It's Official!

So I made it through Pre-Service Training! I tested at a Intermediate Low level on the Language Proficiency test and I was sworn in as an official Peace Corps Volunteer on September, 7th 2012 at 3pm. It feels good to be official!

A lot has happened since the 7th, so I will try my best to give you all a run down. After swearing in, the majority of the new PCV's headed to Phnom Penh for a day of relaxing and hanging out before heading to our permanent sites.

I arrived in Kampong Chhnang on Sept. 10th and met my new permanent family that afternoon. I can't give the name of the specific village I am in for safety and security reasons, but I am about a 15 mile round trip from the provincial town.

My family is big! Including me there are 10 people...I was only expecting 3! Here is the run down...there is my Ma(mom) and Poke (dad), an aunt (maybe sister) and her 8 month old boy, a brother, another brother and his wife as well as their 5 year old daughter and 4 month old baby boy. I live in one house with my brother, his wife and kids. The other members of the family occupy the house next door, but both houses are enclosed by the same gate (this style of living is known as a compound here).

There is a market (p'saa) 1k from me where I go to get lunch every day. Sometimes I go with the usual rice and meat and other times I go with just fruits and veggies. It is crazy to think though that I can get a plate of rice, meat and veggies for the same price as a carrot and two apples! My family generally provides me with plenty of veggies in my dinner and a bowl of baby bananas at mid day, so I don't always feel too bad skipping them at lunch. 

My Health Center is small, but it is nice. There are 10 staff members at the center; the HC director and 9 female nurses. Some of the nurses are Pharmacists, general nurses and midwives. The HC serves 22 villages in the surrounding area. Since transportation from the far villages can be difficult, the HC does outreach activities every few months. During these activities the nurses go out and provide vaccinations and vitamins those that want them. Most of the cases that come to the center are for basic things like colds, fevers, etc but the HC also does deliveries.

I am still working on exploring the community...it has only been a week after all! I have been told that a few K from me there is an airport that was built during the Pol Pot regime and it was used to smuggle goods in and out of the country. From what I have learned, someone in the regime was afraid word would get out about the airport so they murdered all of the workers. It is an extremely sad occurrence obviously, but I still want to go out to the airport and see what the place looks like. There is something called the Killing Caves near me as well...another location marred by the acts of the Pol Pot Regime during the Khmer Rouge. Once I visit these places I will be sure to share what I learn.

So- that is what I have for you all for now. It is hard to know what to write sometimes, so if you have any questions feel free to ask them on here or email me, and then I can respond to those questions in future posts. Thanks again for reading this blog- I will try to do better about posting more often!

Kampuchea Lessons: Volume One

Someone once told me that "when you stop learning, you start dying." Since I do not want anyone reading this blog to meet their demise any time in the immediate future, I am going to make it a habit of educating my readers on all things Kampuchea throughout the next two years. Be sure to take note and learn from my observations and zany insight into the amazingly wonderful Khmer culture! 

1. The Khmer people shorten the names of all of the countries around them, for example Thailand becomes Thai, China becomes Chen...the one exception to the rule? Their own country of course...instead of being shortened, it is merely changed all together to Kampuchea. Interesting...

2. Supposedly a natural remedy for diarrhea is to take the bark from a mango tree and steep it in a tea and then drink it. Who was it that decided to pull some bark off a tea and drink it anyways?

3. Coconuts can be used as a natural laxative...simply drink the water and eat the flesh and there you go!

4. There are no need for public bathrooms...drivers simply stop on the side of the road and relieve themselves then and there!

5. Gecko's don't just sell car insurance...here they hang out in your room all day eating pesky bugs!

6. Garages are not necessary additions to your house...simply park your moto in your kitchen!

7. In the states we tell students not to wear pajamas to school...well in Kampuchea you would be hard pressed to ride from your house to any local establishment without seeing at least 20 people in pajamas as they go about shopping, cleaning or other daily tasks. Not only are these pajamas easy to wash but they are also comfortable, lively patterned and cheap!

Just a thought

I have hit the one month mark here in Cambodia...and despite the fact that I am loving being here my mind keeps drifting back to the US. I am not homesick, not yet at least, but I have never stayed out of the country longer than the summer and with the school year quickly approaching I keep feeling as if I am about to miss something. I keep thinking:

~ When I wake up on the 16th (15th for you all in the states) I will be going to language class...not the Teacher's Breakfast at WRHS

~ When I work with youth, it will be infrequent and not have the same ease as it did this past year

~ I will miss my first student going off to JWU (culinary school)

~ I will miss seeing my FCCLA students Senior portraits, last homecoming and Prom

~ Despite only being at Wheat Ridge for one year, it was a great experience...leaving was a very difficult decision...but one that turned out to be the best in the long run 

~ A month from now I will be placed in my permanent site...possibly far from any other volunteer. This experience will be vastly different from living with two of my best friends for the past year (with another one just a short distance away)

I would not trade this experience for another year at WRHS or at another school...but being here does not mean that my mind won't drift back to the states at times. I hope to keep everyone updated on what is going on in my life here in Cambodia...but in the same respect I hope people take the time to reflect on what is going on in their lives and share that with me as well.

Let's get riel...

For starters...the currency here in Cambodia is the riel. Now the title seems clever aye? For every $1, you get 4,100 riels. Just a little bit of currency training for you all. Now...time to get riel and fill you in on the things that I have yet to adjust too...nor do I think I ever will.

1. The traffic pattern; or lack there of. There are no posted speed limits and every time you go out on the streets it is like a game of chicken. Whoever is faster or larger has the right of way. Some of the streets are "divided" by a paint line but that doesn't mean that a car (lan), truck (lan tom), motorcycle (moto) or biker (gong) won't end up driving the wrong way down that road. Be alert!

2. 10 year old kids driving motos. They teach them young here! Not only does the child drive a moto, but they also tote around their friends and siblings as well.

3. A family of 4 riding one moto. No lie, I have seen a mother breast feeding her infant while her toddler sits on her lap and the dad drives the moto. No one here uses car seats, seat belts or helmets!

4. The amount of people/materials you can fit on a moto. I have seen 4 grown men riding on one moto. It is crazy to see how much you can fit on one moto. It is normal to see a driver at the front of the seat, bags of rice piled 4 high behind them with someone sitting on them. Talk about balancing skills!

5. Torrey packing skills. A torrey is basically a van that you can hire to drive you to different cities. According to my host sister, a 10 person torrey should hold 20 people and their bags. I have also seen a packed torrey with another 15 people sitting on the top.

6. Children smoking. This happens in the states too...but I am always caught off guard when I see a young boy smoking on the side of the road.

7. Squat toilets and no toilet paper. I am sure you can all figure this one out...no need for details. Needless to say it is a different experience. 

A few people have asked me what my favorite parts of Cambodia are so far...it is so difficult to say at this point. I love learning a new language, experiencing a new culture and learning something new but it is still all so new to me that it is hard to pin point one thing. Hopefully as time goes by, I can give more specifics...but for now you will have to deal with generalizations and random lists of information! Cheers!

In's and Out's of Mail

For those of you that have read my prior posts, you saw that I had posted an address where I could receive mail and packages...the address has changed! I will post the corrected address below...you can use it as you prefer. 

-One thing to note, typing the address and taping it to the box may be the best approach; especially if your hand writing is poor. 

-We have been told that some Cambodian mail ends up in Columbia because of messy writing. 

-Also, things can be expensive so check the price of Fedex/UPS first...and it is ok to have them take their time delivering it. 

-Be sure to write US Embassy in large print so that they do not open up the package. 

-Mail will be delivered to me once a month...the timing varies

Address:

Erica Ewald

Peace Corps

PO BOX 2453

US EMBASSY

Phnom Penh 3

Cambodia

Asia

The Top 15

It hasn't even been a full 48 hours that I have been here in Cambodia, but I have learned so much! I can not wait to go through this experience and be able to share bits and pieces will all of you! This post will be rough and to the point since I am not sure how reliable this internet is right now...it keeps jumping in and out. As of July 21st I will be in Takeo for 2 months during the training stage of my service and living with a host family. Internet will be very limited during this time because of the fact that we are kept super busy, my host family will not have the WIFI capabilities that the hotels do, and for acclimating purposes I prefer to spend my free time practicing the language and being with my host family. So, for those that may be interested, I plan on making Sundays (Saturday for those of you in the US) my internet days. I will do my best to blog, email or facebook during that time!

So here it is...the top 15 things I have learned in the last 48 hours:

1. It is hot and humid here...but I do not sweat much which I truly appreciate

2. The staff here is spoiling us by the types and quantity of the food they are serving us...think buffets! When we get to site, it will most likely become monotonous and smaller portions

3. The Peace Corps uses A LOT of abbreviations...this is nothing new, as education and CTE uses tons of them

4. Cambodia is 11 hours ahead of those on the East Coast and 13 hours ahead of my Colorado readers

5. There has been so much information thrown at me in the last 2 days that I will probably still be processing it for at least a few more days

6. Don't make eye contact with monks

7. Pedestrians have NO rights...not even at marked sections in the street

8. There may be written traffic laws, but each individual has there own interpretation of those laws...I will have to post a pic at some point of what this exactly looks like

9. It is best to have your back to the tuk tuk driver (cart attached to a motorcycle) so that you can watch the flow of traffic behind you rather than in front...with everyone doing there own thing it is quite scary watching your driver trying to maneuver. I much rather watch those behind me!

10. People in Cambodia don't typically use toilet paper...think bidet. Luckily, since we are in guest houses we have toilet paper

11. People talk about their bowels and the issues associated with them...it is common practice...I will try to save you from hearing to much of this. I don't make any promises though ;)

12. You can buy anything on the street- tarantula on a stick, snake on a stick, dogs, clothing, etc...the options are endless

13. Cambodian bakers rock at cake decorating...if I wouldn't have gotten in trouble for trying to take a pic I would have. Some of these things are amazing!

14. In order to have your electricity turn on in your hotel room, you have to insert the room key into a slot in the wall...so much more energy efficient since you can't accidentally leave the lights on when you are away

15. I am excited to be here and I am excited for what I am getting myself into...but I am also nervous, anxious, worried, etc...so many emotions!

You asked for it...

So it has been a while, but I decided it is time to post again! This is mainly because with work ending tomorrow I finally have time to do so. That and my co-workers have been begging for more info! So...to those that wanted to know how to reach me whilst I am in Cambodia, below you will find my address for snail mail and packages.


Attn: PCT Erica Ewald
Peace Corps/Cambodia
No 7A, Street 256, P.O. Box 2453,
Sangkat Chak Tomouk, Khan Daun Penh
Phnom Penh


Email can be sent to ericaewald@gmail.com


Also, some individuals have asked for a list of things that might be suitable for care packages. I will start with a basic list and then will add more once I am actually in Cambodia and I can identify specific needs that I, or my fellow PCVs, may have.


Care Packages:
-Individual water flavoring packs
-Beef jerky
-Small packs of tissues
-Q-tips
-Movies...new or used
-Socks
-Gum
-Trail Mix
-Twizzlers
-Deodarant
-Toothpaste/toothbrushes
-Shampoo/Conditioner
-Face Wash
-Baby wipes
-Razors
-Snickers, milkyways, 3 musketeers,etc
-Hand Sanitizer
-Poptarts
-Snack foods (individually wrapped; crackers, cookies, etc)


Thank you in advanced for anyone who decides to show their support! I would love emails and snail mail!