The last couple of weeks were hard, but had some pretty memorable moments. Last weekend I managed to complete an 80km bike ride in a day and I wont soon forget the pain that resided in my ass afterwords.. bike seat cushions aren't all they are cracked up to be! The ride nonetheless was awesome and the views were stunning. We started in Kampong Cham town and biked our way to this abandoned air strip from the 70's located just north of the city. Just getting there was an adventure and under the direction of Stu we made it there in about 30 min. He somehow navigated his way there by himself once and it is beyond me how he accomplished that cause there was a cluster of turns and windy trails I could never have found myself navigating alone. Yet, we made it there and once at the airstrip we explored this old abandoned military bunker on top of a hill overlooking the runway. The view from atop this small hill was breathtaking for the mere fact any elevated position in this country offers views for as long as the eye can see due to the extreme flatness of the landscape. The sun was particularly brutal this day and the haze was definitely present, but regardless I could see palm trees for miles and miles surrounded by rice patty fields and cambodian homes. Cattle dotted the fields here and there and there were motos going from here to there on the jungle paths leading up to the air strip. One of the most striking things I noticed was the lack of noise. Cambodia is a very loud country with speakers blasting, motos constantly buzzing by, and dogs barking at absolutely nothing, but on top of this hill there was simply the landscape spread out in front of us and a gentle breeze blowing hot air onto my already sweaty face. After exploring the building we went on this "loop" that took about 4 hours. This loop I thought was going to be a short 10k around some rice patty fields, but o how I was wrong. We ended up going in and out of very rural villages, up and down jungle paths that had never seen the likes of somebody like me and Stu, and through fields that offered little to no protection from the sun. It was a true adventure and I couldn't have been in a better place at a better time that right there biking my way through the maze of paths and roads. Stu knew where he was going so I simply followed and enjoyed the scenery which was definitely a sight to see. Many of the villagers would come out of there homes and stare as we rode by, just to catch a glimpse of a "berong" and scream "hello" as loud as they can. Children would stop what they were doing and come to there gates just to stare... just as they do all over this country. All it takes is a simple hello from me to ease their fears and reassure them that I'm nobody to be afraid of, as they too readily assume due to my appearance. The sun was even more unforgiven than earlier in the day and lets just say I ended up 10 shades darker than when I started. The fields we went in and out of were impressive from one to the next and never became boring to the eyes. Rice patty fields are gigantic in Cambodia due to the extreme presence of illegal logging throughout the country. There are just hundreds and hundreds of acres per field and they go on for miles at a time. It never ceases to amaze me at how amazing rice patty fields dotted with coconut trees are. We managed to stop at a food stand for lunch and the generosity of the people took me by suprise. We asked to sit on one of their tables that they had perched outside, but instead they lead us to the middle of their living room, laid out bamboo mats, and gave us mugs to drink out of. We had an audience of people watching the "berongs" eat but that no longer bothers me, seeing as every time I do anything its to an audience that watched my every step. The lunch of baguette bread with chunky peanut butter and fresh bananas never fails to satisfy even the hungriest of stomachs and soon enough we were off again for another 3 hours till we made our way back to the city of kg. ch. Once finished we grabbed a coconut shake from this western restaurant and marveled at the adventure of the day, savoring every drop of that cold and delicious milkshake at the same time. Its nice to know I'm going to the base camp of Mount Everest with this guy... he knows what hes doing and is fun to travel with. Thats a whole new adventure that will take place in a year and half so I'll save that story for when the time comes to tell it! afterwords I had to make my way back to my village is another 20km away from the town so all in all it was a pretty tiring and sunny day I would love to experience again!
Yesterday I was greeted to the wonderful occasion of a khmer wedding and I the whole thing was definitely a new experience I will treasure. One of my health center staff invited me to this party and told me it started at 7 in the morning. I had my doubts on actually getting up to go to a party that early in the morning but regardless I pushed myself out of bed and luckily dressed up nice for the occasion. Once there I noticed the large canopy that is present at any party in Cambodia with its pink roof and colorful drapes. As usual I entered like a king and was greeted by everybody at the party. Parents brought their kids up to see the white guy and many scream and cry in terror as they are not used to somebody who looks like me. Then, after sitting me down in the middle of the yard with everyone else standing around me, they presented me with nom which is cooked rice paste with a coconut and sugar mixture inside... pretty delicious. After sitting and chatting for some time they lead me inside and to my surprise there was a bride and groom getting dressed in traditional khmer wedding attire. I cant even begin to describe what they dress in so google "khmer wedding" if you want a description of clothes worn at these events. Two words that I would use to describe their clothes would be gaudy and sequins haha. They were indeed beautiful once dressed and once complete we went upstairs for the actual ceremony. I found out eventually that the bride was the sister of the health staff who invited me so I guess it wasn't that awkward I was taking part in this right? After chanting and rituals the ceremony was done and I was brought to the front to get my picture with the bride and groom.. the funny thing is that I was the only person who got my picture with them, not even the parents has their pictures taken with them haha. Anyways we were then lead outside to the party and a huge vat of rice pouridge was served to everyone. rice pouridge is a huge dish in Cambodia and can be served with many things. This dish had everything within a chicken inside this pouridge, mixed with bean sprouts, herbs and spices, and lime juice. The whole experience was memorable and just one more that is making this experience that much more enjoyable.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Settling Into the Routine
I managed to purchase an internet phone so for the next two years I will have internet several times a week right here in my room! I've been at my site for a month already and time has flown by faster than I could have ever imagined. My day starts off bright and early with the barking of crazy dogs and the wailing of my neighbor's infant. After a quickly getting ready I head off to the market where I either partake in a variety of foods ranging from a simple dragon fruit, to a delicious beef/bean sprout filled crepe, to a bowl of steaming fried noodles served with a side of egg. The market is bustling anywhere from 6am to noon and is THE place to buy fish freshly gutted and swimming around in a pot not 2 minutes before they get the butcher knife, meat of all sorts hanging on hooks surrounded by a cloud of flies, pickled and fresh vegetable sitting in buckets of brine, fresh fruits that American grocery stores only dream of, and of course food stands that serve pretty awesome breakfast with coffee (on ice). After sitting with my mom on her food stand where sells this sweet rice desert, I head to the health center where my day really starts.
As of now, my job at the health center has been slow and somewhat dull. Since starting 4 weeks ago I have only managed to sit at every service offered by the health center which are vaccinations, pre/post natal care, pharmacy, and consultation. I saw a couple infections popped and drained which is actually very painful because they use no anesthesia here, and I also managed to see a mother give birth from the hallway! Sitting in vaccination consists of watching mothers breast feed, infants recieving injections, and infants screaming afterwards. The pharmacy has shelving on which several kinds of medicines sit before being dispensed like candy on Halloween. After obtaining a prescription from consultation they will hover over to the pharmacy and push and shove until they are given a bag containing 3-5 different kinds of pills... with no markings or directions on how to take them. Consultation is actually quite interesting because all the sick have to travel through this station to receive services. They will describe either having a headache, cold, or fever and are quickly given a sheet of paper with a list of drugs to take. This is what I have been occupying my time with over the last month and on the times where patients are filtering out I tend to break out the Khmer notes and study language because I definitely have a ways to go before I can speak fluently with the locals.
It's not that this stuff does not interest me, but I feel as though I should be doing so much while out here and since arriving I have only managed to observe and study khmer. I went one week on an outreach service my health center conducts for half the month where they travel to a surrounding village and administer injections to those who can either not get to the health center or are too poor to afford services. That was very interesting to say the least and I wish I did more of that, but I have not been doing anything substantial in the health education field. Many of my fellow health volunteers are feeling the same way, but I am guessing thats the way it is going to have to be for the next couple months. We don't know nearly enough language to go out and create a health club of some sort, we don't know the true needs of the community because we are confined to the health center due to our lack of language, and this program has never been attempted before in this country so how are we supposed to know what to do, when to do it, and where it is to be done at. As for now, I will go to the health center in the mornings and try to start SOMETHING... I guess I will have to try and convince myself that that is all I can do at the moment and projects will come as time passes.
After work at the health center I bike on home for a lunch of rice and some sort of meet and vegetable pulled from the ground. The food is becoming second nature to me and the large amounts of rice are something I kind of look forward to when pondering about the upcoming meal. My mom has been making large amounts of food for lunch so she just has to heat up the left overs for dinner... so variety is not a gift I granted in food selection. Then, if its rainy or a workout day I will turn on some itunes and lift with my one dumbbell I bought in the capital. Its amazing how many exercises one can do with a simple dumbbell and nothing else to accompany it with. Then I either fill my time with movies/tv shows/music or I take bike rides through the many trails offered by my village and the surrounding area (weather permitting). There are some amazing trails through the rubber trees and whenever I am feeling upset or frustrated I take a long ride through the rubber plantation and any reserves I may have previously had are gone! Today for instance I rode through the miles upon miles of rubber trees, crisscrossing in and out of rows and rows of trees which differ in height from batch to batch. While riding through them it eerily reminds me of a forest found in America... the air is cool and the harsh sun rays only penetrate where there is an opening in the canopy. I rode and rode until I reached the top of this incline and fyi any incline gives breathtaking views of Cambodia due to the flatness of the landscape. Once up there I could see for miles the rolling plains of the rubber tree tops, palm trees sprinkled throughout the land, and farms which stretched on forever. The mist was reflecting the golden sun and I could only describe it purely as Cambodia. There was a slight breeze and the noise from everyday life was absent. All I could think to myself is that I definitely could uproot my shack of a home and plop it right there without hesitation. Rides like these make living here that much more awesome!
So strolling throughout the village on my bike also gives me an opportunity to make myself known. Part of my job is to get these people to trust me and the only way that is going to happen at first is to get my face out there so when it eventually comes time for me to educate they will be receptive to learning from a friendly face instead of hesitant to learn from a stranger. Whenever I pass ANYBODY i'm always greeted by a hello! or susadi! They are all too eager to drop whatever they are doing to run to the edge of the road and scream a greetings my way. At first the constant barrage of hellos gets annoying, but these people are never going to be able to say hello to another american again so why not let them get it out of their system! After that I make it over to my food stall where I get this lime tea... freshly prepared with awesome limes and loads of sugar. The owner knows a very minute amount of English so I can sit there and speak English with atleast somebody throughout my day. After finishing my tea I sometimes will head over to my counterpart's house where her husband teaches english to a group of teenagers. They have gotten to know me and I have taken a liking to them all so visiting the class and helping teach english always puts a smile on my face. By now its dinner time and I navigate the jungle trails with barely enough light to make it home for my meal of leftovers. Sometimes my mom likes to eat at my aunt's house so in that circumstance I am faced with navigating jungle paths filled with large puddles and potholes in the pitch black with the helpful aid of a flashlight. Nights consist of either reading, watching tv shows, or finding something to occupy my time with... studying fits in there somewhere. If I can fall asleep on time then its lights out by 10 and lately I have been making it through the whole night without being woken by rats or dogs fighting so thats a good sign!
As for me, I am doing much better than I originally was. The first couple of weeks were very rough, as I thought they were and I wasn't sure if I could do this for 2 years. Cambodian culture is very different from American culture and being thrown into another family with no one else around completely immerses one into a culture that can sometimes prove frustrating and hard to deal with. My family is great and they will do what they can do please me, but some things are getting old and I found it very hard to cope with in the beginning. Invasive would be a word fitting for a description of what Cambodian culture is like. There is no privacy in this society and everything is thought of as communal. When i'm doing something, my family has to hover over me and the second I do something they don't approve of or think is wrong they try and fix it their way and do things the way they see right. They treat me like a son of theirs that is 10 years old, but first of all I am an adult that volunteered to come from America to live in a third world country, and secondly I pay them money each month that could be considered rent. They are under the impression that I have to do follow every command of theirs, but that is not the way things are going to work over the next two years. We have been arriving at some understandings between us lately and they are starting to realize that I have my own schedule to maintain and our cultures are simply different, which is not necessarily a bad thing. There culture has taught them how to behave towards someone like me living in their household so I have to understand that and not hold it against them when annoying occurrences happen. I have been having other thoughts and feelings about the society I am living in, but it is constantly changing and I don't feel ready to draw upon any conclusions as of now... that will come in future posts!
As of now, my job at the health center has been slow and somewhat dull. Since starting 4 weeks ago I have only managed to sit at every service offered by the health center which are vaccinations, pre/post natal care, pharmacy, and consultation. I saw a couple infections popped and drained which is actually very painful because they use no anesthesia here, and I also managed to see a mother give birth from the hallway! Sitting in vaccination consists of watching mothers breast feed, infants recieving injections, and infants screaming afterwards. The pharmacy has shelving on which several kinds of medicines sit before being dispensed like candy on Halloween. After obtaining a prescription from consultation they will hover over to the pharmacy and push and shove until they are given a bag containing 3-5 different kinds of pills... with no markings or directions on how to take them. Consultation is actually quite interesting because all the sick have to travel through this station to receive services. They will describe either having a headache, cold, or fever and are quickly given a sheet of paper with a list of drugs to take. This is what I have been occupying my time with over the last month and on the times where patients are filtering out I tend to break out the Khmer notes and study language because I definitely have a ways to go before I can speak fluently with the locals.
It's not that this stuff does not interest me, but I feel as though I should be doing so much while out here and since arriving I have only managed to observe and study khmer. I went one week on an outreach service my health center conducts for half the month where they travel to a surrounding village and administer injections to those who can either not get to the health center or are too poor to afford services. That was very interesting to say the least and I wish I did more of that, but I have not been doing anything substantial in the health education field. Many of my fellow health volunteers are feeling the same way, but I am guessing thats the way it is going to have to be for the next couple months. We don't know nearly enough language to go out and create a health club of some sort, we don't know the true needs of the community because we are confined to the health center due to our lack of language, and this program has never been attempted before in this country so how are we supposed to know what to do, when to do it, and where it is to be done at. As for now, I will go to the health center in the mornings and try to start SOMETHING... I guess I will have to try and convince myself that that is all I can do at the moment and projects will come as time passes.
After work at the health center I bike on home for a lunch of rice and some sort of meet and vegetable pulled from the ground. The food is becoming second nature to me and the large amounts of rice are something I kind of look forward to when pondering about the upcoming meal. My mom has been making large amounts of food for lunch so she just has to heat up the left overs for dinner... so variety is not a gift I granted in food selection. Then, if its rainy or a workout day I will turn on some itunes and lift with my one dumbbell I bought in the capital. Its amazing how many exercises one can do with a simple dumbbell and nothing else to accompany it with. Then I either fill my time with movies/tv shows/music or I take bike rides through the many trails offered by my village and the surrounding area (weather permitting). There are some amazing trails through the rubber trees and whenever I am feeling upset or frustrated I take a long ride through the rubber plantation and any reserves I may have previously had are gone! Today for instance I rode through the miles upon miles of rubber trees, crisscrossing in and out of rows and rows of trees which differ in height from batch to batch. While riding through them it eerily reminds me of a forest found in America... the air is cool and the harsh sun rays only penetrate where there is an opening in the canopy. I rode and rode until I reached the top of this incline and fyi any incline gives breathtaking views of Cambodia due to the flatness of the landscape. Once up there I could see for miles the rolling plains of the rubber tree tops, palm trees sprinkled throughout the land, and farms which stretched on forever. The mist was reflecting the golden sun and I could only describe it purely as Cambodia. There was a slight breeze and the noise from everyday life was absent. All I could think to myself is that I definitely could uproot my shack of a home and plop it right there without hesitation. Rides like these make living here that much more awesome!
So strolling throughout the village on my bike also gives me an opportunity to make myself known. Part of my job is to get these people to trust me and the only way that is going to happen at first is to get my face out there so when it eventually comes time for me to educate they will be receptive to learning from a friendly face instead of hesitant to learn from a stranger. Whenever I pass ANYBODY i'm always greeted by a hello! or susadi! They are all too eager to drop whatever they are doing to run to the edge of the road and scream a greetings my way. At first the constant barrage of hellos gets annoying, but these people are never going to be able to say hello to another american again so why not let them get it out of their system! After that I make it over to my food stall where I get this lime tea... freshly prepared with awesome limes and loads of sugar. The owner knows a very minute amount of English so I can sit there and speak English with atleast somebody throughout my day. After finishing my tea I sometimes will head over to my counterpart's house where her husband teaches english to a group of teenagers. They have gotten to know me and I have taken a liking to them all so visiting the class and helping teach english always puts a smile on my face. By now its dinner time and I navigate the jungle trails with barely enough light to make it home for my meal of leftovers. Sometimes my mom likes to eat at my aunt's house so in that circumstance I am faced with navigating jungle paths filled with large puddles and potholes in the pitch black with the helpful aid of a flashlight. Nights consist of either reading, watching tv shows, or finding something to occupy my time with... studying fits in there somewhere. If I can fall asleep on time then its lights out by 10 and lately I have been making it through the whole night without being woken by rats or dogs fighting so thats a good sign!
As for me, I am doing much better than I originally was. The first couple of weeks were very rough, as I thought they were and I wasn't sure if I could do this for 2 years. Cambodian culture is very different from American culture and being thrown into another family with no one else around completely immerses one into a culture that can sometimes prove frustrating and hard to deal with. My family is great and they will do what they can do please me, but some things are getting old and I found it very hard to cope with in the beginning. Invasive would be a word fitting for a description of what Cambodian culture is like. There is no privacy in this society and everything is thought of as communal. When i'm doing something, my family has to hover over me and the second I do something they don't approve of or think is wrong they try and fix it their way and do things the way they see right. They treat me like a son of theirs that is 10 years old, but first of all I am an adult that volunteered to come from America to live in a third world country, and secondly I pay them money each month that could be considered rent. They are under the impression that I have to do follow every command of theirs, but that is not the way things are going to work over the next two years. We have been arriving at some understandings between us lately and they are starting to realize that I have my own schedule to maintain and our cultures are simply different, which is not necessarily a bad thing. There culture has taught them how to behave towards someone like me living in their household so I have to understand that and not hold it against them when annoying occurrences happen. I have been having other thoughts and feelings about the society I am living in, but it is constantly changing and I don't feel ready to draw upon any conclusions as of now... that will come in future posts!
Saturday, September 25, 2010
end of training --- start of service
Today marks the day peace corps takes a step back and i take a step forward. Im traveling to my placement site where i will be working in a health center for the next 2 years. the prospect of this is still unnerving and the butterflies are ever more present. Sure, I know khmer and I can travel around this country with no problem, but that routine I have built up over the past couple months is no more and the network of friends and counterparts are all over the country... so now its up to me to figure things out and deal with problems.
I start working in a health center tomorow morning and I can only imagine how thats going to go. My health center director and the nurse I will be working with still are under the impression I know more khmer than I actually do. Its going to be frustrating and there will inevitably be communication issues, but ive done it before and the relationships will form. It will take some time but i know things will eventually get better if they start out less than great. Im looking forward to the challenge of starting this program. Noone has ever worked as a health volunteer in Cambodia and our group has the opportunity to make an everlasting impression on the program and the country. There is no script to follow and our program managers arent really sure how this is going to work out. Im going into a health center tomorow with no real job to perform... im going to be observing the health system and how things are run in the health center. But this opportunity is unparalleled to anything I could have imagined myself doing and the chance to really make an impact on this world is right in front of me. Today marks the day my training ends and my work begins and I couldnt be more thrilled to have the opportunity to partake in this awesome adventure.
Internet is still uknown, I dont know how laundry is going to work out, the food is going to be "new", and I dont even know how to use the bathroom in my new house. All of these things, while unknown at the moment, make peace corps what it is meant to be. Im supposed to figure out problems to solutions, no matter how complex or simple they may be, and over the next two years develope creative solutions that last a lifetime for the people of Cambodia. For now... its off to the village and start building those relationships which will carry me through my next 2 years of service in Peace Corps Cambodia. I hope all is well in the States... miss you all!!!!
I start working in a health center tomorow morning and I can only imagine how thats going to go. My health center director and the nurse I will be working with still are under the impression I know more khmer than I actually do. Its going to be frustrating and there will inevitably be communication issues, but ive done it before and the relationships will form. It will take some time but i know things will eventually get better if they start out less than great. Im looking forward to the challenge of starting this program. Noone has ever worked as a health volunteer in Cambodia and our group has the opportunity to make an everlasting impression on the program and the country. There is no script to follow and our program managers arent really sure how this is going to work out. Im going into a health center tomorow with no real job to perform... im going to be observing the health system and how things are run in the health center. But this opportunity is unparalleled to anything I could have imagined myself doing and the chance to really make an impact on this world is right in front of me. Today marks the day my training ends and my work begins and I couldnt be more thrilled to have the opportunity to partake in this awesome adventure.
Internet is still uknown, I dont know how laundry is going to work out, the food is going to be "new", and I dont even know how to use the bathroom in my new house. All of these things, while unknown at the moment, make peace corps what it is meant to be. Im supposed to figure out problems to solutions, no matter how complex or simple they may be, and over the next two years develope creative solutions that last a lifetime for the people of Cambodia. For now... its off to the village and start building those relationships which will carry me through my next 2 years of service in Peace Corps Cambodia. I hope all is well in the States... miss you all!!!!
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Site Visit
Soooo much has happened since my last blog and theres little time to write so bear with me.
Training is going awesome. The frustrations from earlier on in training are starting to fade and my rejection phase of this environment is starting to change into a more acceptance and excitement feeling. Days get better and nights get worse. Instead of dogs, roosters, or monks drumming away only to wake, I have discovered rats in the banisters above my bed. They squeal at night and its been waking me quite a bit. Im not sweating as much at night so I guess thats a possitive!
Days are becoming less strenuous and im starting to pick up the language a bit better. I started to teach myself the constants and vowels so I should be able to understand Khmer script sometime in the near future. People are starting to become more comfortable with this new environment (including myself) so personalities are starting to blend more. I find myself still amazed by the beauty and simplicity of this country. The wats and the never ending rice patty fields are always a place to go and think when my mind is a cluster of madness. The family, which I will leave in a couple weeks, is starting to understand my level of Khmer so we communicate much better than before. At night I chase the neighborhood kids when I come home. they wait for the tall white guy to get home and we end up running around until you can see through my shirt due to all the sweat. Along with dance parties, karaoke sessions with horrible Khmer music, and English/Khmer sessions, evenings are awesome!
The chinese water festival was a week ago and well... they drink here. I get home from morning language class and my grandfather, uncle, family members are gathered around this elaborate lunch along with the Angkor beer. We drink because they keep on pouring beer into my mug until my friend demands I drink with her family because they want my presence. So I ride my bike over to her place and we all partake in Johnny Walker. by now its time to ride to the wat for a session on Buddism... not the time for this lol. So me and about 4 other somewhat intoxicated people sit indian style for an hour and half... laughing periodically at stupid events that really shouldnt have been that funny. I ride home and my family demands I drink more so instead I offer to sing karaoke... which was interesting to say the least. All in all... chinese water festival was a success.
The spiders are still bothersome to me and freak the shit outa me whenever they show their ugly selves but I find myself not killing them as much. They are more passive than anything and dont go after people... go figure lol. I only get my family to kill them whenever they are in the bathroom or closer to my bed than comfort would allow. My family has taken amusment in my fear of arachnids so they will hit the spiders... almost killing them... and throw them at me. OR... they like to put this huge ass spider from my yard on a stick and run after me with it.
Site visit was this week and I found out I will be living in the jungle for reals. At first I was bummed because im staying in the same province as I trained in, but o how I was wrong. The people in my province kick ASS and I can definitely live near each and every one of them for the next 2 years. The village I live in is BE-A-UTIFUL!!!! We arrived at my house and I was blown away at the site. First, my house is amazing!!! Its a beautiful wooden structure with a nice room for me that locks and you cant see through the walls! My bathroom is a bit small but its newer and clean. Under the house is a huge area to hang out and stay cool in the heat. The only downside is the spiders... theres tons of them everywhere cause of all the trees. Me and my host brother tour the town and the paths wind in and out of the Cambodian jungle. The trees are slender semi tall trees of the same height and they are thick with banana trees in between and butterflies all around. The trails are covered with palms and vines drape here and there. The houses are tucked away into the jungle and are covered in mango, banana, jackfruit, and deup trees. The wat is amazing and definitely is on the wealthy side. The town revolves around a rubber plantation where most of the fathers work and I found myself riding throughout the trees which go on forever! The smell was amazing and unlike anything in the US. Theres a huge soccer field with tall trees that were imported from France way back when. Between the two markets in town I will be able to get almost anything I could possibly need in the next 2 years... which definitely is an upside. Theres so much about the town I love and I cant wait to spend the near future living there and becoming apart of the community. Internet access will be the same as now so I will definitely be able to communicate with the outside world. Im only an hour bike ride from this provincial town so basically anything I could possibly desire is a quick bike ride away.
All in all... peace corps is an amazing experience filled with many different kinds of people and experiences. There have been events which have caught me off gaurd and there is a daily struggle to gather determination and strength to continue on. Home sickness is an every other day occurance, but its becoming more of a reality than a fear and the fact that I am on the other side of the world from my family and friends is a whole lot less difficult to deal with. Its becoming less homesickness and more of a dull downer, but that is normal and I SHOULD miss my wonderful family and friends. There are times when I cant see myself doing this for 2 years because its such a radical thing to do and different from anything I am used to, but there is not way ever that I would give this up.The good that I can do from this is too much and the experience has been too great to give up, go back home, and do the same old thing over and over again. We had a speach about commitment to ourselves, the people, and country of Cambodia. I am in this 100 percent of the way and for the next 2 years I will be living in Kampuchea!!! Expect great stories and look for the pics because they are coming... one at a time.
Training is going awesome. The frustrations from earlier on in training are starting to fade and my rejection phase of this environment is starting to change into a more acceptance and excitement feeling. Days get better and nights get worse. Instead of dogs, roosters, or monks drumming away only to wake, I have discovered rats in the banisters above my bed. They squeal at night and its been waking me quite a bit. Im not sweating as much at night so I guess thats a possitive!
Days are becoming less strenuous and im starting to pick up the language a bit better. I started to teach myself the constants and vowels so I should be able to understand Khmer script sometime in the near future. People are starting to become more comfortable with this new environment (including myself) so personalities are starting to blend more. I find myself still amazed by the beauty and simplicity of this country. The wats and the never ending rice patty fields are always a place to go and think when my mind is a cluster of madness. The family, which I will leave in a couple weeks, is starting to understand my level of Khmer so we communicate much better than before. At night I chase the neighborhood kids when I come home. they wait for the tall white guy to get home and we end up running around until you can see through my shirt due to all the sweat. Along with dance parties, karaoke sessions with horrible Khmer music, and English/Khmer sessions, evenings are awesome!
The chinese water festival was a week ago and well... they drink here. I get home from morning language class and my grandfather, uncle, family members are gathered around this elaborate lunch along with the Angkor beer. We drink because they keep on pouring beer into my mug until my friend demands I drink with her family because they want my presence. So I ride my bike over to her place and we all partake in Johnny Walker. by now its time to ride to the wat for a session on Buddism... not the time for this lol. So me and about 4 other somewhat intoxicated people sit indian style for an hour and half... laughing periodically at stupid events that really shouldnt have been that funny. I ride home and my family demands I drink more so instead I offer to sing karaoke... which was interesting to say the least. All in all... chinese water festival was a success.
The spiders are still bothersome to me and freak the shit outa me whenever they show their ugly selves but I find myself not killing them as much. They are more passive than anything and dont go after people... go figure lol. I only get my family to kill them whenever they are in the bathroom or closer to my bed than comfort would allow. My family has taken amusment in my fear of arachnids so they will hit the spiders... almost killing them... and throw them at me. OR... they like to put this huge ass spider from my yard on a stick and run after me with it.
Site visit was this week and I found out I will be living in the jungle for reals. At first I was bummed because im staying in the same province as I trained in, but o how I was wrong. The people in my province kick ASS and I can definitely live near each and every one of them for the next 2 years. The village I live in is BE-A-UTIFUL!!!! We arrived at my house and I was blown away at the site. First, my house is amazing!!! Its a beautiful wooden structure with a nice room for me that locks and you cant see through the walls! My bathroom is a bit small but its newer and clean. Under the house is a huge area to hang out and stay cool in the heat. The only downside is the spiders... theres tons of them everywhere cause of all the trees. Me and my host brother tour the town and the paths wind in and out of the Cambodian jungle. The trees are slender semi tall trees of the same height and they are thick with banana trees in between and butterflies all around. The trails are covered with palms and vines drape here and there. The houses are tucked away into the jungle and are covered in mango, banana, jackfruit, and deup trees. The wat is amazing and definitely is on the wealthy side. The town revolves around a rubber plantation where most of the fathers work and I found myself riding throughout the trees which go on forever! The smell was amazing and unlike anything in the US. Theres a huge soccer field with tall trees that were imported from France way back when. Between the two markets in town I will be able to get almost anything I could possibly need in the next 2 years... which definitely is an upside. Theres so much about the town I love and I cant wait to spend the near future living there and becoming apart of the community. Internet access will be the same as now so I will definitely be able to communicate with the outside world. Im only an hour bike ride from this provincial town so basically anything I could possibly desire is a quick bike ride away.
All in all... peace corps is an amazing experience filled with many different kinds of people and experiences. There have been events which have caught me off gaurd and there is a daily struggle to gather determination and strength to continue on. Home sickness is an every other day occurance, but its becoming more of a reality than a fear and the fact that I am on the other side of the world from my family and friends is a whole lot less difficult to deal with. Its becoming less homesickness and more of a dull downer, but that is normal and I SHOULD miss my wonderful family and friends. There are times when I cant see myself doing this for 2 years because its such a radical thing to do and different from anything I am used to, but there is not way ever that I would give this up.The good that I can do from this is too much and the experience has been too great to give up, go back home, and do the same old thing over and over again. We had a speach about commitment to ourselves, the people, and country of Cambodia. I am in this 100 percent of the way and for the next 2 years I will be living in Kampuchea!!! Expect great stories and look for the pics because they are coming... one at a time.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
survived the first 2 weeks!
So its been almost 2 and a half weeks away from the states, 2 weeks in Cambodia, and 1 1/2 weeks in my village and its been a roller coaster of emotions and physical tests. Moving to my training village was something I will never forget... for many reasons. The day of move in we all gather in one room and are given our assignments of where we will be training for the next 2 months. The anticipation was unbearable at the starting of this big adventure.. most of which was unknown and mysterious. The trainees gather on 3 buses that depart to 3 seperate villages and we travel far and wide in different directions. The bus ride was awesome as we were traveling through the rural Cambodian villages we were all anticipating to work in. Once we arrived, I could barely catch my breath I was so nervous. The Cambodian people were all there staring at us as we departed our van and walked into the main Watt (buddist temple) for our arrival ceremony. Once inside we had to pay our respects to the buddah and sit in amazement and anticipation as monks bless us with chants while throwing flowers and water at us. After the chanting we meet our families one by one in the front of the watt.. which can only be described as awkward. After a quick pic with my host dad we sit around and eat fruit.. while laughing awkwardly at the huge language barrier in front of us. I had no idea how to speak Khmer and my dad surely had no idea how to speak English... so remember this as I describe the rest of the day.
After that awesome meeting we gather back up in the vans and get dropped off one by one as the rest of us watch in humor. While traveling through the town I could definitely sense that these people have never seen a foreigner and later I found we are the first foreigners to actually come to the quaint village of Chamkar Leu. My house is the farthest from the one main road so I was second to last to being dropped off. The van simply dropped me and my bags off at my gate and departed to drop off the next trainee. Once at my house I greeted my mom, little brother, and two little sisters... none of which knew a lick of English. After setting up my huge misquito net and moving my bags into my room.. they showed me the rest of my house and the squat toilet. I was in a state of shock and disbelief in the fact I was going to be living like this for 2 years, but I had no time to take in the moment as my family somehow told me to go out and meet the neighbors. That consisted of being led around by the arm to this shack next door, sat down on a chair while around 40 rural Cambodian locals gathered around and stared at me, laughed alot, and critiqued every aspect of my foreign complexion. It was a moment unlike any other and I was in a state of complete culture shock. Afterwards we went back to my house and ate dinner ON a table.. not in the chairs surrounding the table. The dad and I sit in indian style while the others sit with their legs to the side as a symbol of respect. Each person gets a huge bowl of rice and in the center sits 3 - 4 bowls of soups, beef stir fry, fish past, pickles, and other edible things. We eat with a spoon and use a fork to shove food the spoon; that same spoon is used repeatedly to dip into the bowls so their is alot of bodily fluid sharing. Your only allowed to scoop one spoonful of food your rice at a time so meals get dragged on forever. The conversation consisted of being looked at and smiled at... my family was very warm and welcoming, which I desperatly needed at that time. Afterwards we sat around the small tv in the one roomed house and they showed my a WWE cd which I thought was hilarious. We just sat around for a while because of the huge gap in language communication and they tried to make "the guest of honor" feel welcomed.. which I was... but the experience was so unreal I was just zoning off into space.. thinking about the next 2 years.
Finally I went to my room, sat in my bed and thought I was never going to be able to do this for 2 years. If I had doubts... it was then. I seriously thought about throwing in the towel because I was so physically exhasted from the heat, emotionally drained from the previous days of prepareation for this, and scared. Nights are filled with roosters waking my up at all hours of the night, dogs fighting tirelesly, and sweat dripping all over my sheets and pillow. After waking up the next morning I was still in shock and disbelief at how this was going to work for the next 2 years. Training started that day so I just got on my bike and rode off to training.
Training consists of language class and technical training. Ive visited health centers, their versions of hospitals, and seen how desperate the health care situation is. They are dirty and highly understaffed. Nothing is as it should be in the year 2010 and if I was going to be anywhere in the world.. this is it. Every day I learn the language and im starting to be able to converse with my family. Day by day it gets a whole lot better and im starting to really like my family and the village im in. To be able to converse with the people you live with makes a world of difference in my emotional and physical well being. Im loving life at the moment and any doubts that I had are completely gone. Im starting really good friendships with the other trainees and many of them are awesome people that are exactly like me in my wanting to make a difference in the world. We study in language groups of 4 and those are the poeple Im really starting to bond with.
The fruits and foods are awesome and unlike anything in America. Fruits like mangos and pineapples are plentiful among the makoots, soi mows, mians, pneuws and other fruits.. many of which are in my back yard. Coconut trees are everywhere and there is nothing like the smell of rain durring monsoon season. When it rains is pours and dirt streets turn into rivers. I was suprised at how people here know absolutely nothing about lightening... seeing as it kills more people here a year than some horrible diseases. I love life at the moment and the homesickness is starting to fade away. I miss people back home terribly, but my days are so busy I barely have time to think about it. The beauty of htis country is amazing and I cant wait to make it that much better with the work I will be doing.
On a final note... picture this. A long road surrounded by rice patty fields and pinnaple farms. At the end of this road is a huge watt orantely decorated with snakes and buddah statues. Coconut trees dot the landscape and shrines for hte dead rest silently amongst the buddahg shrines. Behind lies a mountain that is led up to the top with a railing made in the shape of a snakes body. Think Ace Ventura when Nature Calls... all i wanted was a slinky. At the top sits an old buddhist temple with nuns and old monks praying to shrines. This is Chamkar Leu.... my home for the next 2 months. Im alive and living life day by day. For now im getting ready to travel into the countryside and visit a current peace corps volunteer... wish me luck! sorry for the typos... tried to get this done before bed. PEACE!
After that awesome meeting we gather back up in the vans and get dropped off one by one as the rest of us watch in humor. While traveling through the town I could definitely sense that these people have never seen a foreigner and later I found we are the first foreigners to actually come to the quaint village of Chamkar Leu. My house is the farthest from the one main road so I was second to last to being dropped off. The van simply dropped me and my bags off at my gate and departed to drop off the next trainee. Once at my house I greeted my mom, little brother, and two little sisters... none of which knew a lick of English. After setting up my huge misquito net and moving my bags into my room.. they showed me the rest of my house and the squat toilet. I was in a state of shock and disbelief in the fact I was going to be living like this for 2 years, but I had no time to take in the moment as my family somehow told me to go out and meet the neighbors. That consisted of being led around by the arm to this shack next door, sat down on a chair while around 40 rural Cambodian locals gathered around and stared at me, laughed alot, and critiqued every aspect of my foreign complexion. It was a moment unlike any other and I was in a state of complete culture shock. Afterwards we went back to my house and ate dinner ON a table.. not in the chairs surrounding the table. The dad and I sit in indian style while the others sit with their legs to the side as a symbol of respect. Each person gets a huge bowl of rice and in the center sits 3 - 4 bowls of soups, beef stir fry, fish past, pickles, and other edible things. We eat with a spoon and use a fork to shove food the spoon; that same spoon is used repeatedly to dip into the bowls so their is alot of bodily fluid sharing. Your only allowed to scoop one spoonful of food your rice at a time so meals get dragged on forever. The conversation consisted of being looked at and smiled at... my family was very warm and welcoming, which I desperatly needed at that time. Afterwards we sat around the small tv in the one roomed house and they showed my a WWE cd which I thought was hilarious. We just sat around for a while because of the huge gap in language communication and they tried to make "the guest of honor" feel welcomed.. which I was... but the experience was so unreal I was just zoning off into space.. thinking about the next 2 years.
Finally I went to my room, sat in my bed and thought I was never going to be able to do this for 2 years. If I had doubts... it was then. I seriously thought about throwing in the towel because I was so physically exhasted from the heat, emotionally drained from the previous days of prepareation for this, and scared. Nights are filled with roosters waking my up at all hours of the night, dogs fighting tirelesly, and sweat dripping all over my sheets and pillow. After waking up the next morning I was still in shock and disbelief at how this was going to work for the next 2 years. Training started that day so I just got on my bike and rode off to training.
Training consists of language class and technical training. Ive visited health centers, their versions of hospitals, and seen how desperate the health care situation is. They are dirty and highly understaffed. Nothing is as it should be in the year 2010 and if I was going to be anywhere in the world.. this is it. Every day I learn the language and im starting to be able to converse with my family. Day by day it gets a whole lot better and im starting to really like my family and the village im in. To be able to converse with the people you live with makes a world of difference in my emotional and physical well being. Im loving life at the moment and any doubts that I had are completely gone. Im starting really good friendships with the other trainees and many of them are awesome people that are exactly like me in my wanting to make a difference in the world. We study in language groups of 4 and those are the poeple Im really starting to bond with.
The fruits and foods are awesome and unlike anything in America. Fruits like mangos and pineapples are plentiful among the makoots, soi mows, mians, pneuws and other fruits.. many of which are in my back yard. Coconut trees are everywhere and there is nothing like the smell of rain durring monsoon season. When it rains is pours and dirt streets turn into rivers. I was suprised at how people here know absolutely nothing about lightening... seeing as it kills more people here a year than some horrible diseases. I love life at the moment and the homesickness is starting to fade away. I miss people back home terribly, but my days are so busy I barely have time to think about it. The beauty of htis country is amazing and I cant wait to make it that much better with the work I will be doing.
On a final note... picture this. A long road surrounded by rice patty fields and pinnaple farms. At the end of this road is a huge watt orantely decorated with snakes and buddah statues. Coconut trees dot the landscape and shrines for hte dead rest silently amongst the buddahg shrines. Behind lies a mountain that is led up to the top with a railing made in the shape of a snakes body. Think Ace Ventura when Nature Calls... all i wanted was a slinky. At the top sits an old buddhist temple with nuns and old monks praying to shrines. This is Chamkar Leu.... my home for the next 2 months. Im alive and living life day by day. For now im getting ready to travel into the countryside and visit a current peace corps volunteer... wish me luck! sorry for the typos... tried to get this done before bed. PEACE!
Thursday, July 22, 2010
First Impression
So after our 13 hour flight we arrived in Hong Kong and me + a few cool cats walked around down town Hong Kong. The buildings were amazing.... the tops were covered in clouds and the lights were unlike anything ive seen. We ate at this noodle shop and I had this nasty shrimp wan-tan soup... never again. The streets of that city are gated off so its very difficult to walk around and get where you want. A tropical storm was hitting the city at the time... so yea... it was pretty awesome!
The next morning we woke up early and flew to the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh. From the step off the flight I started sweating, but I was loving every minute of it cause I WAS IN CAMBODIA! After a bus trip through the crazy streets of Phnom Penh we arrived at the Peace Corps head quarters and had introductions to the people that were going to be helping us survive for the next two years. Amazingness ensued because we then broke up into groups and traveled around the city. The streets were jam packed with mopeds and cars, going every direction and not obeying a single law. People turn when they want and the direction of traffic is simply a suggestion of which way you should go. We toured a market where i saw / ate dragon fruit, maku, and duri fruit. The smell was horrible, but the freshness and lack of preservatives and chemicals was a sight to behold and unlike anything one can find in the U.S.
After that we traveled to a Wat (temple) and gazed at the buddah statues sitting in the front of this empty yet ornate room. From there we traveled to the royal palace and happened to see indian elephants roaming the street in front of it. Apparently elephants are the way to roll. While talking to current peace corps volunteers I found out toilet paper is not normally used and I will most likely be using my hand. Also, I found out huge spiders the size of your face are a normal site and I should probably get used to it... not gunna happen.
After only a day I can see how amazing this country is and how in need it is for help. The people have gone through a horrible past and most are still recovering from the murder of 1/3 of its population (3 million people) during the Kmer Rouge. Poverty is everywhere yet I see nothing but smiles from passing locals. This is going to be unlike anything Ive ever experienced and there will be alot to adjust to. I cant wait to share what lies ahead... so look out for more!
The next morning we woke up early and flew to the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh. From the step off the flight I started sweating, but I was loving every minute of it cause I WAS IN CAMBODIA! After a bus trip through the crazy streets of Phnom Penh we arrived at the Peace Corps head quarters and had introductions to the people that were going to be helping us survive for the next two years. Amazingness ensued because we then broke up into groups and traveled around the city. The streets were jam packed with mopeds and cars, going every direction and not obeying a single law. People turn when they want and the direction of traffic is simply a suggestion of which way you should go. We toured a market where i saw / ate dragon fruit, maku, and duri fruit. The smell was horrible, but the freshness and lack of preservatives and chemicals was a sight to behold and unlike anything one can find in the U.S.
After that we traveled to a Wat (temple) and gazed at the buddah statues sitting in the front of this empty yet ornate room. From there we traveled to the royal palace and happened to see indian elephants roaming the street in front of it. Apparently elephants are the way to roll. While talking to current peace corps volunteers I found out toilet paper is not normally used and I will most likely be using my hand. Also, I found out huge spiders the size of your face are a normal site and I should probably get used to it... not gunna happen.
After only a day I can see how amazing this country is and how in need it is for help. The people have gone through a horrible past and most are still recovering from the murder of 1/3 of its population (3 million people) during the Kmer Rouge. Poverty is everywhere yet I see nothing but smiles from passing locals. This is going to be unlike anything Ive ever experienced and there will be alot to adjust to. I cant wait to share what lies ahead... so look out for more!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Saying Goodbye... for now
So I leave for the adventure of a lifetime in 4 days and I can't even begin to describe the emotions and feelings running through my head.
Excitement: I cannot believe this is about to happen! Soon I will be living with a Cambodian family learning a completely new culture and helping many people. This opportunity is a gift few have the ability to experience and I can't wait to start living the life of a Peace Corps Volunteer for the next 27 months.
Sadness: There's no way to get around it, I am saying goodbye to many amazing people for the next 27 months and it is something I am finding very hard to cope with. My friends and family are awesome individuals I am extremely fortunate to have in my life and leaving them behind for such a long time brings me to tears. But these situations have come and gone before... the sadness WILL pass... and it will be replaced by the memories of this upcoming adventure.
Determination: My time in Cambodia is going to be both rewarding and trying. Times may get rough but i'm more determined than ever to use my mind for good and come up with creative and useful ways to accomplish any goal I set for myself. There is so much I will be able to do and it is up to me to take advantage of my time there to improve life of the Cambodian people.
Questions?: Will I have a toilet seat to sit on / will there be toilet paper? Are there really tarantulas the size of my face? How hot is hot in Cambodia? Will I be living with 5 or 15 family member? How am I going to communicate with friends and family back home? What is monsoon season really like? and the list goes on...
These being the most prominent feelings, many more are swirling throughout my head. For now, I'm focusing on chilling with the people important to me, saying "see ya later", trying to get my America on and absorb everything that is most likely not going to be available in the coming months. For my friends and family just remember, this is not a goodbye forever. Its simply a see ya in a year or two and keep in touch during this "long adventure".
Excitement: I cannot believe this is about to happen! Soon I will be living with a Cambodian family learning a completely new culture and helping many people. This opportunity is a gift few have the ability to experience and I can't wait to start living the life of a Peace Corps Volunteer for the next 27 months.
Sadness: There's no way to get around it, I am saying goodbye to many amazing people for the next 27 months and it is something I am finding very hard to cope with. My friends and family are awesome individuals I am extremely fortunate to have in my life and leaving them behind for such a long time brings me to tears. But these situations have come and gone before... the sadness WILL pass... and it will be replaced by the memories of this upcoming adventure.
Determination: My time in Cambodia is going to be both rewarding and trying. Times may get rough but i'm more determined than ever to use my mind for good and come up with creative and useful ways to accomplish any goal I set for myself. There is so much I will be able to do and it is up to me to take advantage of my time there to improve life of the Cambodian people.
Questions?: Will I have a toilet seat to sit on / will there be toilet paper? Are there really tarantulas the size of my face? How hot is hot in Cambodia? Will I be living with 5 or 15 family member? How am I going to communicate with friends and family back home? What is monsoon season really like? and the list goes on...
These being the most prominent feelings, many more are swirling throughout my head. For now, I'm focusing on chilling with the people important to me, saying "see ya later", trying to get my America on and absorb everything that is most likely not going to be available in the coming months. For my friends and family just remember, this is not a goodbye forever. Its simply a see ya in a year or two and keep in touch during this "long adventure".
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)