First Few Weeks in Cambodia

Finally, I am able to post again. I am now in the village of Traing. As you can ascertain from my lack of posts, I don’t have internet. The group was split into 2 villages and mine lacks some of the nicer amenities life has to offer. The other village actually has the internet and a gas station dubbed “Club Tela” (actually, it’s called Tela, but a lot of PC volunteers go daily due to the air conditioning, beer and ice cream). Us in Training like to think that our “roughing it” will pay off when were transferred to our permanent sites which will likely resemble our current state. We all actually really like our village because it’s quite quaint. ANYWAY, life is good. I have had to make a few adjustments and things that were once shocking now cease to faze me in the least! Over the past week I’ve compiled a list of funny stories…here goes:
1. After doing my laundry (which is so HARD because it’s done by hand w/ a bucket on the ground where you literally scrub and scrub and you have at least an audience of three watching you, telling you you’re not doing it right! (They think it funny I’ve never washed my clothes.) Anyway, it was raining in the morning so my sister put them in the kitchen to dry. The sun then came out so while I was taking a nap, she hung them outside. After my nap, I went outside to wait for my friend Meghan to go to class and what do I see? Yes, you bet. All my clothes- this includes underwear, bras, etc..hanging for anyone passing through town to see!!! Literally, I grabbed all my underwear and bras and took them to my room to dry. This would not be a big deal if I lived in the country. But, literally, I live on the only major road going through town. It’s very busy. While most trucks neglects the speed limit- if there even is one- driving 50 mph…all passing could see!
2. I am officially used to taking a shower with a bucket and using a “squat toilet” (imagine: a ceramic hole in the ground). Oh, and they don’t use toilet paper in Cambodia. There is a tub (larger than a bathtub) filled with water. I’ll let you imagine how one wipes…….
3. At breakfast the other morning, my friend Abby informed me and my language group that during the night she peed in a bag then poured it off her balcony. To which we all responded, great idea, but you should really get a chamber pot. Yep, chamber pots are used here and brilliant for those with bathrooms not attached to the house.
4. At breakfast I told the waiter that I wanted coffee in my eyes! He laughed so hard! Khmer (say Kh-my) is so hard to speak…..
5. Jess, another girl in my language groups wakes up most mornings to the sound of rats running in her room. One morning she even woke up to one staring at her!
6. My little brother likes to smell me. One day he even smelled my feet. I knew this was sort of a sign of affection and didn’t think much about it- except it being kind of weird. However, the other day I was informed that sniffing/smelling someone is like kissing them! I now always wear my shoes….
7. The other day in the capital of our Provence a group of us ate dinner at a brothel. Yep, a brothel. The sad thing is we didn’t know it. The guys thought it was weird that the women were touching them and grabbing their chests and telling them how handsome and strong they were…but, yep, we didn’t put two-and-two together!
8. I ate ants the other day. They are so good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seriously, once you get over the fact that literally, there are ants in your rice, they are tasty! They are crunchy and salty. YumJ
9. Men here pee anywhere. Seriously, I’ve seen them peeing on walls or buildings on the sidewalks of busy roads. My little brother will pee off the cement slab during dinner.
10. Normally, when you meet someone new here these are the questions they ask you. In order: What’s your name? How old are you? Are you married? Do you have a boyfriend? How much do you weigh? How much money do you make?
11. Another volunteer was asked by her host family, “How many Kilos do you weigh?” She responds, “I don’t know how many Kilos I weigh.” Host family responds, “we have a scale.”
12. Another volunteer allowed a girl who he thought was his host sister was his clothes. Then she gave him a ring. Then one night he came home and his host family told him to go into the living room for dinner. When he gets inside, his “host sister” is waiting for him alone with dinner. She then offers him a bracelet (to which he declines). He now finds out that he is engaged to this girl who is NOT his host sister, but a neighbor!!!!!!! Opps!

I’m really enjoying my time here in Cambodia. Everyone is really nice. As I said earlier, I live on a busy road. One nice thing about it is that I’ve gotten really integrated into the community. Many people are friends with my sister and brother and just stop by to either look at the foreigner or to practice English. It’s nice because I see these people in the market, roads, etc. They will invite me to sit with them. That’s kind of a charades’ game b/c I don’t speak Khmer..or they don’t usually speak English. Despite this I feel welcomed and like we’re friends.
The food is good as well. I eat so much rice!!!! I’ve never eaten so much rice in my life. Also, they don’t think I eat enough. I cannot imagine how I could eat more. The fruit here is also AMAZING. They have so much I’ve never eaten in my life. It’s all very good.
If anyone has anything they think I should post about…just let me know. I feel as if there is so much to talk about; however, this post is already long enough. So, until next time……