Peace Corps Journals / Cambodia / all updates

Libraries and Rats

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 04:27:00 +0800

(Cambodia / Kellee in Cambodia)
Every Thursday I sit in the high school’s “library” for two hours. I offer this time so that high school students may ask me questions regarding English (or anything really). It either hasn’t ...
0 reads

March 14– Pictures

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 15:03:31 +0800

(Cambodia / Cooper in Cambodia)
0 reads

not so sweet.

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 03:48:11 +0800

(Cambodia / 13º00' N / 105º00' E)
i did an adventurous thing the other day. i bought raisins at my town market. when i bought them i was expecting well… raisins. i’ve seen them at the market for months but have never bee ...
5 reads

March 13– In My Room

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 03:46:20 +0800

(Cambodia / Cooper in Cambodia)
Last night I was woken up by two rats fighting on my floor two days ago I discovered a bee’s nest being built in the pocket of one of my suitcases and earlier this week I found a dead lizard rotting under my bed. Think maybe it’s time I start cleaning my room out more than [...]
8 reads

March 11– If We Don’t Play for Money…

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:26:31 +0800

(Cambodia / Cooper in Cambodia)
I was worried that after the basketball tournament ended last week that all the kids who I’ve been playing with in the afternoons would immediately stop showing up. Fortunately this hasn’t ...
9 reads

The DL on Khmer Weddings

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 05:07:00 +0800

(Cambodia / One handful of rice)
On Sunday I went to a wedding and I realized that I haven’t really explained what it is like to be an American at a Khmer wedding so I will try my best to give you a play by play. Although ...
7 reads

More portraits from the last few weeks

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 05:00:39 +0800

(Cambodia / bobsoldout.com)
i. A real sentence a student wrote for English homework “If I were angry I would go to a quiet place and sing.” ii. A real thought I had after coming back from a day away “Didn̵ ...
0 reads

March 10– Some Things I’ve Learned Recently

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:28:29 +0800

(Cambodia / Cooper in Cambodia)
If you burn your skin you should rub banana on it. Despite what people might tell you nothing bad actually happens when you wear a pair of boxers for a week straight. If you can’t cut mangoes ...
7 reads

How may I help you...?

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:26:00 +0800

(Cambodia / Get Fatty's Countdown to Peace Corps Service)
i taught a mini geography lesson to my two of my english classes friday. it was suppose to be a fun activity and it sorta was. since the majority of my students think north america and france are th ...
17 reads

Occurences

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 07:24:00 +0800

(Cambodia / In Cambodia-land)
It’s funny how and when things occur to you. When I think back to my first year in college as a music major and was deep into studying musical intervals and aural theory I just couldn’t stop hear ...
16 reads

Mar 8 | International Women's Rights Day

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 06:49:00 +0800

(Cambodia / In Cambodia-land)
I did a small poster and writing contest in my classrooms. Here are some of the writings (taken verbatim) and posters that my girls came up with. Thought I'd share!And for essays:Sai Seitha Grade 10HM ...
8 reads

i’ve. been. certified.

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:16:03 +0800

(Cambodia / 13º00' N / 105º00' E)
i’ve been to meetings. i’ve been to conferences. maybe they seemed important at the time maybe they didn’t. but never in my 23 years did i leave a conference and think ‘i sh ...
2 reads

we work hard so you don’t have to.

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:02:59 +0800

(Cambodia / 13º00' N / 105º00' E)
not many advancements have happened in the technology of cambodian washing machines… ever.
0 reads

March 8– The Womans Can Climb Palm Tre ...

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:05:29 +0800

(Cambodia / Cooper in Cambodia)
This was the poster produced by the girls from my school today at our International Women’s Day Celebration. Yes you know you live in rural Cambodia when women’s empowerment translates into “t ...
11 reads

ULTIMATE INVENTION: Mystery Treasure Bags!

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 05:00:11 +0800

(Cambodia / bobsoldout.com)
Don’t be fooled by imposters people — if your Mystery Treasure Bag isn’t Bobsoldout.com Approved then it’s just garbage plain and simple. Send your requests for new inventi ...
8 reads

Untitled

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 04:52:00 +0800

(Cambodia / hhhmmm...)
Today as many of you sexist Americans seem to be unaware is International Women’s Rights day. Because the UN said so. How do I know you are sexist? Because I bet most of you will go to work on Mon ...
9 reads

March

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 03:15:00 +0800

(Cambodia / Letters From Southeast Asia)
The weather is not the same as it used to be. For a month or two it was cool in the mornings enough for class to continue as scheduled and work to be done at a normal pace. Now this is no longer. Wh ...
19 reads

The Literal Truth

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 03:06:00 +0800

(Cambodia / Letters From Southeast Asia)
"Hi Mr. Nou! How did the test go this morning?""The students...they stare and put their pens in their mouths."
15 reads

March 7– Pictures

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 14:20:47 +0800

(Cambodia / Cooper in Cambodia)
After two weeks of showering in the dark we finally replaced the light bulb in the bathroom today and found that this spider had moved in. I’m not sure if you can tell from the picture but it&# ...
31 reads

Point for Ming

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 14:05:00 +0800

(Cambodia / In Cambodia-land)
So at our spaghetti dinner tonight we learned from my co-teacher that our mid-wife of a host mom Ming (as we call her) always requires the husband to be in the delivery room when she is delivering ...
10 reads

Spaghetti Success! - it's the small things

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 13:31:00 +0800

(Cambodia / In Cambodia-land)
So we just had my co-teacher his wife and three children over for a spaghetti dinner. I don't remember if I've written about my previous Khmer/American cultural food exchanges in regards to spaghetti ...
12 reads

JOHN FONTAINE PRESENTS… When you think ...

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 05:00:34 +0800

(Cambodia / bobsoldout.com)
I woke-up from a nap in my hammock yesterday and looked at my hand and was hit by an epiphany which is that fingers are actually just little arms when you think about it. That first knuckle is like your shoulder and the next is like a little elbow and then you have a little [...]
6 reads

blowing through the jasmine in my mind.

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 02:36:13 +0800

(Cambodia / 13º00' N / 105º00' E)
i am THE best english speaker in my town. (because) i am the only native english speaker in my town. but of course some cambodians in my town can speak english. i’d estimate that 75% of them kn ...
0 reads

Untitled

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 07:59:00 +0800

(Cambodia / Kellee in Cambodia)
0 reads

Things that have made me scream like a g ...

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 01:29:46 +0800

(Cambodia / This Might Be Home)
Spiders:As we were packing to go to Phnom Penh I was sitting on the floor and putting my shoes into a plastic bag. A spider jumped out of one of my shoes and onto my lap. I screamed. Like a gir ...
6 reads

March 5– Some Non-Cambodia Things

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 13:39:12 +0800

(Cambodia / Cooper in Cambodia)
So I officially began studying for the LSAT this week. I’m planning on taking the test in Bangkok at the end of June. That should be enough time to study right? Why don’t test books have plastic wrapping around them? My mom sent me about five books to study with and in two of them so [...]
9 reads

you’ve come a long way.

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 11:00:13 +0800

(Cambodia / 13º00' N / 105º00' E)
so i worried for the first time in moooonths last week. this is what happened. basically i pay my own utilities. and by ‘pay my own utilities.’ i mean i am given a water or electricity bi ...
9 reads

Thanks AppropriateProjects.com!

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 05:00:44 +0800

(Cambodia / bobsoldout.com)
Water Charity is a non-profit that funds water projects all over the world. In 2009 they started an initiative called Appropriate Projects — you can read all about it in this message from Aver ...
11 reads

ALMOST THERE!!!

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 15:22:15 +0800

(Cambodia / Hear Kenya)
Harambee Project UPDATE: As of this posting we have raised $11 230! Only $70 to go! THANK YOU to all that have made donations. Now the fun begins. Stay tuned. Happy Peace Corps Week!
7 reads

March 3– 92-18

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:17:33 +0800

(Cambodia / Cooper in Cambodia)
Well lets just say that my Cambodian coaching debut didn’t over quite as well as I hoped. Unfortunately my guys who have practiced for about a month and know maybe half the rules of basketball got ...
7 reads

a picture is worth…

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:13:06 +0800

(Cambodia / 13º00' N / 105º00' E)
i’ve stared. and stared. at this photo trying to decide why i like it so much. it sums up the past 8 months of my life yet i can’t put it into words. you had to be there. (click photo for bigger better version.)
9 reads

jaundice prevention.

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:49:13 +0800

(Cambodia / 13º00' N / 105º00' E)
“Sugar cane juice contains about 15 per cent natural sugar and is rich in organic salts and vitamins. The problem with sugar cane juice is that it is easily contaminated. Since it contains high ...
4 reads

Untitled

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 08:19:00 +0800

(Cambodia / Kristin in Cambodia)
So two weeks ago on a Monday I was at school waiting for class to begin. My host mom comes up to me and asks if I want to go to Siem Reap (a very famous tourist town up north). I said yes thinking t ...
8 reads

March 1– Back to Reality

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 13:27:27 +0800

(Cambodia / Cooper in Cambodia)
So after about ten days away it was right back to the grind today… First I taught for two hours then I went to my school directors house for lunch. I started drinking beer with him at 10:30 am and went home for a rest around 1:00. Then this afternoon I took a taxi into the [...]
12 reads

Into the 8th month....

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 09:32:00 +0800

(Cambodia / One handful of rice)
Chun Lai's Birthday Cake- sorry for the delay I forgot on the last post. The huge pig is on the cake because he was born in the year of the pig. The birthday boy on his 3rd b ...
29 reads

NEW! Photos: Around Town

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 05:00:19 +0800

(Cambodia / bobsoldout.com)
As always you can find more photos on Flickr! Filed under: notes on chickens photos
6 reads

February 28– Home

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 14:32:58 +0800

(Cambodia / Cooper in Cambodia)
Left my hotel this morning at 11:00 am. Arrived back at home at 4:00pm. Approximately five hours for fifty miles of travel. It’s nice to be home though. Yes… home. After just six short mon ...
12 reads

JOHN FONTAINE PRESENTS… Tough Love #001

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 05:00:38 +0800

(Cambodia / bobsoldout.com)
After my Valentine’s Day Note was published here at Bobsoldout.com I received a lot of electronic fan mail letters in my electronic mailbox that read something like this: Dear Mr. John Fontaine ...
12 reads

This and that

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 02:40:48 +0800

(Cambodia / This Might Be Home)
This is the last time in a while I’ll have nigh-daily internet access (although for the last several posts I just scheduled them all to be posted every day for your reading pleasure) so I’ll do up ...
6 reads

Untitled

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 08:57:00 +0800

(Cambodia / The Simple Life...)
Brought to you by TravelPod part of the TripAdvisor Media Network. Millions of travel experiences have been shared on TravelPod from every city including Mountain View Milpitas and Dorado.
2 reads

Singapore in Pictures

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 07:22:00 +0800

(Cambodia / Letters From Southeast Asia)
3 reads

KFC

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 06:53:00 +0800

(Cambodia / In Cambodia-land)
I love that KFC in Cambodia plays country music for diners.
10 reads

Catastrophes and Tiger Balm

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 04:49:00 +0800

(Cambodia / Meghan in Cambodia)
This week I had a catastrophe. Now on the whole these days I am doing quite well. On a day in and day out basis I feel quite content in my general surroundings and have very little cause for compla ...
4 reads

February 26– Only in Cambodia

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 09:24:51 +0800

(Cambodia / Cooper in Cambodia)
Walk through any market in Cambodia and you’ll find shirts with meaningless English writing or blatant spelling mistakes on them. This is the best one I’ve seen in a while… Spend en ...
10 reads

Untitled

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 07:56:43 +0800

(Cambodia / 13º00' N / 105º00' E)
*book list updated*
8 reads

Four Days In Singapore

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 04:04:00 +0800

(Cambodia / Letters From Southeast Asia)
For the past few months I have been studying for the GRE’s in the hopes that I will one day enter graduate school. With school slowing down this month it seemed that late February would be an idea ...
6 reads

Still in Cambodia Land

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 02:18:00 +0800

(Cambodia / In Cambodia-land)
OK I know I know I haven't written in a while. I've got some catching up to do. I still haven't written about our trip to Bangkok; AND Will's parents just left last week after an eventful visit to t ...
12 reads

February 25– Meetings

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 12:01:37 +0800

(Cambodia / Cooper in Cambodia)
I don’t know how I’m ever going to handle a real job when I move back to America. The last four days of meetings have probably been harder than anything else I’ve done in the last co ...
24 reads

A Bit of Campus Life: Breakfast “Bowl ...

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 09:08:08 +0800

(Cambodia / Moshi mosh, Siem Reap)
Vietnamese noodles! Very tasty not sure if it goes with cold sugar cane juice all the time but I love it. You can have rice porridge or vietnamese noodles at this stand behind campus. It’s a ...
4 reads

8

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 08:41:50 +0800

(Cambodia / This Might Be Home)
I hate dogs.
2 reads