How to be an adult in Cambodia

The title is a joke, by the way. I have no idea what I'm doing or how to be a grown up...but I doubt any of you know how to do it either. 

It feels like I've finally hit my stride here in Cambodia. It's strange that my first experience with grown up life is in a third world country. By grown up life I mean that I have a real job and a real apartment...in CAMBODIA. What?! My life before Cambo was living in a posh on campus apartment with two of the most incredible roommates, where we had weekly dance parties, cranked the AC to subarctic temperatures, and my obsession with them became borderline unhealthy.  The cost of my rent here would get me a closet in the US, and the exterminator would visit the house every other day (I swear these ants reproduce 10 offspring for every one I kill). The temperature lingers in the mid 90s, and AC is a no-go. Southwestern living was a dream world.

I've got 2 jobs and a bicycle to keep me busy and moving around the city. This my bike in front of my apartment. Oh shoot...sorry I forgot to put the welcome mat outside our metal gate and padlock. I usually pedal for about 2 hours every day. My jobs are on the opposite sides of the city, each about 20-30 minutes away from my apartment. Remember what I said about the temperature? Mid 90s. Transportation? $30 bicycle without gears. Work wardrobe? Slacks and button ups. Result? More sweat than a 5 game college volleyball match. When I show up to work I look good enough to be the cover girl for awkward family photos. (www.awkwardfamilyphotos.com )

In the mornings I teach kindergarten to affluent half Chinese half Cambodian children. They are hilarious. English is their third language, so you can just imagine what our classes are like. I've been working 2 months and literally have never successfully carried out a lesson plan. These are 2 of my favorites/ biggest trouble makers. 

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In the evenings I am a PROFESSOR of BUSINESS ENGLISH at a UNIVERSITY. Oh no, that's not a joke. I actually teach college classes. Who let that happen?! My students are awesome. Their teacher? Not quite there yet, Cher. On the first day of class, I fell out of my chair. In the second week of class, I wrote on the white board with permanent marker. Classic. Rookie mistake Professor, rookie mistake. I like this job a lot because I feel like I'm really helping my students make a better future for themselves. 

I've far from figured it out. I would like to think I look as normal walking down the street as these Buddhist Monks...but instead my days are filled with alarming miscommunications, awkward encounters, and culturally questionable interactions. Oh and buckets and buckets of sweat.  Strangely, this feels comfortable now. It only took me 13 weeks to somewhat get it together over here, and surely my last 10 will be a cake walk. That's totally not true, I just wanted to reference cake because I really miss it and could use some right now...

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Welcome to Cambodia Mr. Obama

Two weeks after he was reelected, President Obama came to see me. Aaaaand the rest of Southeast Asia. It was the first time any US president has ever come to Cambodia! While abroad, I'm usually I'm a little embarrassed to say I'm American. Anyone who has traveled outside the US has most likely also felt this way many many times. This was the most national pride I've ever felt outside of America. People here were SO EXCITED for President Obama. It was such a big deal that all schools, many roads, and most businesses were closed. Surprise 4 day weekend? This is my kind of country.

Cambodia hosted a huge pan-Asian conference that fell in conjunction with Obama's visit. Police were EVERYWHERE. Both ends of my block were monitored by police officers, while hundreds more lined the streets. They would temporarily stop all traffic on main roads to allow faceless Asian diplomats in the sleekest black cars I've seen in months, drive down the road straddling the double yellow lines. Right, because they need all 4 lanes to drive down the street. Then again, it's not like anyone respects those double yellow lines...ever.

It was really cool to see the swell of pride from the local Cambodian people. Before school one morning my TA said "I hope because Obama is coming, the whole world will know of Cambodia". The people here are so proud of their country, and the giant strides they've made in the few decades following their dark period of genocide. That being said, corruption is alive and well in Cambodia, and there are countless problems that remain within this country.










I have the same wish as my TA. I hope that Cambodia will continue to develop, and the world will begin to look at Cambodia not with pity, but with open arms, recognizing the enormous amount of work left to do, but appreciating and encouraging their crusade to progress.

Mosquito nets and cold showers: Living the dream

Last weekend I went to the beach! I'm slightly jealous of everyone in the states complaining about how cold it is, because honestly I think my body has physically forgotten what it feels like to be cold. IT'S SO HOT HERE. I'm always drenched in sweat, which definitely helps my professionalism when I arrive at work after my 30 minute bike ride with sweat dripping off my head. The one good thing about this perpetually miserable temperature, is that a long weekend at Sihanoukville beach is always an option

It took a 4 hour impossibly cramped van ride to get to Sihanoukville, where we stayed in a bungalow complete with mosquito nets and ice cold showers. Okay okay I said I forgot what it was like to be cold... I think this shower put my body into hypothermic shock.

The weekend was spent lounging on beach chairs, reading and getting my nails painted, as women selling tropical fruit from their head patrolled the beach, preying on my weakness for mango.

I've been in Cambodia for over 2 months now! I've moved into an apartment with a fellow American teacher, I have a bike, and two English teaching jobs. I'm settling in nicely here, but don't worry...however "smooth" my life goes, I still humiliate myself daily as I get used to life here in Cambodia.

Holiday in the Countryside

Recently, Cambodia celebrated their largest holiday Pchum Ben. Everyone usually returns to the countryside to be with their families. 

One of my favorite former students invited Melissa (my new roommate) and me to join her in the countryside to celebrate. It was about a 2 hour tuk tuk ride away from Phnom Penh

Her house was in a small village, and she had a whole bunch of family there! They were so nice and excited for us to be there. We were equally as thrilled 

We went to their local temple to feed the spirits and pay our respects. It was fun but it felt like we were at the zoo...but we were the animals to see. Everyone stared with the same why-are-these-two-white-girls-here-I've-never-seen-anyone-who-looks-like-that expression.

After the temple, we returned to their house to eat! The food was...edible. They eat on wooden tables that double as beds at night time. It hurt just sitting on it, I can't imagine how they sleep there. 

 This is about half of the family 

This little guy was my favorite

That was one of the coolest things I've done since I've been here. 

My favorite part of this country? Their ability to do nothing and just chill

Chuh cuuuuuute

In Cambodia they call teachers "cher", not like the singer behind the song believe (one of my favorites), but as in the second half of the word "teacher". Buuut with an accent it kind of sounds like "chuhh", like a "churro", not to be confused with "burro" (eh, Bronwyn?). Now I want a churro. 

I have 2 classes I just finished teaching; one at an orphanage, and one for the hotel cleaning staff. It was HARD. There was no book or curriculum to follow, so I had to basically make everything up off the top of my head. I'm glad I had the experience to teach there, they were really great kids. Here are many pictures of the orphanage, and the nuggets who live there

waving goodbye after class

on the last day, we brought pizza!

puppies, ducks, and children run around the grounds in a mad, usually partially clothed, free-for-all

this was my classroom for a while

pretending to drive the tuk tuk 

outside one of the classrooms

This is the hotel staff that I taught! I loved them so much. Their English was very limited, but they tried very hard and were hilarious. One of the ladies, every time I saw her, said "CHUR CUUUUTE" and gave me a thumbs up. That was about the extent of her English- except for the loads of job related vocabulary words I taught her!  She might be trying to suck up to me...or she may just have good taste. 

  oh ya... Christmas tree in our classroom.

People have tons of respect for teachers here. In the US, I wouldn't be allowed anywhere near the front of the classroom; however, in Cambodia they give me way more respect than I deserve. 

Indiana Jones for a day

I recently went to Angkor Wat and other temples around Siem Reap, the most popular tourist attractions in Cambodia. Angkor Wat is the largest religious structure in the world. We spent a day and a half exploring temples, including the temple where the movie Tomb Raider was filmed. 

I fulfilled a childhood dream by climbing (mostly stumbling) through ruins of old temples like Indiana Jones. 

Now that we have returned to the Phnom Penh, I am taking Khmer classes and teaching at an orphanage. It's pretty difficult, but I'm looking forward to being able to communicate through spoken language, rather than my unintelligible sign language and Tarzan style English.  The writing is very difficult and I doubt I'll get the hang of it....

Tarantulas and Tuk Tuks

IT'S HOT. AND OH MY GOD IT SMELLS HORRIBLE. 

It feels like I've been in Cambodia for months. Although, when I walk outside, I smell the foul odor and I'm quickly reminded that I am still very much a Cambodian novice.  Poverty is not hidden, and the income gap is as clear as the sweat stains on my shirt.

 We ride around the city in tuk tuks. They are rigshaw carrage type vehicles pulled by motorbikes. The rules of the road here are....anything goes. And I mean anything. Mercedes, motorbikes, tuk tuks, bicycles, and the occasional cattle drawn cart attempt to share the road.  If you run into trouble, no worries! Side walks and the other side of the road are also fair game.

Lots of people ask me about the food here. It's good! Lots of rice, lots of noodles, and lots of Thai influenced dishes.  What's the strangest thing I've eaten? TARANTULA.

Oh ya. You read that right. This is me with a tarantula... pre-lunch time. Lindsay, my roommate from the states, saw this picture and said "Are you kidding?? You hold this gigantic spider but you made me come kill all the minuscule bugs we found in our apartment?!". I'm not going to lie to y'all. I was not nearly as composed holding this monstrosity as I appear in the photo. Being out of your element does craaazy things to you! 

Oh ya...I also ate frog on a stick

Aaaaand yes...this photo  is real life. I was concerned about putting the tarantula on my hand, and this little boy just stuck the live tarantula IN HIS MOUTH. EW. 

I love this country.