There's a First for Everything

So I decided to dedicate this blog to everything I have never seen, eaten, heard, smelled, thought, felt, or experienced before coming to Cambodia. While taking one of the many shits throughout my recent past, I could not help think about all that I have seen in Cambodia in a short 7 months... yea that's right... 7! Never in a million years would I have thought it probable that I would be experiencing things like this if you had asked me about two years ago, before I even decided to join Peace Corps. Coming from America is like living in a bubble that has been cleaned with Windex mercilessly. We can see everything on the internet and hear about everything on the nightly news, but to actually experience it is something I would have never thought possible. Since arriving in this tiny Southeast Asian country, here is a compilation, in no specific order, of what I consider memorable firsts and the stories that go with some:

King Cobra - while biking on a path I noticed a buy up ahead with his hand held out to stop me. I hopped off my bike to only see him beat the ditch besides the road with a stick. Mud and water went flying everywhere and it was apparent that he was not only trying to kill something, but terrified in the process. His kids were looking cautiously towards the ditch and his wife was keeping her distance when all of a sudden this behemoth snake propelled itself out of the water and spread its neck into the characteristic shape of a cobra. It hissed louder than I ever would have imagined and coiled itself into the attack position. I was stunned and a mere 5-7 feet away from this snake when the guy and the snake who entered into a staring contest leered at each other with a tenseness that meant one was going to die while the other lived. The man slung a stick very hard in the direction of the snake, causing it to fly in my direction. I cursed loudly (in English) and scampered off to find my dad. When we arrived back at the scene they had cut off the head and were getting ready to cook the serpent.
Poisonous Centipede - an approximately 10 inch long poisonous centipede almost bit my mom on her foot. They are the nastiest of things with coloring that could only indicate danger. They have these nasty large fangs that inject a large amount of very painful poison into the body. Would never want to get bitten by one of those. One actually did bite my mom a couple years ago and her foot swelled to the size of a football and sent pain up the side of her body to her arm.
GIANT Spiders / Tarantulas - If you are wondering if there is a difference between the two the answer is YES! First and foremost, I would definitely consider myself an arachniphobic before coming to Cambodia. The mere thought of spiders made my skin crawl to the point where feeling the hairs on my legs move at night under the covers would cause me to take off all my sheets and carefully scrutinize my sleeping space for any arachnids. On one of our very first bus rides here we stopped at some food venders for some grub and were immediately surrounded by young Cambodian vender girls holding huge hairy tarantulas. They tried putting them on us and succeeded with a few. I got the balls to only touch one, which was a huge feat for me. Then I managed to eat a whole leg, which was fried in a wok, which was of course after eating a large fried cricket. Unfortunately I must say they are not the worrisome creatures that occupy the far corners of my hut. The giant spiders (those of which can be seen on my facebook easily) are everywhere and much scarier than your slow moving tarantula. These things make spiderman look like your average garden spider. They seriously flip and dart your every attempt at swatting them with a palm leaf broom. They are aware at every attempt made towards there life and once you start waking at them you have to finish it before they maneuver their way towards you and up your leg, which I must say still scares the shit out of me. I can proudly state though, that spiders do not freak me out nearly as much as before. I can now walk into my bathroom which frequently has one or two and calmly walk out and return with my weapon of choice, which always ends in me winning.
Horned Beetles - These beetles are gigantic. They fly into my room at night through my barred windows and slam into the nearest surface. It feels like a school bus is crashing into my plastic walls and i'm sure one day it will succeed in punching a whole through my wall. They are pretty neat to see though.
Dog orgies - While this may be disgusting, it is apart of life from time to time in Cambodia and I feel as though it is worth sharing. When female dogs go into heat here, the male dogs go crazy and feel the need to wait in line to hump the female when free. This invariably happened right next to me several times while I was resting on a hammock. Cambodians don't even notice it unless the dogs start fighting. Fighting you ask? Well, the dogs always end up getting stuck together which is also not a very pleasant site to behold and then the other male dogs start attacking the male. The male dogs in this country as pumped full of testosterone which not only makes them extremely horny, but aggressive to the point where I used to always get chased by dogs on my daily bike rides. I have gotten to the point where they no longer threaten me and if a dog dares come after me I am all up in its face just as threatening as it is trying to be to me. But anyways... yes... dog orgies are something I would not have thought to occur right next to me while relaxing in a comfy hammock.
Monkeys - Many wats have monkeys and these things are both cute and vicious. If you have something a monkey wants then it is in your best interest to give it what it wants and go on your merry way. They will seriously claw your face off without the slightest hesitation if you have a tasty piece of rice cake that it is desiring. Some have them chained to trees while other wats will let them roam free to steel things from people who enter. There is even one that lives on the water front of the Mekong River in my provincial town that likes to enter restaurants and reek havoc among the patrons and staff alike.
Temples, and by temples, I mean really freaking old temples - The Khmer empire created a crap load of very beautiful temples in the country that are now over 1000 years old in spots. The stone work that was involved in their creation is simply stunning and the chance to see a new temple on one of my many bike rides is something I never pass up. The many gods and creatures involved in the Buddhist religion is remarkable and the art work that goes into temples and wats is very unreal to behold. They are normally placed in beautiful locations with flowing fields of rice surrounding their outer walls. Monks are always walking around with their billowing orange robes and at times holding an orange umbrella to protect them from the hot Cambodian sun. The prayers are something that I also have never experienced before. I knew of Muslims and their call to prayer, but I never really heard Buddhist chants until coming here. I cant really explain it, but they are something that always makes me think of how awesome it is to be in a place like this. I have been to many ceremonies and even chanted at in several occasions. I have had water sprayed on me and lotus petals thrown at me. I have bowed and prayed at the foot of many Buddhas out of respect to the culture and it is something I will never forget. The drums that the monks band at 4am every morning used to wake my up in my training village and I frequently here the chanting of monks over loud speaker for funerals and weddings. Its much different than my Catholic hymns at Sunday church service.
Fields of Rice and Forests of Palm Trees - These are what make Cambodia into the country it is. Rice fields are everywhere and you haven't really seen this country until you have driven through an endless plain of either plentiful rice or dry barren land which can be found in the dry season. I have seen a large part of this country and it still gets me every time I ride up to and through some of the largest fields I have even seen in my life. Many rice fields simply go on for as far as the eye can see and they are sporadically dotted with huge coconut trees. The image is one that is characteristic of Asia and never becomes a site I become bored with. The trees on the other hand are also awesome! I live in a Cambodian forest which is made up entirely of palm trees. The Pennsylvania forest is much different than the one I am currently living in. Many sounds eminate from the night and it can only be described as wild and adventurous.
Asian market - an asian market can only be described as a claustrophobic's nightmare. There are packed from bottom to top with things of every sort which leaves barely enough room for a thin pathways to maneuver around. The smells are a mix of rotting food, human waste, alot of BO, and yes... rice. I think they are kind of fun to walk around, that is, if I need something from there. I have become extremely cheap since becoming a volunteer so walking around markets where merchandise is literally shoved in my face is not my ideal free time activity. There will be 10 shops in a row with all the same "stuff" and it never occurs to the venders that it would make ore sense to either space themselves out or sell different items. The food section of markets is also a unique experience. The plethora of vegetables is astounding; America simply does not have such a variety of delicious fruits and vegetables which are fresher than anything you will find in a Walmart. Dragon fruits, mians, sow mows, melons, and veggies of all sorts litter every nook and cranny of a venders table. The meat market has literally every piece of an animal you could possibly want and the fish market is filled with the pounding of butcher knifes on wooden boards, occasionally followed by scales flying through the air or a fish that managed to flop itself away from certain death and into the isle where it awaits a much different ending. All in all, the Asian market is an experience you most likely will never forget, if you can find your way out that is.
Biking over 1000 Km... and counting - I think its no secret I like to bike, no, sorry.... I love to bike. The miles I have put on this simple mountain bike are astounding in my opinion and I wouldn't trade a single bike ride for anything. I see village after village, temple after temple, and rice field after rice field, all on the back of my bike. I have biked to the far corners of my province and have managed to cross over into several others. I meet people along the way and always have a nice chat about this and that. The smells, which are not always nice, consist of burning garbage and pure Cambodian heat... along the rode of course. In the fields the smells are quite different and I would call it a mixture of purity and freshness. I have been miles upon miles up and down the paths that straddle the Mekong River and have biked over hills which offer uparalleled views of the Cambodian plains. I biked a little while in college, but never would I have guessed my legs would be doing this much biking in a time span of 7 months.
General sense of happiness - For the first time in my life I am completely satisfied with the way my life is going. There are no issues and drama to worry about, I love my families, my health center, the community, and the people that surround me every day. I wake up in a good mood and lay my head down at night the same. Shit still happens every day... believe me... things go wrong all the time. But now I can look at occurances in a much different light and feel much more at peace with myself. I don't hurry from place to place anymore and there is no need to drink 5 cups of coffee in a day to stay awake. I sleep when I need it, go where I need to go when I have to, and get my work done the best I can without the stress I would normally put myself through. My teeth are much whiter for that and I can seriously say I don't have a single problem with life at the moment. I simply did not know this feeling existed and couldn't be more content with everything.
Scorpions - Yep... they are here to. I only really see them squashed on the road or path though.
Bearded dragons - These things like to sun themselves in the hot Cambodian sun so whenever I am riding my bike I am guaranteed to see them scuttling off to the side. They run with their heads in the air and is a hilarious site to behold. I would put it up there with running chickens and goats... two other animals I see frequently throughout my day. They run with an air of stupidness and I bust out laughing every time I manage to see it. The bearded dragons however are fast as can be and its quite funny to see them run with their heads as high as they can get them.
Not celebrating Christmas - I have never gone through my last 22 years without some sort of celebratory event marking the Chrismas holidays. That goes for every American holiday.. but Christmas was somewhat poinient this year. I am a sucker for the holiday music, hot chocolate, and christmas cookies. Something about the whole season makes me warm inside, no matter how frigid it may be outside. I always look forward to spending time with family and friends and cant remember a Christmas in the States that didn't involve some rendition of all that. Well.. this year was quite different and not necessarily in a bad way. I woke up, sweating, went to the market for some delicious fruit, and spent the day riding around in my shorts in the Cambodian heat. Nobody in the village celebrates Christmas obviously, being all Buddhist, so there was no christmas music to wake up to, presents to open, or Christmas breakfast to be had. I ended up skyping with some friends and family and then went to a Khmer party one of the teachers I work with was having. I will admit, sadness was present at times, but overall I was just amazed at the opportunity to spend a holiday such as Christmas in such a foreign and awesome place. I went to bed with a smile that night.
the Kroma! - This is a kroma wearing country and I rock the kroma daily. Its this table cloth material that everybody wears and has worn for years and years. It is part of traditional Cambodian dress and I am always thrilled to come home from work, strip down, and wrap myself in one of the most airy materials known to man. I won't be wearing that in the States so I am taking full advantage of rocking it out every day I can. And I must say... it feels damn good when its 95 degrees outside.
Not using internet - I was very dependent on the internet coming right out of college. I got on facebook too many times within the day and was constantly checking emails, news sites, and again, facebook. I cant remember a day in my recent past that didn't somehow involve using the web for this and that. Well.. that certainly changed when I came to Cambodia. Training was brutal and I got on the internet maybe once every two weeks. I thought I would have a bigger problem with it than I did, but it was actually quite easy. Everything was so new and the experience was so awesome that not having facebook or news to look at never really became an issue for me. Now I really only get on the internet to upload pics or research stuff for my job. I guess my days of obsessive internet use are over... yet I cant say I have any regret on the matter.
Sandles every day - The sun is hot and it is either really dusty or really muddy in this country. I can't remember I day in the past 7 months I wasn't sweating and needless to say, the humidity makes things 10 times worse. Shoes were out of the question obviously and I have been wearing my Chaco sandles ever since I arrived, minus swear inn. I never thought I would go through such a long period in my life without being constricted to the confines of a nike shoe. Sandles are awesome and my feet feel much more apart of me as they ever have. They are rugged, dirty, and I wouldn't touch them with a 10 foot pole, but in all reality its just character I see crusted onto their soles.
TOILET PAPER-LESS - I'm guessing that most people aren't going to want to shake my left hand when I come back to the states and I can't say I blame them. I haven't used toilet paper since coming here and I can't say that I miss it. I hear something right before I came here about not using toilet paper to wipe their asses, but I for some reason never thought I would be taking part in that practice. I was determined to buy a trash can and toilet paper and dispose of it myself. Well... they dont have trash here and the only thing that comes closest to cleaning up the trash involves throwing it outside in the backyard where the dogs rummage through it. So doing this with shitty toilet paper was impossible and I grew a pair, reached between my legs, and wiped until I was clean. The feeling was definitely odd at first and I was kind of uncomfortable with the practice at first, but then I realized this is Peace Corps and I don't know what I really was expecting to be different about the circumstances. Then I thought about it some more and its actually much more enjoyable and fast. It makes a much smaller mess, doesn't involve cutting down trees, and makes the process in my opinion much faster. I can't even remember how many hours were slaved away in the bathroom back in the states. But coming here and using my hand has made the whole process much quicker and I don't kill an entire forest in one sitting. My hand is still clean and i'm still here after 7 months of doing it. I go to hotels when I am out of site and the toilet paper actually kind of hurts now. I feel much more cleaner in the process also... weird huh? The only problem is when my nails are not cut all the way and shit... literally.. gets stuck in there. Hey... this is cambodia though... theres much grosser things than wiping your ass with your hand. These people don't have another option and I am all for reaching down there and cleaning house with the hands God gave to you.
Rice for every meal - I have literally eaten rice with every lunch and dinner for the past 7 months. It's definitely a first that has done a number on my bowel movements and cravings. I used to hate eating rice for every meal. The thought of it drove me sick, but over the weeks I grew to enjoy it. I am now at the point where I have been for months. I crave that warm steaming bowl of rice and that first spoonful of white fluffy goodness. The steam fills my mouth and for a moment I think of nothing other than that spoonful of rice. There are times when my mom uses rice from the previous meal and I get a bowl full of cold rice, but when its warm and steaming I can't help but salivate at the very thought of that rice spoon filling my mouth with hot rice. Does that make me Asian?
Independence like never before - I like to think college was my growing up period where I became a young adult and became independent from the bubble put over me by my parents, but no... college was not that. I was never really truly independent till I came here and it feels good. Everything I do here us up to me and the successes and failures of day to day events are based on what I do and say. I have grown in many ways, but now is not the time to dive into that swimming pool.
Burning trash - Cambodia has no public trash collection system so people either burn it or throw it out the window into the yard. Everyday I get blasted with this putrid smoke filled with plastic and who knows what else. I used to be really paranoid about breathing in smoke from plastics, but I am so used to it nowadays it dowsn't even bother me. I try not to breath in when going through a really thick billowing smoke but its inevitable in this country.
Houses with no windows! - My houses along with most other Cambodian homes are not really enclosed spaces like they are in America. Homes in the states are literally seperating people from the elements and at times yes... that is a good thing.. but I can remember days when all I would breath was central air. Here.. my house doesn't even have glass or screens for windows. There are simply bars and shutters and I am breathing all natural air 24/7. While that is not always a good thing, life does smell a little sweeter here. I feel much more alive breathing in mother nature at her best instead of that purified crap that circulates throughout homes in America.
Cold?... whats that? - I haven't been cold in around 10 months... including those I spent in America and I can say that is definitely a first for the books. I have worn shorts everyday since coming here and it is weird reading how there is 2 feet of snow on the ground at home and temps in the single digits while I am sitting here sweating my ass off just to peel an orange. It gets overwhelming at times and I like seasons but I am loving living in the tropics at the moment. Here's a big woooot for living 11 degrees away from the equator!

Alright... its bed time in the Bode. I'm sure I have more I could write about but today I taught two lessons, had 3 meetings, worked on health stuff, and helped teach a private class. I've been going since 5am and now its time to hit my nice "firm" peace corps mattress and fall asleep to the wedding music playing down the street. Night y'all

Found My Way

I finally have started to do what I came here for and I am fulfilling that image of what I thought being a volunteer was going to be like. I have been loving life for the past 5 or so months and rarely go to bed at night without a smile on my face. I love my host family and the community I was put in... everything is simply too good to be true. I have prospects of traveling to far away lands in the future I never thought possible and the next year and a half is looking to be the best yet. One thing has been missing from that though... my work at the health center and my position as a health volunteer in the community.

I haven't been talking with people about health for a variety of reasons. They seem very stand-offish and apprehensive to talk to me when they come into the health center. They are either intimidated by my skin and status as a foreigner or I believed they thought that what I had to say was completely pointless and meaningless. Cambodian people are some of the most friendly Asians you can ever meet, but when they come into that health center I get a very different impression of them and it is not one that is inviting and eager to talk. I could never bring myself to start conversing with people about issues such as sanitation, nutrition, and disease prevention out of fear that they would think it ridiculous that I lecture on such trivial issues. I also didn't know nearly enough vocabulary until recently so I also had this fear that they would start talking and I would not know what they are saying. These factors kept me at bay until one day 2 weeks ago where I just went at it and started talking.

Sine then I literally talk to every single person that walks into my health center. I give speeches on proper nutrition, vitamins, sanitation, and disease prevention. I created a number station for my health center so everyone who enters has to pick a number for one of the three areas of service and wait according to when he or she arrived. This allows the doctor to not be bombarded with patients who are vying for a spot up front as close as they can to the doctor, but creates a more private environment that allows the patient to disclose more of what is wrong with them which in turn allows for a better assessment from the doctor's point of view. This also allows me to talk with people because they are now no longer worried about their spot in line and are much more relaxed while waiting for their number to be called, which gives me the opportunity to dive in and start talking about health. While sitting at my number station right in front of the entrance, I now talk with everybody about issues I feel they may be suffering from and ways to improve their health. I casually talk with mothers about what proper nutrition is for their kids and what they should do to encourage healthy eating habits. I talk with kids about what foods they eat and what healthy foods do for them. I talk about sanitation and the proper way to wash hands. The topics go on and on and I have a bunch in my head that are just waiting for me to put it on paper and practice.

I also started going out into the community on my bike to places where I previously was afraid of dogs. The canines of Cambodia are some of the most fierce in any 3rd world country and for a while I was afraid of getting bit so I didn't venture out into my surrounding villages. Recently I have gotten over that fear and now the dogs don't scare me one bit. If they start to chase me I simply get off my bike and act like a maniac by screaming and throwing things at them until they leave me alone. Its worked so far so here's to a year and a half more without a dog bite! Now that I have gotten out into the rural parts of my community I am meeting a whole different set of people. There are kids everywhere out there, playing with sticks and stones and peeing left and right. I have been finding them and start casually talking with them. I figure if I go around and talk to them enough they will start to be comfortable enough with me to allow me to start discussing health with them. They are always interested in the white guy showing up on my bike and chatting up about this and that. The villages around my community no longer intimidate me and I am finding it rather easy to talk to these people. They generally seem very interested in what I have to say and suprisingly they are much more in the dark about many issues I just assumed they knew about. Going around on my bike and talking to random Cambodians about health is something that makes me smile every time and I cant wait to do more in this area by maybe starting health clubs or parenting clubs in these remote villages.

One other thing I have started is teaching at the local high school. After months of waiting for the director to make up his mind, I met with him again and he finally agreed to let me teach. He told me I was to start teaching the next week and he left the meeting without telling me the day, the age group of the kids, and whether or not they spoke any English. So I prepared a lesson on nutrition and the 3 food groups, whats in them, and why they are important, and planned on speaking the entire lesson in Khmer. I was semi-nervous about this for the fact that they could easily not understand a word I say and it be a complete failure. I went to the school on a day I thought best and was led to a classroom where the teacher was told to stop and I was told to start teaching haha. I went through the lesson with such energy and charisma that these kids were blown away I feel. They normally don't get that kind of energy from their teachers here and we really hit it off from the beginning. They were all laughing and volunteering and listening to everything I said which I couldn't have been happier about. The lesson went off without a hitch and the best part about it was they understood everything I was trying to say. I didn't need help at all and I feel as though many of them took away something from the lesson. I now have a date at that school to teach a class every Thursday and I am now looking into the primary schools to give health lessons to. Eventually I would like to be teaching 3 days a week and maybe a Saturday here and there.

My 5pm classes are still going strong. I go to one of several private schools every night at 5pm and help out with pronunciation and vocabulary... aka... teach them. I have been seeing these several groups of kids every night for the past 5 months and many of us have been growing into really good friends. I always enjoy going and chatting with these kids before class starts and then helping them through the lesson with their difficulties in pronouncing words. They never fail to make me laugh and no matter what happens throughout the day, I always leave these lessons in a good mood. I see many of them on the streets throughout the day and it is at the point where I will start talking with them whenever I see them. The kids are great and its nice to have such a large group of people I am friendly with. I don't feel like an outsider anymore and that is largely due to this wonderful group of friend I have formed over the past 6 months at site. Anywhere I go the people say "Hi Chris!" or "Hi Teacher!". There is this overwhelming sense of belonging to the community I now feel and it is something I feel any Peace Corps volunteer strives to obtain.

All of this, plus my work in the health center, plus my awesome family and community are making this an experience that is life changing in a very enjoyable and positive way. I feel like I am finally being useful and I couldn't be happier with the way things are going. There are still those wtf moments where something goes wrong, I see a spider or insect the size of my face, get canceled on by someone at the last moment, cant understand a word somebody is saying, or other general frustrations of working in this country. The roads are dangerous and the heat is every bit overwhelming as it was when I stepped off that plain, but the things I am doing here and the experiences that make up every day are just too awesome to make me do anything other than smile and think to myself how lucky I am to be here. I finally feel like I have found my way, and after a couple hard months at working to get here, it was definitely worth it.