Pictures!

I figured out how to post pictures now! So this is Andrea, Seiha, Amy, and me at Bokor Mountain from a couple of months ago. All of MCC, national staff and expats, went Kompong Som, the beach, this past weekend for a retreat. I'll try to get some pictures of that up too. It was so relaxing after the day I had on Thursday! Nothing like playing frizbee in the ocean!

Well, last Thursday is a day I will not forget soon! Seiha came out on Wednesday to go with us on Thursday to do the ODI, organization development inventory, at ODOV, a NGO that MCC supports in Mesang.

At 5 am Scott texts me. Unfortunately, I am still sound asleep. He calls me around 5:15, to which I hang up because there is no answer after the first two hellos. But know Scott is not a morning person at all, I read his text, realize he’s been up all night sick and he wants to go to Phnom Penh, instead of ODOV. So I call him back decided he needs a cyclo to take him to the taxi station and that Charles, Seiha, and I will do the ODI. Around 6 I go to the market, pick up a cyclo and take him to Scott’s house and get the laptop to take to Mesang. I then return to my house, tell my landlady I’ll be gone for the weekend, and leave with Seiha.

Seiha and I are riding our bikes to the office, but at the end of my road, a moto runs straight into me. When I saw the moto he was not looking in front of him, rather I saw the side of his face. Even though I was heading for the side of the road, he overcompensated and crashed into me. Thankfully I only ended up with a brush burn on my right shin and a sore arm. I didn’t even fall over. However, my bike was smashed. The front tire was crooked and would no longer rotate upon its axis. Seiha flagged down a cyclo for me and we put my bike and me on it and met Charles at the office. Charles was still getting the taxi so we went to get coffee at the stand next to his house. But they only had ovaltine, no coffee.

We got to Mesang around 8am. We started the ODI and it went fairly smoothly. Seiha was an amazing translator and we were ahead of schedule when we stopped for lunch at noon. Around lunchtime Scott texted me saying he had a kidney stone. The afternoon also went well and we were done by 3:30. When we finished we were asking Sopheap when the taxi left tomorrow for Neak Leung. But he said there were no taxis. Either a moto-dup now or a moto-dup tomorrow morning. So, we (mainly Seiha missing her husband) decided to go to PP now instead of spending the night at ODOV as planned. Charles wasn’t feeling well, so he went back to Prey Veng. And he passed me on the way home, due to my creepy slow driver.

When the motos came about half an hour later we got on, me with Scott’s too big helmet, and off we went. While riding side saddle on a moto down the dusty dirt road, I was awestruck by this beautiful country I live in. Since the rains have started, the rice paddies are green again and the poofy white clouds were like big marshmallows floating in a sea of blue. There was a rainbow around the rim of one cloud, just faint enough to make it seem surreal. I truly live in a gorgeous place.

A little over halfway to Neak Leung, we passed a carnival sort of place by a small town. My moto driver then stopped, told me to get off, and promptly drove away. I was standing there, shocked, not believing that my moto just dumped me in the middle of the province! I tried to call Seiha but the network was busy. So I started walking. About a hundred feet ahead of me, Seiha had stopped and then I found out the back moto tire was flat. Why the driver was still riding it didn’t make sense to me. So we were standing there trying to get a new moto. But we either had to wait for both motos or share one. We decided to share a moto for rest of the way to Neak Leung.
Once we got to Neak Leung we immediately were approached by guy who said he had two seats on a taxi for us. Without buying a ticket, we ran on the ferry and got a taxi. Halfway through the ferry trip, our taxi driver said we’d go now instead of stopping for a fourth person in the back if we paid 5000 riel extra. We said go. And go he did. We were in PP in an hour. It usually takes an hour and a half.

I was hungry and wanted to buy a snack at the ferry but we didn’t have time. When Scott texted me and said he was eating dinner at the Groffs I asked for the leftovers to be sent to the office for me. I didn’t want to deal with finding food. Dinner was good and then I ended up talking to Scott for a long bit before turning in last night. Argh. I can’t believe one day could hold so much!

All of MCC is going on the national staff retreat tomorrow to Kompong Som, the beach, for 1 night. I’m not allowed near the wheels! I also drove the new moto for Prey Veng today and it’s awesome!

*Disclaimer-This is not a typical day in my life. A typical day is quiet, relaxed and not so tiring. However, travel here is still sketchy at best, as you can see!

And I live in a small town...

Yesterday, after Khmer lessons, Scott called me. He had my wallet. When he was at the market in the late morning, one of the boys from his homestay that he played soccer with gave him my wallet. Granted there was no money in it, but it did have all of my receipts and documents, so that's good. And it makes my finacial report a little easier.

I also didn't realize how much we, as white peole, stick out. I'm sure we're the daily entertainment for the whole town.

The past month I’ve done some pondering and questioning. I had my six month check in and still feel like things with work are progressing slowly. I can communicate well enough to get around and have some somewhat deep conversations with Gunthia, but being gone from Prey Veng almost 3 weeks hasn’t helped to strengthen my Khmer skills. I visited Women’s Peacemakers, a small Cambodian NGO, with Elijah a couple weeks ago. There is a possibility I will work with them starting in November when Elijah’s term ends. Women’s Peacemakers is based out of Phnom Penh, but does alot of grassroots peace seminars in Kampong Cham, the province north of PV. Participants in the seminars then return to their villages to teach others ways of peacemaking in situations of domestic violence or communal disputes. My involvement would be helping with grant writing and finding funds for workshops and other office support roles as well as visiting seminars periodically.

April 27 through May 1 was the MCC Southeast Asia retreat in Halong Bay, Vietnam. After the retreat I stayed in Hanoi till May 5 with Andrea, Amy, Elijah, Scott, and Renee (SALTer from Laos). In addition to the hot showers and air conditioning, the break was amazing. The theme at the retreat was storytelling with Earl Zimmerman as the speaker. His stories were fascinating as he was serving in southern Vietnam during the ‘American War’, as the Vietnamese refer to it. Yet, the whole time, I kept thinking this is the place my dad was avoiding during that time. (And no, he was not a conscientious objector.) Now thirty some years later his daughter is here and loves it. When we were in Hanoi, our group met up with the MCC Vietnamese staff for lunch and they took us to a delicious noodle shop. They were so welcoming and sincere; it was hard to image all the animosity from just a generation ago. Yet, I know the healing process is still continuing.

In Halong Bay we had a free day where we took a boat out on the water, explored some caves, had lunch and went swimming. The water was so salty you just floated. But when I jumped in the water with Nicole, I forgot to take off my glasses. So they have found a new home in the bottom of Halong Bay. I didn’t bring my contacts along, so for rest of the week I had no spectacles. Thank goodness my vision is not that poor; I could still enjoy going to some museums, seeing Ho Chi Minh, and exploring the Old Quarter. The water puppets were a little blurry but still enjoyable. I have since bought new glasses in PP, for a whopping $28. Yes, 28 dollars.

I went to Thailand the Friday after returning from Vietnam. So I spent two days in PV before returning to PP for the Partnership Meeting with Scott and his sister Cathy, who was visiting. Going on a second vacation within a week of returning from the first is not wise, but MCC has three days off due to the King’s Birthday so we wanted to take advantage of the time off. Amy, Andrea, Elijah and I went to Chiang Mai, in northern Thailand, for about 4 days with a day lay over in Bangkok each way. Friday we watched Spiderman 3 on the big screen and had just enough time to catch our overnight VIP bus to Chiang Mai.

At Seiha’s wedding in January we met some of her IVEP friends, one who happens to live in Chiang Mai and works at an orphanage. Oum helped set up some bus tickets for us and acted as our tour guide. We went to church with him, his fiancé Kat, and Jerome (IVEP from France now working at the orphanage) on Sunday and then the night market after an afternoon of playing Dutch blitz. On Monday I rode an elephant! After the elephant ride we hiked to a waterfall and went white water rafting. Oum took us out for dinner at a Suki soup restaurant. (You cook your own food over a charcoal fire and in the bottom you add water and make soup with veggies and meat juices.) Kat’s mother was at the same table as Andrea and me and kept refilling the pot and adding more meat to the fire. Andrea and I kept looking at each other wondering who was going to eat all this food! But she was being the good hostess and making sure we all had everything we needed. Tuesday we all went to an elephant show and had spicy noodles for lunch. Later we visited the Umbrella village where Thai paint handmade umbrellas and other decorative, traditional items.

Tuesday night we took the night bus back to Bangkok and it was hard and uncomfortable. We wanted to save money so we got the cheaper bus. In Bangkok we went to the Vimanmek Mansion, home to King Rama V of Thailand. It’s the largest teak wood mansion in the world and built in 1901. The King had close ties with European countries so the whole place had a very European feel, from the many gifts of china and paintings to the architecture. It was beautiful though he only lived in it for about 5 years. After lunch we spent the afternoon sitting in air conditioning and talking. But the highlight for me was ice cream! They had Swenson’s ice cream all over Bangkok (also Subway, KFC, A&W, Burger King, McDonald’s- such things don’t exit in Cambodia). I got raspberry ice cream, my favorite, along with dark chocolate ice cream and a brownie. Ah, it was soooo good! After eating, we sat there for a while and I started thinking how my mom and I used to go to Ben and Jerry’s for ice cream and how nice it was to have real ice cream in air conditioning. Yet at the same time I missed my life in PV and almost felt guilty I was enjoying myself in Thailand after returning from Vietnam. My friends, landlady’s family, and host family see going to Phnom Penh as a big trip; for me to go to two countries within the same month seems a little extravagant. I did enjoy myself, but I don’t want to portray such an extravagant lifestyle, even if it’s not extravagant to me, and lose the common ground we have found so far. It’s feels like a difficult tightrope act.

Traveling alot also reminds me of home. During the night at the Bangkok airport, I was looking at the departures and pondering jumping on a plane to somewhere else. While I never would follow through with that, I still am missing home. My mom relayed the message that Rodney, an older man with cancer from my home church, passed away last week. I’m glad he’s not suffering anymore, but how are his wife, Betty, and his family doing? I’m not sure what I could do if I were in Virginia aside from expressing my sympathy and offering a hug. I missed my brother’s college graduation two weeks ago and just now received my invitation in the mail a couple days ago. I missed Mother’s Day. The strange thing is that I knew I would miss these things when I came, but it doesn’t make it any easier to deal with such things. But life goes on and I’m pretty sure these changes won’t really hit me until I return to America.

But the realities of life hit me here too. I lost my wallet this morning at the market. I went to buy some veggies after purchasing some eggs and putting my wallet away. When I went to get my money out, my wallet was gone. So I called Scott and then Charles came too, to give me some money to buy some fish for Cricket, my cat, and pay the bike lady. The hot season should be over sometime soon, but it's still hot. Whenever it rains it cools off, but then everything turns into a big mud pit.

I'm moving!

Wednesday I move out of my host family's house into a place of my own. It's so exciting to have my own space and be able to cook for myself again. I have made some Khmer meals for my host family, but it's not quite the same.

My new house is just two blocks from my host family's house. I'm renting the top level of a traditional Cambodian house; I'm living in the wooden part and the landlady and her family are living below in the cement half. There is a wonderful balcony that's covered in foliage and is perfect for sitting outside on cool evenings. There is a large living room, two bedrooms, a western bathroom (no squat toliet!) and a kitchen type room in the back. And I'm praying the snakes will stay away since I'm on the second floor. So far, I've had two snakes in my bedroom during my homestay. :( But my landlady does have a pet monkey so we'll see how he is. Oh, and he's on a chain, so don't worry about him stealing stuff.

Lately I've been amazed at how my perspective is changing. The Groffs are giving me their old icebox since I will not have a fridge and I'm so excited to have cold water to drink and a place to keep leftovers and dairy. Going to the market each day to buy 500 reil block of ice doesn't seem so bad after not even having an icebox for 4 months. At home, I couldn't image living withough a fridge. Since I've been in PP the past couple of days for meetings (and a hymn sing tonight) I've been packing up extra kitchen essentials from old MCCers. I thought all the extra stuff had been claimed already, but nope, there was still great stuff here. Yesterday, I was estatic a rolling pin was in the pile. A rolling pin, can you believe it? And a beautiful teapot. I felt like a kid in the candy store with such goodies.

Despite my eagerness to move out into my own place, I'm saddened at the thought of leaving my host family. When I told them I was moving out, their immediate reaction was that something was wrong and they started quizzing me. Is it the food? Is it our family? Do Larry and Sherry think you should move? Well, I lead them to believe the CRs wanted me to leave. It's so hard to explain that Americans like living alone in apartments and not with a family when they are in their twenties and unmarried. In this communal culture, hardly anyone lives alone.

However, I was struck by the graciousness extended to me from my host family. Since I'm not moving into my new house until Wednesday, I'm staying an extra week with my host family. I told them I'd pay them for the extra time day by day until I leave. But my host father, Buntha, told me not to worry about the money; he has already told his wife not to take anymore from me. He said he's not worried about money; friendship is more important. Frankly, that shocked me. It made me think they truly have grown to love me despite my power/wealth as a white person. By no means is my host family in a financial bind, but it was so refreshing to hear those words come out of his mouth. And prehaps I'm starting to move past the superficial relationship that is so common here to a last friendship with them. At least I hope I'm heading in this direction.

I've been meeting with a young woman named Gunthia for the past several weeks to practice Khmer. I met her at church and she's an English teacher, though she doesn't like to speak it. Through our meetings a friendship has developed, which has been an answer to prayer; ;it's not quite so lonely in PV. However, sometimes these meetings are rather difficult. One day she told me she wanted to go to university, but her parents don't believe in educating women, so she went to teacher school. She's concerned for her parents because they are not Christians. Last week we had a discussion on skin color. She told the truth rather bluntly-the whiter you are the better job and higher salary you earn. It's hard for me to reply to these remarks sometimes because, frankly, I have everything she's wanted. How do I go about encouraging her and impowering her in my responses? I don't understand the inequality and unfairness here. I doubt I'll ever understand it, but I'm still struggling with this.

Thanks to those of you who sent me birthday cards. It's nice getting mail, but if you're spending 84 cents to mail a cards, you could at least write something inside aside from your name. Nothing is going to be too boring; I'm excited about a rolling pin and the rain showers we had last week for pete's sake.

It's been a while since my last post for numerous reasons but mainly because I have been busy. Seiha's wedding was January 13, Charles's host sister's wedding was Jan. 20, I went to Mesang the following Tuesday and Wednesday and I have been arranging homestays for Scott, the new MCCer who arrived yesterday morning, and the two Goshen SSTers. Wow, I believe the poor grammer from my language teacher is starting to affect my writing; that sentence is way too long.

Seiha's wedding went well, aside from the fact my purse was stolen and had Andrea's house keys and my keys in it. I didn't understand all of the Khmer traditions, though it was helpful to have some people translating for me. The evening reception was fun complete with dancing and MCC group pictures. I didn't enjoy Charle's host sister's wedding as well; I had never met the bride or groom before that evening. Charles and I arrived too early and the night was not as enjoyable as we left shortly after eating.

Mesang, a district in Prey Veng provience, was a delightful trip. ODOV, Organization to Develop Our Villages, used to be MCC Mesang several years ago. About 3 years ago ODOV became its own organization separate from MCC. Charles and I visited with Ben who has been the advisor during his term. For the day I travelled via moto with a wonderful lady, Sorm Sarit, who is an overseer of the projects in the villages. We visited a fish farm, a couple vegetable farms, a village manager, and some chicken farmers. During the day she spoke slowly in Khmer so that I could understand her. Despite having some stomach problems, the day was wonderful and the people I met incrediable.

Amy, SALTer, and Sherry, CR, visited Prey Veng that Friday and Saturday. It was nice to show them around and have other white people to talk to. In addition, it was nice for Sherry to see a typical language class and brainstorm ways to improve since I am not learning the language as quickly as I anticipated. During their visit we looked at several potential homestays for Scott and the Goshen students. It appears that most of the families want girls, which is a problem since there are two boys and one girl. But that will be worked out soon. But in searching for homestays, I have found a young Khmer woman who comes to my house and practices Khmer with me in the afternoons. Her name is Guntia and attends the same church I do.

This past weekend I went camping with several MCCers, some Cambodians, and two other guys that Ben knew. We went to Kiriom National Park and hiked, played Dutch Blitz, and explored trails during the day and camped out in tents for the night. We even had hot dogs and smores! The Cambodians liked the hot dogs but weren't too keen on the smores. Personally, I think they are one of the best inventions from the west.

Over the past two weeks I have been going through somewhat of a slump. After returning from Mesang I discovered my youngest host brother had been entering my room and drinking yogurt I bought I PP. I told my host mother and she took care of situation. But now whenever we eat, my host brother eats two and three bowls of rice. Each time he asks for more rice he holds up his bowl, says "bai" (rice) and stares at me. My host family thinks it hilarious that a ten year old can eat so much yet the foreigner only eats one bowl of rice. Needless to say it's a joke in my family now that they are going to grow up big and strong and I'm not because I don't eat two bowls of rice. Apparently they don't notice that I'm bigger than any of them.

But the real reason I have been going through a low point is because I feel incrediably young, inexperienced, and vulnerable. I keep getting things stolen from me, like Amy's bike, Andrea's keys, or yogurt, and frankly, I am the youngest service worker at MCC and in most groups in Prey Veng. But I am starting to realize the amazing opportunity that MCC gave me. I am young and inexperienced but they accepted me for this position and told me to go for it. Most organizations wouldn't do that. And being vulnerable isn't such a bad thing; slowly I am learning how to form deep, meaningful relationships in somewhat superficial culture and how to relate to people I have little in common with.

Carol can sing....or not

Last night the most hilarious thing happened. My has siblings were once again watching karoke on TV when I realized I reconized the tune to a song. It was a Black Eyed Peas song, My Humps. So, I told them, I know this song in English. Well, they started talking and the next thing I know is that my host sister has switched the TV sound over to the stereo surround sound and has gotten out a microphone and plugged it in. She then restarts the song and tells me to sing in English! Of course I blush and say no. But my host mom and siblings think this is abosolutly the funniest thing they have ever seen, so they are just rolling with laughter. I must say, it was quite humerous. I think it was the first time I have laughed, I mean my-side-hurts-tears-in-my-eyes-laughed, since I have been here.

I caught another mouse in my room. So that's number three.

It's starting to get warm here again during the day. It wouldn't be so bad except for the humitity and lack of rain. And the fact that I live on a dirt road where there are just clouds of dust every afternoon.

Super Squeakers (I and II) is dead. (I named the mouse living in my room.) But as it turns out, there were two mice, now both nicely disposed of. I thought my 17 year old host brother was going to scream when I walked out of the house this morning. But, now I can sleep in peace! :)

Cambodian youth culture is still something I can't understand. Cambodians love karoke. Just a minute ago, a kid in another part of the internet shop was screaming one of the karoke songs at the top of his lungs. Argh! But I must say Top Teen, the Cambodian version of American Idol, is quite interesting. Each singer has backup dancers, which can't stay or beat or together, but sometimes I am surprised. The dancing consists of waving your arms and twirling in circles, while the main singer stands rigid on the center star. But prehaps I have just been desensitized by American pop culture. Their outfits are quite another thing. One girl was wearing black leggins, army boots, striped jumper straps on her t-shirt that had huge mickey mouse faces around the bottom. To top it all off, her hair was pulled into a ponytail on top of her head and surrounded by a silver tiara. Maybe for Asians, she was in style; matching is not their strong point.

Speaking of clothing, I ordered a dress to be made for Seiha's wedding next weekend. My host mother and sister went with me to the market on Sunday. Cambodians love bright colors and try to stick as many sequins and bows and frilly stuff as humanly possible on one dress. I managed to get a lavender that isn't so bright for the top with only a little bit of embroidery around the neckline and bottom. The bottom is the traditional Khmer silk, which is a variation of a diamond pattern. The first bodice I chose had an empire waist and cap sleeves which my host mother quickly told me I couldn't get because my chest is too big. It's kinda humorous, I have never considered myself large.

Moving on, my garden is doing well. The corn, beans, califlower, and cabbage have sprouted. I think there may be something wrong with the lettuce as it has not come up yet. I am quite pleased despite the rocky start.

For New Years, I didn't do anything special, but Barb, one of the expats living in Prey Veng, invited us over for a BBQ Sunday evening. It was divine! She has western food, including potato salad. I definately like the Khmer food, but sometimes, you just want to eat potatoes or a raw cucumbers, instead of rice. But my family doesn't understand that as they have begun to slowly increase my rice portion once again.

Kep and Christmas

The past week has held several exciting and eventful experiences. Last week when I returned to Prey Veng, I decided to start a garden. Sounds crazy right? Planting a garden in December? The rainy season is over and November is the beginning of the regular planting season, so I am slightly behind. Buntha, my host father, said I could have a plot of land between the mango trees in the backyard, so Monday afternoon I started digging. I asked my host mother for some cow manure, and after trying to explain what that was, the nephew came back with a sackful. However, once he saw what I had started, he said the ground was too hard for me to dig myself and proceded to rehoe what I had accomplished. So my garden has turned into a community project. The main reason I wanted to grow vegetables is to have something else to do and contribute to my family in some productive manner. Tomorrow I will plant corn, green beans, cabbage, lettuce, and califlower. Larry told me those tend to grow the best here.

Thursday Charles and I returned to Phnom Penh. I worked on my finacial report all day. Friday the single MCCers went to Kep on a singles retreat. Kep was a popular resort town on the coast from the colonials days until Pol Pot (1920s-1960/70s). While the old cement mansions and beach houses are still present, the houses are more ruins than habitable structures. But the ghost town feeling is not everywhere; the crab market is flourishing, there are boat rides to several islands in the bay, and several pepper farms and caves to visit. We stayed at a lovely resort where we stayed in private bungalows and had a fantastic view of the beach from the resturant. Overall, the weekend was very relaxing and fun with a healthy dose of pranks thrown in. And I can say I spent Christmas Eve at the beach, which in my opinion is much better than the VA or PA cold.

Christmas was nice, thought it felt more like a summer picnic with turkey. The MCCers, along with the Saudermans (China MCCers) and the Graber-Millers met at the Groff's house for the typical Christmas dinner-turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, stuffing, etc. Andrea and I made pies for dessert- apple, pumpkin and coconut cream. After the meal, I got a chance to talk to Keith Graber-Miller who is head of the Goshen SST group coming next month. I put in a good word for them to send a student to Prey Veng for the six weeks the students will be working in the proviences. :) After a couple hours of talking, a volleyball game was started, though it was interesting to dodge the Cambodians who came over to jump on the Groff's trampoline. Later we played Oggle.

The most memorable part of the weekend was when I decided to call my family Sunday evening which would have been Sunday morning in Pennsylvania. Amy told me I could ride her bike since it was later in the evening and she would not need it. While I was talking to my mom and grandparents, the bike was stolen. The power went off twice, so the lady was busying rebooting the computers and was not at her desk at the front of the shop. When I left the cubical and started rambling in Khmer "Where is my bike?!?" she was as confused as I was. So I walked back to MCC. Usually motos are stolen, but bikes aren't exempt from that either. Today Amy will get a new bike...and helment, and it's nothing to worry about.

Happy New Year everyone!

Yesterday we had the MCC staff Christmas Party at the Groff's house. The Cambodian staff brought their families and after eating curry and exchanging gifts, various games including volleyball and twister were going on. I had made chocolate and vanilla checkerboard cookies and the Cambodians really enjoyed them. They kept calling them saat, which means pretty in Khmer. The gift exchange was interesting too. Instead of the white elephant game that is usually played, each gift was assigned a number and the number you drew was the gift you got. When 31 was called, I received the standard rectangular box. Most people with the same shape box had gotten towels, but upon opening it, it was face whitening masks. Just what I needed! Now my host mother can be proud of me since my skin can be as pale as it was when I first arrived! I doubt the masks work because the main ingredients are green tea extract, chamamile and glycerin.

Despite the fact that is was a Christmas party, it felt more like a church picnic in the summer, or maybe a biligual family reunion. Either way, I feel like I have to re-examine Christmas by celebrating it in Cambodia.

All of the things I usually associate with Christmas- Advent in church, dinners, shopping for gifts, caroling, family gatherings, baking cookies, cold weather, and just the American commerialization of the holiday- all aren't really present here. Last night Charles and I went to the mall in PP just to see the decorations and maybe hear some Christmas music. While there were crowds and decorations, there wasn't any Christmas music playing. I know my last post was about wishing I was home for the holiday and this one is headed in that direction too, but I do. I think part of it is that I have been here for a 1 1/2 months now and lived with a Khmer family for 1 month and still am struggling with the language and starting to get bored in Prey Veng. My purpose is to learn the language and culture for 3 months. Sounds easy right? It would not be so bad if there was stuff to do for fun in Prey Veng. Aside from watching Cambodian TV with my host siblings, riding my bike, and going to the river front that is turning into a rice patty, there's not much to do. Don't get me wrong, I am enjoying my time here, but Cambodian recreation seems to be watching people go by and talking about food. Part of my frusteration is that Christmas at home is always a time to frenzy and excitement in preparation, while here I start a new book every other day.

This past weekend, Charles and I talked to the CRs about finding an office and they gave us the go ahead. I can't wait to have a computer to use instead of using the internet shop or going to the PP MCC office. And with an office, I can start reports and do something productive (by western standards).

Christmas Cookies!

I just read an email from Sherry asking each able MCCer to make some Christmas cookies for the MCC Christmas party next Saturday in Phnom Penh. I must say this is the first time I have been excited for Christmas this year.

Sunday evening when I returned from PP, I was alone in the house except my one host brother. Around 7:30 that night, I got rather homesick, mainly because I would be missing Christmas with my family and my Khmer family was not around to distract me from my rampant, exaggerated thoughts of never seeing my real family again or celebrating the holiday together. As the week wore on, I still had spurts of depression as I lamented the coming, joyous holiday. Christmas has always been one of my favorite holidays filled with baking cookies with my mom and delivering them to everyone we know (literally), family gatherings that turn into chaos with little kids under foot, way too much food, Christmas Eve services and hearing my grandfather read the Christmas story from Luke each year. I realized that the one event I would miss most is hearing my grandfather read the Christmas story.

(As a side note: He's a pretty amazing guy. This past summer he would introduce me to his fellow service workers, or just random people he knew, and would tell me to tell them what I was doing. His enthusiasm was like a child's delight whose eyes light up on Christmas morning. And this was all during a time when people kept asking me "Are you sure this is what you want to do?" and were not very supportive.)

Even though I know Christmas here is not going to be the same, I cannot let myself forget the true meaning of Christmas (clique I know). So if I can share my Christmas spirit by baking cookies (that is if someone lets me take over their kitchen in PP) , then by golly, I will. For the first time this season, I'm excited about Christmas in Cambodia.

I have a mouse living in my room. I can deal with getting pooped on by lizards and having them run across the room, birds making noises in the middle of the night, and the mosquitos (if you haven't heard, I have less than a dozen red itchy dots on my body now, that's down from the 2 1/2 dozen I had earlier), but not the mouse. He found my stash of Nutter Budders and pooped all over my second set of sheets. But I'm in Cambodia so maybe I should just name it (any suggestions?) and get on with life. I told my host family about it and they all laughed and repeated "Carol has a mouse in her room!" So much for their help. But, Charles and I have decided we are going to have a cat at the MCC office.

Beyond that, life has not been that exciting. I had a wonderful visit with Barb, an expat from England this afternoon. She is a midwife by trade and reminds me alot of my neighbor, Joyce, in the States. She mentioned several NGOs that I might be able to work with in the future, so despite not living on Foreigner Row, like Charles, I am starting to make some connections.

Back in Phnom Penh

Charles and I came back to Phnom Penh for a visit this weekend. Yesterday we took the 6 am bus from Prey Veng to Phnom Penh and arrived around 8:30. The bus was somewhat crowded, but since it was early in the morning, it wasn't so hot.

Since I have been eating rice at least twice a day, sometimes three times (that's over my limit), Charles and I went to a western coffeeshop for lunch. I had a baked potato that was divine. Since the Russian market was a block away, we stopped there and I bought another pair of capris. On the way back, I had a little incident. Charles and I had borrowed bikes from the MCC office to go for lunch. Since the traffice in Phnom Penh is much busier than Prey Veng I was staying very close to the right side of the road. Another cyclist decided to come up behind me on the ride side and sideswipe me so that I lost my balance and jammed my toe. It could have been alot worse, but it still alarmed me. Right then, I wanted to go back to Prey Veng and never come back! I made it back to the office and propped my foot up. It's only a little sore and black and blue. But now I think it's hilarious because this is the same toe that Kelley (accidently) rammed a couch into last August and my toenail has finally grown back.

Today I am going on a cyclo tour of downtown along with some other MCCers. It should be enjoyable.

Prey Veng

I have now lived in Prey Veng Town for one week, and what a week it has been! As there is no way I could even try to cover all of the events of the past week, I will try to post the highlights.

First, I am definately feeling the brunt of being the only young, single, white girl (key word white) in the village. Every day my host family tells me how beautiful I am because of my white skin. Ming, which means aunt (it's what I call my host mother), loves to touch it and look at me. It still unerves me to have people stare at me just because I am white. As a result, I have been pondering the many reasons why it's not so great to be white, and then I think of all of the harm and injustice people with the same skin as me have caused to those with darker skin. The French were once the oppressors here and in America, well, need I mention it? Frankly, it depresses me.

As I was unpacking, Jendai, my host sister, was helped me hang up my clothes when she causually said, you have nice clothes. Later, I realized that her comment embarrased me. Every article of clothing I brought carried a brand name and was made in a foriegn country in a garmet factory. My host family is rather affluent and definately middle class. They all wear gold jewelery and have a large, clean comfortable house with western toliets. But their clothes don't have name brands, even though they are clean and somewhat stylish. But I have realized the utter wealth I have. I could never tell my family everyone in my immediate family has his or her own car, or that we have air conditioning and two fridges and a deep freeze for they have none of these luxeries. However, I see the positives in their lifestyle too. Riding a bike is much more convienent on narrow roads and keeps everyone in shape. I appreciate the cool breezes in the afternoon and enjoy taking three showers a day. Everything we eat is fresh from the market.

Communication is my biggest hurdle. I only know rudimentary Khmer and when I try to convey a thought to Ming, she usually doesn't understand. Her nephew who lives across the street speaks fluent English so she usually calls him to translate. This is very frusterating to me because I want to speak Khmer, not English. However, I have been able to help with the dishes and make dinner. I am trying to learn how to cook the Cambodian dishes she makes, but alot of the ingredients are foriegn to the American cook. But Ming is a wonderful cook and I have liked everything she has made so far. I have also noticed that I get the biggest serving of rice at dinner. The 17 year old son is probably half the size of me and eats maybe a third of what I eat. But there is always plenty of food.

Um, what else? Charles and I have been trying various resturants in town for breakfast. The traditional breakfast here is noodle soup with bean sprouts, liver, intestines, and chopped meat in it. The best I have had is here in Prey Veng. Also, the iced coffee, sweetened with sweetened consendsed milk, is very delicious. The other option is french bread and fruit from the market.

Life has still been interesting. Jendai and I were followed by the police Sunday afternoon because they wanted to know who this white girl was and why she was here. They told Ming they wanted a copy of my passport and visa. Unfortunately, I didn't have a copy of my visa because all of the important duties, such as photocopying it, were not done by those responsible to do them in Phnom Penh. So finally, they left with a copy of my passport and said they would return. I have definately sugarcoated this version of the story because I was terrified. I couldn't understand what was being talked about and Ming's reactions were not positive to the men. But, I was not taken to the police station which was their orginial plan, or deported as I thought I would be. But since then life has been its usual self.

Missing PB

Charles bought a jar of peanut butter at Lucky Market (a western store) Monday evening and enjoyed a slice of peanut butter toast for breakfast the next day. However, the peanut butter has now been lost. Abandoned on a table, the peanut butter has found a new home. But 'where' is the question of the week. But since Charles and I were leaving random gifts in other MCCers' mailboxes, prehaps this is payback.

Aside from the peanut butter, this week has been going very well. Tuesday evening, some of us took a lovely boat ride on the Mekong. It was Doug's parents' and sister's last night here so they rented a boat and invited Elijah, Amy and me along.

Yesterday I started the vaccination series for Japanese Encephalitis and rabies, yet the shots were the adventurous part. I rode Amy's bike to the doctor's office which was 262-B. None of the numbers here are in accending order, so when I got to the house that said 262, I stopped. The gate was locked so I shook it and this kid, about 9 or 10, came to the door. He smiled and I was dumbstruck. I showed him the business card I had, and pointed down the street. After asking him how far and finding out it was three houses down, I thanked him and left. He was still smiling by the time I left, even though I know he was laughing at the ignorant American. After arriving at the correct place, I took a seat and noticed the young couple with an infant, teenage boy, and nun in the waiting room. The nun started asking me where I was from and why I was here... the common questions most people have. Needless to say she never heard of Mennonites before and explaining I was moving to Prey Veng to eventually work in something related to health didn't go so well either. So she started asking me if, along with my companions, I went out at night. I replied I didn't. She was very glad to hear that; it's not safe at night, especially on a bicycle. I found out she had lived in Cambodia for about 6 years, but not her nationality. Reflecting on this experience, I strive to be more like this nun. Not that I plan to take a vow of chastity to the Catholic church, but that eventually I can encourage others whom come to better a fellow human's life. Even though she didn't understand why I was here, she still welcomed me and offered a conversation.

On, a different note, I'm frusterated with the language study. I deeply want to learn Khmer, but I'm having issues with the tutor in here in Phnom Penh. He is a wonderful man, but I'm not adhering to his method of teaching. For one, we are reading the phonetics, not the Khmer script; since I am a visual learner, I'm afraid I'll have difficulty learning the script later. But, when I move in with my host family on Tuesday, I will be able to practice the language more. I also plan to start learning the Khmer alphabet in Prey Veng. It's very frusterating to be illerate in Khmer. I have always taken being able to read for granted and never realized how much I depend on/enjoy reading.

On a lighter note, I found a book in the library, The Cambodia Less Traveled by Ray Zepp, that included a section on Prey Veng Town. Under 'The Lure of Prey Veng' (pg 71) two parts stuck out to me. One had to do with Prey Veng Town having lots of snakes. Uck! Being a biology major in college should have cured me of this, but I can't even stand to see a snake preserved in formaldehyde. The other part went like this: "On the negative side, I had originally planned to go there with my neighbor, but his father forbade him from going because Prey Veng was too dangerous for a lone foreigner- too many 'grangsters,' he said." The book was published 10 years ago, and I'm not frightened. Like the nun told me, it's not safe on a bike at night, and if you use common sense (Yes, Danny I realized common sense is learned) usually you'll be fine.

Weekend

I have been to three church services in the past 24 hours. Saturday evening I went to a Catholic mass, but with the international flair it didn't see all Catholic to me. Since it was a Marionols (I'm sure this is mispelled) service, it was also different from the mainstream church. Ben told me the Marionols are the Mennonites of the Catholic world. Apparently they stress the peace aspect of faith as well. The second service I attended was the Phnom Penh Mennonite Church that EMM started. This service was completely in Khmer, so I only understood the numbers when they were called. And this was the longest service, lasting just over 2 hours. Amy and I decided to give it a try and from what I understood, I enjoyed it. About 60 people attend the church regularly and about a third talked to either Amy or me after the service. We met two previous IVEPers and students from the Phnom Penh Bible College. The last service was this afternoon at the World Vision building, International Christian Fellowship. This service, which the majority of the MCCers attend, is probably the closest to a service in the States that I would attend. We sang praise and worship with a keyboard and a sermon on contentment based on Philippians 4.

After Catholic mass yesterday evening, Ben, Amy, Charles, and I went to a benefit concert for a Cambodian NGO that trains disabled persons to repair electrical equipment to earn a living. A very animated Canadian played several pieces on the piano-jazz, classical, spunky stuff- and talked. It's rather hard to explain this man; his name is Arnie and full of zany energy and spunk. In addition to him, several Cambodians played traditional instraments while a couple sang traditional wedding songs. It was a delightful experience. But I'm not sure I'll have the same opportunities for concerts and cultural events in Prey Veng as I have here in Phnom Penh. But who knows?

First Impressions of Prey Veng Town

Today Larry, Nicole, Elijah, Charles, Seiha (a Cambodian who works for MCC and is getting married in January) and I went to Prey Veng Town. I met 4 other foreigners (2 from England, 2 from Singapore), Charles' host family and my host family. Personally, I think my home stay will go very well and is a perfect match. I have my own bedroom and bathroom...with a real toliet, not a quat-er like most of the bathrooms have! I will live on the bottom floor next to the kitchen, dining room, and storage room. Rest of the family lives on the second floor which has a bathroom, 3 bedrooms, living room and porch. The father worked for MCC in the past in Phnom Penh and is currently working on his MBA. The mother is a second grade teacher and even gave us guava fruit from their trees. They have 3 children- 16, 15, and 10- but they were at school so I didn't meet them. The family owns a few verdant acres which house mango, guava, and other trees.

Prey Veng is a cute little town. It's next to a river (I think Mekong, but don't quote me on that) and is quiet and peaceful. The picturesque rice feilds along with the palm trees swaying in the cool breeze is relaxing and the homey atmosphere of the town excites me about living there. I am enjoying Phnom Penh, but I'm not used to living in large cities, Prey Veng Town is much more my style. And I must say there was a wave of relief on my part as the day progressed. The family seems wonderful and the place is clean. Sometimes it seems like dust and dirt can travel anywhere, despite your strongest efforts to contain it.

I will move to Prey Veng on Nov. 21. Language tutors are still being set up and I will get a bicycle when Sherry brings us to Prey Veng. I took some pictures today and hope to have them up on a website soon. I'll let you know when this happens.

When I left America I was still very apprehensive about this whole thing. I felt too many details weren't settled yet and basically didn't know what my purpose here would be. But as I meet my host family and see truly how beautiful Prey Veng is, I know I can success and flourish here. I'm learning the language and was able to greet my host parents in Khmer and thank her for the guava. I'm taking small steps, but I know I'm headed in the right direction.

Intros and such

I will begin with introductions so for now on you know who I am talking about.

I mentioned Sherry picked us up at the airport. She and her husband Larry are the co-Country Representatives. Their house is several blocks away from the MCC office and it houses a cat, a dog, a goat, a monkey, 2 turkeys, and 2 guinea hens along with their two teenage children, Tyler and Nicole. Nicole is somewhat quiet, yet the more I see her, the friendlier she is. Tyler is on a trip to Egypt with his school and will return next week.

Ben is the MCCer who met us at the airport. He is shorter than I expected but the most helpful person I have talked to so far. He helped set up my host family in Prey Veng (whom I meet tomorrow on our first trip to Prey Veng) and since he had a difficult home stay, I trust his judgement. However, his term is over in February.

Elijah is fluent in Khmer and is probably one of the most outgoing of the MCCers. Everyone in Akron told me he picked up Khmer quickly, and they were right. He is not learning Chinese as he plans to go to China after his term is over in later next year. He also has a dislike for feline creatures.

Amy is the SALTer who works at a local university teaching English. She is friendly and I had several intersting converstations with her over the weekend. She has been here for 2 1/2 months and is on vacation with Andrea this week to the NW corner of the country where waterfalls and hiking trails flourish.

Andrea came as a SALTer, but continued on with a three year term. I haven't had much interaction with her, though Bud and Sheri said we would get along very well.

The Sanderval family consists of Julie, Robert and their three children, Bobby (late teens), Tatina, and Selah (both under 10, I think). Julie is working with 10 Thousand Villages to get Cambodian handicrafts into the stores in NA. She showed me some leafshaped earrings with the word peace in Khmer written on it; I would buy them.

Seina spent the past year as an IVEPer in Ohio. Now she is in the process of creating her own library. She is extremely friendly and her laughter is contagious.

The Graber-Neufeld family is also here. My former prof, Doug, is teaching at a local university. However, I have not seen them yet since they are currently on vacation in Vietnam.

Oh, and there's Charles. He is the rural agriculture advisor and will be in Prey Veng with me. He is very easy to spot in a crowd of Cambodians because he stands about a foot above them. So far, we have gotten along very well in that we are both in this transition stage. He has also been to Vietnam.

There are also some other Cambodian staff members I have not met yet. This past weekend was the annual water festival. One of the two largest festivals, it celebrates the end of the rainy season and the arrival of the cooler winds. Saturday Elijah, Ben, Amy, and Emily (Elijah's friend from college who is currently teaching in Manila) took Charles and I to the festival. On the Tonle Sap River, boats race once per day until the winner is annouced. Because of the holiday the MCC offices are closed and it's been rather quiet around here.

Sunday we went to Sihanoukville where we visited a ship, M.V. Doulos. This boat goes around and docks at ports all over the country selling mainly discounted Christian books, CDs, and tapes. It also had cookbooks, nature books, and medical reference books. However, I just came from American and have no need of any of these things. Before visiting the ship we went to the beach where I read the latest Newsweek and the local Phnom Penh paper in English. There were two interesting articles in the latter paper, one on fake drugs and the other on unsafe DYI abortions preformed in rural areas.

Yesterday Charles and I started language study. Our tutor (his name slips my mind at this point) is a short, older man full of forgiveness. The first phrase I learned was 'Good Day Sir.'' I would try to type it in the Khmer alphabet (this keyboard has both English and Khmer characters on it) but I do not know how to switch between them. I now know the numbers up to 1000 and common greetings as well as how to get from point A to point B. But after the second class I am still a little shaky on the pronounciation. Our classes focus mainly on the spoken word. Reading comes later after the alphabet is learned.

Last night the Groffs took Charles and I out to a Thai/Khmer resturant that was probably the best food I've had since I was here. We had stir fried pork and pineapple, chicken with cashew nuts, green curry, dandilion weeds, and of course rice. It was better than the curry soup I got on Saturday that had a hunk of congealed blood in it. (I didn't eat the blood). Charles keeps telling me the food is better in Vietnam (Dan Wessner would be proud), but I think it's good. But if any of you get the courage (and money) to come visit, you could decide for yourself.

I need sleep...

Despite sleeping for about 9.5 hours, I still feel like I need some more sleep. In Singapore, I didn't sleep at all during the 13 hour layover but instead wandered the airport with Charles. I must say, the Singapore Changi Airport must be one of the nicest ones I've been to. It even had 4 different gardens to visit. However, once I sat down on the plane to Phnom Penh, I fell fast asleep, even before takeoff. I woke to a stewardess shaking and asking me if I wanted fish or chicken.

Sherry, one of the country representatives, and Ben, another MCCer, met us at the airport. I got my visa and got through customs without much difficulty. The truck ride to the MCC office and guesthouse was the typical third world ride. And I must say, from what I saw of Phnom Penh last night, I wasn't too impressed. It looks the same as any other, um how to I word this, capital city that has had a crushed ecomony and been devistated by war (directly or indirectly) caused by the good ole USA.

However, the MCC office is nicer than what I expected. The library is nicely furnished and my room is the guesthouse is wonderful. I'll be here for about two weeks. Wednesday we are going to visit Prey Veng town and meet our host families. The following week we will move to Prey Veng and live with host families for 1 to 3 months. Then I can decide if I want to continue living with the family or find a room or appartment to live in. Language study will begin Monday.

It's now 7:20 am. Elijah will not come until 8 or 8:30 to walk with us to Larry and Sherry's house for breakfast. Unfortuately I have been hungry since I woke up. Until next time...

I'm in Singapore!

Yes, I have survived the horrid 20 hour flight from Chicago here. And at 4:30 pm I'll get on a plane to Phnom Penh. It's about 2:30 am here right now. I just read everyone's emails that they sent me. Thank you so much! I've been a little stressed with this whole trip and that was teh enouragement I needed. This computer is going to kick me off soon and I heard there's a swimming pool in the airport so I'll talk to ya'll later!

Carol

Welcome!

Welcome to my Blog. I will leave tomorrow morning at 4:30 am for my three year assignment in Prey Veng provience as a rural health advisor. While, I'm not sure what the next era in my life entails, you are welcome to join me in learning, listening and experiencing the trials and joys of my journey.