The past month has been full of experiences, both challenging and rewarding. I will try to highlight most of the “big” events/experiences as best I can. I’ve subtitled this entry…not to make it look extremely formal, but rather to make it easier to read and organize! This is a rather long blog, skim as you would like, but trust me, some things you don’t want to miss! J
Your Prayers are Paying Off!
There have been several times this past month where I have stopped and thought, “hmm…well someone was praying!” For all of those that have been keeping me in your regular prayers, here are some of the results:
- 1st answered prayer - Continued health that has seen me through the hottest month of the year and also the following list of illnesses experienced by my fellow volunteers. Do not stop praying, however, as we are just entering Dengue season which is expected to be at a peak this year. Dengue is known as the “bone crusher disease” because of the intense pain in your bones….this has been verified by the 2 volunteers that have already been laid up for weeks with the mosquito-born illness.
o Dengue-2
o Parasites- 7
o Other diarrhea illnesses – 20
o Serious skin infections – 2 (I am included in this number, but it wasn’t so serious…a trip to the doctor and a nice cream with some antibiotics cleared it right up)
o Insect bite skin injuries – 4
o Sports injury – 1
o Fever greater than104 for unexplained reasons – 8
o Respiratory tract infections - 1
- 2nd answered prayer - A church! While sitting in the kitchen with my host mother and sister, my mother suddenly said “jai, scowal Yesu at?” or “sister (my host family has started calling me “jai” now…a termed used for female family members or close friends), do you know Jesus?” I answered that yes, I did, and she proceeded to tell me that there is a small church here in my village. I never expected to be so lucky! Well a month passed before I was actually able to attend, but Sunday, May 6th, I finally went. I must be honest and say that it also took me awhile to decide if I even wanted to go. Because my position here is such a unique one, it is difficult to balance the way the Christians at the church will expect me to live, the spirituality I have developed for myself and the ceremonies and other Buddhist events I am expected to participate in. I finally decided I would give it a go and see how things work out. The church service was very nice with Khmer music, participation by the congregation of about 30, and a very cute performance by the children. I enjoyed it and hope to attend on a regular basis as my community commitments allow. It was nice to be with a group of people that share some of the same beliefs as I do.
- 3rd answered prayer – Books! My high school has put me in charge of our library, a job which I was secretly lobbying for. While this is an incredible opportunity, my first look at the library left me more than dismayed. Only a few tables, no students ever in the library, doors usually locked, and bookshelves full of books my English students could never read, like Harry Potter. Most of my kids, that is the ones that can actually read, are on a kindergarten – 2nd grade reading level…not quite Harry Potter yet! Well one day while I was teaching, I was called to the office and was surprised to find 6 big boxes of books and two Cambodian men with big grins on their faces. They were from the Asia Foundation and were going to each Peace Corps volunteer and delivering English books from America….I just happened to be the first one. The other volunteers will be visited within the next few months/year. J The books were perfect, easy to read children’s books and even a box of CDs with simple English songs and activity books. The new books gave my school administrators the initiative they needed to get the library in order. They helped me move shelves and clean up a bit. They also gave me a desk so I could have my office of sorts here as well as a computer to use with my students. I am allowed to use it for personal things as well…such as typing these blogs early (as I’m doing now) to save precious internet time later!
Delicacies sampled since my last blog
In Cambodia, dinner is always a surprise. I thought I would share some of the special treats I’ve had and my reactions, both good and bad, to their tastes, consistencies, and overall edibility! And yes, I have eaten all of these since my last blog.
- Ants, ant larvae, and another mysterious bug, fried together and served with cooked fish eggs: My initial response was “do they really expect me to eat this or are they just playing some cruel joke where they laugh later when I was the only one that ate the bugs?” Well, that was proven wrong when my sister dived in and started chowing down. My first bite left me with a strange feeling….not because of the bad taste, but because of the relatively good one. I stopped and thought to myself “Sarah Norton…who are you? Are you actually ENJOYING eating these bugs??” Another thought crossed my mind while munching…it was a strange sense of revenge…of getting back at the ants for all the times they’ve bitten me and/or invaded my belongings. If you are ever in Cambodia and offered ants….give it a go…very yummy and psychologically gratifying!
- Chicken blood, stir fried with vegetables and chicken intestines: Okay…honesty is a virtue right? This one was hard. Actually the chicken blood did not taste so bad while I thought it was mushrooms (yes, the blood looks like mushrooms after it is prepared). My sister asked me if I knew what I was eating and I said “Mushrooms…I love mushrooms.” She just laughed and said “At day, chiium muon” or “No, chicken blood.” I was aghast and immediately started picking around that. Something about eating the blood of an animal did not quite seem like something our Peace Corps nurse would approve of.
- Cow intestines: All I have to say about this one was that it was slightly chewy with little to no taste. I was not overly impressed or disgusted.
- Brahock or Khmer Cheese: They call it cheese….my friends, it is not cheese. Brahock is made from ground up fish and some other flavorings including lime and a lot of salt. It is typically eaten with raw vegetables…we also ate it with the cow intestines. The taste is quite overwhelming at first…very….fishy. My family decided to mix some up around 8:00 one night and forced me to stay up and try some. I ate my bowl of it….each bit varying in taste according to what the ratio was between brahock and vegetable. Before going to bed my sister said “Don’t forget to brush your teeth tonight!!!” I don’t think I could have forgotten…not quite a taste I wanted to keep in my mouth all night.
- May Pleeung: This is a kind of large insect that only comes out after it rains. These insects, which one of the Peace Corps staff told us are actually large flying termites, swarm in the hundreds around any light that you leave on. I hate them….they always end up down my shirt and in my food. Well in the middle of a particularly large infestation, my family got out bowls of water and flashlights, turned out all the lights in the house, and attracted the bugs into the bowls. I thought it was an excellent way of ridding the house of them. Little did I know, they were catching them to fry for a late night snack. My host mother and another boarder swept the bugs that were already on the ground (their wings fall off while they fly around like crazy) into a huge pile and began scooping those into the bowls as well. We fried them and munched away that night. They were actually very tasty. I highly recommend “may pleeung.”
- Fried Crickets: These were definitely not difficult to eat as I experienced them while in Thailand two years ago. The ones we eat here, however, are HUGE…very meaty and very yummy. Apparently it is the season for them and all the houses have these giant contraptions set up with fluorescent lights to catch them at night. Seems like everyone is munching on these right now. I’m not sure how long the “season” lasts for them but we’ll see. The mangoes are almost all finished so maybe the crickets will become my new favorite. ;)
Transportation Woes
There have been several times that my colleagues and friends have asked my why I don’t buy a moto or why I don’t ride a moto. The easy answer is “Peace Corps says no because they are dangerous.” While I completely understand the reasons behind this rule, especially after seeing several moto accidents on the side of the road, it makes transportation to and from Siem Reap town….interesting….to say the least. I decided to share a text message my fellow Siem Reaper sent me after an interesting ride on a truck back to her village from my house. Just as an aside, we send very long text messages to each other…too expensive to call from our cell phones, so these are the kinds of messages I get on a regular basis. And I quote
- “So the promised funny story- they ended up putting 6 adults and 6 children in the cab of the truck (plus at least 10 more on top!) I was squished and quickly lost all feeling in my left leg. It took an hour to get there and I made friends with the people in the truck. When I got out I literally fell down, only saving myself by grabbing the truck bed. I gripped that while they untied my bike and then still when I walked it was like I couldn’t bend my knee! I am sure they all thought I was crippled. After they drive away I wait a moment till I am sure I can ride the bike and only then realize that all of this was a great show for the market vendors. Haha Fun times in taxis!”
We’re here already?
I recently went on a bike ride with my sister to try and hunt down some people that make the bamboo mats that everyone has in their homes to sit on. We rode back to a place we went on my first full day here in April. Before we left for the ride, all I could think about was the fact that I nearly died from exhaustion the first time we made the trip and I was not looking forward to such a long ride again…even though it was totally my idea. We set off about 3:00 in the afternoon and 30 minutes later arrived at the village. I was shocked….I wasn’t tired, my legs weren’t hurting, and I had hardly broken a sweat even in my blue jeans. The ride back was equally enjoyable and passed very quickly. It was a sure sign of the fact that I am in much better shape now. A month ago, an hour long bike ride would have left me moaning in bed for the night….now it’s a mere stretch of the legs. I was also happy to find that the t-shirts my mom sent from home were far from being the snug fit they were when I left. It’s nice to see formerly tight shirts now just a tad baggy. It’s definitely all the bike riding….combined with the 5,000 mangoes I eat every day and the 3.5 million bottles of water I drink.
To Drink a Glass of Water
Drinking water is hard to come by here. For all of you that can simply turn on the tap and enjoy a nice cold beverage with ice, check out the process I have to go through just to get a drink…let alone a cold one!
Step One: Carry large pot down to kitchen, wash, and fill with water.
Step Two: Boil water then set aside to cool for a few hours.
Step Three: Carry large, heavy pot of water up precariously steep steps to my room.
Step Four: Carefully dump water into water filter for second step of purification.
Step Five: Ride into town and buy one large piece of ice for about 25 cents.
Step Six: Ride home with piece of ice in my bicycle basket, clean, and place in cooler.
Step Seven: Fill up water bottles (which must be washed on a least a monthly basis) and place in cooler….will be ready to drink in a couple of hours.
The entire process can take all day from time of boiling to point when it is ready to drink. Word to the wise…never let yourself run completely out of water!
A Day in the Life Of Sarah
Many people have asked “what is your typical day like?” I’ve outlined it here just to give you a rough idea. My schedule changes at least every month when I flip from morning teaching to afternoon teaching….for all of May, however, this is what it has been/will be.
- 5:30 am – Roll out of bed and dump a bucket of water or two on my head
- 6:30 am – Leave for school
- 7:00 am – 11:00 am – Teaching and working in the library
- 11:00 am – 11:30 am – Ride home and eat lunch
- 11:30 am – 2:00 pm – Reading/Nap time with the occasional trip to town to buy ice
- 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm – Work on lesson plans and prepare lessons for 2 classes with my cousins and co-teachers in the evening.
- 4:30 pm – Bath number 2
- 5:00 pm – First class with 3 middle school students (brother and 2 cousins)
- 6:00 pm – Second class with my sister, cousin, and 3 teachers from my school
- 7:00 pm – Eat dinner
- 8:00 pm – Reading and journaling
- 9:00 pm – 10:00 pm – Going to bed
I do believe this blog is long enough for this month! Things here are going well, as I hope you can tell from above. I am happy, healthy, and having a fantastic time still. The other night I had a revelation when I realized I have now been away from home longer than I ever have before. It was encouraging to me as I also realized I am doing just fine with that. While there are times when I miss home a lot, like when I had to miss my big sister’s wedding last month, I know I am where I need to be and doing exactly what makes me happy and fulfilled! I hope each of you can also find that thing that makes you do your happy dance.
See you next month!
Your Prayers are Paying Off!
There have been several times this past month where I have stopped and thought, “hmm…well someone was praying!” For all of those that have been keeping me in your regular prayers, here are some of the results:
- 1st answered prayer - Continued health that has seen me through the hottest month of the year and also the following list of illnesses experienced by my fellow volunteers. Do not stop praying, however, as we are just entering Dengue season which is expected to be at a peak this year. Dengue is known as the “bone crusher disease” because of the intense pain in your bones….this has been verified by the 2 volunteers that have already been laid up for weeks with the mosquito-born illness.
o Dengue-2
o Parasites- 7
o Other diarrhea illnesses – 20
o Serious skin infections – 2 (I am included in this number, but it wasn’t so serious…a trip to the doctor and a nice cream with some antibiotics cleared it right up)
o Insect bite skin injuries – 4
o Sports injury – 1
o Fever greater than104 for unexplained reasons – 8
o Respiratory tract infections - 1
- 2nd answered prayer - A church! While sitting in the kitchen with my host mother and sister, my mother suddenly said “jai, scowal Yesu at?” or “sister (my host family has started calling me “jai” now…a termed used for female family members or close friends), do you know Jesus?” I answered that yes, I did, and she proceeded to tell me that there is a small church here in my village. I never expected to be so lucky! Well a month passed before I was actually able to attend, but Sunday, May 6th, I finally went. I must be honest and say that it also took me awhile to decide if I even wanted to go. Because my position here is such a unique one, it is difficult to balance the way the Christians at the church will expect me to live, the spirituality I have developed for myself and the ceremonies and other Buddhist events I am expected to participate in. I finally decided I would give it a go and see how things work out. The church service was very nice with Khmer music, participation by the congregation of about 30, and a very cute performance by the children. I enjoyed it and hope to attend on a regular basis as my community commitments allow. It was nice to be with a group of people that share some of the same beliefs as I do.
- 3rd answered prayer – Books! My high school has put me in charge of our library, a job which I was secretly lobbying for. While this is an incredible opportunity, my first look at the library left me more than dismayed. Only a few tables, no students ever in the library, doors usually locked, and bookshelves full of books my English students could never read, like Harry Potter. Most of my kids, that is the ones that can actually read, are on a kindergarten – 2nd grade reading level…not quite Harry Potter yet! Well one day while I was teaching, I was called to the office and was surprised to find 6 big boxes of books and two Cambodian men with big grins on their faces. They were from the Asia Foundation and were going to each Peace Corps volunteer and delivering English books from America….I just happened to be the first one. The other volunteers will be visited within the next few months/year. J The books were perfect, easy to read children’s books and even a box of CDs with simple English songs and activity books. The new books gave my school administrators the initiative they needed to get the library in order. They helped me move shelves and clean up a bit. They also gave me a desk so I could have my office of sorts here as well as a computer to use with my students. I am allowed to use it for personal things as well…such as typing these blogs early (as I’m doing now) to save precious internet time later!
Delicacies sampled since my last blog
In Cambodia, dinner is always a surprise. I thought I would share some of the special treats I’ve had and my reactions, both good and bad, to their tastes, consistencies, and overall edibility! And yes, I have eaten all of these since my last blog.
- Ants, ant larvae, and another mysterious bug, fried together and served with cooked fish eggs: My initial response was “do they really expect me to eat this or are they just playing some cruel joke where they laugh later when I was the only one that ate the bugs?” Well, that was proven wrong when my sister dived in and started chowing down. My first bite left me with a strange feeling….not because of the bad taste, but because of the relatively good one. I stopped and thought to myself “Sarah Norton…who are you? Are you actually ENJOYING eating these bugs??” Another thought crossed my mind while munching…it was a strange sense of revenge…of getting back at the ants for all the times they’ve bitten me and/or invaded my belongings. If you are ever in Cambodia and offered ants….give it a go…very yummy and psychologically gratifying!
- Chicken blood, stir fried with vegetables and chicken intestines: Okay…honesty is a virtue right? This one was hard. Actually the chicken blood did not taste so bad while I thought it was mushrooms (yes, the blood looks like mushrooms after it is prepared). My sister asked me if I knew what I was eating and I said “Mushrooms…I love mushrooms.” She just laughed and said “At day, chiium muon” or “No, chicken blood.” I was aghast and immediately started picking around that. Something about eating the blood of an animal did not quite seem like something our Peace Corps nurse would approve of.
- Cow intestines: All I have to say about this one was that it was slightly chewy with little to no taste. I was not overly impressed or disgusted.
- Brahock or Khmer Cheese: They call it cheese….my friends, it is not cheese. Brahock is made from ground up fish and some other flavorings including lime and a lot of salt. It is typically eaten with raw vegetables…we also ate it with the cow intestines. The taste is quite overwhelming at first…very….fishy. My family decided to mix some up around 8:00 one night and forced me to stay up and try some. I ate my bowl of it….each bit varying in taste according to what the ratio was between brahock and vegetable. Before going to bed my sister said “Don’t forget to brush your teeth tonight!!!” I don’t think I could have forgotten…not quite a taste I wanted to keep in my mouth all night.
- May Pleeung: This is a kind of large insect that only comes out after it rains. These insects, which one of the Peace Corps staff told us are actually large flying termites, swarm in the hundreds around any light that you leave on. I hate them….they always end up down my shirt and in my food. Well in the middle of a particularly large infestation, my family got out bowls of water and flashlights, turned out all the lights in the house, and attracted the bugs into the bowls. I thought it was an excellent way of ridding the house of them. Little did I know, they were catching them to fry for a late night snack. My host mother and another boarder swept the bugs that were already on the ground (their wings fall off while they fly around like crazy) into a huge pile and began scooping those into the bowls as well. We fried them and munched away that night. They were actually very tasty. I highly recommend “may pleeung.”
- Fried Crickets: These were definitely not difficult to eat as I experienced them while in Thailand two years ago. The ones we eat here, however, are HUGE…very meaty and very yummy. Apparently it is the season for them and all the houses have these giant contraptions set up with fluorescent lights to catch them at night. Seems like everyone is munching on these right now. I’m not sure how long the “season” lasts for them but we’ll see. The mangoes are almost all finished so maybe the crickets will become my new favorite. ;)
Transportation Woes
There have been several times that my colleagues and friends have asked my why I don’t buy a moto or why I don’t ride a moto. The easy answer is “Peace Corps says no because they are dangerous.” While I completely understand the reasons behind this rule, especially after seeing several moto accidents on the side of the road, it makes transportation to and from Siem Reap town….interesting….to say the least. I decided to share a text message my fellow Siem Reaper sent me after an interesting ride on a truck back to her village from my house. Just as an aside, we send very long text messages to each other…too expensive to call from our cell phones, so these are the kinds of messages I get on a regular basis. And I quote
- “So the promised funny story- they ended up putting 6 adults and 6 children in the cab of the truck (plus at least 10 more on top!) I was squished and quickly lost all feeling in my left leg. It took an hour to get there and I made friends with the people in the truck. When I got out I literally fell down, only saving myself by grabbing the truck bed. I gripped that while they untied my bike and then still when I walked it was like I couldn’t bend my knee! I am sure they all thought I was crippled. After they drive away I wait a moment till I am sure I can ride the bike and only then realize that all of this was a great show for the market vendors. Haha Fun times in taxis!”
We’re here already?
I recently went on a bike ride with my sister to try and hunt down some people that make the bamboo mats that everyone has in their homes to sit on. We rode back to a place we went on my first full day here in April. Before we left for the ride, all I could think about was the fact that I nearly died from exhaustion the first time we made the trip and I was not looking forward to such a long ride again…even though it was totally my idea. We set off about 3:00 in the afternoon and 30 minutes later arrived at the village. I was shocked….I wasn’t tired, my legs weren’t hurting, and I had hardly broken a sweat even in my blue jeans. The ride back was equally enjoyable and passed very quickly. It was a sure sign of the fact that I am in much better shape now. A month ago, an hour long bike ride would have left me moaning in bed for the night….now it’s a mere stretch of the legs. I was also happy to find that the t-shirts my mom sent from home were far from being the snug fit they were when I left. It’s nice to see formerly tight shirts now just a tad baggy. It’s definitely all the bike riding….combined with the 5,000 mangoes I eat every day and the 3.5 million bottles of water I drink.
To Drink a Glass of Water
Drinking water is hard to come by here. For all of you that can simply turn on the tap and enjoy a nice cold beverage with ice, check out the process I have to go through just to get a drink…let alone a cold one!
Step One: Carry large pot down to kitchen, wash, and fill with water.
Step Two: Boil water then set aside to cool for a few hours.
Step Three: Carry large, heavy pot of water up precariously steep steps to my room.
Step Four: Carefully dump water into water filter for second step of purification.
Step Five: Ride into town and buy one large piece of ice for about 25 cents.
Step Six: Ride home with piece of ice in my bicycle basket, clean, and place in cooler.
Step Seven: Fill up water bottles (which must be washed on a least a monthly basis) and place in cooler….will be ready to drink in a couple of hours.
The entire process can take all day from time of boiling to point when it is ready to drink. Word to the wise…never let yourself run completely out of water!
A Day in the Life Of Sarah
Many people have asked “what is your typical day like?” I’ve outlined it here just to give you a rough idea. My schedule changes at least every month when I flip from morning teaching to afternoon teaching….for all of May, however, this is what it has been/will be.
- 5:30 am – Roll out of bed and dump a bucket of water or two on my head
- 6:30 am – Leave for school
- 7:00 am – 11:00 am – Teaching and working in the library
- 11:00 am – 11:30 am – Ride home and eat lunch
- 11:30 am – 2:00 pm – Reading/Nap time with the occasional trip to town to buy ice
- 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm – Work on lesson plans and prepare lessons for 2 classes with my cousins and co-teachers in the evening.
- 4:30 pm – Bath number 2
- 5:00 pm – First class with 3 middle school students (brother and 2 cousins)
- 6:00 pm – Second class with my sister, cousin, and 3 teachers from my school
- 7:00 pm – Eat dinner
- 8:00 pm – Reading and journaling
- 9:00 pm – 10:00 pm – Going to bed
I do believe this blog is long enough for this month! Things here are going well, as I hope you can tell from above. I am happy, healthy, and having a fantastic time still. The other night I had a revelation when I realized I have now been away from home longer than I ever have before. It was encouraging to me as I also realized I am doing just fine with that. While there are times when I miss home a lot, like when I had to miss my big sister’s wedding last month, I know I am where I need to be and doing exactly what makes me happy and fulfilled! I hope each of you can also find that thing that makes you do your happy dance.
See you next month!
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4 comments:
I miss you terribly! I think your advice to me to wait until you are back to get married, is going to work out. HA HA! I am in two weddings this summer (one is my cousin Jennifer's.. yes, I said Jennifer). Alas, there are no prospects for me, but I am fine with that. I need to write you a letter and fill you in on everything. I am praying for you!
Hey my best friend on the other side of the world! I still miss you so terribly, and I know it will only get worse when I get back from Alaska. How will I survive the summer without you? Others could tell you that I talk about you all the time. Have I ever told you how proud I am of you? That sounds weird, your friend being proud of you, but I am.
Sounds like you are having a blast, and I'm very happy for you. I am praying for you and love you very much. I got you something here (In Alaska) I hope you'll like (and use). Can't wait to hear from you again!
P.S. I am currently working on writing you the longest email ever. To be followed by the longest letter ever. Well...maybe not. ;-) Love!
Hey!! As weird as it might sound to others, I am so jealous and wish I could be where you are. :) I miss Cambodia nearly every day. I finally graduated, yay!!! Now, I have to figure out what to do next. I am looking at different schools for Fall08. I'm hoping I can find a joint degree program, M.Div and perhaps Conflict Transformation. Anyway, I miss you very much and am so proud of you. You are doing amazing things, helping many people, and even eating some very interesting food. lol. Now that I have time, I will be able to send letters. :)
hey, im just randomly perusing through all the PCV blogs that are in Cambodia now as I am going through the long application process for the Peace Corps. I really enjoy reading about the country, and all the things that it has to offer. Your experience seems amazing, and I especially like your anecdotes with the Khmer language because I'm a native speaker myself, though I have never been to Cambodia. Hope you will update more and gluck.
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