Marry Happy Christmas!

The title of this blogpost is the most common greeting I received during this holiday season.  I grew to love the use of both "merry" (although commonly misspelled) and "happy", because honestly, why should we have to choose between the two?  I always loved how in Harry Potter they say, "Happy Christmas", but I still want to throw the word "merry" in there somewhere.  And now I can.

Spending Christmas in Cambodia has been quite an interesting experience.  Although many Cambodians know about Christmas, they aren't quite clear on all the details.  I thought I would be able to clear this up in a 45 minute English club session, but I quickly realized how difficult that is.

*abridged version of my Christmas lesson*

Students: 'Cher (students always call teachers "cher".  It sounds like the end of teacher, not like the
famous pop singer's name), teach us about Christmas!

Me: Okay!  Well, Christmas is a Christian holiday where we celebrate the birth of Jesus.

Students: *blank stares*

Me: Jesus is kind of like Buddha...kind of.....

Students: What do you do on Christmas?

Me: On Christmas morning, we wake up and open the presents our families give to us.  But when you are younger, your parents tell you that Santa brings you the presents.
*draws a (terrible) picture of Santa on the board.  Students recognize the picture from TV*
They tell their children that Santa comes to their house at night and brings them what they want for Christmas.

Students: Why doesn't Santa come to Cambodia?

Me: Weeeellll, Santa isn't real, he's imaginary.
*tries (unsuccessfully) to find the word "fake" in the dictionary*
The story of santa is based off of a real person, but it's just a story people tell their children.  It is not real.

Students: Santa has never come to Cambodia,

Me: Because he's not real.

Students: Do you have to celebrate Christmas for Santa to come?

Me: Ummmmm....yes?

And then the 45 minutes was up, so I'm pretty sure that at least half my students left class thinking that Santa only comes to America, and is totally real.  I'll work on clearing this up next Christmas.

Anyway, I know it's a day later, but I hope that you all had a Happy Marry Christmas!  I'm missing everyone tons, but life in the 'bode has been pretty great lately!

Jodi, Ryan and I in front of a Christmas tree we found in the capital

Also, there was a Christmas miracle!  On Christmas Eve it was only about 78 degrees!  It almost felt like Christmas at home.  Almost...

Siem Reap: The Disneyland of Cambodia

Well, now I can check "bike around an ancient temple" off my list of things to do in life.  Okay, that was never on my list, but after I did it, I wrote it on my list and then checked it off.

A couple of weeks ago I participated in the Angkor Wat 30k bike race.  A bunch of other Peace Corps volunteers had registered, so I figured it would be a great way to see Cambodia's most famous attraction and spend some time with my friends.

Mine has a face!  

First of all, Siem Reap is awesome.  It's is basically the Disneyland of Cambodia (unfortunately without the rides).   It's clean, it doesn't smell like fish anywhere, AND almost everyone speaks English.  I found myself constantly forgetting that I was still in Cambodia.  Siem Reap is a huge tourist destination, so there were foreigners everywhere.  And what comes with foreigners?  CHEESBURGERS!  So we definitely had our fair share of burgers, pizza and ice cream.





On the morning of the bike race, we woke up at 4am to bike out to Angkor Wat.  Angkor Wat is the oldest temple in Cambodia and is extremely famous.  It is also featured on the Cambodia flag.

If you would like to read up a little on it, it is extremely interesting.  Of course, I trust wikipedia with all my historical knowledge needs, and you should, too!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angkor_Wat

Basically, it was gorgeous.  Since we were technically supposed to be in a race, we couldn't see every part of the complex, but we definitely stopped a lot to take pictures of what we could.  We may not have won the race, but we got some awesome pictures (I'm sure we would have won if we hadn't stopped so much).

Kat, Jodi and I up early on the big day

Sunrise over Ankgor Wat

Off we go! 

Amazing

After the race with my pink bike.  I rented it for a dollar:-)

I definitely recommend a trip to Angkor Wat.  I know I'm definitely going back at some point.  So if you ever find yourself in Cambodia, let me know!  I promise I won't make you wake up at 4am to go with me.

Happy (late) Thanksgiving From Cambodia!

Everyone who knows me, knows that I love any excuse to stuff my face.  And believe it or not, stuffing your face with rice just isn’t all that satisfying.  So when Peace Corps Volunteers have the opportunity to binge eat American food, we certainly take advantage of that. 

Last Saturday we were fed a lovely Thanksgiving dinner, provided by Peace Corps staff and volunteers.  Believe me, I was skeptical about the quality of what we would be fed.  Most importantly I was concerned about the amount of whipped cream that would be present at this event.  However, as soon as I saw the spread of food, all my fears were wiped away.  I can honestly attest that it was an AMAZING dinner.  We all ate until we were sick, but it was definitely worth it. 

Our lovely Thanksgiving Buffet 

It's painful for me to look at this now.  I want more. 

It was certainly a night to remember how thankful I am for all the blessings in my life.  I am so thankful to have such an amazing and supportive group of friends and family back home.  I am thankful for my Peace Corps family (we're all crazy, but somehow it works).  I am so thankful for this experience that has reminded me how important it is to never give up on your dreams (I know it's cheesy, but hey, it's Thanksgiving).  Basically, I'm one appreciative gal.  

And no, there was no whipped cream, but I was so happily surrounded by cookies, cupcakes, pie and donuts, that I could have cared less.  And oh yeah, I was surrounded by some pretty awesome people, too.  

Awesome people

Desserts!

A Day at the Zoo!

I'll admit, most of my interactions with animals in Cambodia are not exactly pleasant.  From the dogs who could use some flea medicine and a bath, to the mice who have eaten through my shirts, ziploc bags, fruit, q-tips, and shampoo bottles (seriously, mice? Lay off my shampoo), I'm not a huge fan.  So when I was told there was a zoo in my province, I had my doubts.  I imagined monkeys in small cages and the occasional bird.  However, due to some convincing by a volunteer in the next district over, I decided to head on over.
I headed out this afternoon around 11, knowing that it takes about 30 minutes for me to bike there.  When I told a couple people in my village that I was biking to the zoo, they replied, "YOU'RE BIKING THERE?!!?!?!??"  By now, people know that I have biked much longer than 30 minutes.  I biked about 4 hours just a few weekends ago.  So I left thinking, "Geez, I don't see what the big deal is.  Ye of little faith in my biking skills."
Well, I should have had a little less faith in my biking skills.  Sometimes, I convince myself that I'm awesome at biking.  And then I go up a hill.
The road leading up to the zoo is about 1.5 kilometers long (definitely just guessing), made of wet sand, and possesses about a 20 degree incline (I wouldn't trust that, one of my worst grades was in geometry).  Now this might not seem like much, but for someone who only has a fried banana in their stomach, a slightly deflated tire, and hasn't seen a hill in 4 months, it's a big deal.  Also, it was really hot.
Soooooooo, after I almost died on the way to the zoo, I finally made it.  AND IT WAS AWESOME.  I would actually venture to say it was one of the best zoos I've ever been to.  The cages were really nice, and there was a pretty good variety of animals.
So here's a few photos!

Apparently deer are fascinating in Cambodia.  It was just like home.  

Adorable Otters!  

Someone got confused a put a chicken in a cage

This owl stares at me like most children in my town  

The best part was definitely the elephant show.  He was pretty adorable and very talented.  He also tried to take money from me.

Just playing some football

Sneaky Elephant trying to take my money

Elephant taking other people's money

The zoo has a huge program that works to save and rehabilitate trapped bears.  They were pretty awesome.

So yeah, basically I live next to an awesome zoo.  It's also a great workout to get there.

What the Wat???

Let’s face it, holidays are confusing.  If I was new to America and told that during December, we put lights on our houses, drag enormous trees into our living rooms, and wait for a man in a red suit to come through our chimney, even though what we’re really celebrating is our religion, I would be confused, to say the least. 

Things are no different in Cambodia, for me.  It’s no secret that I spend most of my day having no idea what is going on (well, now I probably understand at least 5%...progress), and this problem is amplified during the holidays. 

For the past few weeks we have been in the process of celebrating Pchum Ben, a holiday that exists to honor the ancestors of Cambodian families.  You can read about it more here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pchum_Ben

Now I say that we’ve been celebrating this holiday for a few weeks, because there is no such thing as a one-day holiday in Cambodia.  Every holiday has at least a few buffer days so as to fully enjoy the relaxation a holiday should provide.  I have to admit, I’m a fan.  

My first experience with the holiday was last Wednesday when my school director came up to me and invited me to a ceremony at the wat (Pagoda) the next morning at 7am.  I asked, “Don’t we have school tomorrow?”, but he assured me not to worry about it.  Sure enough, most of the teachers decided to ditch school that day to go to the wat.  I spent most of the morning standing around awkwardly, spooning a bowl of rice into 4 bigger bowls of rice (for the monks?), waving around incense and bowing whenever everyone else did. I also gave someone 500 riel, but I have no idea what it was for.  

A view from inside the wat.  These buildings are always gorgeous.

Leaving out offerings of rice and money

After that, we made a meal for the monks.  Monks usually travel throughout the village asking for donations of money or food, but during Pchum Ben, they do not leave the wat, so the community comes to them.  I helped out as much as I could, but it was made apparent that I am not as skilled at cutting up pineapple as your average Cambodian woman.  However, they humored me and helped me out as much as they could.  

Soon after, we ate with the monks (delicious fried noodles and pineapple soup!) and headed home around noon.  It was quite the event. 

Food laid out for the monks

Today, I got the opportunity to go to the wat again, this time on the official date of the holiday.  It was pretty much the same deal, but this time, we brought food that was made at home, instead of making it at the wat.  At one point, my friend Soporn turns to me and says, “Kelly, everyone is staring at you.” 

I was aware. 

It’s not every day that a 5’7” white girl walks into a wat.  Apparently I was quite an exciting guest.  Overall, it was a great holiday!  Best part is, I don't have to teach until Thursday.  Gotta love those buffer days.  

Quite the hip-happenin' place

The World's Slowest Roller Coaster (fun, but slow)

I have been trying to write a blog post for the past two weeks, but my thoughts have been so scattered that I haven’t really been able to get down a coherent paragraph.  However, as it is the last day of the month, I am going to knock out some updates today even if it kills me.   So blog readers, bear with me. 

The first three weeks at permanent site have been an insane rollercoaster: a really, really, slow rollercoaster.  Since school doesn’t start until tomorrow (SO EXCITED) I have pretty much just been bummin’ around town for the last 3 weeks.  While this was great for the first couple of days, it got pretty old, pretty fast.  However, as I spent hours reading, biking around and speaking broken Khmer with random people I realized that this slower pace has its perks.  I have slept at least 8 hours every night (something unheard of for me during the school year), I am able to exercise every day and I have time to journal, read, and do the things I love.  I also have time to just sit and talk with people.  Normally, I would never consider just spending 2 hours in a coffee shop talking to random strangers and sipping tea, but here, that’s a pretty great way to spend an afternoon.   It is because of this more relaxed pace of life that I have been able to form some pretty great relationships in my community. 

My first week here, one of my main priorities was to find a good coffee shop.  Iced coffee is pretty much be best thing ever because

aA)    it’s coffee

bB)   it’s cold

As I was biking around, I was having trouble finding a coffee shop that wasn’t brimming with men.  Now, at home, a coffee shop full of men would definitely be a huge bonus, but things are a bit different in CambodiaJ.  It’s not really common to see women just hangin’ with the guys.   Being new here, I’m pretty intense about keeping up a good reputation, so I’m trying very hard to interact with men only in social situations where it would be appropriate (I’m probably even being overly cautious with this), and being the only woman among about 20 men doesn’t seem super kosher. 

After biking around for a good 30 minutes, I couldn’t find any coffee shops with a single woman.  So, I did what any reasonable young woman my age would do and went home and cried.  However, a few hours later, I pulled myself together and reminded myself to just keep trying (this has become a sort of mantra of mine).  I got back on my bike and decided to explore the larger market and see what was up there, even though the size of it was a bit intimidating.  Like manna from heaven, I found a coffee shop owned by a woman.  I got some coffee and started talking to the owner, and before I knew it, we had formed a sort of a friendship.  Her daughters started showing up (which was very helpful because they speak a little English) and now I have a sort of coffee club I go to every day. 

I have enjoyed each of our meetings more and more each day.  They have also started to refuse my money when I try to pay for my coffee.  I keep trying to thrust riel in their hands, only to have them reply, “Sister, you do not pay because you are family.”   I might have teared up a little when they first said thatJ.    Today, I got to visit their home and I had a really nice time.  I taught them some card games and we all sat around with our dictionaries learning new words and trying to make conversation. 

This group of women has truly become a second family to me, and made me feel incredibly welcome in my new home. I cannot wait for the day when my Khmer skills are good enough to tell them how much their friendship has meant to me. 

So in short, yeah, Peace Corps is hard.  I miss my family and friends.  I miss McDonalds.  But the warmth and kindness of the people I have met here has convinced me that this is going to be a pretty great home for the next two years.  

A Place to Call Home

Well, the moment we’ve all been waiting for has arrived.  I am at the site where I will be living for the next two years!  I’m living in Takeo Province and I could not be happier with my site placement.  I’m the first volunteer to work at my site, so that has definitely been interesting, since the people here are not really used to seeing a lot of foreigners.  Being the first definitely comes with it’s own set of challenges, but I’m also definitely excited to blaze my own trail. 

My school is fairly large, with about 2,000 students.  And I know you’re all wondering about the library situation.  So am I.  As far as I know there is a library, but I have yet to actually see it.  Perhaps when school starts I’ll actually get to take a look.  The market in my town is fairly small, but if I just bike about 3k (that’s right, I use the metric system now…although I still don’t really understand it) there is a HUGE market AND a place that sells ice cream.  It really couldn’t be better. 

My host family is also pretty wonderful.  I live with an older couple and an eight-year-old boy.  I’m pretty sure he’s their grandson, but I honestly have no idea because I don’t know how to say that word.   He was pretty skeptical of me at first, but I gave him some bubbles and now we’re pretty tight.  I will be sharing the upper part of the house with another teacher, who is currently residing in Phenom Phen, but she teaches at my school during the school year.  It should be pretty nice to have another teacher with the inside scoop staying with me.  However, the ladder that goes down the bathroom is in her room, so I’m not really sure how that’s going to work when she gets here…

School does not start until October 1^st and I am counting the days until then.  It’s definitely different coming from training where almost every minute of my day was structured, to here, where I literally have nothing to do.  However, I have a little checklist and I try to do at least two things a day.  Today I went to the bank (it’s air conditioned!!!!) and found where the coffee place is.  Ambitious, I know.  I also got locked out of my house for about an hour.  Not exactly on the list, but it was still something I did. 

So sorry this blog post is kind of lame, but I’m hoping to have some more pictures/embarrassing stories soon.  But I wanted to assure you all that so far, so good. It’s definitely difficult adjusting yet again, but with my improved Khmer language skills, things are going much more smoothly this time around.  Basically, I’m pretty pumped to call this place home for the next two years.