Here are a few updates from ‘the Land of Smiles,’ or whatever the Tourism industry calls this little corner of the world…
--Even though it is the hot and dry season, it has been raining about once a week for some time, and the heat is not as unbearable as I thought it would be. I think that Iowa life has conditioned me for anything and everything… Although I’m dreading coming back to the state at the beginning of winter after almost 3 years of no temperatures under 70.
--The family has a jasmine bush that has just flowered recently, right underneath my window (which is open at all times). So, last night when it was raining, the scent wafted through to me and made my room smell like my favorite Jasmine tea.
--There is a baby of about 6 months who is a cousin and comes over to visit my grandmother fairly frequently, and yesterday was no exception. I came downstairs to visit and see little Maleka, who immediately opened her arms to come to me and wouldn’t let go. She didn’t go to her aunt who watches her all the time, or to my grandmother, or to my host mom, or my little brother, or either of my sisters. My family was quite surprised and I was tickled… She only let go for her mother.
--There are more school holidays than I could ever keep track of. The entire month of February for 5 days of testing, next week for more testing, the entire month of April for Khmer New Year, a full week in May for the King’s Birthday, parts of June for testing, and all of July for the same. Not to mention the several “I just don’t feel like it” days that students and teachers alike enjoy taking.
--I have made friends with a considerable amount of monks at the somewhat distant pagoda of Rolum Chrey, and now whenever I go there, the head monk invites me up to his balcony and we drink water or Coke and eat apples and talk about stuff.
--Somehow, someway, both the AC and closed rooms with fans stirring up dust have been making me ill. See the above fear of returning to Iowa…
--I have lost all manners and social graces that I have once had. There are many examples of this…
-We sit on the table and all eat from communal dishes that we spoon into our own bowl of rice, so sometimes between the communal plate and my plate food falls to the table… but then I eat it anyway.
-I bathe in a huge water room with the shower and the toilet and a big tub of water all in the same place. The whole thing is tiled, and I can splash water wherever I please and spit out toothpaste and shampoo my hair and just wash it all into the ditch.
-We recently met the American Ambassador to Cambodia while we were in Phnom Penh, and while exchanging pleasantries, decided to talk about how beautiful the bathrooms were in the Embassy (it’s true, they are, and the whole thing is a slice right out of America).
-Peace Corps Volunteers are very close with each other, and our position here in this odd country makes us more aware of the things our body can handle, and we often compare these things. So, it stands to reason that I have had more conversations about constipation, sex, diarrhea, insect-related diseases, skin issues, weight, periods and other girl-troubles, and any number of other related topics than I ever had before. We also talk about food… all the time. Though we have found that we PCVs have developed relationships in our meager 8 months here that it would have taken years to cultivate in the States… seemingly because we are more true to ourselves; take away your normal clothes, your car, your college or other lifestyle, anything else that you define as yourself, and what you have is us.
-- What’s coming up…
-This weekend: A St. Patty’s Day party with the VSOs (which will include real Irish food and real Irish people)
-Beginning of next week: A friend from Simpson who is staying in Thailand is coming to visit for a few days, and we will go to see the temples in Siem Riep!
-Next Month: I am going to both Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo in hopes of finding the “wild women” who I was always compared to as a child and young adult. I will be searching for a woman with wildly crazy and curly hair like my own and see if we can take a group photo.
-May: I want to go and see the rest of the Thailand group before they go back to good ole Iowa, so I think I’ll spend the King’s Birthday on that.
-Mid-July: Myself, Deidre, and Whitney are planning a girl’s camp that will bring some of our girls into the city and introduce them to educational and career opportunities!
-Late Summer: I am trying to find a way to work in the arts with a local NGO. Also, I’m excited to meet all the families and friends that are coming up – Deidre’s twin and friends, Whitney’s brother and folks, Anthony’s girlfriend and family, and maybe some more…
--Even though it is the hot and dry season, it has been raining about once a week for some time, and the heat is not as unbearable as I thought it would be. I think that Iowa life has conditioned me for anything and everything… Although I’m dreading coming back to the state at the beginning of winter after almost 3 years of no temperatures under 70.
--The family has a jasmine bush that has just flowered recently, right underneath my window (which is open at all times). So, last night when it was raining, the scent wafted through to me and made my room smell like my favorite Jasmine tea.
--There is a baby of about 6 months who is a cousin and comes over to visit my grandmother fairly frequently, and yesterday was no exception. I came downstairs to visit and see little Maleka, who immediately opened her arms to come to me and wouldn’t let go. She didn’t go to her aunt who watches her all the time, or to my grandmother, or to my host mom, or my little brother, or either of my sisters. My family was quite surprised and I was tickled… She only let go for her mother.
--There are more school holidays than I could ever keep track of. The entire month of February for 5 days of testing, next week for more testing, the entire month of April for Khmer New Year, a full week in May for the King’s Birthday, parts of June for testing, and all of July for the same. Not to mention the several “I just don’t feel like it” days that students and teachers alike enjoy taking.
--I have made friends with a considerable amount of monks at the somewhat distant pagoda of Rolum Chrey, and now whenever I go there, the head monk invites me up to his balcony and we drink water or Coke and eat apples and talk about stuff.
--Somehow, someway, both the AC and closed rooms with fans stirring up dust have been making me ill. See the above fear of returning to Iowa…
--I have lost all manners and social graces that I have once had. There are many examples of this…
-We sit on the table and all eat from communal dishes that we spoon into our own bowl of rice, so sometimes between the communal plate and my plate food falls to the table… but then I eat it anyway.
-I bathe in a huge water room with the shower and the toilet and a big tub of water all in the same place. The whole thing is tiled, and I can splash water wherever I please and spit out toothpaste and shampoo my hair and just wash it all into the ditch.
-We recently met the American Ambassador to Cambodia while we were in Phnom Penh, and while exchanging pleasantries, decided to talk about how beautiful the bathrooms were in the Embassy (it’s true, they are, and the whole thing is a slice right out of America).
-Peace Corps Volunteers are very close with each other, and our position here in this odd country makes us more aware of the things our body can handle, and we often compare these things. So, it stands to reason that I have had more conversations about constipation, sex, diarrhea, insect-related diseases, skin issues, weight, periods and other girl-troubles, and any number of other related topics than I ever had before. We also talk about food… all the time. Though we have found that we PCVs have developed relationships in our meager 8 months here that it would have taken years to cultivate in the States… seemingly because we are more true to ourselves; take away your normal clothes, your car, your college or other lifestyle, anything else that you define as yourself, and what you have is us.
-- What’s coming up…
-This weekend: A St. Patty’s Day party with the VSOs (which will include real Irish food and real Irish people)
-Beginning of next week: A friend from Simpson who is staying in Thailand is coming to visit for a few days, and we will go to see the temples in Siem Riep!
-Next Month: I am going to both Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo in hopes of finding the “wild women” who I was always compared to as a child and young adult. I will be searching for a woman with wildly crazy and curly hair like my own and see if we can take a group photo.
-May: I want to go and see the rest of the Thailand group before they go back to good ole Iowa, so I think I’ll spend the King’s Birthday on that.
-Mid-July: Myself, Deidre, and Whitney are planning a girl’s camp that will bring some of our girls into the city and introduce them to educational and career opportunities!
-Late Summer: I am trying to find a way to work in the arts with a local NGO. Also, I’m excited to meet all the families and friends that are coming up – Deidre’s twin and friends, Whitney’s brother and folks, Anthony’s girlfriend and family, and maybe some more…
1 comment:
you get my package yet? hadn't heard, so i wasn't sure.
love love love
bec
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