In the almost 6 weeks that I have been in Cambodia I have learned a lot. Lessons about not only culture, but also the meaning and importance of family, listening to your intuition, the strength of love and friendship, true compassion and humility. As I reflect on my time here I am grateful for this experience. Although I will not be staying as long as planned, I feel I have grown leaps and bounds, made new friends and memories that will last forever.
I started making a list of things I have learned in an effort to not forget. Some are cultural tips, other about life in general and could be applied to many situations and different parts of the world, and maybe some that are uniquely Cambodian. So here it is.... lessons learned!
1) Just when you think you cannot sweat anymore than is humanly possible, you sweat more! Sweating to the point of soaking wet is something I got used to in my time here.
2) "same same, but different." I swear this should be Cambodia's national motto. Many words are the same, but have different meanings.
3) Everyone thinks I from Europe. Not many Americans travel here as it is so far from the States.
4) Everyone thinks I have blonde hair which my hair stylist back home would be impressed with as he has told me the same thing. I am the darkest shade of blonde there is. I'm sure Matt would agree sometimes ;)
5) My family is the most amazing group of people in the world (at least my world). They have been so supportive, loving, and compassionate throughout this trip and really there for me during some extremely rough times. I am truly blessed and so very appreciative!
6) No matter how much you think you have prepared, you are never fully "prepared." This is true no matter where you are I guess. I guess the one thing you can prepare for is to have to wing it!
7) Sometimes things are shown to you in ways you never expected nor imagined. Not all will be what you want, but all will be what you need whether it is "good," "bad," or indifferent.
8) White skin is highly regarded here in Cambodia. There are skin whitening creams and treatments everywhere! White skin is a symbol of higher class in that you don't have to work outdoors (in the fields) therefore you have lighter skin. The darker your skin, the more you have to work outdoors in the sweltering sun and thus the very dark skin. So funny that Americans put great emphasis on being tan as it symbolizes youth, beauty, and wealth.
9) Cold showers feel amazing after a day in the 90*+ weather with 100% humidity.
10) All market vendors have "special price, special discount" for me.... and every other tourist!
11) Infants, toddlers, and dogs can balance amazingly well on the front of a moto bike.
12) Cambodians can seriously pack a van (and moto and tuk tuk and every other mode of transportation)! Never seen anything like it in my life!
13) People (well mostly men) urinate anywhere and everywhere right out in front of everyone; on sides of buildings, side of the road, whenever, wherever. Hey you gotta go, you gotta go!
14) I am thankful for being born in the great USA, especially as a woman!
15) I often take my rights and privileges for granted without thinking twice. This trip has really opened my eyes and made me realize I am very fortunate.
16) This experience has been the most enlightening and humbling time of my life.
17) Family is #1!
18) Many religions have things in common. Belief beyond oneself that you should do good, be good to others,and good things will return to you whether it be in this life or another. Honor your ancestors. Show appreciation and gratitude. Respect and honor your elders; care for them as they age; appreciate and learn from their life experiences.
19) Listen to the tuk tuk and moto drivers yelling at you that there is a hellacious rain storm coming. I just thought they were trying to get me to pay them for a ride. They were actually pointing at the sky and telling me to get cover, not wanting to take me anywhere. Caught in a trenchall downpour 5 minutes later- lesson learned!
20) People wear surgical masks here b/c it is so dirty, lots of exhaust and bad smells. Every time I see a surgical mask I think of H1N1!
21) Cambodian rain storms have nothing on Arizona monsoons- way worse!
22) You never truly appreciate Air Con until it goes out in the middle of the night and you can't get it fixed for days!
23) Lady Gaga has been translated in Khmer: Poker Face
24) Some people really do have your back and want the best for you. Others are a complete fraud!
25) I gotten used to eating alone, doing things by myself and I am actually enjoying it. Gives you a certain Confidence!
26) There's nothing like receiving a care package, letter, or card from home! Best feeling! Even emails from home are really exciting to see in your "Inbox."
27) Khmer music videos... where do I start. Karaoke gone very bad!
28) Your ears perk up when you hear someone speaking English without a British accent. There's hope they might too be an American
29) Khmer people as a whole are very friendly, helpful, and gracious.
30) TV shows without commercials are awesome!
31) I didn't know Top Model was in so many countries: America, Britain, Canada. Now why is there no Top Male Model???
32) Honking is very annoying.
33) Saltines and soft pillows are the best!
34) In the words of my tuk tuk driver, I will "never forget Cambodia"
35) I have never prayed so much in my life. It's amazing where you will "find" God. For me it was on the bathroom floor during a horrible bout of food poisoning and many times thereafter.
36) When you really love people and they love you, you can feel their presence with you every moment-especially during the really challenging times, where you are weak and so scared. Those people are with you every second, surrounding you with their love and prayers.
37) Avocado green salad Cambodian style=emergency room and hospital stay. Not good.
38) Everything truly does happen for a reason.
39) Trust your intuition. God gave it to you for a very important reason! Don't try to reason with yourself. Just listen!
40) Life is Beautiful! Life is useful!
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Siem Reap/Angkor! Amazing!
October 4-10th
This week continued the Cambodian National Holiday P' Chum Ben which means Festival of the Dead. It is lasts for 15 days and consists of Cambodians making pilgrimages to wats (temples) to honor their ancestors by giving offerings of money, food, flowers, incense, candles. These offerings are passed through monks. Devout Buddhists are expected to visit seven wats during the holiday. So with the holiday we did not have any work so I decided to travel to Siem Reap and Angkor to see what Cambodians call the "8th wonder of the world" Angkor Wat.
I left Phnom Penh on Thursday October 7th and took a seven hour bus ride to Siem Reap. It was great to get out f the city and see more the beautufil Cambodian countryside and the lush green rice fields and tall sugar cane trees. The bus was only $11! Mekong Express Limousine! Great service. It had air con, you were served water, a snack, and a narrated tour! Great Deal! They even had Khmer karaoke on a TV all the way. That I could have done without, but it is pretty entertaining to watch!
Siem Reap was quite pleasant! Much calmer than Phnom Penh! It felt really good to get away from the large city and see a different city! I arrived at my hotel and immediately felt relaxed! I grabbed a bite to eat and then headed out to the Night Market-the only of it's kind in Cambodian. It was really cool! Very calm and not jammed packed like the Russian Market of Phnom Penh. Vendors let you browse without hassling you, a band played Khmer music as you enter and it is just a really nice environment. I got some fun t shirts, browsed around and then headed back to my hotel. I was spent after the day of traveling and finally being able to let down a bit. There is thing here in Asia where you can get a "pedicure" of sorts by placing your feet in a tank of fish that eat off your cuticles. It is called Dr. Fish. Well there are those Dr. Fish cuticle eating places everywhere outside of night market! I saw at least 5 places that have fish tanks with people just chilling getting their cuticles eaten care off. I cut my toe up last week on our apartment gate so I figured it wouldn't be good to stick my feet in that water, but I am really curious about it! If my toe wasn't messed up I think I would consider trying it. I headed back to my hotel, souvenirs in hand, no "pedicure" and ready for a good night's rest. I had scheduled a tour for Angkor on Friday so I was gonna need the rest.
Friday morning my tour guide met me in the hotel lobby and we headed to Angkor. You have to get your picture taken and they put it on your one day pass which you show to enter the multiple wats (temples) that make up Angkor. I should've smiled- not my best pic, haha! First we toured the infamous Angkor Wat! Angkor Wat means "temple that is a city." Wow! What site! It is considered the largest religious site in the world. Being that is was P'Chum Holiday many locals had made their way with gifts for the monks and their ancestors. Very cool sight to see! Khmer culture in full force! it is the largest religious temple in the world! it was built in 1113 and took 37 years to complete. i can't believe men built this structure! amazing! we spent from 8-12:30pm there, walking around and sitting and talking (well the guide talking, me trying to understand and hear him. khmer speak very softly which can be hard when there are 9 million kids running around screaming. I learned a lot about traditional khmer culture, the roles of men and women. thank god i was born a woman in the USA!!! so thankful! he was telling me abut how it is acceptable for khmer men to have many partners, domestic violence against women very common and arranged marriages are still the norm. historically girls do not receive education. that is slowly starting to change. he said they are about 50-70 years behind the US in terms of gender equality issues. I didn't realize that tourism here in siem reap didn't really take off until the late 1990s and they didn't have a university until 2000. crazy! another result of the war and lack of education b/c of the khmer rouge. about only 30% of the population is educated. again- another thing we in the US take for granted, the opportunity to go to school!
Ok so I know I always say I can't believe how much I sweat but today took it to a whole new level. literally soaked! I drank 2 liters of water! and i swear it all came out as sweat! Something odd happened as I was touring Angkor Wat. This Korean girl took my picture as I was walking past her which was weird. Apparently western people are highly admired in Asia for their white skin, big eyes, and my guide said my blonde hair. It was odd and a little flattering in a way I guess.
I had lunch by myself outside angkor wat and then we went to angkor thom. got some really cool pictures. we went to bayon and ta prohm- where the trees of the jungle have uprooted temples. I saw the infamous tomb raider tree and got a picture. Now i just need to see the movie! My tour guide was really good and took lots of pictures of me and was fun!
The day concluded with a much needed and appreciated shower and dinner at the hotel restaurant. I still can't believe I toured Angkor! So awesome!
Saturday I headed to Artisans D'Angkor. It is a really cool store and site where craftsmen master ancient crafts such as high quality lacquer works, silk paintings, stone and wood carvings. I spent about two hours there! I got a tour of where the crafts are created and then spent about an hour and a half in the store.
I headed back to the hotel for a spa lunch and massage! Oh it felt soo good! Later that evening I headed out to a an Apsara performance. Apsara dancing used to be for Khmer Kings only. Very intricate dancing with beautiful costumes. It was a buffet style dinner and then performance It rained so hard that for good majority of the time you couldn't hear the music! I was a bit bummed but i hope i can catch another performance while I'm in Cambodia. Very beautiful!
Great weekend escape! I didn't want to leave!
This week continued the Cambodian National Holiday P' Chum Ben which means Festival of the Dead. It is lasts for 15 days and consists of Cambodians making pilgrimages to wats (temples) to honor their ancestors by giving offerings of money, food, flowers, incense, candles. These offerings are passed through monks. Devout Buddhists are expected to visit seven wats during the holiday. So with the holiday we did not have any work so I decided to travel to Siem Reap and Angkor to see what Cambodians call the "8th wonder of the world" Angkor Wat.
I left Phnom Penh on Thursday October 7th and took a seven hour bus ride to Siem Reap. It was great to get out f the city and see more the beautufil Cambodian countryside and the lush green rice fields and tall sugar cane trees. The bus was only $11! Mekong Express Limousine! Great service. It had air con, you were served water, a snack, and a narrated tour! Great Deal! They even had Khmer karaoke on a TV all the way. That I could have done without, but it is pretty entertaining to watch!
Siem Reap was quite pleasant! Much calmer than Phnom Penh! It felt really good to get away from the large city and see a different city! I arrived at my hotel and immediately felt relaxed! I grabbed a bite to eat and then headed out to the Night Market-the only of it's kind in Cambodian. It was really cool! Very calm and not jammed packed like the Russian Market of Phnom Penh. Vendors let you browse without hassling you, a band played Khmer music as you enter and it is just a really nice environment. I got some fun t shirts, browsed around and then headed back to my hotel. I was spent after the day of traveling and finally being able to let down a bit. There is thing here in Asia where you can get a "pedicure" of sorts by placing your feet in a tank of fish that eat off your cuticles. It is called Dr. Fish. Well there are those Dr. Fish cuticle eating places everywhere outside of night market! I saw at least 5 places that have fish tanks with people just chilling getting their cuticles eaten care off. I cut my toe up last week on our apartment gate so I figured it wouldn't be good to stick my feet in that water, but I am really curious about it! If my toe wasn't messed up I think I would consider trying it. I headed back to my hotel, souvenirs in hand, no "pedicure" and ready for a good night's rest. I had scheduled a tour for Angkor on Friday so I was gonna need the rest.
Friday morning my tour guide met me in the hotel lobby and we headed to Angkor. You have to get your picture taken and they put it on your one day pass which you show to enter the multiple wats (temples) that make up Angkor. I should've smiled- not my best pic, haha! First we toured the infamous Angkor Wat! Angkor Wat means "temple that is a city." Wow! What site! It is considered the largest religious site in the world. Being that is was P'Chum Holiday many locals had made their way with gifts for the monks and their ancestors. Very cool sight to see! Khmer culture in full force! it is the largest religious temple in the world! it was built in 1113 and took 37 years to complete. i can't believe men built this structure! amazing! we spent from 8-12:30pm there, walking around and sitting and talking (well the guide talking, me trying to understand and hear him. khmer speak very softly which can be hard when there are 9 million kids running around screaming. I learned a lot about traditional khmer culture, the roles of men and women. thank god i was born a woman in the USA!!! so thankful! he was telling me abut how it is acceptable for khmer men to have many partners, domestic violence against women very common and arranged marriages are still the norm. historically girls do not receive education. that is slowly starting to change. he said they are about 50-70 years behind the US in terms of gender equality issues. I didn't realize that tourism here in siem reap didn't really take off until the late 1990s and they didn't have a university until 2000. crazy! another result of the war and lack of education b/c of the khmer rouge. about only 30% of the population is educated. again- another thing we in the US take for granted, the opportunity to go to school!
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Angkor Wat |
Ok so I know I always say I can't believe how much I sweat but today took it to a whole new level. literally soaked! I drank 2 liters of water! and i swear it all came out as sweat! Something odd happened as I was touring Angkor Wat. This Korean girl took my picture as I was walking past her which was weird. Apparently western people are highly admired in Asia for their white skin, big eyes, and my guide said my blonde hair. It was odd and a little flattering in a way I guess.
I had lunch by myself outside angkor wat and then we went to angkor thom. got some really cool pictures. we went to bayon and ta prohm- where the trees of the jungle have uprooted temples. I saw the infamous tomb raider tree and got a picture. Now i just need to see the movie! My tour guide was really good and took lots of pictures of me and was fun!
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| Ta Prohm |
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| bayon |
The day concluded with a much needed and appreciated shower and dinner at the hotel restaurant. I still can't believe I toured Angkor! So awesome!
Saturday I headed to Artisans D'Angkor. It is a really cool store and site where craftsmen master ancient crafts such as high quality lacquer works, silk paintings, stone and wood carvings. I spent about two hours there! I got a tour of where the crafts are created and then spent about an hour and a half in the store.
 |
| craftsman at artisans d'angkor working on a stone elephant carving |
I headed back to the hotel for a spa lunch and massage! Oh it felt soo good! Later that evening I headed out to a an Apsara performance. Apsara dancing used to be for Khmer Kings only. Very intricate dancing with beautiful costumes. It was a buffet style dinner and then performance It rained so hard that for good majority of the time you couldn't hear the music! I was a bit bummed but i hope i can catch another performance while I'm in Cambodia. Very beautiful!
Great weekend escape! I didn't want to leave!
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| angkor in reflection |
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Lost in translation? Perhaps....My first week teaching @ Panha Chiet University!
Monday, Sept.27- Friday Oct. 1, 2010
This week started off a bit different than expected, but we quickly adapted! We had out first HIV Education/Prevention class at Panha Chiet University in Phnom Penh. It was supposed to be 30 students (males only) taught in all English, with access to a white board. We wanted to have separate classes for the male and female students to help ease the difficulty Khmer culture has when it comes to talking about HIV, specifically when it comes to the sexual transmission of HIV and proper condom use. By separating the class by gender we hoped it would ease some of that tension and encourage the students to ask questions maybe they normally wouldn't in a mixed gender setting.
Monday afternoon we arrived at the University and suddenly learned we would have to quickly adapt our plan. The class was 70 students, a mix of males and females, no whiteboard, and an expectation that we would be using a power point presentation (which we did not have). Thankfully our translator was there because everything we said had to be translated into Khmer. About 3 students of the 70 spoke some English, but besides that I could tell the translation wasn't exactly going as I would have liked. I had to use a microphone which I am sure didn't make it any easier for the students who didn't know English to understand what i was saying. As expected the translator felt uncomfortable saying words related to sex and sexual transmission of HIV. At one point we were standing in front of the class (the translator and I) going back and forth because she refused to tell the class what I was saying about HIV transmission modes because it required "sexual words" which were actually just the anatomical correct names for male and female sex organs and the three types of sex that can transmit HIV. This was incredibly awkward and uncomfortable for everyone involved. Finally I decided to switch to a different topic because I could tell the students were getting restless. We ended up not getting through the material we had planned, but that was ok. I decided to try and lighten the mood of frustration by speaking some Khmer. The students seemed to enjoy it and it broke the ice a little. Some students came up after and asked for my email and were very thankful for having us! It was time to go home and get a powerpoint prepared for the rest for the week. I hate not feeling prepared, but have gotten used to "winging it" as necessary! What a first day!
Tuesday I thought would run much smoother since I had prepared a powerpoint! Well we had another curve ball thrown at us when we arrived for the second class. We were told Monday that we just needed a flash drive with the presentation on it. They forgot to tell us we would have to bring a computer! Lesson learned- never assume! So, we scrambled for about 45 minutes trying to figure out how to insert my flash drive into the projector. No such luck! Finally a student let me borrow his laptop and we were on our way! At least now I could be sure the students could see in writing what I was saying despite if my translator chose to leave anything out. We reviewed the material from Monday's class and tried to get into Tuesday's lesson. We were able to get about halfway through the set lesson plan, but would have to play catch up again Wednesday. I was able to grab the students attention pretty well when I pulled out a condom and said we would be learning the 12 steps of how to use a condom properly! That got some smiles and giggles and lots of attentive faces! Unfortunately we didn't have a demo model to do the demonstration on so I just had to go through the 12 steps individually on the powerpoint. I explained to the students that usually we have an actual fake penis model so we can accurately demonstrate each step, but we did not have one yet. Then i saw everyone pointing at the microphone I was holding and start giggling. They wanted me to do the condom demo on the microphone! Everyone started busting up laughing! I said unfortunately that is not an accurate model so I could not use it! It was pretty funny!
The students had a lot of "what if....." questions when it came to HIV Transmission. They were good questions, but after a while it became clear we could spend an entire day on possible situations that may or may not transmit HIV. I just kept referring back to the 4 body fluids that carry HIV if someone is infected, the 5 open doors that can let the virus into the body and the 4 transmission modes that can introduce HIV into the body. We played an epidemic game which the students seem to enjoy.
The rest of the week went well in terms of teaching the class. The students became more involved and it was great! I tried to use my Khmer as much as possible which was fun too! The one frustration I had was not always knowing what was being said by the students and the translator. I became very frustrated by the end of the course of classes on Friday. There were multiple times the translator would have lengthly conversations with the students, the students would burst out in laughter, I would ask what was being said and the translator just shrugged her shoulders and said to move on with the lesson. Finally on Friday I got really upset and said (in front of the students) to the translator, "I need to know what is being said. I need you to tell me. I need you to translate for me because that is why you are here!" She could tell i was frustrated, but still only gave me a very brief overview of the conversation. I decided to ask one of the students I had come to know over the course and who knew English was what going and he told me. That was the most frustrated I have been in a very long time!
The class ended well. Friday was spent reviewing what we learned throughout the week and also answering questions they had asked on a survey that was administered Monday. The students wanted a copy of the powerpoint and my contact information so we could stay in touch. I got some pictures with the class and a group of male students who always participated and helped me out. I was exhausted by the end of the week, but so happy to have completed my first class! A very fun, challenging, and enlightening experience. Having to explain HIV in ways I had never imagined I could and really pushing my knowledge of the disease. Week three in Cambodia-check!
This week started off a bit different than expected, but we quickly adapted! We had out first HIV Education/Prevention class at Panha Chiet University in Phnom Penh. It was supposed to be 30 students (males only) taught in all English, with access to a white board. We wanted to have separate classes for the male and female students to help ease the difficulty Khmer culture has when it comes to talking about HIV, specifically when it comes to the sexual transmission of HIV and proper condom use. By separating the class by gender we hoped it would ease some of that tension and encourage the students to ask questions maybe they normally wouldn't in a mixed gender setting.
Tuesday I thought would run much smoother since I had prepared a powerpoint! Well we had another curve ball thrown at us when we arrived for the second class. We were told Monday that we just needed a flash drive with the presentation on it. They forgot to tell us we would have to bring a computer! Lesson learned- never assume! So, we scrambled for about 45 minutes trying to figure out how to insert my flash drive into the projector. No such luck! Finally a student let me borrow his laptop and we were on our way! At least now I could be sure the students could see in writing what I was saying despite if my translator chose to leave anything out. We reviewed the material from Monday's class and tried to get into Tuesday's lesson. We were able to get about halfway through the set lesson plan, but would have to play catch up again Wednesday. I was able to grab the students attention pretty well when I pulled out a condom and said we would be learning the 12 steps of how to use a condom properly! That got some smiles and giggles and lots of attentive faces! Unfortunately we didn't have a demo model to do the demonstration on so I just had to go through the 12 steps individually on the powerpoint. I explained to the students that usually we have an actual fake penis model so we can accurately demonstrate each step, but we did not have one yet. Then i saw everyone pointing at the microphone I was holding and start giggling. They wanted me to do the condom demo on the microphone! Everyone started busting up laughing! I said unfortunately that is not an accurate model so I could not use it! It was pretty funny!
The students had a lot of "what if....." questions when it came to HIV Transmission. They were good questions, but after a while it became clear we could spend an entire day on possible situations that may or may not transmit HIV. I just kept referring back to the 4 body fluids that carry HIV if someone is infected, the 5 open doors that can let the virus into the body and the 4 transmission modes that can introduce HIV into the body. We played an epidemic game which the students seem to enjoy.
The rest of the week went well in terms of teaching the class. The students became more involved and it was great! I tried to use my Khmer as much as possible which was fun too! The one frustration I had was not always knowing what was being said by the students and the translator. I became very frustrated by the end of the course of classes on Friday. There were multiple times the translator would have lengthly conversations with the students, the students would burst out in laughter, I would ask what was being said and the translator just shrugged her shoulders and said to move on with the lesson. Finally on Friday I got really upset and said (in front of the students) to the translator, "I need to know what is being said. I need you to tell me. I need you to translate for me because that is why you are here!" She could tell i was frustrated, but still only gave me a very brief overview of the conversation. I decided to ask one of the students I had come to know over the course and who knew English was what going and he told me. That was the most frustrated I have been in a very long time!
The class ended well. Friday was spent reviewing what we learned throughout the week and also answering questions they had asked on a survey that was administered Monday. The students wanted a copy of the powerpoint and my contact information so we could stay in touch. I got some pictures with the class and a group of male students who always participated and helped me out. I was exhausted by the end of the week, but so happy to have completed my first class! A very fun, challenging, and enlightening experience. Having to explain HIV in ways I had never imagined I could and really pushing my knowledge of the disease. Week three in Cambodia-check!
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