singing, dancing, screaming and holding hands. Probably the most fun I’ve had playing games in a park (definitely the most fun in my “adult” years).

*Svay Rieng meets Hollywood: These girls have never been to a movie theater and we were able to rent it out just for them to screen a movie called “Palace of Dreams,” a soap-opera style movie that discusses HIV/AIDS prevention in Kmai with English subtitles. Little did we know almost every girl had seen the movie several times before, but they certainly acted like it was the first time they had seen it! And they certainly loved the movie theater ‘ambiance.’

*The last day when we all showed up wearing our Camp G.L.O.W. t-shirts. We were like a solid troop marching through town, proudly showing off our shirts and reveling in our exhilaration. Pictures were also a blast as was saying goodbyes, knowing these girls would be imparting their new-found knowledge with their friends and family.

*Community projects: The last session involved girls from each district getting together and planning a community project. My girls (as I think all the other districts did as well) chose to teach a leadership session at our high school to 30 girls on May 5th. They were super excited to take on this project and use their leadership skills to train other students! It was really inspiring to see their excitement in planning these projects for their respective communities.

Whew, that was a lot to write and barely captures the sheer awesomeness of everything. We all had a great time and we were super happy everything went so seamlessly. The most amazing part of everything was seeing an idea that began at a coffee shop gradually become a reality. And not only a reality, but a reality better than anyone could have predicted! Oh the lessons I keep learning in the Peace Corps...absolutely wouldn’t trade this experience for anything!

After all my hard work in March, I am sitting at the airport in Kuala Lumpur waiting for my flight to Sumatra! I am desperately in need of a vacation, so looking forward to this...

Yes, I know. My blog is sparse when it comes to recent updates. There is something about sitting down and writing about everything that's going on that is just completely overwhelming, so I've just avoided it altogether. Oops. So although I finally overcame my procrastination on updating this, there is just too much to write, and quite frankly, I have books to read, news to catch up on and projects to plan. So I'll keep it brief:

*My International Women's Day event was absolutely amazing. HUGE success. The girls had a blast, the teachers had fun, and my face hurt from smiling so much. It totally gave me the feel-good warm fuzzies.

*Camp GLOW is this Friday-Sunday! We had our training of the trainers meeting on Sunday morning, and all of our Kmai counterparts got to meet each other, go through the schedule and get things clarified. We have 5 counterparts (each of us picked one woman who we thought would be good to conduct sessions and chaperon the girls) and we have a former LCF (language cultural facilitator) from our Peace Corps training days, Vanny, as our main Kmai liaison and leader for the event. She is absolutely awesome and we are really lucky that she agreed to help us. Those three days are jam packed and I am imagining things are going to be hectic, but awesome. I can't even properly describe all the planning that has gone into this; from writing the proposal back in September to making reservations to invitations to gathering supplies to getting t-shirts printed and all of the other little details that we have had to iron out. It's essentially my last BIG project and definitely the most arduous one. But what better way to end my Peace Corps service? Gotta finish on a high note.

*I'm heading to Sumatra, Indonesia April 1st-14th with 6 friends from Peace Corps. We are sticking to the north and going to hike up some volcanoes, see some orangutans, and visit the largest lake in Southeast Asia (Lake Toba), home to the Batak people who were cannibals up until the 20th century! Should be a much needed vacation full of trekking, good food, great friends and relaxation.

*I have less than 4 months in the Bode. Someone please tell me where all the time went? And damn, 2 years is a long time to live in a place like this. I think the various extreme Cambodian elements (heat, SUN, dirt) have taken their toll...

Although this term usually refers to the time when basketball fans get to entertain their absurdity for a prolonged period, it has taken on a whole new meaning for my last March of Peace Corps service. Typically underwhelmed by all my free time, I've found myself completely devoid of reading time, laundry time or studying time (EEEK). "When it rains, it pours" has never felt more applicable.

First up on the agenda is the poster contest I am organizing at my school for International Women's Day (March 8th). What I thought would be a fairly low-key event has turned into absolute insanity. The contest and event are open to all girls at my school (grades 7-12) and the theme is "What does International Women's Day mean to you?" The event will begin Tuesday morning, when students and teachers will have the opportunity to walk around the school to see the posters (of which will require my co-teachers and I to arrive at school at 5 am, pre-sunrise, to tape them up around the school). I will then give a speech in Kmai about Women's Day (rife with inspirational words, given I don't botch the translation too badly), a speaker from the Department of Women's Affairs in Svay Rieng, an awards ceremony for the top 3 posters, and games and activities. There will be fruit, water and traditional Kmai cake available for everyone. What began as a small project turned into a HUGE project, and despite feeling very overwhelmed and stressed, I know it's a great opportunity for students to actually think about the role of women in Cambodian society and just have a day of fun. These girls deserve at least a little of that before they really begin to feel the many challenges that accompany being a woman in a male-dominated society.

I began to see the fruits of my labor this morning, when swarms of girls started showing up to the library to drop off their posters. Each and every girl had a huge smile on their face as they delivered their poster to my co-teacher and me. I sneaked a glance at Pilot, my co-teacher, and saw how genuinely thrilled he was to see the huge numbers of girls filing in to the library. Teachers started dropping in, incredulously surveying the goings-ons. By the time all the girls had delivered their posters, we counted 55! More are expected to submit posters tomorrow, before some of the female teachers and I get together to decide 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. Needless to say, I am so excited for this event to happen. Although there is still much preparation left to do, it is all coming together and I couldn't be happier. I'm just trying to mentally prepare for all the slip-ups that are inevitable in an event with 300+ people.

So once I recover from International Women's Day (my sleep is seriously in need of some beauty), I will shift focus to Camp GLOW (girls leading our world). This is a project I am working on with 4 other Peace Corps volunteers in my province. We are inviting 25 girls (5 from each of our schools) to attend a 3-day workshop in the provincial town (March 25th-27th). They will stay at a guesthouse and for many of them, it's their first time away from home, let alone away from their district. We have all kinds of workshops planned, including public speaking, leadership skills, AIDS/HIV awareness, nutrition and a workshop discussing self-image and body awareness. We each are inviting a woman counterpart from our school to help us lead the workshops and chaperon the girls. Everything will be conducted in Kmai and the idea is that girls will share the knowledge learned at the camp with friends and family once they return. We have been planning this since September and applied for a grant from USAID, which was approved, so all our blood, sweat and tears will soon become reality! Like the poster contest, it's a pain to put together, but I am guessing it will be one of the highlights of my time here.

So yea, there you have it. That's what I am working on, while simultaneously trying to find the time/energy to study LSAT. Who knew I had such a strong feminist side? I doubt I'm the next Gloria Steinem, but hey, nothing wrong with a little girl power!

Just as there are certain things about America that Cambodians will never be able to fully grasp, there are many things about Cambodia I still cannot understand after a year and a half:

1.How are Cambodians not fat? They eat nothing but sugar and fried foods. The nutritious content from any vegetables consumed is surely canceled out by the oil that they are soaked in.

2. The Cambodian school system. I just don't get it, whether it be primary, upper-secondary, universities or whatever else. I don't understand the scheduling, the social dynamics, the testing, or pretty much anything else that has to do with school. I mentioned this to my co-teacher who responded that he still doesn't understand it and he's been teaching for 30 years!

3. Who belongs to which family. There are so many randoms at my house at any given moment and I learned a long time ago to just stop trying to figure out who they are. Introductions are rare here, unless it is a formal occasion. So I often find myself sitting at the dinner table gawking at strangers, wondering "who the hell are you and why are you at my house?"

4. Why Cambodians don't listen to me when I tell them there are 50 states, not 52. Whoever the miscreant that started this rumor needs to be severely punished.

5. How do Cambodians not sweat while wearing multiple layers of clothing in disgustingly hot, humid weather?! It's 100 degrees + and my market lady is wearing a full pajama set, a sweater on top, socks, gloves and a hat, not even breaking a sweat. How is this humanly possible?

6. How are Cambodians absolutely immune to noise? Either they're all deaf or they have acquired some super-human ability to tune everything out. They can perfectly carry on a conversation while seated next to blaring speakers and not even realize that music is playing. I am certain the only people who have ever uttered "Please turn that down" in Cambodia are foreigners.

7. Anything that Westerners would do that requires intense protective footwear Cambodians can do in flip flops that are maybe an inch thin. This includes farming, any type of sport, hiking through the jungle up a mountain or any other heavy manual labor.

8. The obsession with baby penises. They touch them constantly and love to play with them. I still avert my eyes and feel my cheeks flush when I witness this.

9. The ability to sit in the "Asian squat" for hours upon hours. I tell you, I have seen 80 year olds more flexible than Gumby just chilling out in the squatty position.

10. Dogs getting stuck together post-sexual intercourse. The reasoning behind this has long been debated among Peace Corps volunteers and I still don't understand why this happens. I had never seen this back in the States and would have been perfectly happy not seeing it. It's rather crude, especially between unhealthy, mangy Cambodian dogs. Can anyone tell me the science behind this?

Cross-cultural exchange is one of the most important aspects of being a Peace Corps volunteer. I am learning about Cambodian culture, but am also sharing bits and pieces of American culture with Cambodians. Although some of the information shared is very mundane (do you have this fruit in America? What about the moon; do you have that there?), some stuff is interesting (many of the cultural customs, gender roles, etc ). Despite my repeated attempts, there are just some things that many people here just cannot fathom, so I will condense these topics into a list:

1. A salary of $30,000 in America is not very high at all. I’ve tried to explain that although this exorbitant amount seems high, it really isn’t that much when living costs are taken into account. In fact, for a family of 6 (which is quite common here), $30,000 would be considered living at the poverty line in the U.S. But when you are trying to explain this to people who have a yearly salary of $720 a year (the average Cambodian teacher’s salary which might support 6+ people), no amount of explanation will convince them that this is meager. Fair enough.

2. Many teenagers work in the United States to earn extra money. My host family thought this was one of the weirdest concepts ever. I told them that I had multiple jobs throughout high school so that I could buy my own car and pay for X, Y and Z, and they just didn’t understand this. It makes sense as Cambodia is not an economy dominated by the service sector, but rather split between agriculture, industry and the service sector (which is predominately in Phnom Penh). Cambodian children and teenagers don’t get paid to help their family plant and thresh rice; it’s their duty to the family and each family member is expected to pull their own weight to ensure that food is on the table.

3. Most people want to be tan in America (or “black” as Cambodians refer to it). White skin is something that every Cambodian I have met is OBSESSED with. You can hardly buy any beauty product without some promise of getting whiter skin from it. There is even pink nipple cream, for those who are truly determined to transform themselves into a white person. This is one of Cambodian people’s favorite topics of conversation with me, as I am safely betting that I am the palest person any of the Cambodians in my town have seen. I explain that in America, people pay A LOT of money in an attempt to have darker skin and also frequently sit out in the sun for hours. “You Americans are crazy; why would you do that?” is the response I typically get. Why do we do that?

4. It is common to date many people before you get married. Yes, this may include pre-marital sex. My host mother thinks this is just insanity. “You have a lot of “broken” girls in your country,” she tells me.

5. Cheating is not allowed in school in America and is considered a very big deal. I am pretty sure most of my students hate me, for this is a policy I have strictly instituted in my classrooms. Even though I have been very successful in terms of getting my students to do tests on their own, the idea of “cheating” is something so natural to Cambodians; it is difficult to explain without just simply being that bitchy, strict American teacher. But I still try to explain why I have this policy to them- it’s important to think on your own and depend on yourself to solve problems. In a communal culture where individuality is not encouraged, this has been an uphill battle.

6. We don’t just eat one type of food, and we definitely don’t eat rice three times a day. America is a melting pot. We have all kinds of food, cultures and people from all over the world. I think the most shocking thing is that I don’t eat rice that much in America. “But aren’t you hungry?” my students ask. I explain that there are myriad food options, which ensures that I am never hungry, even though I am not eating rice. And don’t worry; I don’t use the word “myriad” to explain it.

7. Women get married after they are 23 in America. It is not unheard of for teenage girls to marry older men here and by the time a woman reaches her early twenties, she needs to be married and popping out babies. The great thing about explaining that I don’t feel pressure to get married at any certain point (or even at all) is that most Cambodian women I talk to think that it’s a pretty good idea. I think many Cambodian women, given the access to education and job opportunities, would love to prolong getting married and having kids and stimulate themselves with activities aside from domestic work. But this is an area that Cambodian culture is still struggling to incorporate into societal norms, and I do believe that when it does happen, it’ll give Cambodia the kick in the butt it certainly needs.

8. Beer can be casually drank and you don’t have to ‘cheers’ before every sip. This is a bandwagon I wish I could throw Cambodians on, for it is not fun having to say cheers anytime you want to take a sip of your brewski. Also, it seems like Cambodian men have all adopted the American college student mantra- ‘drink until you are absolutely sloshed.’ I feel like a huge loser pretending to down beers and then spitting it out, but hangovers in a humid and hot country like Cambodia are to be avoided like the plague.

9. Weddings and funerals vary in America and can be held inside. My host mother asked me when America’s wedding season was, and I told her it was whenever you want it to be. Weddings here are super fun, but they definitely do not get points for creativity. The setup is as follows: a tent, under which are tables and chairs with the same patterned cloth covering them, a table with fruit on it (which is used to dance around), and 15-20 HUGE speakers, which ensures that the vibrations from the wedding will remain with you long after you leave. Funerals here follow a structured format as well: monks chanting on a loud speaker that begins at 4am and lasts for days (but feels like years). Guests wear white and the service consists of giving some money to the family, joining in a short prayer while the monks chant, eating rice-porridge (‘bobo’) or Kmai noodles, eating as quickly as possible with a table full of strangers, and then going home. I’m pretty sure I have yet to attend a funeral gathering that lasts more than 30 minutes. You are in and out of there. I explained a bit about American funerals and that it is common to wear all black and cry. Once again, Jacqueline comes from a freakazoid planet.

10. We like to read for pleasure in America. I am still waiting to see a Cambodian with a good mystery novel in his hand. Who am I kidding? I am waiting to see any novel in a Cambodian’s hand.

Over the past year and a half, development and all of its minutiae have become one of the many topics I constantly find myself coming back to. After all, I am working in development; “human capacity building” or some other misnomer that is continually bounced around as my job description. As you may have inferred based on my previous sentence, my opinions regarding development work are plagued with skepticism (although patches of hopefulness are scattered here and there). The more I read on the topic, the more I realize that no one really knows what to do; pump in foreign aid? Turn a blind eye and let crooked governments try to solve their own problems? Conditional cash transfers? Micro lending? Charter cities? I certainly don’t have the answer to this basic development quandary, but I can draw from my experience in Cambodia and conclude that current development practices are creating a dangerous dependency on handouts.

How is development work creating dependency and possibly making things worse? Well, this a complex question that I am not even going to attempt to give a concrete answer to, for I think about it enough in my head and I struggle to eloquently capture my thoughts. But if my school director’s repeated pleas are an adequate microcosm representing Cambodia, then you can figure it out for yourself:

School Director: You know, we will miss you when you go back to America.

Me: Thanks lo cru (teacher). I will miss everyone here as well.

School Director: Yes, we all hope that you will be very rich and successful.

Me: Thanks lo cru! I hope so too.

School Director: Yes, this way you can come back to Cambodia and bring lots of money to this school. You can help us! Don’t forget, when you are rich, you must come back and give lots of money to us.

Unfortunately, it seems many impoverished countries around the world have adopted a similar attitude. “The foreign aid will save us! All we need is more money!” If only it were that easy. Instead of waiting for their knight in shining armor to save them, governments (and citizens) need to understand that many of the problems should be attacked internally. I am not by any means advocating a Darwinian end of all aid money. But there are many factors that need to be in play- a government that isn’t pocketing aid contributions and genuinely seeks to promote the well-being of its people, a citizenry willing to move forward, and a strict standard to hold aid agencies accountable to. Otherwise, you have a big hot mess, precisely what I see here: a government not wanting to improve life for its citizens for fear of losing power and thousands of NGO’s overlapping each other and doing the same work because there is no accountability.

So where does Peace Corps fit into all of this? Well, depending on what day you ask me, I have a different answer. But today, my answer is this: the beauty of Peace Corps lies in the cultural exchange. That is what we’re really here for. Yes, I go to school every day and use a crappy, outdated book to teach kids of whom 90% will become rice farmers. I work with Cambodian co-teachers who don’t really want to change their teaching methodologies because they don’t really want to teach because they get paid 60 dollars a month because money is being siphoned from some mysterious source. So are all the aforementioned strategies causing revolutionary change? No. That’s why we call this ‘grassroots.’ But I can tell you this. The exchange I’ve had with my host family and other Kmai people whom I’ve grown close to is something that will forever change the way I look at things and probably the way they do as well. Each one of us who serves as a Peace Corps volunteer gets an inimitable look into the culture we are dropped into, not something that your average Phnom Penh-dwelling NGO worker gets as they create their foreign bubble, without even an attempt to understand the culture they are trying to “change” for the better. Perhaps a good way to improve development practices of NGO's and its workers would be learning the local language, culture and customs. Strip away the condescending attitudes of those who come to “develop” and what’s left? A good start.

A bunch of us Peace Corps volunteers at the beach for New Years.

Kristin, Kellee and I on New Years Eve

2011. The year in which my Peace Corps service comes to an end and I will be thrust back into the American grind of school, work, and taking advantage of catching up with family and friends I haven't seen in way too long. A year that will no doubt be just as interesting of a transition as 2009 and as eye-opening as 2010. I don't really make New Year's resolutions because I've hardly ever seen them come to fruition. But as I actually have time to "work" on them/think about them, I do have a few:

New Years in Kampong Som

1. Read more than 1 book at a time. I have a serious problem doing this because I just like to start and finish them one by one, just like I like to eat my side entrees completely before I eat my main dish. But the more development books I've been reading, the longer it takes me to finish and the more I find myself wishing I was reading another book. So why don't I?

2. Annihilate the LSAT. Enough said.

3. Enjoy living in the moment. This isn't as much of a New Year's resolution as a life change resolution. I find myself (and many fellow Americans) constantly planning the next step. What's next after Peace Corps? What will I do with my gap between school and Peace Corps? Where will I live? Who will I find myself still having things in common with? Although I am bursting with excitement about my stateside return, I know years down the road I'll look back at my time here with a nostalgia that stings. So I am trying to not obsess about every little future detail. Trying being the key word.

4. Keep in touch with my host fam in Cambodia after I leave. I've taught my sister how to use email, facebook and Skype. Now all that's left is making sure to show up to our future skype dates. I can't wait to see my host family's reaction when they see me/chat with me via the computer (Crap, this resolution already violates #3, "living in the moment").

Sign my sister made for me for New Years!

5. Run another half marathon. Not sure where or when, but just do it.

In Cambodia, superstitions pervade almost every aspect of society. I have yet to meet a Kmai person who does not believe in ghosts and the routine discussions of spirits at my house further solidifies the considerable amount of attention Kmai people pay to superstitions. When I told my host mother that I had visited Koh Pich Bridge, the site of the stampede, her eyes grew very large and she asked me if I was scared of the ghosts that were lingering there. I told her I wasn't and she was shocked that I wasn't quivering with fear. Along with ghosts, there are other beliefs that I have learned about that Kmai people swear by. Here are some of my favorites:

*You know those little white marks you get on your nails when you have vitamin or mineral deficiencies (according to Wikipedia they are called Leukonychia. Go here to read more about them)? Well, if you have them in Cambodia, it means you are soon going to be rich. My host sister had one a few months ago and the whole family was so excited that she was soon going to get some money. We're still waiting.

*If you feel cold during "cold" season and you are single, it means you want to get married. This was told to me by my single co-teacher who gave a creepy grin afterwards. He is desperately trying to move to America...

*When your left eyebrow quivers, you will soon be receiving a gift from someone. But if your right eyebrow shakes, WATCH OUT, trouble is coming your way.

*Geckos are everywhere here. I am never truly alone because there is always a gecko crawling up my wall, in my bathroom, on my mosquito net, etc. They make these little chirping sounds and according to Kmai people, if they chirp more than 7 times in a row, you will soon have a lot of money.

*If a single daughter sings while she is cooking, she is destined to marry a man who is already married. This also applies to sitting on stacked chairs and beginning a meal at one location then switching to finish it somewhere else.

*A pregnant woman must wake up early every day during her pregnancy or she will have a very difficult birth.

*A pregnant woman cannot drink ice while she is pregnant or her child will be hairless.

*If a pregnant woman walks over the legs of her husband when she is getting out of bed in the morning, she will transfer her morning sickness to her husband, thereby inducing vomiting in the man responsible for her nine months of misery.

*A mole on your face means you cry a lot. My sister does cry a fair amount and she does have a mole below her eye...

*If a woman is pregnant and a lunar eclipse occurs, the child will not be very smart.

*If you dream about a lot of fish, you will be very lucky the next day (this is especially true for sellers at the market).

*If you dream someone dies, you will be lucky the next day.

*If you dream about a snake wrapped around your body, you will soon find someone to marry.

*You cannot take a picture with 3 people because it is unlucky for the person in the middle. The more rural you go, the more people who believe in this photo rule, as I learned during training in the boonies of Traing.

Updates:

*I went up to Siem Reap last week to run the half-marathon at Angkor Wat with some of my fellow volunteers. It was a lot of fun, but man I underestimated the distance I was running at site. I felt good up until the 14th kilometer, when I could no longer suppress the need to pee, undoubtedly induced by my 4 am cup of joe. So I had no choice but to duck into some bushes and relieve myself, but unfortunately picked a spot covered in thick, thorny bushes. After clawing my way out, I realized my hands were covered in bloody scratches but at that point, that didn't even come close to the pain throughout the rest of my body. I managed to finish the half without walking, which I was really happy about. But my pace was as slow as a tortoise so I know what I need to work on for my next one. I think I'm hooked on this whole half marathon thing. It's a fun goal to work towards, and now I have a better idea about what to expect. There is a half marathon in Singapore in May which I'd love to run, but the timing is really close to our last 3 months of service, which PC policy says we must remain in Cambodia for. So we shall see.

Some of the Peace Corps vols after the half!

*Teaching is in full swing! The Ministry of Education has cut the hours for English from 4 hrs to 2 hrs per week for grades 11 and 12, which I think is asinine. But then again, almost everything about the education system here is silly, so I am not too surprised. The new lack of hours has cut into my teaching time at the high school, but I have supplemented my time in the class with informal office hours. When I say informal, I mean sitting at the snack shack (literally a tin roof resting on bamboo sticks) drinking a cup of coffee and chatting with the students and teachers. It's actually been a great opportunity to talk with students I don't have in my classes who want to get some face time with a native English speaker. I'm also teaching doctors and other staff at the Provincial Health Department, which is totally different from teaching at the high school. I'm working with some volunteers in my province on getting a girls'leadership/empowerment/health camp together for March. We're in the proposal writing stage and are hoping to get it submitted in the next few weeks. Definitely some cool stuff going on.

*My host mother is pregnant! The news was casually dropped at lunch about a week ago, and I initially thought she was joking. But it's become clear that she is very serious and is already 3 months along. I am worried about this for a number of reasons: (1) the risks that accompany having a child at her age are plentiful- the baby could have genetic disorders, she could have delivery complications (especially in this country!), etc. (2) the relationship between my host parents, is well, on the fritz, to say the least. Friends of my host mom repeatedly tell me that my host dad is koich, or 'broken' in Kmai. I'll let you interpret that as you please. (3)The life expectancy of a Cambodian is about 61 years old. That would be the exact age of my host mom when this child is 18 years old. Hmmm. (4) No one in the fam really seems too happy about this new addition. My sister cried upon hearing the news. My brother asked if he was not going to be the focus of attention anymore. It's gonna be interesting to see what happens when this boy is born (my host mom insists it's a boy- she saw it in her dreams).

*Studying for the LSAT is officially under way! I am taking it in June in Bangkok, so I am thankful I have plenty of time to prep for it. My goal is not to drive myself absolutely nuts, which I am already doing and am still 6 months+ away from the actual test date.

*My host sis, Theavy, was given an award today for being the #1 student in her class last year (when she was in grade 11). I went to the ceremony (her parents chose not to attend, another issue) and I was so proud of her when they called her name! For the students who had family members attend, they stepped aside and took pictures with their family. I went to take a picture with Theavy and she leaned in and whispered "Thanks for coming Nisa. I love you so much." I had tears in my eyes and tried to hold them in as I went back to my seat. The hardest part about this experience coming to an end will be leaving my host family. But that's still 7+ months away, so I try to not think about it.

Well, I think that is about it. Hopefully everyone is having a wonderful time getting ready for the rest of the holiday season, finishing finals, and getting ready to ring in the new year. 20 days left until 2011...

As most of you probably already know, there was a terrible tragedy in Phnom Penh earlier this week, leaving almost 400 victims dead. A stampede broke out on a suspension bridge during Water Festival Monday night, which draws in millions of people to the city to watch boat races and celebrate the end of rainy season. There is a lot of speculation about the cause of the stampede, but from what I've gathered, the hundreds of people on the bridge (who gathered to watch a concert) were spooked after a cannon trying to disperse people from the bridge was fired, causing pandemonium to ensue. People swept up in the mass exodus were trampled, suffocated, electrocuted or drowned after falling into the water below.

Many of the people who go into the city to partake in Water Festival are from the more rural parts of Cambodia. It's the one time of the year they look forward to going into "the big city" and enjoying the many festivities of Water Festival. A city of over 1 million becomes jampacked with more than 4 million people. It was for this reason that I chose not to go to Phnom Penh for the weekend, as most other volunteers decided as well. That many people crowded in such a small space and something bad is bound to happen; but who would think it'd be a stampede?

Cambodia has a population of about 15 million people, less than twice that of NYC. It seems that everyone in this country is connected to everyone else through someone; most families have lots of kids, some of whom end up moving away to far off provinces, broadening the family's circle of friends/acquaintances. I found out that 30 people from my little province of Svay Rieng were killed in the stampede, and my host mother knew (very indirectly) someone from a different province that died. The theory of "six degrees of separation" seems more like two degrees here, so with 400 people passing, it seems like everyone I've talked to knows someone (indirectly) who was affected by this tragedy. Last night, most Cambodians put out offerings outside their house and lit candles for the ghosts of the victims who passed. The incident has been all over the news, and unlike other places where privacy rights prevail, Cambodian t.v. doesn't hide any bloody details. Faces of mangled bodies and loved ones trying to identify them are shown all over the news.

It has been interesting to observe Cambodians and their reactions during this time. Some are sad, but far more make jokes or laugh when talking about the incident. I guess one might call this "their own way" of dealing with things, but part of me can't help but think it stems from their inability to deal with tragedy, a vestige from the Kmai Rouge era. If you read about some of the horrendous things that occurred during the Kmai Rouge genocide, you are left thinking that everyone who survived has got to be dealing with some serious psychological issues; how could they not be to some extent? The people who survived, who are now parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, are raising the newer generation and passing on their own coping strategies to their children, coping strategies which may employ laughter, denial and/or any other ways to avoid the real issue. I cannot ascertain that my theory is correct because I do not know how Cambodians dealt with grief in the pre-Kmai Rouge era, but it is something that I am continually trying to learn more about. Certain things can be chalked up to cultural differences but something tells me that laughing upon hearing someone was suffocated to death does not fall under this category.

The Cambodian government is paying the families of the victims $1500 per victim. As my mom tells me, "if you had a lot of family members die, you'd make a lot of money." Um, is it me or is that statement extremely dysfunctional? Like I said, there are some serious issues that need to be looked into. And PM Hun Sen- thanks for putting a price tag of $1500 on a human life.

Some pics from the NY Times of the aftermath of the tragedy:

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2010/11/23/world/CAMBODIA.html

I have not yet elaborated on one of my favorite parts of Cambodia- my host mother, Navy. She is the feistiest, funniest, most awesome Kmai woman I have yet to meet. Every morning while I am out on my morning run, she is already up and doing the laundry, no small feat for a family of 6. She makes sure everything is clean (an especially subjective adjective here) and functioning properly. If she's not repairing some holes in my brother's pants, she's washing our bikes, preparing food, sweeping, gardening or doing some other activity that I'm sure I don't even know about.

My favorite thing about mae ('mom' in Kmai) is her sense of humor. She LOVES talking about anything that has to do with love/romance (another subjective concept here). She is constantly trying to find me a Kmai husband, even though I've repeatedly told her that I am not interested in marrying anyone for a long time. Just when I think I've managed to subdue Navy's interest in my romantic life, she switches to her favorite pastime: fortune telling. She tells me that I will be married with 3 kids by the time I'm 28. I initially tried to explain that her clairvoyance is lacking serious practicality, seeing as how I will probably still be busy with my studies at that age. But now I've realized it's far easier and more fun to play along with her. Not only am I a favorite subject when it comes to matchmaking, but my fellow Svay Rieng volunteers are fair game as well. For the longest time, my host mother could not stop talking about how Jeremy and Kristin were a couple. "They're both short so obviously they must be a couple," she tells me. I tried to explain that they were not a couple, and I've finally managed to drive this point home, a mere year after repeatedly having this discussion.

When the topic isn't one of us volunteers, the attention shifts to my youngest host sis, Dany. My mom jokes that she has 15 boyfriends (she is 15) and I still am not sure if this is a joke or a reality. Different boys are constantly calling the house for her and Navy always makes sure to alert me when it's one of her song sah's (boyfriends) calling. One day, her song sah from Phnom Penh came to our house to eat lunch with us. Talk about awkward. Two 15-year olds sitting across from each other and utter silence while we are eating. I tried to suppress my laughter, but I caught Dany's eyes and started chuckling. She turned bright red and made sure not to look at her boy for the duration of our awkward lunch. Afterwards, my host mom couldn't stop making fun of Dany and saying that her boyfriend was only s'aht dah (kind of cute). One of the many topics Kmai mothers are brutally honest about.

Typically Kmai women are expected to be sopheap; soft-spoken, shy and delicate. This can be really challenging, especially with getting female students to participate in class and come out of their shells. But Navy is anything but sopheap. She stands up to my slimy host dad, makes inappropriate jokes, and sometimes even has a beer or two with the boys. I love that she defies the sterotypical submissive Kmai woman; she is an extremely strong woman and doesn't put up with anyone's crap.

Some of my favorite Navy moments:

I accidentally walked in on her changing and got a full frontal view of her boobs. I immediately averted my eyes and kept apologizing, but she just laughed and jokingly asked me if I wanted to see her boobs again. I politely declined and she continued to ask me if I wanted a peek for the next week.

The words for "lady boy" (transgender person) and "vagina" sound extremely similar in Kmai, and I embarrassingly mixed them up one day when I was trying to ask if one of the characters on a tv show was transgender. The whole family erupted in laughter and I turned beet-red after I realized my blunder. Every now and then, Navy will shout the Kmai word for vagina at me to remind me that I am an idiot. I still turn red and her guffaws grow increasingly powerful every time.

Once in a while, Navy feels like talking politics. Men don't even openly talk about politics here, especially if they are not Hun-Sen supporters (which she is not), so I was extremely taken aback when Navy first confided in me. The other night, she saw Hun Sen on tv and started spewing nasty expletives about Hun Sen and his corrupt administration. She was talking so fast that I could barely follow the conversation. But I did manage to understand one of her funny observations about Hun Sen- he has one real eye, and one glass eye (not exactly sure what happened there) and Navy said that "the only thing his glass eye enables him to see are the Vietnamese and their money." His glass eye is conveniently blind to his own people. Bravo, Navy!

Navy is very curious about Westerners and kissing. She thinks it is very strange that people kiss on the mouth, as Kmai people sniff each other. No, I am not kidding. Mothers sniff their babies, boyfriends sniff their girlfriends. That is the Kmai version of affection. So it is very strange to me when I watch Kmai music videos and the point at which two people would normally kiss in a Western video always turns into a sniffing moment. So one night, Navy asked me how long people kiss for. I told her it varies from person to person, maybe a few mins, maybe an hour. I did tell her that we definitely don't sniff each other. She and my host brother now love to joke that when I get married, I will kiss my husband for 20 hours. She has been trying to teach me the correct Kmai sniffing strategy, but I told her I'll stick to good ol Western kissing.

Thanks, Navy, for always keeping things interesting!

This past weekend all of us Svay Riengers (Kristin, Kellee, Jeremy, Dillon, Alan, Andrea and myself) celebrated Thanksgiving together. Yes, we are a few weeks early, but our schedules didn't align to have it during actual Thanksgiving and we thought it was more important to have everyone together. Besides, this was the most non-traditional Thanksgiving we could have possibly had, so it's only fitting that we didn't celebrate at the traditional time.

My host siblings

We decided to have it at my house, since my kitchen is pretty spacious and we have more than enough space to accommodate everyone. Little did we know we would be invading the kitchen for practically the whole day, but my family is amazing and was more than willing to watch us sweat it out in the kitchen making our weird foreign food. We decided to make Mexican food, since all of the ingredients are readily available at the market and it's pretty easy to throw together (little did we know...). Friday morning, Kristin and I went to Bavet to visit the hyper-market, the Vietnamese version of Sam's club. I honestly don't know why I don't venture out there more often- it's so close and they have everything I could possibly want. Crossing the border is a little tricky without a Vietnamese visa, but that's where our language skills come in to play. Kristin and I befriended the border guards and told them we needed to go to the market to buy a few ingredients to make our special food for an American holiday. They were SHOCKED that we could speak Kmai and had us sit down for a good 10 minutes before they waved us on through. After getting over the sheer vastness of the store, we settled on our items for our upcoming feast and a few treats for ourselves. We even found Starbuck's ready-made frappacino's, which we obviously couldn't pass up!

Kristin and Starbuck's!

Upon crossing back over the border, our new friends called us over and introduced us to some other guards. We were talking for a while and they told us they were very interested in learning English (as every other Kmai person tells me); perhaps I could come teach them? They kept us asking us questions like "Say get on the bus or get in the bus?" We answered a few of their questions when one of the guards asks us if we've arranged transportation back yet. We tell him no and he tells us to follow him, which we do right after we give all the guards our numbers (I'm just waiting to get the traditional series of stalker calls that begins after I give out my number here). Bora, the guard who asked us to follow him, starts talking to a tour bus driver (the main highway transporting tourists from Ho Chi Minh to PP runs through my town) and tells him that we are volunteers in Cambodia and we speak Kmai. He says that because we are helping his country, they need to give back to us. So the driver agrees to drop us off in Svay Rieng for FREE! Bora tells us to call him anytime we go to Bavet again and need help arranging complimentary rides to and from. Oh the perks of being a Peace Corps volunteer.

Our American breakfast

So yesterday, was a day of cooking, eating, cooking, eating, and more cooking. I have a newfound respect for my host mother, who cooks for a family of 6 (7 including me) and does it with such effortlessness, always serving up a delicious meal. First, we made a delicious breakfast, which consisted of banana pancakes and maple syrup, fruit, veggie omelettes, fresh bread, juice and coffee. Kristin manned the pancakes, while I prepared the huge omelette. My host mother stood by and watched us make everything and was quite perplexed by all of this mystery food. After devouring our very American breakfast, we started prepping for lunch. Kristin and I volunteered to make the tortillas, which we had no idea would take as long as they did. If there's one thing Cambodia teaches you, it's how to improvise and be creative. My job was to flatten the tortillas out, but we were lacking rolling pins. So my family had the brilliant idea of using Angkor beer bottles, which worked perfectly! We underestimated how long it would take to make 50+ tortillas and we ended up spending hours making them. My family even joined in to help; talk about a cross-cultural experience. American PCVs teaching Cambodians how to make Mexican food in Cambodia. Meanwhile, salsa was being prepared, as was seasoned ground beef (thanks to Alan's fine chopping skills), black beans, and a fajita stir fry. I gave my host family some cheddar cheese to try, which they thought was absolutely disgusting! It was the same expression I had on my face when I first tried the Cambodian cheese, prahok, which is basically fermented fish paste. I can see why Kmai-Americans have a very difficult time adjusting to the food when they immigrate to the states.

Kristin and I making tortillas

I invited some of the VSA volunteers (from New Zealand, or 'kiwis' as they are commonly referred to) in my town to join in the delicious feast. I especially loved watching my host family eat the food. I asked my mom what she liked the most and she said the black beans. Of course. The most basic thing that is already occasionally part of their diet. After cleaning up, Alan and Kristin teamed up to make pecan pies and brownies. Alan used a recipe all the way from his native Georgia, and Kristin, being the baking pro that she is, whipped up some brownies basically from scratch. How did we bake these, one might ask? My neighbors down the road have the one oven in Svay Rieng (I am pretty sure it's the only one), which they use to supply the market with fresh, delicious bread. Kellee went over in the morning and asked them if we could use their oven to bake some stuff in the afternoon and they happily agreed. Despite the fact that the oven is probably not the most sanitary of ovens, it did the trick and we were able to have delicious pecan pies (with crusts made from scratch) and chocolate brownies! We shared them with my host family and the kids that were at the house where the oven was, and everyone seemed to love them! Note to self- sweets are a universal delicacy. I've never had a meal that was (a) so hard to prepare and (b) so enjoyable.

My neighbor's oven

Our pecan pie and brownies

As it's around Thanksgiving, here are a few things that I am thankful for:

*My health

*My amazing 2 families- My incredibly kind and loving host family in Cambodia, to which I largely accredit my happiness/sanity in this constant journey and my real family back home, who have been incredibly supportive and inquistive about all the things I see, learn and feel.

*My wonderful friends, both in and out of Peace Corps.

*Coming from a country where I am not only taught to critically think, but have the leisure to ponder more abstract ideas.

*The Economist

*My Svay Rieng PCV's (fam). We are lucky we have such a good vibe.

*My french press.

*Speaking English as a first language.

*Obama as our president.

*Being sent to Cambodia for Peace Corps. I couldn't have picked a more amazing place to serve.

Svay Rieng volunteers

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone back home! The next time I celebrate it, I'll be back home with family and friends!

Rice fields not yet ready for harvest

So it's that time of the year again- the transition of lush, verdant rice fields to cracked, dry and barren land, which means it's time to harvest rice! Harvest season usually begins in November and goes through January, depending on the type of rice that is being cultivated. I have been repeatedly asking all my co-teachers to help with rice harvest, but none of them have taken me seriously. "Why would you want to do that? It's boring and not interesting," they tell me. But I think it's really interesting and such an intrinsic part of life for most Cambodians. So finally, I convinced my co-teacher Pilot to let me help him harvest rice. So I met him this afternoon ready to get down to work. But the sky was an ominous gray which I figured would prevent any serious labor from taking place. When I met him, the first thing I noticed was that he was absolutely trashed. I don't think inebriation is a prerequisite for harvesting rice, but you just never know here. It was the afternoon so I am guessing he had a mini-party before meeting up with me. I was a little nervous about learning how to use a sickle (a very sharp and scary object used to cut the rice stalk) from a drunk man, but there were others nearby, so I figured it'd be fine.

So stumbling a little bit, Pilot showed me how to use the sickle to cut the rice. It's not very hard, but I can't imagine cutting an entire field of it. Gives new meaning to the term "back-breaking work." I cut a few stalks and all the Kmai spectators gave a few cheers. Then it started pouring, which was probably a blessing in disguise. I don't think I would have enjoyed harvesting for a prolonged period of time. Afterward, we sat under Pilot's house, where I was forced to take a nasty shot of rice wine out of a questionably-clean bowl. We'll see how my stomach feels tomorrow...

My co-teacher Pilot

I highly recommend rice harvesting to any of you who have a chance. It's one thing to hear about the laborious work farmers must do day in and day out, but it's a whole other experience to actually do it yourself.

Pilot tells me I'm slow at harvesting...

Doing my best

I've realized that I have yet to share some of the most basic peculiarities of living in the Bode, which have now become completely normal to me. I have to really try to think about it to even distinguish the difference between what might seem odd to you but doesn't even elicit a reaction on my part. So here is a list of the some of the things that might interest/shock you. I am sure I am forgetting some very basic things, but as I feel I am becoming more and more Kmai every day, I can't decipher everything. So without further delay, the list of oddities:

1. I see more men with their shirts off than on. This includes men of all ages- old, young and everything in between. The only exception to this rule are the male teachers at my school; I have yet to see a shirtless male teacher teaching. But I'm sure it has happened before.

2. While disruptions during class happen in America, I am pretty sure they do not happen for the same reasons as they do here. Some of the most common disruptions interrupting my lessons are: cows and/or dogs entering the classroom, random babies trying to play hide and seek (they are mostly the children of teachers at my school; in Cambodia, everyday is bring your child to work day), powerful rainstorms that block out every single voice in the class due to the crashing sound against the shoddy tin roof, and other students at the school creeping in the windows/doors trying to get a sneak-peak at the weird, sweaty, foreign teacher who is desperately trying to teach the present continuous tense.

3. There is no such thing as trash collection here. Disposing of trash means gathering it into a huge pile and lighting it on fire. This means a mishmash of everything- food, clothes, plastic, cardboard, more plastic. Light it up and you're likely to get a very unhealthy wafting in your bedroom, depending on which way the wind is blowing. The smoke from trash burning is EVERYWHERE. Sometimes, I am tricked into thinking it's fog during my early morning runs, which leaves me gasping after I run through it. I should know better by now.

4. There is no such thing as a tub or a sink here (at least for PCV's). I am fortunate enough to have a shower in my room, which most volunteers do not have. When I shower, the water just goes on the floor, the toilet, the mirror- it pretty much gets everywhere. The floor is slightly tilted downwards to allow the water to drain. I forgot all about tubs and enclosed shower areas until Steph came to visit and pointed out how strange this was. Also, when you brush your teeth, since there is no sink, you just spit on the floor. How will I ever go back to using a sink?

5. I have yet to see a police car in this country, so I've been curious about how the police arrest people here. Well, luckily for me, I found out just the other day. As I was walking to the market, I saw a disheveled man in handcuffs with two police officers standing by. I actually had to stop and watch the drama unfold because I really wanted to see just how this man was going to be transported to jail. Now for all of you who don't know what a cyclo is, it is a common form of transportation throughout SE Asia. A little cart that can fit one Western person (maybe 2-3 Kmai people)is attached to a bicyle that is pedaled by a hardworking Kmai man, using all his power to cycle his passenger(s) to their destination(See pic below). Little did I know that the cyclo is the bona fide cop car of Svay Rieng. The prisoner was placed in the cyclo (barefoot) as a random cyclo driver steered him toward the prison, the police officers trailing behind on their motos. I couldn't help but chuckle to myself- the method of transport for prisoners here would be a cyclo.

6. I have to be really conscious about what I throw away because it will ALWAYS be picked through by my host mother before it is set on fire. For example, on more occasions than I can count, I've thrown away an empty food container that later appears in our kitchen as the newest storage container for a number of things- my old peanut butter jars become salt containers, an old ziplock bag holds MSG, a container of cashews becomes the newest water bottle. Nothing goes to waste here. You might think that's good, but (a) I don't know how healthy reusing plastic bottles is for an extended period of time and (b) it's kind of creepy.

7. Any time Cambodians watch comedic tv shows, the funny characters always have mustaches. If you see a Kmai man on tv with a mustache, you know it's a funny show. Kmai men can't really grow facial hair, so you know when you see one on tv that something funny is going on.

8. Eating dog meat actually happens here, and it's actually considered a delicacy. I don't think I've eaten it, but my host mother likes to trick me into eating a variety of things. So actually, yes, I probably have eaten a dog at one point or another.

9. I get called "French" everyday here, since the word for foreigner, barong, literally translates to French person. It can get really annoying, and if an unsuspecting Kmai person catches me on a bad day, I will respond to their "Hello barong" with "Hello, Vietnamese." They're not too crazy about Vietnamese people in my town, so they quickly get the point.

10. Animals are NOT considered pets here. They are mangy, disgusting, and flea-infested. Dogs are used to enforce property rights- when a different dog starts barking you know you are on someone else's property(or they are eaten). Cows/buffaloes are used for labor. Cats, well, they are around, but so emaciated that you wish you could personally put them out of their misery. Pigs are purely for eating, a fact which the slaughterhouse down the road constantly reminds me of. I hope that on return to the states, I can once again begin to lovingly think of animals instead of shooing them away and constanly living in fear of catching rabies.

These are just a few of the entertaining parts of life in the Bode, but I will add more once I think of them.

Although I've tried to limit this blog to Cambodia-specific content, I can't help but share a few of my thoughts about some stuff going on in Amerik (as we say in the Bode):

* I just read this article in the NY Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/13/business/economy/13econ.html?pagewanted=3&hp

It seems like every time I peruse the news, there is something about the doom that is still yet to come for America. I've never felt so lucky to be making 5 dollars a day in my life. I am employed, and reading these articles reminds me of that fact every time.

* Mid-term Elections

Between Christine O'Donnell's financial troubles and fraudulent degree, Alvin Greene's mysterious and unqualified Senatorial run, and Sharron Angle's oblivious understanding of, well, everything, I've never been so happy to be away from what I can imagine are never-ending YouTube clips and discussions. Although laughable, these daft figures certainly make me question the state of American politics if these are the candidates deemed worthy of representing their constituents. What a joke.

*Climate Change

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/10/11/101011fa_fact_lizza

This was a really interesting article about the failure of what looked like a chance to put forth something to address global warming. Remember when Carter tried to get the ball rolling on addressing climate change? Nothing radical, but he did try to install solar panels on the White House, devoted millions of dollars researching alternative energy, and produced oil-reduction reforms. He knew what we are all finally acknowledging now: we can't just pollute pollute pollute and expect nothing to happen. But then, in came the Reagan administration, and along with tearing down the solar panels, eliminated any hope that we would seriously address global warming. And the downward spiral continued...or perhaps upward spiral, if we're using the mercury to measure this calamity. We really need to get our act together.

These are my soapbox rants for this week, but I foresee more to come. These midterm elections are just too tantalizing to not divulge my opinions, which have plenty of time to amalgamate as it's rainy season- obviously no one comes to school when it rains.

A typical turi

I visited hell and narrowly escaped, so thought I would share my worst travel experience in Cambodia thus far. Traveling in this country is always a huge pain, so for this to be the most terrible ride in 15 months truly speaks volumes.

I made an impromptu trip to Phnom Penh earlier this week because I had to buy new running shoes. I'm training for the half-marathon at Angkor Wat in December, and my year-old running shoes have taken quite the beating. So to prevent future injuries, I decided to go to PP before the Pchum Ben holiday so that I could return to site to celebrate with my family. "Just a quick, simple trip to PP" I naively thought. Nothing is ever simple when it comes to transport here.

I normally take taxi cars, as opposed to the vans (lahn turi in Kmai) because it's just a better overall experience; although I'm cramped, I have a seat, it's air conditioned, and it's usually faster. But yesterday I was forced to take a turi because the taxis were charging ridiculously inflated prices due to the approaching holiday. So I reluctantly hopped in a decrepit van stuffed with WAY too many people. There were no open seats, so I was forced to sit going backwards on a makeshift "bench" that had tools and other miscellaneous items underneath. This bench (directly behind the driver and overstuffed passengers in the front) was maybe 5 inches wide, and I was sitting face-to-face, knee-to-knee with a sweaty Kmai man. To my right was a policeman with some indiscernible protuberance in his lap. 10 minutes into the ride and I was already extremely uncomfortable, both due to random shooting pains and chronic staring from the 30 or so passengers analyzing and conversing about me in Kmai.

20 minutes or so into the ride, the policeman next to me takes out a plastic bag and reveals the mystery item in his lap, which turns out to be a live chicken. GREAAAAAAT. He ties the chicken's feet together and places him in the bag, with the head left out to get some air. The chicken, also curious about the mysterious foreigner in the van, decides to peck at me to get a little better acquianted. I tried to shoo the chicken away, but his curiosity couldn't be quelled. I hoped the van would move faster, but it was the day before one of the biggest holidays in Cambodia and we were stuck in major traffic. There I am, just trying to maintain my seated position in the least pain possible, inappropriately intertwined with the legs of the Kmai man sitting across from me while the chicken next to me relentlessly pecks and his owner thinks it's the funniest thing he's ever seen. Live comedy show.

We finally get to the ferry and I am eager to get out and stretch my legs, but sure enough the passengers on the roof beat me to the punch. They decide to get their own circulation flowing and lazily extend their legs over the window, preventing my escape from the van from hell. So now I'm stuck in the van, in my warped position, with absolutely no breeze. I try to forget about the fact that I've had to go to the ladies' room before we even left.

We make it across the ferry and continue our voyage back to Svay Rieng. But of course there are passengers and packages to drop off along the way. We make multiple stops, but just when we are so close to Svay Rieng that I can visualize myself crawling into my mosquito net and passing out, we have another setback. The door to the van has fallen off and the driver/roof passengers attempt to reattach it. I am sitting directly next to the door, hoping that the door somehow doesn't crush me in the futile attempts to fully seal us off in the doom-mobile. The driver realizes he is facing a losing battle, so we continue with the door ajar. Meanwhile, the chicken is now aware that his window of opportunity for escape has arrived. He is furiously cooing and thrashing about in an attempt to not become Mr. Policeman's dinner. Unfortunately for me, I am the barrier to his getaway due to my placement next to the open air that would normally be prohibited from entering by a door. His pecking becomes furious and I can see the anger in his eyes. Get me out of this van.

We are so close, but have to stop to pay off the policemen, a routine occurence in Cambodia. My new best friend across from me has been smattering his limited English vocabulary throughout this expedition, and is inspired to string together his observations about Cambodia- "Corruption tradtional in Cambodia." The entire van errupts in laughter! So funny! So funny that the poorest people in the country are the ones that always seem to have to pay the police the most during these routine cash transfers. Tired, frustrated and uncomfortable, I was the only one not laughing in the van. Aside from the fact that a police officer with a gun on his holster was sitting next to me with his devil chicken, I didn't feel like getting into a long discussion in Kmai about why corruption jokes are not particularly funny here. So I held my tongue.

The icing on the cake was when the van refused to drop me off near the market. Instead, they left me on the side of the road at the highway, which is a hefty walk from my house. However, I couldn't have been happier to get out of that van and stretch my legs a bit. After a 5 hour journey which normally takes 2.5, I was finally home.

So what are the lessons learned?

-no more vans

-no sitting next to people with mystery surprises in their lap

-no traveling before Pchum Ben (easily avoidable since this is my last Pchum Ben in Peace Corps!)

-corruption is hilarious (to Cambodians)

Just another day in the Bode!

In my last post, I said there was an opening-school ceremony today. Nope, not even that. I biked 4 km in the rain to discover not a single person occupied school grounds. Even the cows knew not to come to school! Glad the school year is starting off on a good note!

My sincerest apologies for the lack of updates. I haven’t really been in the writing mood, plus I was busy with Steph’s visit, the new volunteers, materials development stuff, and a little vacation time.

Steph and I in front of Angkor Wat

At Ta Prohm

I have now been at permanent site for over a year, and am entering my 15th month in Cambodia! The past month has been a whirlwind, and now the new school year is here. Steph’s visit was incredible; we packed in every sightseeing thing possible in the allotted time, and had a great time! One of the things I am not looking forward to about finishing my service and going home is that virtually no one will be able to understand this chunk of 2 years of my life; but having visitors actually see my life and experience it for themselves (albeit briefly) provides me with more of a support system for when I get back. PLUS, I think it’s great that many of my friends/family members are taking an interest in a country that they may never have even thought twice about had I not been here. Check Peace Corps Goal #3 off my list (sharing knowledge of Cambodia with Americans).

Banteay Srei

All the goodies Steph brought me!

Steph with my host fam

Last week was the swear-in of the new volunteers in PP. 5 of the new volunteers went home before they even swore in; guess squaty-toilets and profusely sweating wasn’t for them. Out of my group, we’ve had 11 people quit already and I foresee more in the future; we started with 45 and are now down to 34 volunteers. Peace Corps definitely isn’t for everyone and I completely understand leaving if your heart’s not in it- no reason to be miserable for 2 years.

Svay Rieng with our 2 new volunteers! (minus Kristin)

I went to Kampong Som (more commonly known as Sihanoukville) over the weekend with Keiko, Kealan and a few other Peace Corps volunteers. I’ve heard mixed reviews about this beach town; some love it, some think it’s trashy. But I thought it was really beautiful, especially this private section of the beach that we only had to pay $1.50 to hang out on and not be badgered by the ever-present “Lady, you want manicure? You want bracelet? Buy from me, buy from me!” I always enjoy my little getaways from site, especially anything involving the beach. Despite being such a tiny country, Cambodia really has a myriad of landscapes to satisfy almost everyone; beaches, forests, flat lands with never-ending rice paddies (eh hem, sounds familiar), mountains, waterfalls. There are so many places I have yet to see and am trying to figure out when I can squeeze in some more sightseeing. There just never is enough time, even in this land of languor.

Sokha Beach

Keiko, Kealan and I in Kampong Som

School supposedly starts tomorrow. I’m pretty sure this involves some boring opening-of-school ceremony which will take 30 minutes, after which we’ll just go home. I’m not sure why we are even wasting time pretending we are starting school tomorrow because there is a major holiday next week; oh wait, I do know why. This is Cambodia. And I say this only with love and affection. It’s just the way things work around here. Like I mentioned, next week is Pchum Ben, a celebration on behalf of the dead and for one’s own salvation. Before it begins, people are supposed to accomplish a seven-wat duty to please their ancestors. This involves worshipping at seven wats or performing seven moral good deeds (or a combination of both). This also involves going to the wat at 4 am, which my family is trying to convince me to do with them. Sorry guys; been there, done that. I’ve been to the wat enough to know that it probably isn’t that different at 4 am than it is at 10 am. So, we shall see when the students decide that school starts. After all, we can’t start having class until the students start showing up.

I’ve finished the test-making portion of my materials development. Next is the EFC- made easy part, which is basically developing lesson plans for one of the books. I need to have this complete by December because I am presenting at a conference in February with the other volunteers I have collaborated with. The conference is the same one we went to last year- CAMTESOL. It’s basically a conference for anyone involved in education in Cambodia, and has different workshops that are useful for Cambodian and foreign teachers who are teaching here. We will discuss what we’ve put together and how it can be implemented in the classroom and are hoping to distribute some of the books to those participants interested.

I’m sure I’ll have much more to post once school starts (your guess is as good as mine). Hope everyone is healthy, happy and staying cool (that’s for all you Los Angelino’s)!

August is here, and before I know it, it’s going to be over. What a nice contrast to the extremely sluggish months of June and July. The new volunteers arrived last month and have been split into 3 different training villages in Kampong Cham province, about 3 hrs NE of Phnom Penh. I went to help with training at the end of July, and what was supposed to be a few days turned into 2.5 weeks! I was initially scheduled for a few days, to meet all the volunteers for a seminar day and be kind of a support person. But I ended up staying to help with some technical sessions, presenting the EFC books to the volunteers and conducting mock classroom lessons with Kmai co-teachers. When I came back to site, I had some of the new volunteers with me to show them my site (PC has all the trainees visit current volunteers’ sites to get a feel for what it’s like living out on our own and with Kmai families). The volunteers were supposed to stay at my house and I was really happy to get back and see my host family and give my host sister some maps I had bought her for her birthday. But when we arrived, we discovered my host sister, Theavy, had contracted Dengue Fever and Typhoid- at the same time! Some birthday present!

I contacted our medical officer and she told me that it’d be best if we stayed at a guesthouse rather than my house. Although Dengue is not transferred person to person, it can still be transferred by mosquitoes that may have bitten her while she was sick. The incubation period in mosquitoes is around 4 days, so it was likely there were Dengue mosquitoes flying around my house. What is Dengue, you may ask? Well, Dengue is also known as Bone Break Fever. It causes severe pains in the joints and muscles and drains any remnants of energy you may have. Symptoms also include an all-encompassing body rash, fever, nausea, headaches and vomiting. Apparently, Dengue comes in waves, with certain years seeing especially high numbers of cases. Just my luck, 2010 is one of those years and people with Dengue seem to be everywhere. 3 of the new volunteers have already contracted Dengue, so I am kind of freaking out about it. But no worries- I’ve been slathering on the deet. Which is worse- Dengue Fever or possible bodily harm due to the toxicity of a repellent I am slathering all over myself? Ask me in 10 years…

So after showing off my site for a couple days, I headed back to help with training as they needed someone to help and I needed to avoid my house until my sister’s symptoms subsided. The juxtaposition of me and these new volunteers really made me realize how much I’ve learned and how far I’ve come in a year. While everything seems new and confusing to them, everything seems normal and comfortable to me. I am so happy I am not in their shoes- you couldn’t pay me to go back to training. Such an awkward time. Hours of language. Learning how to use the bathroom and shower. Never-ending technical and cultural sessions. Awkward glares to and from your host family. Mosquito bites covering every exposed portion of your body. Digestive issues trying to adjust to the new food (although I still have this issue, but now only when I eat Western food). Never feeling like you have a moment to yourself. Life as a Peace Corps volunteer is so much better and easier than it was being a trainee. Helping out definitely gave me a little perspective and served as a marker of my progression into becoming a more integrated member (albeit temporary) of Cambodian society.

So what’s next on the agenda? Actually, quite a bit. I just found out the best news ever! My amazing friend Stephanie, who I went to USC with, is coming to visit me in Cambodia on September 8th! She will be here for a week, and we are still working out exactly what we’re doing, but I imagine it will involve some combination of PP, Siem Reap and visiting my site. Next week, I am going to Kampong Cham to help with training again (I have a joke with some of the staff that training has become my secondary project for the summer), and I will be there for site announcement, when the newbies find out their permanent sites…oh the tension, the nerves! After that, I will head to PP to work on some materials development stuff, study math for the GRE with some volunteers and meet Kealan’s parents, who will be visiting. After Steph visits, we have swear-in for the new volunteers in PP in late September. Word on the street is Prime Minister Hun Sen will be in attendance- perhaps a photo op? I am setting a tentative GRE date in Bangkok for January ______ and will probably go with Keiko and some other volunteers. School starts sometime in October; if you’ve read any of my school-related blog entries, you’ll know that I never really know what’s happening here when it comes to school. So I’ll start when I start. Life is srool- literally translates to “easy” but means going well. I am s’bai na (very happy) and hope everyone back at home is as well!

This week marks the completion of my first year in Cambodia, and for lack of an original remark regarding the passage of time, I’ll stick with the common adage “Wow, time has flown!” The new group of volunteers arrived yesterday, and I can fully identify with the innumerable emotions they must be feeling upon arriving in this land that is so different from the comfortable world they came from. I can’t really remember specifics about what I did those first few days after arriving in Cambodia, but I can recall powerful sentiments of anxiety, excitement, exhaustion, and bewilderment. For the most part, I have overcome the once prevalent feelings of anxiety, exhaustion and bewilderment, and have maintained a more carefree composure with spatters of excitement. I can reflect on my past year and truly say that I have come a long way. A pat on the back is in order.

So, now that I’m no longer a newbie in Cambodia, there are a few things that my first year in Cambodia has taught me:

Patience

Before coming here, I was probably your average American when it came to patience. I’d get pissed off when sitting in traffic and curse under my breath at the idiots who didn’t use their turn signals or slammed on their brakes. But I’d also smile and not get frustrated when my order got messed up at a restaurant or my friend was an hour late to meet me. My tolerance for inanity fluctuated given the situation.

All that changed when I learned how things work (or don’t work) in Cambodia. If you don’t have patience- or quickly develop it-, there is no way you can make it here, not happily at least. I learned quite quickly how efficient things are in America, and what an ingrate I was for not having patience in my pre-Peace Corps life.

The leisurely pace of life definitely required an adjustment, but now I have more patience than I know what to do with. When I sit in my taxi for 2 hrs waiting to cram in as many passengers as possible to go to Phnom Penh, I squeeze in some reading time. When my students take 20 minutes to answer a question that I thought would take 5 minutes, I jokingly chide them to study more. When the entire neighborhood crew of kids chases me and shouts HELLOOOO, I smile and shout hello back. When I get asked the same 10 questions every day, I use it as an opportunity to throw in some new vocabulary I learned. Life is so much more pleasant when your threshold for petulance is abnormally high.

My beautiful host mom, Navy, in wedding attire

Imitation can be a good thing

Cambodian society is full of mimicking. Their fashion tries to copy the bizarre style that is all the rage in Korea and Japan, but they add a few too many sequins, so it just looks tacky. Almost every popular song in Kmai is a cover of a song from somewhere else, usually the U.S. (I mentioned in an earlier post about the omnipresent Kmai version of Pitbull’s “Calle Ocho,” which is just one of the many). The most unfortunate example of mimicking would be students cheating on anything and everything. However, this week I discovered that imitation isn’t always a bad thing. While at a neighborhood wedding with my host mom, I was forced onto the “dance floor,” which is essentially a table with flowers on it that everyone dances around. In general, Kmai people are very reticent when it comes to “letting loose” at weddings, so the dance floor stays empty until everyone gets drunk and inhibitions fade away. But this is not true of little kids- they couldn’t care less about what people think of them (which I guess is one of the universal virtues of children). Since I’m stared at all the time, I don’t really mind making an ass out of myself on the dance floor. Once my favorite Korean song came on, I started dancing with a group of about 15 kids and doing the most ridiculous dance moves I could think of. Immediately, I had a cult-following mimicking my every move. It was single-handedly the best dance experience I’ve ever had. These kids were so happy to get some new dance moves (even if they were ridiculous), and so fun to dance with! It’s crazy that the more outlandish I am here, the more I am esteemed. I’ll keep this in mind for future situations.

My host mom and friends at a wedding

Best dance party ever

Eating with a spoon in my right hand and a fork in my left

Before I came here, I thought I’d be using chopsticks all the time. Sure, I use chopsticks once in a while, but not nearly as much as I use my beloved spoon. The spoon goes in your right hand, and the fork stays in your left hand while you eat, so that you can push food onto your spoon. Knives are only used for cutting things and are not meal accompaniments. It makes total sense since I’d probably be sitting around for hours trying to pick at each little morsel of rice with my unrefined chopstick skills if it weren’t for the handy spoon.

We are fools in the Western world when it comes to what we’ll pay

I can buy a shirt at the market for $1. I can buy a delicious cup of coffee for a quarter. I can stay at a clean, relatively nice guesthouse in Phnom Penh for $15/night. I can get to Bangkok from Phnom Penh for $18 by bus (granted I’m sure it’s not the most pleasant of conditions available). Paying $50 for a shirt when it costs a tiny fraction of that to make? Never again.

You can never be bored with books around

At first I was nervous about all the free time that the previous group told us we would have during the many holidays and “summer” (it’s always summer here) vacation from school. We are lucky to have a pretty sizeable, decent library of books at our office in Phnom Penh, and my eyes are bigger than the time I have to read. I have so many books that line my bookshelf, and there is nothing quite like the satisfaction of reading a good book and knowing you have a great deal more at your disposal. I will never again have this much time to read, and I am enjoying every minute of it.

Kmai people are incredibly helpful

I’m sure this can be said about many people around the world, but Kmai people will go out of their way to help you with anything from the smallest to most complicated issue. You might think this to be a vast generalization, but I have found this to be true in almost every situation I have encountered, whether with strangers or friends. Here are just a few examples:

• If the phone shop I go to to add more money to my phone doesn’t have the card that I want to buy (our phones are prepaid and can be topped off in increments of $2, $5, $10, or $20), they will hop on their moto, go to another shop to get the card, and bring it back to me.

• My host mom will load my plate with the best cuts of meat, vegetables and other food items anytime we go to a wedding before anyone can get to it first. This also applies at home. She takes care of me without me ever asking. I could go on and on about the multitude of helpful things she does- she’s the best.

• During Kmai New Year, one of the Peace Corps volunteers in my province got stranded in my town and couldn’t find a taxi to take her back to site, as it was a huge holiday and there weren’t a lot of taxis running. My host mom’s brother called every driver he knew to make sure she got home safely, and helped her negotiate a price so that she wasn’t getting ripped off. This was 5 minutes after he met her.

• Every time I go away for a few days, I come back to find my room much cleaner than I left it. I’m pretty sure this mystery elf is my host sister, Theavy, who is always spoiling me with random acts of kindness, from drawing beautiful posters or writing up joke stories for me to read on my journeys to Phnom Penh.

While these are just a few of the things that occurred to me while writing up this blog, I am unable to truly capture the essence of my experience here thus far. It is something that only other Peace Corps volunteers and I will ever understand. I can honestly say that I am looking forward to what’s to come in the next year- the new school year, the ceaselessly awkward conversations with my host mom about why I probably won’t marry a Kmai man, seeing more of Cambodia, and enjoying my time with other Peace Corps volunteers. The first year has been such a great experience, so I am ready for what’s next!

I have (successfully?) completed my first year teaching at the high school! Yay! The year flew by, and despite the number of frustrations that I’ve faced, I am very pleased with some of the improvements I have seen.

This past month has been a confusing hodgepodge of semester tests at my school; some weeks I didn’t have to come to school, while others I did. Last week, I gave my semester exams to my 10th and 11th grade classes, which went pretty smoothly, besides the 0’s I had to give out for cheating. I don’t think I have fully explained the extent to which cheating saturates the education system here, so I will give you a brief overview. From observing and talking with teachers, I have concluded that cheating is an inseparable attribute of the education system in Cambodia, students having never been taught the concept that cheating is something they should avoid. On the contrary, from an early age, they are allowed to look at each other’s papers, talk, use their books or even buy the answers for a test from their teacher. Students here are inherently bad cheaters; they blatantly glance at other student’s papers, create cheat cheats which they don’t even try to conceal, and loudly confer about answers. They’ve never had to worry about getting in trouble for cheating, so why would they be secretive? In Cambodia, cheating is not a bad thing; it’s the only way students know how to take a test.

Then I show up one day and explain that cheating is absolutely unacceptable in my class. I explain what cheating is, why it stunts educational growth, and impose an automatic “0” policy for anyone caught cheating. This elicited many blank stares and puzzled faces, even from my co-teachers. But throughout the year, students caught on (as did my co-teachers), especially after my theatrical seizing of tests while shouting “ZERO!” in front of the perpetrator’s classmates. For the most part, cheating has significantly decreased in my classes, which has encouraged students to think on their own and study harder. Unfortunately, a few students didn’t fully get the message and I had no choice but to give them 0’s on the final exam last week. Despite cries and pleas after the test from guilty students, I had to stick to my policy so that students understand the importance of doing their own work and using their own brains.

My 10th grade class and my co-teacher, Phaneou

After my 11th graders finished their exams, they presented a gift-wrapped box with a bow on it. I wasn’t entirely surprised about the contents of the box since the week before they asked me what size shirt I wore. Nevertheless, I was delighted when I found a heavily-sequined Kmai-tastic shirt that boasted “Girls Save the Earth.” It was such a nice gesture from my students and I made sure to go on and on about how much I loved the shirt. The students were beaming with their enthusiastic smiles, which put me in high spirits as well. We all took a class photo together, and I felt really proud of all of them! It’s been a challenging year, but my 11th grade class has probably been my favorite class that I’ve taught. We have a really good rapport and most of the students are very eager to learn English. I am really looking forward to working with many of them next year, as they will be in 12th grade.

My 11th graders and my school director

The shirt my students gave me

At the beginning of the school year, I did individual interviews with every student in my 10th, 11th and 12th grade classes. I used these interviews to collect baseline data and assess the varying levels of English at the beginning of the year, to be compared with interviews at the end of the year. I asked basic questions, such as: What is your name? How old are you? How many brothers and sisters do you have? Where do you live? Etc. For students who were a bit more advanced, I asked more introspective questions, like “Why do you study English?” and “What do you think is the biggest challenge Cambodia faces?” I was a bit beleaguered in the beginning, realizing that many students could not even answer “What is your name?” But a couple of weeks ago, I conducted exit interviews for my 11th and 12th graders (10th graders didn’t show up when I had planned to do interviews), which produced surprisingly encouraging results. Almost every student could answer at least the basic questions that were unanswerable in the beginning of the year! More importantly, students’ confidence had improved dramatically- gone were the nerves that produced shaking, sweating and even tears from students in the beginning of the year. I asked some of the more advanced students if they thought their English had improved, and if so, why. They all said they felt their English had improved because they could listen much more easily and weren’t afraid to speak with foreigners. This was exactly the inspiration I needed as I reflect on my first year teaching.

There are many times when I question what it is I am doing here and what effect I am actually having. The raging idealism I had before coming here has consistently been weathered and the stark realities have become very clear. Cambodia has a myriad of problems and the solutions for these problems- in order to propel itself into a more prosperous future- must come from within. Throwing money at Cambodia (as many NGO’s and aid organizations often do) is really not going to solve anything, nor am I going to bring about a revolutionary change in the education system here. But the little things that I am doing- improving students’ confidence, helping Kmai teachers improve their teaching strategies, sharing knowledge about the world outside of Cambodia- will hopefully impact the people I work with and inspire them to improve their country in the future. I truly hope that my students will aspire to create a future for themselves that brings them happiness, whatever that may be- farming, teaching, traveling. I will continue to try to encourage them on their path. I still maintain a milder degree of idealism, for if I didn’t, it’d be impossible to live here and be a Peace Corps volunteer.

On the less mushy side of things, I am enjoying my respite from teaching at the high school. I am teaching 4 days a week at the health department, and am really enjoying that. My students all have, at minimum, an intermediate level of English, so we can work on more of the nuances of the English language. Currently, I’m working on Tongue Twisters with them, to fix some of their common pronunciation errors (the “th” and “sh” sound are proving to be particularly difficult). I am working on my materials development project every day, which is driving me crazy. Basically, I am creating ready-made tests for the second English for Cambodia (EFC) book. There are 6 EFC books, the 1st book is used for 7th graders, the 2nd for 8th, and so forth. Creating tests for each of the 20 chapters, along with answer keys and review sheets, is a monotonous task that I am eagerly looking forward to finishing. After I finish the test portion of my materials development, I will move on to creating ready made lesson plans for half of book 2, something I fear that will be even more tedious than creating tests. However, when it’s all said and done, I think it will be very useful for future volunteers and their co-teachers. The group of us who are doing materials development will compile one book with our ready-made tests (books 1-6) and then our lesson plans (books 1-6), which will be distributed to all of the new volunteers (most likely in August or September) and possibly their co-teachers. So July will pretty much be devoted to materials development! Yipee.

The 4th of July is coming up and I will be heading to Phnom Penh to celebrate at the U.S. embassy with a bunch of other volunteers. I’ve been at site for over a month and am definitely ready to have a little R&R in the big city. Kealan and I are planning a pool (weather permitting) and spa day, so I can feel like the girly girl I once was in a distant life. I am counting down the days… Other than that, I am enjoying the cooler weather that rainy season has brought, sans the added mosquitoes. Only downside is I never know when I’ll be able to do laundry, as I have to factor in drying time. Still, I’d take rainy season over hell…uh, hot…season any day!

Hope all is well with everyone!

"Who is this and what is he doing?" you may wonder. Oh, it's a teacher at my school sleeping on a table in the library when he should be teaching. That phone next to him is blasting Kmai music. I wish I had a video of this so you could get the full effect. Yes folks, this is my life.

If there is one thing I have learned as I enter my 11th month in Cambodia, it is to expect that nothing will ever go the way I anticipate. Don't expect to have school every day. Don't expect rain to come during rainy season. Don't expect your co-teachers to implement anti-cheating policies when you aren't there. Don't expect to ever truly become accustomed to anything. Although this may sound a bit defeatist, it's the attitude I've realized is necessary to maintain in order to elude constant frustration.

I didn't realize how relaxed I've become about my schedule until this past week when I showed up to school to find all of my 12th graders leaving school. "Cher, no school today," they told me, as I stood there profusely sweating after my 4.5 km bike ride. "Why is there no school?" I asked them. "No cher for first hour, so we go home." So I went to the office and asked my school director what was going on. He told me there was a 3-day conference for 10th, 11th, and 12th grade teachers. But he told me that I should come to school tomorrow and Friday just in case the conference ended abruptly and the teachers miraculously showed up for school. Instead of anger at the fact that I just biked for nothing to school (as has been the case more times than I care to count- both the anger and the biking to school for nothing), I just accepted the constant mystery of when I will have class as an inevitable characteristic of teaching in Cambodia.

The same can be said about when school ends at the high school. I have absolutely no clue. Could be tomorrow. Could be next week. When it comes to a lot of things in Cambodia, everything is a big song and dance. Cambodians never call it like it is. So even though they are 99.99% sure that there will be no class the following day, they tell me I should come anyway. So now when I come to school and no one is there, I've decided to just chat it up with the teachers and eat a snack, which recently has been ramen noodles.

It is over my bowls of noodles that I have some of the most interesting conversations with my co-teachers. The other day, after another canceled class, I sat with my co-teacher Chantah and listened to his lamentations about only having one child. He is in his early 50's and his wife is in her mid 40's. Despite many attempts, they have only been able to have one daughter, which is EXTREMELY rare in Cambodia. He always complains about being desperately poor, so I couldn't help thinking that having one child was a good thing for him- less mouths to feed. But then he asked me, "What will my wife and I do when we get old? We will only have one child to take care of us!" He brought up a very valid point. There is no such thing as "retirement" here, as there are no taxes (there is a muddled system of corrupt taxes on large businesses, but no kind of income or sales tax). There are no such things as retirement homes because children and family members take care of the elderly here. Can you imagine if there were no such thing as Social Security or pensions in the United States? Would American children take their aging parents under their wing? I can't imagine the majority of Americans doing so. Cambodians having huge families is one of the only strategies of planning ahead that I have noticed here. It's their own version of a retirement plan.

Job Updates

I started teaching an English class at the Svay Rieng Health Department last week. I teach Mon-Thurs for 1-2 hours per day. The students are all employees at the Health Dept and range from their mid 30's to mid 50's. There are varying levels of English, but a common fervor to learn is shared by all, which makes my time there very satisfying. And there is AC! Easily the best hour of my day.

I will continue teaching at the PTTC through August, but I already discussed how unreliable (or non-existent) a school schedule is, so we will see what actually ends up happening. I have taken on a huge materials development project, which I have been slowly working on. I am basically adapting lesson plans for all of Book 2 of the EFC (English for Cambodia)book, which is one of the horrible books the Ministry of Education requires all English teachers to teach from. I am also making ready-made tests for each chapter of Book 2, as this has proved to be a HUGE challenge for Kmai teachers. Many teachers' idea of a test is asking a random essay question that has nothing to do with the material covered. Students have also never had any kind of practice writing essays, so you can imagine the kinds of responses I have been grading throughout the semester(s).

I am also collaborating with other volunteers in my province to put on a 3-day workshop for English teachers in Svay Rieng in August. We will have different workshops that are aimed to improve various teaching strategies of Kmai teachers. Possible workshops include pronunciation tips, common mistakes Kmai people make when speaking English (like not pronouncing s's EVER or adding an 's' when it's unnecessary), increasing student motivation/attendance, and encouraging writing in the classroom. It's all a work in progress, but I am definitely looking forward to it!

Vegas in the Bode

Today I went to Bavet (the border crossing to Vietnam) with another volunteer, Michael (who I actually went to h.s. with in Denver- small world!). Bavet is known for its casinos and huge duty-free supermarket, which I am pretty sure is technically on the Vietnamese side. The Cambodian guards initially did not want to let us cross, but we struck up a conversation with them in Kmai. After many incredulous stares, they realized we really were volunteers in Cambodia and turned the other way while we crossed the check point, telling us to come back by their gate on the way back to avoid any problems. We went to this HUGE supermarket that might as well have been Costco, except all in Vietnamese. They even had Kirkland-brand raisin bran! Michael and I were freaking out; we might as well have been kids at Disneyland. That's what Peace Corps does to you- food is the most exciting thing in our lives. We perused, made our selections, then set out to a casino to eat some pizza. The casinos are...um...interesting. Kmai people aren't technically allowed to gamble- it's illegal. So there were a lot of Vietnamese people at the blackjack and baccarat tables. But I couldn't help but notice the Range Rovers and Lexus's with Phnom Penh license plates parked outside, so I'm assuming there were some Kmai high rollers partaking in the gambling festivities inside. All in all, a really fun day! It's nice to know that I can get any western product my heart desires only 50 km from my site- basically half the distance and half the fuss of PP.

So as I'm approaching the 1-yr mark, I'm happy, healthy and really enjoying Cambodia and all of its idiosyncrasies. Couldn't ask for anything more.

So I have been back in Cambodia for about 3 weeks, and it has definitely been an adventure. Although going back to the States was under awful circumstances, it was SO nice to see family and friends. So thanks again to everyone for their love and support- it has really helped me through a very difficult time.

So I got into Cambodia on the 24th of November and was surprised at the airport by my 3 girlfirends Kealan, Keiko and Jessica. They were standing outside the airport with signs like "Cambodia loves Jacqueline" and "Have you eaten rice yet?" with a cartoon of me! It was sooooo cute and such a nice surprise to come back to! I wasn't expecting to see any of them until lockdown was over, so it was amazing that they were able to get permission from our country director to come surprise me in Phnom Penh. That night, we all shared stories and sat around and ate this cake that was shaped like a pig that they bought for me (good idea at the time, but our stomachs hated us later!). The next day, we did a little shopping at the Russian market (one of many amazing markets in Phnom Penh that has everything you could possibly want for very cheap!). It was the best surprise I could have asked for to be able to spend time with my friends, so I was very happy! Everything was very rushed when I got back, as I had to go to IST language training in Prey Veng, the neighboring province. Peace Corps split us up in groups of different provinces to work with our language tutors from training so that we could ask questions, see each other, etc. No big surprise that Prey Veng and Svay Rieng were placed together since we are isolated from everyone else since we are close to Vietnam and on the other side of the Mekong. Chrissy, who is in Prey Veng town, knows a Canadian volunteer with a sweet house that has a fridge, toaster oven, cable tv, a flushing toilet and he was out of town, so we got to use his house for the weekend to celebrate Thanksgiving. It was a lot of fun! We substituted spaghetti for turkey, and made homemade mashed potatoes, green beans and even used the toaster oven to make apple and pumpkin pies! It was nice to see everyone again and hear about anything I missed while I was in the states for 3 weeks (which wasn't much, maybe just a lot of rice :)

I went back to my site on the 30th, and was greeted by lots of hugs from my host family. My host sisters made a sign that they put on my door that said "Welcome to Bong Nisa," which is as close as they could get to "Welcome Back." Nisa is my Khmai name that my family calls me, since Jacqueline is apparently too difficult for them, and 'Bong'just means big sister, so the sign was totally cute and I always can appreciate the incorrect grammar that the Cambodians speak. One of the volunteers who lives 30k away, Kellee, decided to stay at my house that night because it was getting late and she couldn't get back to her site before sundown. So my host father, a rice wine afficionado, decided to have a drinking fiesta and kept shoving beer and rice wine at Kellee and I. Not wanting to be rude, we agreed to drink. Well, that was not a very good idea as Kellee and I both threw up from the excessive consumption- hey, all in the name of cultural integration, right? It was hilarious though, because Kellee came back from the bathroom and whispered that she had just thrown up in the bathroom and continued drinking. I laughed, but at around 2 am, I woke up and threw up for an hour. I felt so awful the next day, I had to miss school. Needless to say, I am working on saying 'no' to my family and am getting quite good at it.

So the first week back at site was REALLY tough. I had a mixture of emotions- missing my dad and thinking about everything a lot, anger at the fact that I was back at my site which doesn't have so many things I love (whether that be good food or other basic amenities), isolation, or confusion as to what the heck I'm doing here! I kept thinking about how life is so unpredictable and is this place where I really want to be for 2 years? One negative thought fueled another one, and then I started to question my effectiveness as a volunteer- none of these kids are learning anything, the teachers don't care, this country is corrupt and so forth.

But luckily my funk didn't last long. I spent a lot of time with the New Zealand volunteers in town and that definitely improved my outlook a lot. This past week was probably one of the best weeks I've had since being in Cambodia for a number of reasons:

(1) I started teaching 3 more classes at the PTTC, so I am now teaching every morning and afternoon except for Friday afternoons. I feel a lot busier, which is great to keep my mind off of stuff and makes me feel like I'm actually doing something constructive with my time. I enjoy teaching at the PTTC so much more for a number of reasons- I have an awesome co-teacher, the classes are much smaller (25 students max usually), the students want to learn English (as they are going to be English teachers), and they are more mature. I also decided to give out "American" names to the students at the PTTC. I wrote down boys and girls names on the board and let the students choose their own name. But the names I put up are all names of friends and family. It's hilarious because every single student now has a name of someone I know- there's a Stephanie, Julie, Bill, Deanna, Brenda, Briana, Kim, Jennifer, Amanda, Jamie, Kelly, Jessica, Christine, David, Daniel, Patrick, Richard, Colin, John, among many others (Brooke and Liz- your names were too difficult for them to pronounce!! haha). The students had so much fun picking their names and it also helped a lot to work on pronounciation. It honestly was such a fun few days, I had a blast!

(2) I am starting an advanced English club at the h.s., which I gave out a test for. 62 students showed up to take the test, but I will only take about 10 students- those who do the best on the test. The test had a few different sections, such as reading comprehension, essay and grammar. I haven't finished grading them, but not one student correctly answered a majority of the grammar questions, so it looks like I may have to alter the level of English I had planned on teaching. But this whole journey is about being flexible, so that's what I'm going to do!

(3) I met a Korean volunteer named Chi Ho, who is 26, works at the PTTC and has been here for a year and a half. He speaks perfect English and is such a nice guy. On Monday after class, we went and got smoothies and talked for an hour and exchanged life stories. He's going to be here for about another 8 months, so I am very excited to have found another friend who can speak English and is really cool!

(4) Kristin, Kellee and Susannah (she went to USC and lives in nearby Prey Veng) came into Svay Rieng town this weekend to catch up on their internet and see eachother. I always have such a great time when they come into town, and this week was no exception! There was a concert this weekend, so there was this whole carnival-like atmosphere set up, with kettle corn, the darts that you throw at balloons to win prizes, and lots of people- almost like America! Except the kettle corn comes from a rickety truck that is battery powered to provide electricity, the prizes you can win are big bowls to handwash your laundry in, and the people that are everywhere are crowded onto a moto screaming HELLLOOOOO, WHERE YOU GOOOOOO? every second. So, yea, not like America at all, but I can dream :) Kellee and I also did the unthinkable yesterday- we got our hair chemically straigtened for a whopping 20 dollars! After 5 hours of sitting in a dilapidated Khmai beauty shop trying to understand what the women were saying to us, I was thrilled to have stick straight hair. It is supposed to last about 6 months, and I am VERY happy with my decision, since my curly hair is impossible in this disgusting humidity. The only catch is that I can't wash my hair for 4 days and I smell like a wet dog (maybe the awful stench will keep the bugs away?) I also have to wear it down for a week, which means no running for 1 week- whatever will I do?! But just feeling how much lighter my head feels makes me think it was money well spent!

All in all, things are going well. Lockdown is over in less than two weeks, and I couldn't be happier! I am going to Phnom Penh on Christmas and am going to meet up with all the other volunteers, so I CANNOT WAIT!!! It should be a lot of fun and I am counting down the days. For New Years, I will be going to Kampot province, to a little island off the coast that has beautiful beaches, and should be a great place to ring in the New Year (New Years is not celebrated in Cambodia, they have Khmai New Year in April, when I will have 3 weeks off from school!). On the 18th of this month, the New Zealanders are having a big party, and all the Prey Veng and Svay Rieng volunteers will be coming in to Svay Rieng, along with some Cambodians and Chi Ho. So I have something to look forward to every weekend for the next month, which definitely makes life easier.

I am trying to take pics around town this week so I can upload them to my blog. After all, a picture is worth 1,000 words. So stay tuned! Hope everyone is doing well- LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU!

Peace!

So yesterday marked the 3rd month since my Peace Corps journey began, and it has been interesting and challenging. This is my 4th week at site, and the difficulties and realities have all presented themselves. It’s been tough adjusting to my schedule and being out on my own without volunteers close by. But it’s all a learning experience, and I’m just taking things day by day. So I guess updates are in order.

Firstly, let me just say that first impressions about people can definitely be misleading. I am working with 3 co-teachers at the high school, and although one of them speaks amazing English, he decided to go to Vietnam this week instead of showing up to class, which left me winging the lesson plan for 2 hours. He told me he’d be gone for Monday’s class last minute, and didn’t even tell me that he wasn’t coming for Wednesday’s 2 hour class. Needless to say, I am a little annoyed! I guess he figures that he gets paid whether or not he shows up, and ‘hey, there’s an American girl who can do the work for me!’ But part of our role as Peace Corps volunteers is to improve teachers’ English skills as well as their teaching methodologies- this is a more sustainable type of development. But it’s a two-way street and I need my co-teachers to want to participate and show up!

But so far, my other 2 co-teachers have really shown an eagerness to improve, which is refreshing to see. Chan tha is one of my co-teachers and he is such a hard worker! Despite the fact that he doesn’t speak perfect English, he refuses to speak Khmai in the class, which I think is very important. He has been extremely flexible and open to new ideas/activities, which is rare in teachers. So I do feel very happy to be working with him! So I always look forward to my Tuesdays and Fridays, when I work with him and my 11th grade class! Tomorrow’s our first test, so it will be interesting to see how that goes…

In other news, all of the volunteers from Svay Rieng and Prey Veng came to Svay Rieng town last weekend for the Water Festival here in town (the winners then go to Phnom Penh next week for the BIG official Water Festival- yet another holiday in Cambodia). It really was great to see everyone and exchange stories about our sites and teaching schedules. We had a great time chatting, laughing and just being happy to have some other Americans around who understand! One day, we were walking by the Child Fund office (an amazing organization that helps extremely poor kids in Cambodia and around the world) and saw a foreigner and immediately stopped to chat with her (you never see foreigners in Svay Rieng!). Her name is Miia and she is here working with Child Fund until January. She’s 32, originally from Finland but lives in Australia, and is so nice/friendly! She invited us to go to the Water Festival with her and the 2 other Westerners who are living in Svay Rieng the following day, which was great! Bill and Nicky are in their late 40’s/early 50’s and are from New Zealand, working with VSA (the New Zealand volunteer organization). Bill is working at Svay Rieng University and Nicky is working with a mistreated women’s organization, re-integrating them into society. Bill and Nicky will be here in Svay Rieng until I think March of 2011, so I’m really happy to have found them- they’re awesome! Miia, Bill and Nicky all live by themselves and have living conditions a bit nicer than mine- hot water, cable t.v., fridges and toaster ovens! They have been so welcoming and told me I’m part of the gang and had me over for dinner last night- a delicious meal of spaghetti and chocolate cake for dessert…and I can’t forget the great wine as well! I told Miia I have been running a lot, and she was very happy to hear that since she feels a bit awkward running around by herself, so today we are going running together- it’ll be nice to have a running partner and not be stared at all on my own!

I also started working at the PTTC and I really like the atmosphere there! The students are older and a bit more mature and my co-teacher is AMAZING. He’s got his stuff together, which is another rarity in Cambodia. I will start teaching more there in December, after the 1st year students have taken their entrance exam and begin classes.

Another nice thing that happened is a brand new internet place opened up, with new computers that have video and headphones (yessss if I ever want to Skype!), AC, and fast connections- definitely a big thing! Other than that, I’m doing my best to acclimate.

So I filmed a video today of my house so you can all see where I live, but of course it's not working. So I will try to upload it the next time I check the internet- I hope that it works! Please let me know how you all are doing- I can now respond to emails more frequently now that I have better internet very close by!

XOXO!

I’ve been at site for almost 2 weeks and now I finally have time to pre-write a blog on my computer at home so that it’s a bit more detailed than my other posts (I have plenty of free time now that’s I’m no longer in training!). First off, I live in the provincial town of Svay Rieng (SR), which is the province furthest south-east in Cambodia. The highway that goes through SR is the direct route that tourists take traveling to Ho Chi Min in Vietnam, so there are no shortages of big tourist busses cruising by when I ride my bike to the high school every day.

My house is actually REALLY nice and I’m not quite ‘roughing it’ the same way I was when I was living at my training house. My house here is a two-story concrete house, with very nice tile floors. It is a very big house, surrounded by fruit trees which my host dad planted himself when he moved here (including banana, coconut, and mango trees, which I can’t wait to eat when mango season comes in a few months!). There are plenty of hammocks to relax in, which I often do while reading a book. My room is on the second floor and is quite spacious. I have my own bathroom in my room with a western toilet, a shower (no more bucket showers for me!), and running water. My host-dad told me this is the only house in the neighborhood with running water (other families get their water from a well). When I moved in, the only thing in my room was a big bed with a comfy mattress, so I bought the rest of the furniture I needed from the market (which is literally a 3 minute walk from my house). I have now arranged my room around and feel quite comfortable with the desk, bookshelf, and dresser I purchased! I just have to put pictures up and I’ll be all set! Also, I have 24-hour electricity, which is very convenient. I honestly went from having one of the most rural houses during training to one of the nicest houses at site. I feel very lucky about my house, but even luckier about the family I am living with.

There are 6 people in my host family- host dad, mom, 9-year old brother, 15, 16, and 18/19-year old sisters (not sure how old the oldest one is). My host dad has been working for NGO’s for 17 years and speaks pretty good English, which is why he is able to afford such a nice house (NGO’s here pay much better money than other jobs in Cambodia). Unfortunately, he is looking for a job right now and hasn’t been able to find one for 2 months. I’m not exactly sure what happened with his last job. When he does find a job, it will most likely be in another province and he will only come home on the weekends, since there aren’t very many NGO’s here in SR. We’re all crossing our fingers. My host-mother is really funny and has a really high-pitched voice. She doesn’t speak any English, but we joke around in Khmai and she is really sweet. She is a very good cook and even made me French fries one night, which were ch-nyng (delicious!). My sisters are really sweet, although the older one is taking some time warming up to me. She dropped out of school after 7th grade and just does housework. Theavy, the 16 year old, is learning English and she asks me questions every day about what is grammatically correct. My 15-yr old sister is really funny and dramatic and loves to kiss me on the cheek, just to remind me she’s happy I’m here. My 9-yr old brother is a RIOT, and he cracks me up every day. He likes to eat packages of Khmai ramen noodles raw (that’s a popular snack here) and always offers some to me. He is super dramatic and likes to sing along to Khmai pop and dress up in sunglasses, pull his pants up to his chest, put on a backwards hat and rock out. Like I said, he’s hilarious and never ceases to amuse me. I really feel lucky to live with such a great family who has been so accommodating and generous! Volunteers spend a lot of time with their family (for the most part), so the family dynamic can really make or break the entire experience. I have absolutely no complaints!

As for my school situation, I am actually working at 2 schools- one is the high school, Hun Sen Chek, which is about 3-4 km from my house and along the main highway. The other is the Provincial Teacher Training Center (PTTC), where I will be teaching teachers who are training to become teachers (as the name suggests). I will be spending most of my time at the high school and haven’t even gone to the PTTC yet since it begins later than the high school. The fact that I am working at 2 schools has been a very delicate and complicated situation. The director at the PTTC is very strict and has made it very clear that he wants me at the school to develop the library, which is not what Peace Corps volunteers do. We develop human capacity, not materials. So this has been a huge source of frustration for me, especially since the first time I met him, he demanded that I spend half of my time there and half at the h.s. My co-teacher at the PTTC is the only English teacher there, and from what I’ve gathered, there isn’t much for me to do there. So I have ultimately decided to focus my attention at the high school. I have been trying to figure out how to incorporate the PTTC in my schedule, but so far, I have only managed to find 2 hours a week that don’t conflict with my time at the high school.

I am very excited about working at the high school. The school director seems like a really great guy, someone who wants to try to improve education for his students. He is very friendly and even speaks broken English (very rare for school directors since most are older and haven’t studied English). He is a younger man, maybe in his 40’s and spends most of his time at the school- even Sundays. Most of the teachers don’t speak English, but I have been speaking Khmai as much as possible with them, which they definitely get a kick out of! They all tell me I speak a lot of Khmai, especially for only studying 2 months, which is always nice to hear. I am working with 2 co-teachers right now, and probably one more starting next week. Pilot is one of my co-teachers and he is such a nice guy! He is 23 and speaks perfect English- he understands everything I say and responds with perfect grammar. His older sister, mother and father live in Salem, Oregon and he is planning on visiting them soon, or moving there- I’m not quite sure about this. Since I am only observing the first few weeks until I get the hang of things, I sit at the back of the class and watch. Pilot is a great teacher and also had experience working with Lindsay, the Peace Corps volunteer who worked at the h.s. before me. I am very excited to work with him. My other co-teacher, Phaneou, is also really great. His English isn’t as good, but he is a really helpful guy and is open to suggestions about teaching methods and so forth. He is 26 and finishing his last semester studying computer science at Svay Rieng University. He actually helped me reformat my computer so that I can plug in a wireless modem to my computer and use wireless Internet whenever I have free time and bring my laptop to school. He has also found a student at the university who is going to teach me Khmai for 4 hours a week, which is going to start next week. As for his teaching, I think there is definitely room for improvement (he speaks a lot of Khmai during English class), but I think we will be able to work well together. I am at the h.s. usually from 7-10/11 Mon-Fri and Monday afternoon. Right now, I’m at the PTTC only on Wednesday afternoons, but that is still TBD.

It’s only been a few days of observing the classes and I am already anxious to begin teaching! Every time I hear the teacher teaching something incorrectly, I immediately want to chime in and correct him. But I know I have to be patient and continue to observe until I feel like I’m ready to start teaching. Peace Corps suggests at least one month of observation, but I am almost positive I will start teaching sooner than that. As for what I do with the rest of my time, I spend A LOT of time reading. I also have been getting back into a running routine, which is difficult after being inactive for 2 months during training. But I have been running every day, and feel a lot better and more energetic. Although the constant and unpredictable afternoon rain definitely makes it difficult to form a routine- I just have to go whenever there’s a break in the rain. I’ve also been making oatmeal every morning and chopping up some fresh fruit to go along, which always starts the day off right. But I’m running out of oatmeal and it’s only available in Phnom Penh, so I’m definitely going to have to scale back on that.

As for being alone at site, it’s a difficult thing. I definitely miss the closeness of the other volunteers. Whether it is the awful diarrhea from an unidentifiable source, a new triumph or breakthrough, or that craving for all that is familiar, the PCV’s can relate. So not being able to see my close friends sucks. But I am lucky to have some pretty cool people in my province and I know I can see them whenever I want, so that is comforting.

And so that is life in Kampuchea in a nutshell. I am still wrapping my head around exactly what it is I am doing here. I was watching Blood Diamond the other day on my laptop and in one part, Leonardo DiCaprio says something like “The Peace Corps types only stick around long enough to figure out they can’t really do anything at all.” I found that mildly entertaining until I thought about that for a moment. What am I really going to accomplish in 2 years? Sure it’s a long time, but long enough to do anything? Well, I’m still figuring that out. To be continued…

Hello!

I am at site and everything is going very well so far! I don't have a lot of time, so I will post a detailed blog about what I've been up to next week. But I just wanted to update my new mailing address. It is:

PCV Jacqueline Thomas

PO Box 9612

Svay Rieng, CAMBODIA

I would recommend writing 'CAMBODIA' in all caps, as sometimes I have heard packages have been sent to Colombia instead (since hardly anyone uses the mail system here!). I truly appreciate any form of mail, from a simple postcard, to letters, to any and all packages! It really brightens my day! Hope everyone is doing well!!

Peace and love from Kampuchea!

Sorry, but all of these pics are all over the place. But the I will do my best to describe! At the top, is a pic of my house during training. Next to that is Jess and I preparing bruschetta for the party. There are some scattered pics from swear in, one with Meagan, JaNise, Kealan, Keiko, and Jess and another picture of me and Terry. I've also posted a pic of my host family (although my dad wasn't in this one!). I will post more pics when I get a chance!

I am in Phnom Penh getting ready to head to site right now, wrapping up what has been a crazy week! We've all said goodbye to our host families, swore in as Peace Corps volunteers, and spent our last few days together before we are out on our own (and not to mention spent WAY too much money on western food and drinks!). The past 2 exhausting months have all been preparing for this very day, and I am pretty nervous! But before I get to that, I will update about the crazy stuff that is the life of a Peace Corps volunteer. Last Monday, we had our language proficiency interviews (LPI's), which was a major source of stress for many. There are basically 3 tiers- novice, intermediate, and advanced. Within each tier, there are 3 levels- low, mid, and high. In order to be able to swear-in, all of us had to score at least novice high. The interviews consisted of sitting individually and talking to a Khmai person for about a half an hour about different topics (talk about ourselves, compare America to Cambodia, role-plays, etc). My interview went really well, and later that day I found out I had received intermediate-mid, which was the highest score that anyone received. One other girl from Traing received this score and 5 people from Tramkok, so I was very proud of myself and happy that I did so well! My language skills have been coming together quite nicely, which definitely makes everything easier! On Wednesday, the volunteers from Traing organized a going-away party to thank our LCF's and say goodbye to our host families. We formed different groups and each brought a different dish we liked to eat in America (obviously having to improvise due to lack of ingredients). Jessica, Ben and I made bruschetta, which turned out really well and was a huge hit. Other groups made pancakes, pb&j, carnitas with handmade tortillas, and an array of other stuff. It was a really awesome day and almost all of our families came out to say goodbye and hang out! My host sister and brother came to the party, which I really appreciated. Earlier that morning, I said goodbye to my host mom, sister, and dad and was really surprised how emotional they were! My sisters and mom were crying, which I definitely did not expect. It's weird that in such a short amount of time, people can really make an impact on you and vice-versa. They told me how much they were going to miss me, and I said the same. I printed out a picture of all of us and had it framed and printed a few other pics out, which they proudly displayed in the kitchen. It was the best present I could have given them. We all headed to Takeo and checked into guesthouses because the following day was our last seminar day as trainees! We spent Thursday discussing logistics and then headed to Phnom Penh that night. Friday was the big day, and we swore in! We met the U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia (who gave us the official oath) and the Cambodian Minister of Education (he's a pretty big deal!). It was such a great feeling to have made it to this point, and signifies another exciting journey that lies ahead as we head our separate ways and do what we came here to do! Friday night was a TON of fun, and we all went to a bar and celebrated being official volunteers, along with some K2's who joined in the festivities. Yesterday, I literally ran errands all day in Phnom Penh, trying to stock up on items I can't get at site since I'll be on lockdown for 3 months. I bought oatmeal, pasta, lots of peanut butter, jelly, crackers, olive oil, spices- quite expensive. I am responsible for 2 of meals every day, so I am going to try to cook. Anyone who wants to send me a package, non-perishable foods that I can't get here are always welcome! I also went to the market and bought some hideous long running shorts (gotta keep it conservative here), postcards, a knock off Northface traveling backpack and some other odds and ends. After a long day, Keiko, Jessica and I treated ourselves to a Swedish massage at a steep $18, but well worth it! Then we had DELICIOUS Lebanese food and I left way too full, but definitely very happy! Sorry this blog is lacking specific details, but I want to load pics, which is going to take a while...so I will post some more later and try to post pics now! I am going to update my address in Svay Rieng, where letters and/or packages can be sent directly to me, in a few days so look out for it! Miss everyone!

So I have a lot to update about! I know where I will be living the next 2 years!!! I will be in the provincial town of Svay Rieng, which is most south-eastern province in Cambodia, on the Vietnam border. I found all of this out about 2 weeks ago, during site announcement in Takeo. Initially, I didn’t know what to think about being placed in Svay Rieng. I didn’t know too much about it, but I was really happy to be placed in the provincial town.

The best way to explain a provincial town is like the capital of a state. Basically, it is the center of the province and has big markets, lots of people and a lot more resources than the more rural areas. I was also very excited to find out that my province had 5 volunteers in it! Jeremy, Kristen, Kellee and Dillon are also in Svay Rieng and I am a big fan of all of them, so I really lucked out in terms of people being placed around me. Also, we have a unique situation because volunteers placed in Prey Veng, the neighboring province, are allowed to travel to Svay Rieng provincial town (me!) during our 3-month lockdown since their provincial town is much harder to get to. So that means that 9 of us will get to see each other during lockdown (Susannah (USC alumna), Crissie, Nick and RT will be in Prey Veng), which is a huge number. Also, my friend from h.s., Michael, is in Prey Veng, along with another volunteer. That makes 11 of us, which is a great support network and awesome for getting together!

So after finding out our sites, we all went to Phnom Penh for 3 nights. We indulged ourselves with Western food (pizza, Mexican food, sandwiches, peanut butter (which I bought and brought back with me to my training site- delicious!), etc. We were in Phnom Penh for counter-part conference, meeting our co-teachers that we will be working with at our permanent sites. I am in a unique situation because I will be working at 2 schools- a high school and a provincial teacher training center (PTTC), whereas most volunteers are just working at 1 school. So I met my 2 co-teachers in Phnom Penh and immediately took a liking to both of them! They both are extremely nice and it seems like we will be able to work together well. Although it’s still early and you never know! But I was pleasantly surprised after all the horror stories I have heard about co-teachers.

During the day, we attended our conference with our co-teachers. But at night, we got a chance to hang out and unwind a bit. We all went out and got beers and I had a chance to hang out with my group of girls- Kealan, Keiko, Jessica, Meagan and Janise. I feel so lucky to have bonded with these girls- we call ourselves the ‘incredible 6’ and I know that we will all be a great support network for one another, despite being all over the country. One of the nights, most of the volunteers went to this amazing bar called Elsewhere, where we went swimming and had drinks, played chicken-fight, and just had a blast. Another night, us girls grabbed some wine, crackers, nutella, and American tabloids and just vented/shared stories with each other in our hotel. Those few days were just what I needed!

The next day was site visit, and boy was I surprised when the taxi pulled up to my house- about 2.5 hrs from Phnom Penh. Talk about the hook-up! After being in a house in training that was the epitome of rural, my permanent house was quite the surprise- a beautiful 2-story cement house with trees providing great shade and hammocks just waiting for me to sit in! My new family is pretty amazing- I have a host dad, mom, 3 sisters ranging from age 14-18 and a 9-yr old host brother who is adorable! My host dad speaks English and has been working for NGO’s for 20 yrs! He is incredibly nice, as well as everyone in my family. I bonded with them right off the bat, and was astounded at all the stuff in my house- t.v., semi-running water, a beautiful room that I can’t wait to move in to (I actually have a mattress!). Everything was just absolutely perfect. Not to mention my house is super close to everything I could ever need or want- the market, the PTTC, the guesthouse (for visitors!), the internet place, the tuk-a-luk stands! My co-teachers showed me around the town for the 3 days I was there, and I could not believe how lucky I felt to be placed at a site which I felt was perfect for me. I met the school directors, toured the schools and chatted with them about what was in store for me. I honestly couldn’t have asked for anything better!

After site visit, we all returned to Phnom Penh for another night and we all exchanged stories. Some volunteers had horror stories, some kind of felt neutral, and a few were enthusiastic like me. I then realized how lucky I was! The next day, we attended a tribunal for one of the members of the Khmai Rouge who is being tried by a Cambodian/UN court. It was really interesting seeing an international court and almost made me return to my past desire to pursue law...we’ll see about that. We said our good-byes and returned to our training villages.

So in less than 2 weeks, we will swear in as official Peace Corps volunteers! Yay! We will go to Phnom Penh for 2-3 nights (TBD) and then all head our separate ways. I am super excited to get to site and get started building my relationships within the community, but am also sad that I will no longer see other volunteers on a regular basis. I am definitely one of the volunteers that has it easy in terms of lockdown- I can see 8 other people during those 3 months! But some people are stuck in their province with only 1 or 2 other people! But still, it will be nice to see some of my closest friends in late December, after lockdown is over. But I definitely plan on taking advantage of those 3 months and meeting people in my province and practicing my Khmai as much as possible (I’m actually improving quite a bit and can have pretty basic convos with my family and community members). So yea, life is awesome and I am still enjoying every exhausting minute!

And thanks again to all of those people who have emailed and/or called! It’s nice to stay connected! And thanks Orly for your letters- I am so EXCITED every time I read them and think of you! I love and miss everyone- wish you were here! I will prob get pics up when I get to my permanent site as I will have more time and more internet access!

Hugs!

I've been in Cambodia about a month now! It really feels like I've been here much longer. It's the weirdest thing- the days go by so slowly, yet training is flying by at the same time. I can't explain it! I've been super busy, so I will try and update everyone with some of the most interesting things that are going on/have happened.

So I went on Kampuchea Adventure 1 week ago. I went to the Prey Veng province with 2 of my friends, Terry and Ben. Ben was in my language cluster (they have now changed a little bit) and Terry lives in the other training village, but is still one of my good friends. We went to visit Michael, a K2 who lives in Prey Veng (very close to Vietnam) and actually went to high school with me in Colorado! He graduated in '03, but we still had some common friends, so it was really nice to reminisce about the good old days at G.W., and hear about some of the news from people that graduated with him. His site was pretty cool- he lives near the main road, has electricity, has a great older host mom (I think she was 70? super cute and tiny!). His town was definitely bigger than my rural Traing, so it was a nice change of pace. It wasn't the prettiest of towns, but it was still interesting to see. We went to 2 of Michael's classes that he is teaching this summer, and some of his students were able to speak English (which doesn't sound like much, but is a HUGE deal here). We met his co-teacher, school director and sub-directors. It was really great to see Michael teach and hear about some of the techniques he uses in the classroom. At night, we all kicked back, had a few beers and just talked about life- the food we miss, the craziness that is Cambodia, future plans, etc. It was a REALLY fun trip. On our way back to our sites, we stopped in Phnom Penh for the day, which was AWESOME. We got an American breakfast at this place called Freebird, where a lot of PCV's go when they're in Phnom Penh. At an expensive $5 (seriously, this is expensive on our budget), I had scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, potatoes, coffee and orange juice. After eating rice 3 times a day, nothing tasted so good! We then went and got Thai massages. Only $8 for 1 hour and it was SO worth it! It was the most relaxing, best thing ever! And then we made our way back to Takeo in a van that was less than fun.

Vans in Cambodia are a common means of travel. But they are PACKED and sometimes have people on the roof. Our van had probably 20+ people in it, no AC, and got stuck in traffic. Then a Khmai woman was puking in the front. Then we stopped to pick up a monk. Then we stopped to change drivers. Then we got a flat tire. So yeaaaaaaa, it wasn't too fun, but it was an experience. I finally made it back to my host family, 3 hours later than I intended to be home.

This past week was Practicum, where we all taught Khmai students. We each taught for 1 hour. I taught along with Kenny and Susannah. I would teach first for 45mins, then the students would have a 15 min break, come back and listen to Kenny teach, 15 min break, then listen to Susannah. It was a great experience and gave me some great ideas about what to expect when I actually teach at my permanent site. Some of the K2's came and sat in on our classes to give us feedback, which was very useful. Sadly, we were told the level of English at our school was way higher than what was typical throughout Cambodia. So I will have some DEFINITE challenges in terms of communicating. But during practicum, we taught 3 days by ourselves, and 3 days with a Khmai co-teacher (not the the co-teachers we will actually work with). Our co-teacher was ok. She didn't speak English too well and was not confident about speaking English in front of foreigners. But she became more comfortable with us as the days progressed. I am definitely nervous about working with a co-teacher at my site. I've heard some awesome stories from the K2's, but I've also heard many horror stories about lazy co-teachers who really aren't all too interested in working with PCV's. So I am keeping my fingers crossed for a co-teacher that rocks!

And that brings me to today and the upcoming week. I have a HUGE week coming up. I will go to Takeo on Tuesday afternoon for another overnight Seminar. I love seminar days because I get to see everyone from Tramkok, so it's always nice to be reunited! On Tuesday, we will find out our sites! I am so excited/nervous! There have been so many rumors going around about who's going where and so forth, so it will be nice to find out where we're all going. During my interview, I said electricity, proximity to NGO's and a larger site were the most important factors to me. So we'll see if that happens! On Wednesday, we have a half seminar day in Takeo, then head to Phnom Penh that afternoon for 2 nights! We are all looking forward to this- I feel like a country person going into the city...from Traing to Phnom Penh is VERY different. I'm guessing the majority of us will want to go out in the city at night (a part of life that seems so far removed from my usual 8 p.m. bedtime now). We will meet our co-teachers that we will be working with for the next 2 years, so I am extremely excited about that! Then on Friday, we will have site visits!

Site visit should be very interesting, as I will stay there Friday and Saturday night with my host family. Sunday night I will stay in the provincial capital at a guesthouse with the other K3 volunteers that are placed in the same province as me. This is also something that I and other K3's are very nervous about- who is going to be placed in our province?!!! The first three months after swear-in are "lockdown" and we are only allowed to travel within our province, which means the only people I will see for those 3 months are people who are in my province. That means 2-4 K3's and a few K2's. Obviously, we all have formed various friendships over training and are all hoping we are placed near our friends. But life doesn't usually happen like that, and I'm prepared to be placed near anyone. So the anticipation is building...

On Monday, we will go back to Phnom Penh for two more nights. I am really excited because there are Tribunals going on in Phnom Penh right now. Some of the officers who were responsible for the mass killings during the Khmer Rouge in the 1970's are being tried now and we get to go to the trial for one day! So that should be pretty interesting...Then we will all head back to our sites on Wednesday night. So I have over a week away from site, which should be pretty fun. I am SO nervous about my site and am hoping it's awesome...only 2 days until I know. Obviously I will update everyone when I get a chance.

I will finish this post with a quick story. Every day, we have language class for a few hours. I have a new LCF named Linda, and she is great. She is really patient and listens to our awful Khmai. So sometimes, we have language class at her host family's home and there are a LOT of animals at her house (which is the case at most Khmai homes). As we are trying to get through the lesson, a giant turkey tries to come up to Linda and attack her. She screams and her host dad comes up and grabs the turkey with one hand from behind while it makes an awful, turkey screech/gobble sound. He carries it to the cage and locks it in there and we all are just dying of laughter. Then Linda chases the huge cluster of geese away and we resume our language class. Imagine learning in this environment. That's my life every day. If only you all could see it. It's the most hilarious thing ever. When I get a chance, I will post pics, because that will explain things much better than I can!

I miss everyone and love hearing from you all!

Peace and love,

Jacqueline

So you may be surprised by this title. And my former 'Broth biddies' are probably especially amused. But dinner the other night was quite an experience. We came to Takeo for an overnight trip. Takeo is the provincial town in between Tramkok and Traing, the village where I live. We came for a 2 day seminar to discuss more rules, safety tips, gender stuff, etc. It was a great trip that we were all looking forward to because at site, we only see half of the K3's. So after a long, hot and humid day, we were all looking forward to a nice dinner. So we walked across the street from our guesthouse to meet up with the other volunteers who had found a restaurant. As we sat down, I noticed the girls working there were dressed interestingly. One was wearing silk pajamas, and another was wearing REALLY short jean shorts. In the U.S., that would totally fly, but here, that is not ok or normal. Women NEVER show their knees or shoulders. So naturally, I felt a little suspicious.

After talking with some of the other volunteers, we realized we were eating at a brothel- oops! The guys were telling us that the girls working there (who looked about 15) were rubbing their chest and being extra touchy-feely. Once again, women in Cambodia DO NOT do this, so we put two and two together. The whole experience was pretty funny, and sad at the same time. So lesson learned- silk pj's and hoochie shorts means more than food is being sold.

So today was a really fun day! Peace Corps organized 5 different field trips and drew names out of a hat to determine who could sign up for which trip when we were at Takeo during seminar. Luckily, my name got drawn early and I signed up for a boat trip to Phnom Da. I was so excited when a bunch of my favorite girls signed up for Phnom Da as well! So today, we left Traing at about 6:15 am and rode a remort- which is like an agricultural truck- I wish I could post pics, but the Internet is too damn slow here. Think illegal workers on the back of a truck in the U.S. and replace it with Peace Corps volunteers and that is a pretty accurate description of what the spectacle looked like. Once we got to Takeo, I said hi to some of the other volunteers going on other field trips and then walked with my group to the canal where we caught a boat. The group was Kealan, Keiko, JaNice, Jessica, Meagan G. and Meghan O., Cooper, and our 2 LCF's, Linda and Rath. We split into two boats and first traveled about 45 minutes to a museum, which was small, but interesting. The boat ride was beautiful, and their were floating trees and grass-ish plants everywhere. The water was pretty shallow, only about 3 m deep. We then did a mini-language lesson with useful words, like 'waves', bumpy (which proved to be the most used word), and other stuff. Then we went to Phnom Da (Phnom means 'mountain' in Khmai), and this place was a small mountain with a temple at the top. We hiked up, enjoyed the views (We could see Vietnam, about 5 km away) and talked with the adorable Cambodian children in our broken Khmai. It was quite the day!

The boat ride back was the bumpiest ride I've ever experienced! My face was tingling when we got off the hour boat ride, but we had such a fun day! It was so nice to see some of my favs from Tramkok though, and spend more time with my friends from Traing. Now we're at an internet cafe and then we are getting Tuk-a-luk's (my favorite discovery here- a delicious tropical smoothie with the native fruits of Cambodia! All in all, a fabulous day!

The next few weeks are very busy. Actually, all of training is very busy. Next Tuesday, I'll be back in Takeo for the day for a day seminar- more skits, info, copies of papers, etc. Then on Thursday-Saturday is Kampuchea Adventure! I am soooo looking forward to this. I'm not sure how the groups are being picked, but groups of 3-4 people will be sent all over Cambodia to visit various K2 volunteers and see their sites! I hope I get sent to a provincial site since I already have a pretty good idea what some of the rural sites might be like. The next week is practicum, where we will practice co-teaching in a class with Khmai students. I am super nervous and excited to work with a Khmai co-teacher, so the test run should be interesting.

Life is pretty amazing right now. I am surprised at how happy I actually am. We keep talking about culture shock, and some people are having a more difficult time, but I am just enjoying the adventure! Sure, the mosquito bites are never-ending, and the heat/humidity can be overwhelming, but these are small nuisances in the grand scheme of things. I apologize about the lack of personal emails, my internet is limited so this is my main communication. But thanks for all of your emails and comments- it truly makes my day when I read them all! I miss all of you a ton and think of everyone daily! Please keep me updated, and I will do the same.

Off to my tuk-a-luk...yessssssssss.

Peace :)

Hello!

That is probably the only word of English the little Cambodian kids know in my rural village (Traing), and they make sure to scream it at the top of their lungs any time we pass by. All of the volunteers were split up into 2 groups and placed at 2 separate sites with host families, and Traing is the more rural of the 2 sites. Traing is absolutely beautiful! To get to my house (which is probably one the most rural of all the houses), I bike down a dirt road through the rice paddies. I live in a small house with my host mom, dad, 3 sisters (15-18 yrs old), a 23 year old host brother who is a teacher, and lots of chickens, cows, dogs, and bugs. We don't have electricity, running water, and my bed is a thin mattress on the floor. When I go to bed at 7 or 8 every night (that's when the sun sets), I feel like I'm on a camping expedition as I lay under my mosquito net (seriously my best friend here).

Although I'm a little jealous of the volunteers placed at the more developed site (which is where I am today using the internet cafe and visiting some friends), I am so glad I was placed at a rural site. I've already learned so much about myself and that I'm a lot stronger than I thought I was. I have learned to appreciate the simple things, such as the special times spent with my host family and all of their valuable help with my Khmai. Everything I do is amusing to them, and there always seems to be a new neighbor over to check out the weird stuff I do (how I am unable to properly do laundry by hand, how I don't eat enough rice (I eat rice with EVERY meal), and how I am just funny in general. Last night, I was feeling pretty awful from being extremely dehydrated, and myhost sister came into my room, under my mosquito net and gave me an hour and half massage to try and make me feel better! Then this morning, my mom boiled hot water for me to take a "shower"" with because she didn't want me to get sicker. They are just the sweetest, kindest family ever and I feel so lucky! They are also super patient, as I still have the vocabulary of a 3 year old.

During the days, I get up at about 5, get breakfast with the other PCV's, and then go to our Language Facilitator's (LCF) house for language training for a few hours. My group (6 of us) is awesome and we get along really well! At one, we bike to the village for lessons on teaching, gender stuff, and cultural stuff til around 5. I am learning Khmai, but it's not easy! I'm doing my best. It's also difficult because I can't study once the sun goes down, because I would have to use a flashlight (pain in the ass). But everything is really great! I am enjoying learning about Cambodia and myself every day. I feel very lucky to be here. I have to get going to lunch, so I will update more as soon as I get a chance!

Love and miss you all!

Jacq

This means hello in Khmai, which is one of about 5 phrases I've learned so far. I have been in Cambodia for about 3 days now, and everything has been crazy! We have been in training CONSTANTLY and today is the first day we've had a bit of free time. So I am at an internet cafe updating my blog in hopes that it will be my way to communicate with everyone I love and miss back at home. As I'm sitting here, the cutest little Cambodian kids are playing computer games right by me, giggling in Khmai at this foreigner (probably the first red-head they've ever seen!). They are so cute and friendly and they pretty much laugh hysterically when I try to speak the few phrases I know. But I am loving this whole experience. It's truly amazing that I've been here less than a week, because it feels like I've been here for weeks already (although I would hope that my language will improve drastically by the time I've actually been here a few weeks).

So wow, there is so much to write about and I don't even know where to begin! First off, the Peace Corps staff has been awesome, helping us as much as they possibly can (the staff consists of Americans and Cambodians, so it's awesome to get both perspectives). I feel so lucky to have an amazing group of trainees with me, because it really makes this whole transition a LOT easier. Every day still feels surreal, and I am trying to adjust to the fact that this is my life for the next 2 years; a life so different from anything I have ever lived and experienced in the United States. Although I've been crazy busy learning how to use a squatter without toilet paper (yes, we use our hands), how to wash my laundry by hand, how to properly eat with my host family, and a variety of other things, the pace of life is so much slower and simpler than in the States. It is liberating and refreshing to not constantly live by my phone, or sit on my computer and peruse facebook because I am too lazy to do anything else. It is something so different, and I can already begin to appreciate the simplicity and see the beauty in it all.

Yet there are things that are really difficult. Being unable to talk to family and friends is difficult, not because I miss them (it hasn't been long enough), but because I can't share all of my experiences with them like I want to. There is so much to say, but it is so difficult to effectively describe my thoughts and feelings. The best way to attempt to shed some light is to think of a world completely different from anything you've lived in, pretty much the opposite, and that is what I'm living in now. The food, the people, the language, the dress, technology, the traffic, the animals. My whole world has been turned upside down and it is pretty crazy to think about. Today, I even ate fried ants and they were surprisingly delicious- talk about venturing out of your comfort zone!

Tomorrow, we will find out our training sites (we will be split up into 2 groups in different villages) and then move in with our host families! I am absolutely terrified because I do NOT speak Khmai by any means, but I'm sure day by day, the awkwardness will subside. I am nervous to find out which training site I'm at- I think one is probably more rural than the other. So that is a little bit of info, but not exactly the direction I wanted to take with this post. Next time, I'll pre-write a blog so I can effectively capture everything I've been up to. The next 9 weeks of training are going to be long and difficult, and I don't think I will have any internet access. But no worries- I am doing great! I am learning a million new things every day, so it makes every day interesting and challenging. And I really appreciate all of the comments! I miss you all and wish you were all with me! Hope everyone is doing well!

Hugs and Kisses!

Jacq

Phil, Kealan, me, Keiko and RT enjoying our 150-Baht ($5) Ray Bans :)

Wow, what a day!

I am sitting in the Bangkok Airport, although if everything had gone as planned, I would have been in Phnom Penh by now. But there was a slight messup in our flight plans...

Our entire group arrived at the Bangkok Airport around 6 am to check in for our 7:30 flight to Phnom Penh. We are divided into 5 groups, as determined by last name. So although we all fly together, we stick with our groups to ensure that no one gets lost and we can easily keep track of everyone. So, I am in group 5 since my last name starts with a 'T.' Well, turns out that the Thai airline overbooked the flight and all 8 of us in Group 5 (Ryan, Kealan, Diana, Keiko, Mira, Phil, RT, and myself) plus a girl in group 4 (Meghan) did not have seats on the 7:30 flight. We manged to get a flight at 6pm, so we had A LOT of time to kill before our flight. We got in touch with Peace Corps and asked if it was ok to leave the airport, which it luckily was, so we decided to explore Bangkok a bit. We asked around to find out what we should see on such little time, and many people suggested we go to the Grand Palace, a famous complex that houses the royal residence, government offices and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. We were able to pay to leave our stuff in the airport and we split up into a group of 5 and 4 and took taxis into the city, which took about an hour.

After getting there, Kealan and I were not dressed appropriately to enter (my shoulders were too bare for Thai standards, and Kealan's ankles were too exposed), so I had to rent a hideous man's shirt, and Kealan got a cute skirt (see pics below).

Part of the Grand Palace

Me, Keiko, and Kealan

The Grand Palace was absolutely BEAUTIFUL and so intricate. I cannot fully express the beauty of it, and pictures can only show a fraction of what I saw! It was so different from anything I have seen, which is to be expected as I have never been to Asia before. After stumbling around the complex about an hour, we decided to get some Thai food, which was absolutely delicious. We wandered the streets for a bit and the aromas filling the streets were pleasant and nauseating all at the same time.

Yes, this is a monk with a monkey in glasses and a dress!

There is kind of hectic feeling to this wonderful city that cannot fully be described. When we were taking our taxis into and back from the city, I was nervously swaying back and forth as the taxi cab driver calmly made his own traffic lane and weaved alarmingly close to motorists. It's similar to all the travel books I've read and what I've expected, but 10 times better. The varying levels of English spoken was also something interesting, and I am practicing using body language and miming to prepare for my first few weeks in Cambodia.

So we arrived safe and sound back at the airport around 2, and now we're just waiting around killing time until we hop on our plane to Phnom Penh. Oh yea, the humidity here is overwhelming, but I think I'll be able to adjust just fine. I am excited to get to Phnom Penh and start learning Khmer- this not-being-able-to-communicate thing is kind of annoying, so I'm anxious to get my lessons started.

And in case I didn't mention it, I am loving EVERY minute of this journey. Even the unexpected mishaps are proving to turn out quite wonderfully :)

Love and miss you all!

Hellooooo,

This is going to be a quick post, because I have to get going to the airport. So I made it to San Francisco and the orientation yesterday was actually fun, informative, and not too long. I met many of my fellow PCV's and so far, they are pretty amazing. We all share many similar ideas and experiences, and it's definitely nice to know that there are other people who have felt the same fears, anticipation, and excitement as I have these last few months. Some of us girls (Meghan, Kellee, and my fellow USC alumna Susannah went to a cute little Italian restaurant for dinner and discussed all of our excitement over some delicious pasta and a nice bottle of wine (which the owner upgraded for us once he found out we were Peace Corps volunteers...oh the perks....). Then we met up with some of the other volunteers, hung out for a bit and went back to the hotel.

I had a little difficulty sleeping, as has been the case the past week or so. But I am so ready and excited to begin the journey (although I am not excited about the disgusting amount of flying that is ahead of me). And I apologize for not calling many of you- my phone shut off a day early than I anticipated (and anyone that knows me should not be surprised by this mishap).

I love and miss all of my family and friends...but I'm sure I will talk about you all so much that it will seem like you're there with me :)

Oh, and Steph, Bunny is doing just fine!!!

PEACE out!

Jacq

Yay! I've finally managed to get my blog up and running, which means that my time left in the states is coming to a close (how weird!). I just received an email a few days ago with an overwhelming amount of info about what is going to happen as soon as I get to San Francisco for Staging, and the LONG travel schedule thereafter. So, now I can share all of the info I know, which should answer the common questions I keep getting, such as "where the heck are you gonna be?"

It all begins Tuesday, July 21st, when I will fly to San Francisco in the early morning to meet all of my fellow PCV's (Peace Corp Volunteers) and Peace Corps staff. The day will be filled with paperwork, an insane amount of handshaking, and I'm sure A LOT of information about Cambodia and what's in store for us. There are 46 of us (we are called K3's, as we are the 3rd group to go to Cambodia for Peace Corps), consisting of 15 men and 31 women. I have been lucky enough to meet one girl who actually graduated from USC a few years before me, and have connected with a few other people going in my group via facebook (gotta love technology). After our busy day in San Francisco, we will leave early the next morning and fly to Toyko, then Bangkok (sleep in a hotel for a bit since we have a long layover), then fly to Phnom Penh, where we will stay one night before heading to our training site.

After Phnom Penh, we will head south to the Takeo province, where we will spend 3 days of Orientation, getting vaccinations and preparing to live with our training host families. This will probably be my only opportunity to access the Internet until after I officially swear-in as a Peace Corps volunteer on September 24th. So don't be alarmed if you don't hear from me!

Training is a nine-week period, Monday-Saturday, during which we will have language classes in the morning (the language is Khmer, and I have only learned to say 'rice' so far- "bai") and technical training for the rest of the day (learning how to teach English as a foreign language, learning about Khmer culture and customs, etc). We will be split up into two training districts, after which we will move to our host family's home. I have no idea who my host family is yet, but I am pretty certain they won't speak any English, so it will be a lot of miming and miscommunication for the first few weeks!

After swearing in, we will then all be dispersed to our permanent sites, and these may be anywhere in Cambodia- no idea! So at that point, I will let everyone know my address and so forth, and will hopefully have more access to internet cafes!

And that is all I know! Am I scared? No, not really. Excited? DEFINITELY! I guess it's more surreal right now more than anything. I will try to keep this blog updated as much as possible, but I have no idea what my internet access will be like when I get there. But PLEASE do stay in touch because I would love to hear how everyone's doing stateside! Other than that, guess I'll see y'all in 27 months (except the few brave souls that can't live without seeing me and care to venture to Southeast Asia for a visit :)

Peace and Love!