I know I am late posting this, but given that Thanksgiving is just a regular Thursday here, and I had to sacrifice a lot of my Saturday to decorate my school for Christmas, I hope you will forgive my tardiness. But even though Thanksgiving isn't a holiday here, this was the best Thanksgiving I have had in a very very long time.
Since I have been here, I have found something everyday to relish, and actually give thanks for. Whether it is something as small as getting half price chocolate croissants or something as big as realizing that my life is actually really amazing, I wanted to take the time to make note of some of the things that I am thankful for this year. I'll start small, and work my way up to the big stuff.
1) 1/2 price doughnuts after 8pm- On days that I have classes with the girls, I don't get home until almost 8pm. I am fairly beat, given that I had 24 screaming 3 year olds to deal with all day, and then a half hour moto ride in rush hour traffic, each way. I love the classes with the girls, but everything around them wears me out! So when I get home, I don't want to cook, or even think about what to eat, and 9 times out of 10, the noodle lady is not around. So Jaxon and I will walk to Lucky's, and pick up cheap pastries. They make me happy. And I am thankful for them.
2) My moto driver, Mr. Lo, is someone who although he doesn't realize it, makes me thankful for things that would have driven me into a rage six months ago. At first I would get annoyed with the fact that he is a cautious driver. In my head I would think, we could get there so much quicker! But in the chaos that is the traffic here, he is unwittingly a zen guide for me. One night we were headed back to my apartment, and he stopped at an intersection that of course had no lights or stop signs, to let the traffic cross. Because none of the other drivers around us would do the same, we were stuck with a Toyota in front of us and no where to go. I realized that although it can be annoying, it is also a nice and safe thing to do. It's like letting that car in your lane. You don't have to, but every now and then you should. So I am thankful that I have a kind moto driver, who keeps me safe (which is really hard to do the way most everyone else drives here) and is also kind in the small ways that are easy to overlook.
3) I am thankful that the Christmas show my school was planning is postponed until June. That will be a separate post all on its own, but worth it, trust me! For those of you not on Facebook, the day that I have to get up and sing Michael Jackson's "Heal the World" is now in the distant future.
4) I am thankful for the friends I have made here. They rock, and make me miss my friends back in the US a bit less. But I do miss everyone back there, but am glad that the internet exists to make keeping in touch a possibility!
There is so much more that I am thankful for, but I think you get the gist of what I am trying to say. I am so glad that I made the scariest change I could make, leaving everything I know and own behind to come over here. I work with some pretty adorable kids, I have made some wonderful friends and memories, and I get to teach some amazing girls. They say that happiness is a choice, but I would also argue that unhappiness is also a choice. Which one will you choose today?
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Oh Asia, you so crazy!!
I have been working on getting everything together for this post for a while. It's hard to explain the odd things that i see on a regular basis, so I had to take a bunch of pictures. I finally feel like I have enough to do this post justice.
Let's start with the cars. 99% of the cars here are either a Lexus or a Toyota. And 75% of the motos are Hondas. I think there was some serious colluding going on with those companies, and they came to the arrangement that one could have the car market, the other the moto. And in case you didn't know that the car next to you was a Lexus, a lot of them have these huge gold (always gold!) decal that says in foot tall letters, LEXUS.
And then there is K-pop. You have to see it to believe it, but they are all kinda awesome....
So yes, if you never thought you needed it or wanted it, you can get it here. There will be more to come on this subject, because there are always new and crazy things to find out....
Let's start with the cars. 99% of the cars here are either a Lexus or a Toyota. And 75% of the motos are Hondas. I think there was some serious colluding going on with those companies, and they came to the arrangement that one could have the car market, the other the moto. And in case you didn't know that the car next to you was a Lexus, a lot of them have these huge gold (always gold!) decal that says in foot tall letters, LEXUS.
I know that the "Lexus" looks silver, but trust me, it's gold.
They also like to advertise that they are driving LAND CRUISERs here....
Then you have the crazy wonder products. They range from teas that cure everything to toothpaste that not only whitens your teeth, but also curbs your appetite.
What can't this amazing product do??
There is also this. I don't even know where to start with this one.
I mean really??? corn ice cream??? and it's still $6.00!! I almost want to buy it to try. Almost...
And then there is K-pop. You have to see it to believe it, but they are all kinda awesome....
So yes, if you never thought you needed it or wanted it, you can get it here. There will be more to come on this subject, because there are always new and crazy things to find out....
Friday, November 11, 2011
Water Festival, or as my assistant calls it, Water Westiwal.
Every year around this time, they have the Water Festival in Phnom Penh. The Tonlee Sap River changes direction, it marks the end of the rainy season, and nearly a million people from the provinces come to the Big Smoke (city), to see the boat races, the concerts, and fireworks that mark the events of the Festival. Last year's turned tragic, when nearly 300 people were trampled to death on a suspension bridge. There were so many people on the bridge that it swayed, which in turned scared the everyone from the provinces, resulting in a stampede. This year the majority of the events, including the boat races, were cancelled. The Prime Minister decided the money was better spent as aid to all the people affected by the flooding. Cambodia hasn't been hit nearly as hard as Thailand, but is also much poorer, so there is less aid for the poor farmers out in the provinces. So thankfully, there are not nearly as many people in the city as there would be in any other year, but it is still noticeably more crowded.
Today I decided to visit Wat Lanka, the temple nearest to my apartment, then meet a friend for lunch at my favorite restaurant here so far, then we would both go and see what there was to see.
Turns out, not a whole lot, but we did get a good show while we had lunch. The restaurant is right by Independence Monument, which commemorates Cambodia's independence from Vietnam.
Today I decided to visit Wat Lanka, the temple nearest to my apartment, then meet a friend for lunch at my favorite restaurant here so far, then we would both go and see what there was to see.
They are adding on to the current temple.
Fairly sure these are crypts... either way, they are beautiful
My tour guide for the temple. This cat followed me around meowing the whole time I was there
It;s good to know that even Buddha has time to read the paper and keep current.
The entrance to Wat Lanka
Turns out, not a whole lot, but we did get a good show while we had lunch. The restaurant is right by Independence Monument, which commemorates Cambodia's independence from Vietnam.
Independence Monument
It is also right across from the Prime Minister's house, and his neighbor, the North Korean Embassy. Coincidence? I think not...
In case you were wondering what Kim Jong Il was up to, they have a bulletin board, with all his "good" deeds....
The big one is the PM's house, the smaller one the North Korean Embassy. I'm probably on some watch list now for taking this picture...
This stretch of road is also where a lot of the concerts and other events for the Water Festival are taking place. They light up the trees and monument at night, they sweep for mines and bombs during the day!
They also closed the street, Sihanouk, which is one of the busiest, and put up metal detectors. It was quite odd to leave the restaurant and not hear "Hey lady, tuk tuk" 20 times. We walked around a bit, but didn't really see much, most of the events are at night.
I am working on a few other posts for you. I have one dedicated to the insane Christmas show the school is putting on, another on how crazy Asia is (it's like a whole other country or something!), and another on the work I am doing with the girls (I love it!!) I know I have been lax about putting up pictures, but I will work on that, promise. Other than that, I am enjoying my five day weekend, and working on getting all my lessons planned for the next few weeks. (next week is letters K and L. Look at that, an entire week, done! Gotta love kindergarten...) I have been busy, but good. Still love it here, but not gonna lie, I needed the little break from the kids, the school, and the stupid Christmas show. Will post on that tomorrow, for sure!
So happy Water Westiwal to you and yours, also happy 11-11-11, and happy Veteran's Day! Enjoy your weekend everyone!
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
First day of kindergarten....and Cambodian traffic suggestions...
So I finished my first full day of school, and only had one boo boo, two tantrums, and five minutes of dead air. I really need to brush up on my little kid songs! On the plus side, I get to play all day, they feed me snacks and lunch, and it is a five minute walk home to relax during my break in the afternoon. I'm kinda digging the little ones. It's nice to just have to focus on one letter a day, teach them the chicken dance (which is kinda like herding cats. Runny nosed, adorable cats.) They love the part where they hold hands and dance in a circle, the rest of the time they just start blankly at me while I demonstrate the rest of the dance. Baby steps, right?
Volunteering is going fantastic. I have had three classes with the ladies, and they have been amazing. It is so great to see them smiling and laughing, and learning. They have been divided into two groups, and they are so fun. Tonight was my beginner group, and they were fantastic. By the end of class, they could say hello, goodbye, and ask someone what their name is. We have also started on the phonic alphabet, those kindergarten songs are coming in handy! They were also singing ants on the apple, ah ah ah, ants on the apple, ah ah ah by the end of class. So much fun! Once I get more settled into teaching the kindergartners, I will try and add more hours with the ladies, but for now, I am with them three hours a week and I love it!
I also get to take a moto over to the house, and it is normally around sunset, so it is just nice to feel the breeze and enjoy the beauty around me. (Also, if I focus on the sky, I don't see the chaos around me...) Traffic laws here in Cambodia are more like suggestions. Lights, lane lines, even which side of the road you drive on, pretty much anything goes. They have a few stop signs, but I have yet to even see someone slow down at one. If you have ever read Medium Raw, by Anthony Bourdain, he describes it so much better than I can. But riding on the back of the moto is almost like poetry. It should be a disaster, but it just works. Since you expect everyone around you to do whatever they want, it's not a surprise when you see a truck or a tuk tuk coming at you, you just go around them and keep on going. I will not drive my own moto anytime soon, but it is fast becoming my favorite way to get around the city. Not to worry, I am buying my own helmet tomorrow, so that in case I encounter a rouge expat on the road, my noggin will be safe!
On the down side, I just realized that Cambodia doesn't do daylight savings, so I am missing out on one of my favorite weeks of the year! I won't get the joy of feeling like I am sleeping in an hour later, and giggling over it every morning. On the flip side, I won't be angry for a week in spring when I lose an hour... I'll take missing a week of giggles, since it takes away one of my worst weeks of the year! Plus, every time one of those little munchkins calls me teeCHERR, I giggle. I'm for sure coming out ahead on the giggle/giddy front!
Happy November to everyone! Miss you guys!
Volunteering is going fantastic. I have had three classes with the ladies, and they have been amazing. It is so great to see them smiling and laughing, and learning. They have been divided into two groups, and they are so fun. Tonight was my beginner group, and they were fantastic. By the end of class, they could say hello, goodbye, and ask someone what their name is. We have also started on the phonic alphabet, those kindergarten songs are coming in handy! They were also singing ants on the apple, ah ah ah, ants on the apple, ah ah ah by the end of class. So much fun! Once I get more settled into teaching the kindergartners, I will try and add more hours with the ladies, but for now, I am with them three hours a week and I love it!
I also get to take a moto over to the house, and it is normally around sunset, so it is just nice to feel the breeze and enjoy the beauty around me. (Also, if I focus on the sky, I don't see the chaos around me...) Traffic laws here in Cambodia are more like suggestions. Lights, lane lines, even which side of the road you drive on, pretty much anything goes. They have a few stop signs, but I have yet to even see someone slow down at one. If you have ever read Medium Raw, by Anthony Bourdain, he describes it so much better than I can. But riding on the back of the moto is almost like poetry. It should be a disaster, but it just works. Since you expect everyone around you to do whatever they want, it's not a surprise when you see a truck or a tuk tuk coming at you, you just go around them and keep on going. I will not drive my own moto anytime soon, but it is fast becoming my favorite way to get around the city. Not to worry, I am buying my own helmet tomorrow, so that in case I encounter a rouge expat on the road, my noggin will be safe!
On the down side, I just realized that Cambodia doesn't do daylight savings, so I am missing out on one of my favorite weeks of the year! I won't get the joy of feeling like I am sleeping in an hour later, and giggling over it every morning. On the flip side, I won't be angry for a week in spring when I lose an hour... I'll take missing a week of giggles, since it takes away one of my worst weeks of the year! Plus, every time one of those little munchkins calls me teeCHERR, I giggle. I'm for sure coming out ahead on the giggle/giddy front!
Happy November to everyone! Miss you guys!
Monday, October 31, 2011
Ready for real life to begin
It's Monday morning, and I'm getting settled into my new apartment. Tomorrow is my first full day at school, and tomorrow night is class with the ladies. After weeks of hotel living, school, and vacation, I am ready for real life to start. To start teaching, to start volunteering, to start cooking in my own kitchen, to live normal life here.
I am excited to start teaching the kidlets. They are so adorable, they don't cuss me out, they don't have big problems yet. They are just kids, and cute, and they seem to like me. When I was in last week, a few of them would come over and just sit by me, or show me a book, and point to pictures. It's stupid cute.
I'm ready for classes to get started with the girls. They have been split into two groups, tomorrow is my beginner class, and Thursday is my more advanced group. It has been so much fun, and the girls are so amazing. It's great to see them smiling and laughing, and just having fun. Right now I am teaching twice a week, and will do one on one tutoring once a week too. I will do more once I have gotten settled, and am used to my other teaching schedule.
I hope that everyone out there is good! Miss you guys.
I am excited to start teaching the kidlets. They are so adorable, they don't cuss me out, they don't have big problems yet. They are just kids, and cute, and they seem to like me. When I was in last week, a few of them would come over and just sit by me, or show me a book, and point to pictures. It's stupid cute.
I'm ready for classes to get started with the girls. They have been split into two groups, tomorrow is my beginner class, and Thursday is my more advanced group. It has been so much fun, and the girls are so amazing. It's great to see them smiling and laughing, and just having fun. Right now I am teaching twice a week, and will do one on one tutoring once a week too. I will do more once I have gotten settled, and am used to my other teaching schedule.
I hope that everyone out there is good! Miss you guys.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Getting Settled
Hi everyone! I know it has been a while and I apologize. This supposed relaxing 2 weeks of lots of free time has turned into anything but! I have interviewed, demonstrated teaching a class, gone to Transitions, found an apartment, started training, working on my Khmer classes, lesson planned, student taught, and still found time to sleep and eat, and spend about an hour and a half a day in a tuk tuk. And it's not like you can work in those things, although not seeing the other cars and motos coming at you when your driver goes the wrong way on the street might be nice. So I have been busy! I'm looking forward to next week when all I have to do is start teaching kindergarten full time. It'll be a vacation!!
Today was my first day at Raffles. I got to observe, and see what I had gotten myself into. All I can say is it will almost be a nice change to have the kids sing the Barney song vs. getting cussed out. We'll see how long that lasts, but the kids are adorable, and they spent today coming over to me, showing me books, and their worksheets. I know that these little kids are a whole different beast than high school and middle school kids, but maybe that is what I need and will love. Moving here was a big change, and is working out great, so I'm going with changing the age group I teach will turn out the same.
For everyone not on Facebook, I found an apartment! It has a great balcony, is in the part of town I wanted to be in, and is a five minute walk to school. AND we get a cleaning service three times a week, they do our laundry, AND iron, for $50 a month. Plus, I have an actual bathtub in my bathroom!! Whose jealous??
I hope everyone out there is doing great, I miss you guys!
And now, you can drool over my new apartment!
Today was my first day at Raffles. I got to observe, and see what I had gotten myself into. All I can say is it will almost be a nice change to have the kids sing the Barney song vs. getting cussed out. We'll see how long that lasts, but the kids are adorable, and they spent today coming over to me, showing me books, and their worksheets. I know that these little kids are a whole different beast than high school and middle school kids, but maybe that is what I need and will love. Moving here was a big change, and is working out great, so I'm going with changing the age group I teach will turn out the same.
For everyone not on Facebook, I found an apartment! It has a great balcony, is in the part of town I wanted to be in, and is a five minute walk to school. AND we get a cleaning service three times a week, they do our laundry, AND iron, for $50 a month. Plus, I have an actual bathtub in my bathroom!! Whose jealous??
I hope everyone out there is doing great, I miss you guys!
And now, you can drool over my new apartment!
Our balcony. Enough room for 2 papasans, and a mini lily pond. And it has plants already. Can't wait to add more!
Our green wicker living room. That dashing young man is my new roommate Jaxon.
My pink and yellow bedroom.
Yes, that is a tub in my bathroom...
Dining room/room of random instruments (or rori)
Check out the "stove"... and the oversized dorm fridge.
View from our kitchen
Hopefully we didn't sign our lives away. Don't worry, I read it. The only bad news is that we can't start a political party in the apartment. Sorry Green Party, you'll have to find someone else to get you into Cambodian politics....
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Who has two thumbs and a job? THIS GIRL!!
So after turning down one offer that seemed too good (the guy at the school said yes to every question I asked) I was hired at a Montessori school here in Phnom Penh. I will be making a considerable amount more than I ever expected to when I came over here; I'll even be able to save some! My class will have no more than 25 students, and I will have 2 assistants with me (bonus!) at all times. I also get 2 weeks paid vacation, 6 sick days, and they will reimburse me for my visa after my first year. If I re-sign with the school for another year, they will pay the visa for the next year, and possibly pay for a ticket to the US to visit. I can also get raises based on performance. All in all, not too bad!
The downside is, it's kindergarten. I haven't really had too much experience with little kids, outside of being around my friend's children. Hopefully I can handle it, not going to lie, a bit scared. But being here is all about new things, so I am going to try it out, and see how it goes. If it is like everything else here, it will be great!
Tomorrow is my first day volunteering, will go over to meet the staff and the girls, will also have my first moto ride. If the babies here can handle riding on one, I should be able to as well, right?
And on that note, I am signing off, but I will leave you with a picture from Sihanoukville:
The downside is, it's kindergarten. I haven't really had too much experience with little kids, outside of being around my friend's children. Hopefully I can handle it, not going to lie, a bit scared. But being here is all about new things, so I am going to try it out, and see how it goes. If it is like everything else here, it will be great!
Tomorrow is my first day volunteering, will go over to meet the staff and the girls, will also have my first moto ride. If the babies here can handle riding on one, I should be able to as well, right?
And on that note, I am signing off, but I will leave you with a picture from Sihanoukville:
Beach puppies! They tried to sell me this little lover for only $40. It was pretty hard to say no, but one of the other girls on the trip put it this way:
Imagine if someone took you away from this life: living on the beach, gorgeous scenery all around you; and took you to Phnom Penh, a loud city with not much to look at from the puppies viewpoint. How pissed would you be?? I will just visit him next time I go to the beach!
Monday, October 17, 2011
Back in Phnom Penh
It's Monday afternoon here in Phnom Penh, and my new schedule is very different from the last two weeks. For the first 2 weeks of school, it was class from 9-5:30, with a few breaks and a long lunch. Now I student teach from 8-9, and then I am free until 1pm. I almost don't know what to do with myself! It is nice in the morning to have a tuk tuk all to myself, instead of cramming 5 people in one, but I also feel a bit wrong about it, when I pass motos with 3 adults and 2 kids on them. I'll work on that guilt!
Yesterday was nice. Good morning in Sihanoukville, fairly quick bus ride back. It was when we got back to the city that is got a bit weird. First off, the traffic was the worst I've ever seen. Busier than rush hour, and it was a Sunday, although I guess since almost everyone is a Buddhist here that doesn't mean a whole lot... The second strange thing were the women walking around in what were clearly pajamas. Matching tops and pants, kinda like the ones men in the 50's would wear. But they were super colorful and patterned. I guess orange, red, and pink are the big colors this year. We asked Billy, our teacher, about it, and he let us know that it is perfectly acceptable to wear them around as casual wear. I mean, at least every third woman was wearing pajamas, out on the street. You really have to see it to believe it.
Sunday's are also really the only day that most Cambodians have off, so everyone was out visiting friends, getting their shopping done, just out and about. I think I might lock myself in on Sundays, it was that crazy. A few of us made the mistake of heading to the mall to get some food, never again! We split off, because the boys wanted KFC, and I'm just not that homesick for American food yet. Margaret and I decided to go to a local place for some soup, the Khmer equivalent to pho. Another strange thing, apparently most local restaurants will only serve family style soup on Sundays, so we decided to give it a try. That's when hilarity ensued!
First off, everyone in the restaurant stared at us as we sat down. Two white girls, local restaurant, totally get that. But two white girls, who have no idea what to do with all the stuff they gave us, now that is totally hilarious to them! There is a burner on the table, which how that made it through the fire codes I'll never, oh wait. I'm in Cambodia, never mind. So they bring this big pot of broth, with lots of stuff in it already, then four different plates of more stuff. That was where we got in trouble. There was a plate of the basil, bitter leaf stuff, what I think was morning glory (stems, really good), and two big pieces of fried chicken skin. So we started putting stuff in, but wrong, since the waitress was right there to tell us that (and the table behind us was nearly peeing themselves. I couldn't see that, but I'll take Margaret's word for it.) Then we added the egg noodles, all good on that one. Next plate had pieces of beef(?) and an egg. We dumped the beef in, then cracked the egg in. Next plate had some weird mushrooms on it, in they went. We put some of the fried garlic in, and then let it boil until the noodles were done. Now to the hard part. We had a ladle and chopsticks. No fork, or spoons, ladle and chopsticks to get this stuff into our bowls. The noodles were the worst, again, table behind us laughed their asses off. Rest was pretty doable, but how to get the soup from the bowl to our moths, with only a ladle and chopsticks. Again, the waitress stepped in and helped out, showing us the spoons we totally missed, hiding at the bottom of the chopstick thing. Rest was pretty easy, the soup was amazing, and it was actually really fun. We are totally going again next Sunday, in our matching Hello Kitty PJs....
I knew there was a reason I loved it here!
Yesterday was nice. Good morning in Sihanoukville, fairly quick bus ride back. It was when we got back to the city that is got a bit weird. First off, the traffic was the worst I've ever seen. Busier than rush hour, and it was a Sunday, although I guess since almost everyone is a Buddhist here that doesn't mean a whole lot... The second strange thing were the women walking around in what were clearly pajamas. Matching tops and pants, kinda like the ones men in the 50's would wear. But they were super colorful and patterned. I guess orange, red, and pink are the big colors this year. We asked Billy, our teacher, about it, and he let us know that it is perfectly acceptable to wear them around as casual wear. I mean, at least every third woman was wearing pajamas, out on the street. You really have to see it to believe it.
Sunday's are also really the only day that most Cambodians have off, so everyone was out visiting friends, getting their shopping done, just out and about. I think I might lock myself in on Sundays, it was that crazy. A few of us made the mistake of heading to the mall to get some food, never again! We split off, because the boys wanted KFC, and I'm just not that homesick for American food yet. Margaret and I decided to go to a local place for some soup, the Khmer equivalent to pho. Another strange thing, apparently most local restaurants will only serve family style soup on Sundays, so we decided to give it a try. That's when hilarity ensued!
First off, everyone in the restaurant stared at us as we sat down. Two white girls, local restaurant, totally get that. But two white girls, who have no idea what to do with all the stuff they gave us, now that is totally hilarious to them! There is a burner on the table, which how that made it through the fire codes I'll never, oh wait. I'm in Cambodia, never mind. So they bring this big pot of broth, with lots of stuff in it already, then four different plates of more stuff. That was where we got in trouble. There was a plate of the basil, bitter leaf stuff, what I think was morning glory (stems, really good), and two big pieces of fried chicken skin. So we started putting stuff in, but wrong, since the waitress was right there to tell us that (and the table behind us was nearly peeing themselves. I couldn't see that, but I'll take Margaret's word for it.) Then we added the egg noodles, all good on that one. Next plate had pieces of beef(?) and an egg. We dumped the beef in, then cracked the egg in. Next plate had some weird mushrooms on it, in they went. We put some of the fried garlic in, and then let it boil until the noodles were done. Now to the hard part. We had a ladle and chopsticks. No fork, or spoons, ladle and chopsticks to get this stuff into our bowls. The noodles were the worst, again, table behind us laughed their asses off. Rest was pretty doable, but how to get the soup from the bowl to our moths, with only a ladle and chopsticks. Again, the waitress stepped in and helped out, showing us the spoons we totally missed, hiding at the bottom of the chopstick thing. Rest was pretty easy, the soup was amazing, and it was actually really fun. We are totally going again next Sunday, in our matching Hello Kitty PJs....
I knew there was a reason I loved it here!
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Sihanoukville
Sihanoukville is deceptive. On the surface it is this amazing beach paradise. As I write this in my journal, I am sitting in a papasan, drinking a fresh pineapple shake, with an adorable puppy playing at my feet, my toes are in the sand. I am 20 feet from the Gulf of Thailand, gentle waves are crashing, an amazing mix is playing on my iPod, and life is really good. On the surface. But then you look a little closer, and it is not as pretty.
You notice the older white men with significantly younger Khmer women. You notice the kids hawking fireworks and bracelets descend on tourists like locusts. And it's a little less spectacular.
Today I woke up early to say goodbye to everyone heading to Vietnam. I still had two hours and 3/4's of a tank of gas left on my moto rental, so I set out to explore. I drove past shacks built along the fence of a five star resort. I stopped at a hundred foot stretch of public beach, that after that hundred feet belonged to the private resort, with a security guard there to enforce the boarder. And there along the public part, playing on the rocks and in the water, were around 15 Buddhist monks. I sat there and just watched, just watched them playing on the rocks and in the water, and thought how amazing. It was truly beautiful, and I felt like I was spying, seeing something I wasn't allowed to, but it was just mesmerizing, and untainted. There was nothing seedy or suspicious, which was a nice change.
Maybe I'm more sensitive to it, but as much fun as this weekend was, and as beautiful as the setting was, at the core of this place, it just feels wrong. And I feel powerless to really do anything about it. When I first looking into coming to Cambodia to volunteer and focus on human trafficking, I had so many ideas. I was going to take pictures of these men, and post them on Facebook. Maybe someone would recognize their dentist, or neighbor, and there would be some sort of justice. I would go into the brothels and physically rescue these girls, and then help at a shelter and teach them English, to give them more options for a different life than they are currently living. Unfortunately, that's just too unrealistic. It'd be the equivalent of the informant joining the DEA to bust the dealers, then going into the crack dens to take the addicts to the rehab center that he runs and is the sole counselor for. The problem is just too big, so you have to choose. Where do I fit in, what part to I want to play? Do I want to go and find the brothels and help coordinate busts of the pimps and johns? Do I want to go in and actually extract the women from that hell? Or do I want to help prosecute the johns, since many countries will prosecute pedophiles in their home countries for crimes committed abroad? Or maybe I want to focus on restoring these women to a place where they can see a brighter future? Where do I fit in?
I thought long and hard about it, and ended up at the decision to help with aftercare. I looked into several organizations, and found one who's model of restoration I believed in, Then I worked on getting myself over here to Cambodia. But now that I am here, and faced with they reality of it, I'm back in the I want to do everything mindset. I want to confront these men, call them perverts in public, post their pictures for the world to see. I want to take these women away from them and get them to a shelter. But I didn't do any of those things. I felt helpless. I'm outnumbered by them, and there are still a lot of people who, unless it's obviously a child, still don't see if as a problem. "That's just how it is here. It's part of their culture." I hear that a lot. Occasionally I'll talk to that person, and point out how slavery used to be a part of ours, our country was formed by a bunch of rich white male slave owners. So does that mean if I want to go back to owning another human being that I can, since it used to be a part of my culture and history? And at least that will get most people thinking, which is a great start. I realize that there are some people who like the surface of Cambodia: the beauty, the cheap fruit shakes, the puppies playing at their feet. And that's all that they really want to see, which is totally fine. (As long as they aren't using the women themselves.) But that just doesn't work for me, which makes this weekend bittersweet.
I had my first cry in Cambodia on the way to Sihanoukville. I was looking out the window, taking in the trees, the hills, people, rice fields, everything. Then we started passing lily ponds. They were everywhere. Beautiful pink and white blossoms, the leaves so perfect they almost looked fake. And it reminded me of the Lily Pond Festival I went to with my aunt and uncle. I was maybe 12, for sure in my awkward phase, and at a time in life when I preferred the company of adults to people my own age. Probably because adults weren't nearly as mean as my classmates and peers.
So we were at this festival, and it was acre and acre of lily ponds. And they were beautiful and amazing (but I'm sure that I complained the whole time, "Why are we here, I'm bored, I want that shirt, etc etc.") but looking back, it was a happy time, and a good memory. Outside of the normal meanness of middle school kids, life was pretty good. I was with my aunt and uncle, who I love, my mom wasn't sick yet, and I had a step-father who, even though we didn't get along at that point, stepped up when biodad disappeared. Life didn't suck too bad back then.
So I cried looking at all those lilies. But it wasn't an entirely sad cry, it was more of a remembering a happier time, and realizing that that happy time is gone cry. Which is ok. I'm making new happier time memories here, and genuinely happy for the first time in a very long time.
My aunt introduced me to the full moon ritual of writing things you want out of your life down on pieces of papaer and then burning them to help remove those things from your life. I would do it from time to time, mostly when things weren't particually great in my life, maybe twice a year when I remembered to and the moon was full. I would have handfulls of these little scraps of paper, of all the things I wanted out of my life. I didn't want to think about a relationship that had ended, or a person that I wanted out of my life. I didn't want to be so angry and mean and bitter anymore. And on and on and on. Things that I felt fairly helpless to get out of my life on my own, I needed the moon to help. I KNEW they were beyond my control. So I would burn these little pieces of paper, and wait for the moon to fix my life. The moon either sucked at fixing my life, or took its sweet time, I haven't decided which is true.
Fast forward to a few nights ago, when I notice the moon is full. I sat there and though about what I wanted out of my life now. I couldn't come up with anything. So I thought harder, and for few minutes, just looking at the moon, and still couldn't come up with anything. I realized I was content. There are a couple of things I want in my life (an apartment with a huge balcony and AC in the bedroom, and a job) but there isn't anything I can think of that I want out of my life. And that made me smile again. (Like I said, I smile a lot more here.) I still get angry over some of the things that I see, but I've accepted that I can't fix it all on my own, and that I am doing what I can to help. And that's enough for now. I decided to take a few minuted to enjoy the ocean, enjoy the feel of sand between my toes, enjoy the puppy playing at my feet, and enjoy that the beach was empty of the old white guy, young Khmer woman couples, and just enjoy my last hour in Sihanoukville.
I apologize for the lack of pictures, but I forgot to charge my camera battery, I'm holding on to the beauty of the beach, and will focus on the problems I saw there another time.
You notice the older white men with significantly younger Khmer women. You notice the kids hawking fireworks and bracelets descend on tourists like locusts. And it's a little less spectacular.
Today I woke up early to say goodbye to everyone heading to Vietnam. I still had two hours and 3/4's of a tank of gas left on my moto rental, so I set out to explore. I drove past shacks built along the fence of a five star resort. I stopped at a hundred foot stretch of public beach, that after that hundred feet belonged to the private resort, with a security guard there to enforce the boarder. And there along the public part, playing on the rocks and in the water, were around 15 Buddhist monks. I sat there and just watched, just watched them playing on the rocks and in the water, and thought how amazing. It was truly beautiful, and I felt like I was spying, seeing something I wasn't allowed to, but it was just mesmerizing, and untainted. There was nothing seedy or suspicious, which was a nice change.
Maybe I'm more sensitive to it, but as much fun as this weekend was, and as beautiful as the setting was, at the core of this place, it just feels wrong. And I feel powerless to really do anything about it. When I first looking into coming to Cambodia to volunteer and focus on human trafficking, I had so many ideas. I was going to take pictures of these men, and post them on Facebook. Maybe someone would recognize their dentist, or neighbor, and there would be some sort of justice. I would go into the brothels and physically rescue these girls, and then help at a shelter and teach them English, to give them more options for a different life than they are currently living. Unfortunately, that's just too unrealistic. It'd be the equivalent of the informant joining the DEA to bust the dealers, then going into the crack dens to take the addicts to the rehab center that he runs and is the sole counselor for. The problem is just too big, so you have to choose. Where do I fit in, what part to I want to play? Do I want to go and find the brothels and help coordinate busts of the pimps and johns? Do I want to go in and actually extract the women from that hell? Or do I want to help prosecute the johns, since many countries will prosecute pedophiles in their home countries for crimes committed abroad? Or maybe I want to focus on restoring these women to a place where they can see a brighter future? Where do I fit in?
I thought long and hard about it, and ended up at the decision to help with aftercare. I looked into several organizations, and found one who's model of restoration I believed in, Then I worked on getting myself over here to Cambodia. But now that I am here, and faced with they reality of it, I'm back in the I want to do everything mindset. I want to confront these men, call them perverts in public, post their pictures for the world to see. I want to take these women away from them and get them to a shelter. But I didn't do any of those things. I felt helpless. I'm outnumbered by them, and there are still a lot of people who, unless it's obviously a child, still don't see if as a problem. "That's just how it is here. It's part of their culture." I hear that a lot. Occasionally I'll talk to that person, and point out how slavery used to be a part of ours, our country was formed by a bunch of rich white male slave owners. So does that mean if I want to go back to owning another human being that I can, since it used to be a part of my culture and history? And at least that will get most people thinking, which is a great start. I realize that there are some people who like the surface of Cambodia: the beauty, the cheap fruit shakes, the puppies playing at their feet. And that's all that they really want to see, which is totally fine. (As long as they aren't using the women themselves.) But that just doesn't work for me, which makes this weekend bittersweet.
I had my first cry in Cambodia on the way to Sihanoukville. I was looking out the window, taking in the trees, the hills, people, rice fields, everything. Then we started passing lily ponds. They were everywhere. Beautiful pink and white blossoms, the leaves so perfect they almost looked fake. And it reminded me of the Lily Pond Festival I went to with my aunt and uncle. I was maybe 12, for sure in my awkward phase, and at a time in life when I preferred the company of adults to people my own age. Probably because adults weren't nearly as mean as my classmates and peers.
So we were at this festival, and it was acre and acre of lily ponds. And they were beautiful and amazing (but I'm sure that I complained the whole time, "Why are we here, I'm bored, I want that shirt, etc etc.") but looking back, it was a happy time, and a good memory. Outside of the normal meanness of middle school kids, life was pretty good. I was with my aunt and uncle, who I love, my mom wasn't sick yet, and I had a step-father who, even though we didn't get along at that point, stepped up when biodad disappeared. Life didn't suck too bad back then.
So I cried looking at all those lilies. But it wasn't an entirely sad cry, it was more of a remembering a happier time, and realizing that that happy time is gone cry. Which is ok. I'm making new happier time memories here, and genuinely happy for the first time in a very long time.
My aunt introduced me to the full moon ritual of writing things you want out of your life down on pieces of papaer and then burning them to help remove those things from your life. I would do it from time to time, mostly when things weren't particually great in my life, maybe twice a year when I remembered to and the moon was full. I would have handfulls of these little scraps of paper, of all the things I wanted out of my life. I didn't want to think about a relationship that had ended, or a person that I wanted out of my life. I didn't want to be so angry and mean and bitter anymore. And on and on and on. Things that I felt fairly helpless to get out of my life on my own, I needed the moon to help. I KNEW they were beyond my control. So I would burn these little pieces of paper, and wait for the moon to fix my life. The moon either sucked at fixing my life, or took its sweet time, I haven't decided which is true.
Fast forward to a few nights ago, when I notice the moon is full. I sat there and though about what I wanted out of my life now. I couldn't come up with anything. So I thought harder, and for few minutes, just looking at the moon, and still couldn't come up with anything. I realized I was content. There are a couple of things I want in my life (an apartment with a huge balcony and AC in the bedroom, and a job) but there isn't anything I can think of that I want out of my life. And that made me smile again. (Like I said, I smile a lot more here.) I still get angry over some of the things that I see, but I've accepted that I can't fix it all on my own, and that I am doing what I can to help. And that's enough for now. I decided to take a few minuted to enjoy the ocean, enjoy the feel of sand between my toes, enjoy the puppy playing at my feet, and enjoy that the beach was empty of the old white guy, young Khmer woman couples, and just enjoy my last hour in Sihanoukville.
I apologize for the lack of pictures, but I forgot to charge my camera battery, I'm holding on to the beauty of the beach, and will focus on the problems I saw there another time.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Angkor Wat
This past weekend I went to Siem Reap, and spent Saturday at Angkor Wat. It was truly spectacular, but the visit was too short. Towards the end of the day I was on temple overload, and exhausted. Next time I go, I will spend more time there, and go without a guide. There wasn't nearly enough time to just wander around and take everything in.
Not the best picture, but I had to show that I was showing my Colorado love!
I loved this Buddha statue. I think this might be my favorite picture!
I am still processing the visit, and have been going non-stop since getting back. I am in school full time, getting my volunteer situation settled, and trying to spend time with all the new people I have met here. It's overwhelming at times, and I am glad I took tonight off!
I finished my homework early, and am currently listening to the rain outside of my window, and looking at all the different apartments available. I have two requirements, a huge balcony, and AC in the bedroom. I'd prefer to live in the BKK part of town, but that is third on the list. It also looks like Mr. T might be joining me sooner than I had thought, and I am excited about that. But at the end of the day, I am ready to start teaching, and start living here, instead of getting ready to. I am excited for this weekend, we are headed to the beach. I want a hammock, my nook, and someone to bring me a beer every so often.
Hope you all are well, miss you guys!
I finished my homework early, and am currently listening to the rain outside of my window, and looking at all the different apartments available. I have two requirements, a huge balcony, and AC in the bedroom. I'd prefer to live in the BKK part of town, but that is third on the list. It also looks like Mr. T might be joining me sooner than I had thought, and I am excited about that. But at the end of the day, I am ready to start teaching, and start living here, instead of getting ready to. I am excited for this weekend, we are headed to the beach. I want a hammock, my nook, and someone to bring me a beer every so often.
Hope you all are well, miss you guys!
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Back In School
I really do believe in general, teachers make horrible students. I know I am very guilty of this. But this time around, I am making a much more concerted effort to be a better student. And the subject matter is actually very interesting. How people learn and acquire language is not by memorizing conjugation tables and what part of speech a word is, yet that is how I was taught German and Spanish. It is also how I tried to teach all my Burmese ladies this summer.
Every time they point out a bad teaching practice, I realize that is exactly how I tried to teach these poor women English. At some point, when I am back in Denver visiting, I will go and apologize to them! To be fair, I did make them CDs with some great Beatles songs on them to help their pronunciation, but I don't think that makes up for what a horrible teacher I was. Not that I was a bad teacher on purpose, I just had never been taught how to teach a foreign language effectively.
This weekend we will head up to Angkor Wat, one of the Wonders of the World. For all you Angelina Jolie fans, Tomb Raider was filmed there. (On a side note, one of the tuk tuk drivers for the school loves her so much, he tells everyone his name is Mr. Smith. It's kind of adorable.) I am excited to head up there, and just wander around. The majority of the people in school with me are recent college graduates and they are all headed to Thailand to live on the beach. They are looking forward to the fact that our hotel will have a pool. I am sensing that I will spend a fair amount of time on my own, unless I want to be part of Angkor Wat Fall Break 2011...
I have been bad about taking pictures recently, so no new ones to post. But I leave you with this. The monks who used to wake me up and annoy me with their chanting have become my new alarm clock, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Every time they point out a bad teaching practice, I realize that is exactly how I tried to teach these poor women English. At some point, when I am back in Denver visiting, I will go and apologize to them! To be fair, I did make them CDs with some great Beatles songs on them to help their pronunciation, but I don't think that makes up for what a horrible teacher I was. Not that I was a bad teacher on purpose, I just had never been taught how to teach a foreign language effectively.
This weekend we will head up to Angkor Wat, one of the Wonders of the World. For all you Angelina Jolie fans, Tomb Raider was filmed there. (On a side note, one of the tuk tuk drivers for the school loves her so much, he tells everyone his name is Mr. Smith. It's kind of adorable.) I am excited to head up there, and just wander around. The majority of the people in school with me are recent college graduates and they are all headed to Thailand to live on the beach. They are looking forward to the fact that our hotel will have a pool. I am sensing that I will spend a fair amount of time on my own, unless I want to be part of Angkor Wat Fall Break 2011...
I have been bad about taking pictures recently, so no new ones to post. But I leave you with this. The monks who used to wake me up and annoy me with their chanting have become my new alarm clock, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Happy
I smile a lot more here. At the end of the day, I'm happier. And it's the little things, nothing specific. From the monks in their varied orange robes, to the family of four on a moto, I'm in awe everywhere I look. I know that soon I will deal with the darker side of this country, but for now I just enjoy each day. I'm sure they think I am a crazy white woman, who smiles at everyone, but they smile back, and each time I feel the bitterness and meanness that had been growing in me getting smaller and smaller. Yesterday on our tour of the city we ran into some of the orphans I will eventually practice teaching. One ran up, grabbed my leg in a huge hug, and gave me this smile that melted my heart. I know initially I was scared, but for now, I am simply happy. And it feels really good.
The problem I am facing is how much to tell other people about why I am really here. I am excited about teaching, and know I will enjoy it, but it is a means to an end. I came here to specifically work with human trafficking victims, and I am keeping that to myself for now. It almost makes me feel like I am lying, but I also don't want to explain it to other people. So when asked why I am here, I just give the standard answer, I wanted to travel, I wanted something different. And everyone accepts it. At the end of the day, it's just not a conversation I want to have with virtual strangers.
I hope you all are well, and even though I love it here, I do miss you guys!
Sunday, October 2, 2011
sightseeing for the day!
for those of you who are not on facebook, here is a link to some pictures i took today around Phnom Penh.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2245595694001.118481.1071410722&l=14c67befeb&type=1
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2245595694001.118481.1071410722&l=14c67befeb&type=1
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Moral Dilemmas.
So since I have been here, I have been out twice by myself. Once to the Killing Fields, and once to the Central Market. Each time my tuk tuk was about $15, which for 4 hours doesn't seem that bad to me. The times that I have gone out with other people in the hotel, it has been significantly less, but also for shorter trips. Here is my dilemma.. On one occasion, one of the guys in our group argued over a fare difference of $.25. A quarter. And other times, there have been disagreements over the fare, normally around a dollar. They want four dollars, the people in the group want to pay three.
From my point of view, when you are dealing with a country with such overwhelming poverty,where the average Cambodian makes $45 a month, is it right to pretty much force them to work for a dollar less? Especially when it is a dollar split among four people, so a quarter difference for everyone. I understand that bargaining is expected, but that just seems over the top, and wrong. I don't know. Maybe it is my western guilt, but I don't like it, but don't know how to say something.
Other than that, today was pretty amazing. We went to this beautiful Vietnamese restaurant, I had the best pho I've ever had! And the good news is that it is right by school, so I will be there everyday for lunch! Then it was over to the waterfront, and some beers at a relaxing bar, where we met up with some other expats.
The coolest thing i did today was get a fish pedicure. You pay $3, put your feet in a tank, and the fish eat off all the dead skin. At first it tickles a lot, but after a while, it is somewhat relaxing.
Tonight we are going out for dinner and possibly some dancing, it should be interesting....
Tomorrow is the start of all my school activities. We have a tour of the city, and then a welcome dinner, and then bright and early Monday, it's back to school for me!
Hope everyone is well, I do miss you guys!
From my point of view, when you are dealing with a country with such overwhelming poverty,where the average Cambodian makes $45 a month, is it right to pretty much force them to work for a dollar less? Especially when it is a dollar split among four people, so a quarter difference for everyone. I understand that bargaining is expected, but that just seems over the top, and wrong. I don't know. Maybe it is my western guilt, but I don't like it, but don't know how to say something.
Other than that, today was pretty amazing. We went to this beautiful Vietnamese restaurant, I had the best pho I've ever had! And the good news is that it is right by school, so I will be there everyday for lunch! Then it was over to the waterfront, and some beers at a relaxing bar, where we met up with some other expats.
The coolest thing i did today was get a fish pedicure. You pay $3, put your feet in a tank, and the fish eat off all the dead skin. At first it tickles a lot, but after a while, it is somewhat relaxing.
Tonight we are going out for dinner and possibly some dancing, it should be interesting....
Tomorrow is the start of all my school activities. We have a tour of the city, and then a welcome dinner, and then bright and early Monday, it's back to school for me!
Hope everyone is well, I do miss you guys!
Friday, September 30, 2011
Day 3 in country
So it is the beginning of Day 3. I'm up earlier than I would like, but it gives me time to reflect on Day 2. I had a great post for you guys, pictures, witty comments, all that good stuff. Then I somehow lost/accidentally deleted it. My bad!
Yesterday started with me moving rooms. My key hated the lock, or the lock hated the key, but either way they refused to work together. The hotel's solution: new room. Whatever works I guess. But I was excited, because the view is so much better in the new room!
Here's the new view! Beautiful wat, palm trees, much better! Until this morning. But more on that later.
After my room switch, I went out to explore. I tried to check in at the Embassy, but apparently you have to make an appointment, so I never made it inside. After that failed attempt, it was off to the Central Market.
It was one of the coolest places I have ever been, and I don't mean the temperature. It was hot as balls in there, but everywhere you looked, there was stuff, just tons and tons of stuff. I will have to do a whole separate post on it, I was too amazed to take any good pictures. I had to steal this one of the outside, thanks Phnom Penh Hotels! But I did manage to get: an alarm clock, a surge protector, head phones, speakers for my computer, hangers, 20 Valium, a beautiful dragon fruit, and an orange, all for $30. The Valium was for my shoulder, shooting that machine gun banged it up really good, I have a bruise and everything!
Then Peter, my tuk tuk driver for the day took me out to lunch by the Tongle Sap River. We tried to go to Friends, a restaurant that takes the street kids and teaches them how to cook, but it was closed for the holiday. No one can explain what holiday it is, but it's a big one, because a lot of the city is closed down because of it. After lunch, we drove around, and I was able to see more of my new home. I really do love it here. From the constant meep meep of the moto horns, the monks I see almost everywhere, and I saw an elephant today!
So far, except for the chanting of the monks that woke me up at 530am, I love it here. And it just feels like this is where I am supposed to be. (Feel free to remind me of that when I am homesick, and doubting my decision.)
It seems that the chanting is over, so I am going to try and get a few more hours of sleep...
Yesterday started with me moving rooms. My key hated the lock, or the lock hated the key, but either way they refused to work together. The hotel's solution: new room. Whatever works I guess. But I was excited, because the view is so much better in the new room!
Old view. Not too bad, but...
After my room switch, I went out to explore. I tried to check in at the Embassy, but apparently you have to make an appointment, so I never made it inside. After that failed attempt, it was off to the Central Market.
It was one of the coolest places I have ever been, and I don't mean the temperature. It was hot as balls in there, but everywhere you looked, there was stuff, just tons and tons of stuff. I will have to do a whole separate post on it, I was too amazed to take any good pictures. I had to steal this one of the outside, thanks Phnom Penh Hotels! But I did manage to get: an alarm clock, a surge protector, head phones, speakers for my computer, hangers, 20 Valium, a beautiful dragon fruit, and an orange, all for $30. The Valium was for my shoulder, shooting that machine gun banged it up really good, I have a bruise and everything!Then Peter, my tuk tuk driver for the day took me out to lunch by the Tongle Sap River. We tried to go to Friends, a restaurant that takes the street kids and teaches them how to cook, but it was closed for the holiday. No one can explain what holiday it is, but it's a big one, because a lot of the city is closed down because of it. After lunch, we drove around, and I was able to see more of my new home. I really do love it here. From the constant meep meep of the moto horns, the monks I see almost everywhere, and I saw an elephant today!
It seems that the chanting is over, so I am going to try and get a few more hours of sleep...
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