Home

I have been home for almost a week, and I am already counting down the days till I can go back to Phnom Penh. This summer truly has been a learning experience and a continual adventure. Through my internship I have been able to learn about a new culture, language, public health, and international development. It is safe to say that everyday was something new.

As I look back on life in Cambodia, I find things that I want to instill with life in Provo.

First, I will learn to make Khmer dishes from fresh ingredients. During my last week in Cambodia, I was the only intern left or barang with the host family. As a result, I had a lot of free time and was able to spend a good portion of that time in the kitchen. I learned how to make basic Cambodia dishes that are somewhat quick, healthy, and delicious.

Second, I want to make time to enjoy a cup of Milo.

Sometimes during the internship, I got a little overwhelmed with the workload and upcoming trips. One of my favorite ways to de-stress and relax was to grab a cup of Milo and go for a bike ride. Eventually Milo became one of my favorite drinks and now I just crave them all the time. I just need to make Milo without the sweet condensed milk...

So, technically I only have two things I have on my list...but the list is far from being complete. Jet lag and graduation have consumed a lot of my time lately. All I know is that when I arrived in Cambodia, I was just a naive public health intern with 2 suitcases. When I left, I left with a new love for Cambodia, respect and admiration for Buddhism, friends, and another family.

Cambodia, I hope to see you again in 9 months!

Tongue Tied

Well, the summer is practically over and I have yet to begin to master the language of Khmer. Tessa and I have been taking Khmer lessons from a member in the church. We can say simple phrases and answer basic questions...as long as they revolve around what we want to do or eat. Apparently talking about food is a universal subject that everyone enjoys.

As I have learned more about the Khmer language, the more I am motivated to learn and practice here in Provo, UT.  All I need to do is find someone who is willing to tutor me, which may prove to me more difficult than I thought. Anyways, I always like a good challenge and this will keep me focused on something until school starts.

Can you believe that the new semester starts in just a few weeks? I cannot, but I am excited to start as a BYU GRAD STUDENT! Yes! I can finally see a light at the end of the tunnel.

My Growing Family

These are some of the people who I will miss a lot when I go back home. Well, now that they are family...I will have to venture out to Cambodia more often. :)

Eating lunch at the hair salon

Me and Mom

Oh, Sovanea is not going to be happy about this photo...

Lyno

Tessa, Bunthy, me, Jessica

Sovannea and Jessica - my two favorite people

Host parents!

Adventure and Reflection

Before i knew it, it became July and now it is half way gone. Every morning I sit on the balcony listening to the sounds outside--a woman calling for empty plastic bottles/cans, motos honking their horns, and bells notifying of the approaching monks.

 I have been asked to update people on my life in Cambodia, but this place is too perplexing and marvelous to describe. Everything hits you in the face so hard all at once. Nothing is half-way.

The smells are either heavenly--from fresh jasmine flowers adorning people's door-ways, to deadly--fresh fermenting human and animal waste.

The people here are either extremely loving and friendly, or extremely abrasive.

Every outfit is well planned, nothing is thrown together at the last minute. Hair is not quickly put into a ponytail, but nicely curled or braided. Finger nail polish is an art and continually changing.

The food is extremely sweet, bitter, savory, or incredibly spicy.

The weather is either unbearably hot, with heat rising from the ground, or wet with monsoons that require one to swim through the busy streets and sleep with earplugs.

The women are constantly overlooked while the children are constantly reprimanded.

Here in Cambodia, I experience the highest of highs, and the lowest of lows. I cry from laughing at least once a day. I hear stories of individuals who have become my most current hero. People who have overcome impossible odds and stigmas. People who have used their whole life savings in an effort to make the lives of their children a little bit better. Women and children who have moved beyond the prejudices of poverty in a society where money means everything.

Hopefully someday soon I will have the opportunity to sit and write everything that I have experienced down. Until then, I will continue to share little pieces of my life in Cambodia. Who knows, maybe as I continue writing these experiences, it will promote reflection in someone else.

Filter Much pt.2

Since writing my first blogs post on the lack of filters in Southeast Asia, there has been many more noteworthy conversations. Posted below are just a few highlights my roommates and I have heard while in Cambodia.

Example 1: "Oh Melanie, you and Tessa have very big feet."
Example 2: "When you laugh, I cannot see your eyes." -J
Example 3: "You look Chinese because your nose is very big."
Example 4: "You cannot fit on moto because you are too big, it will make me go like this" (Moto driver than tilts the moto.
Example 5: "Oh, you have gotten so big." V then points to the shirt.

Thank you neighbors for saying such noteworthy things. :)

Time

I really hate that time goes faster when you are having fun. I cannot believe that I will be sitting in Utah in 2.5 weeks. It is going by too fast! Someone please build me a time machine or somehow make the earth spin in reverse. I do not actually know if that will make time go backwards, but it worked in the movies therefore it must be true.

Anyways, this summer truly has been an amazing experience. I have loved working at RACHA and learning how public health functions in an NGO setting. I have been living my dream this summer and I hope to return to Cambodia next year. I only hope that this can be more permanent instead of 3 months stints.

In a few days I will post about the highs and lows I have experienced in this country, as well as my overall thoughts.

Chess

Recently, Tessa and I have become obsessed with playing games with each other. The first game is chess. Tessa brought an IPAD to Cambodia and downloaded a free app of chess. Now we play chess everywhere whether it is on the balcony, the bus, lunch break, middle of the night, while we do laundry, in between reading journal articles, etc. If you cannot find us in the usual spots or I seem distant on chat, it is very likely Tessa and I are playing chess. 

As of now, I am wining in the Cambodia Summer chess competition. If I remember right, the score stands at Melanie: 75 Tessa: 32. Take that Tessa! Hahaha. We will see who wins the competition at the end of the summer.

If only Tessa and I could play Harry Potter chess...

Visa

Before entering the amazing country of Cambodia, you have to apply for a visa. When I first entered the country, I was not sure what visa I was supposed to apply for. They have 8 different types and no explanations. As a result, when I got off the plane I left the section blank and filled in the amount of time I would be in Cambodia. By doing so, I was hoping that the immigration police would give me the correct visa. Well, to keep this post readable and short...they gave be the tourist visa, which is the wrong one. I needed the Ordinary visa or E visa.

Why is the tourist visa bad? Well, after a month in Cambodia you have to renew your visa. Well unlike the ordinary visa, which can be renewed as many times as you want, the tourist visa can only be renewed once. After you have renewed your tourist visa, then you have to leave the country or be charged horrendous fines. As a poor college student, I opted to leave the country instead of pay thousands of dollars to stay in Phnom Penh.

Well, my tourist visa extension was about to expire so Tessa, Rachel, and I took a trip to Vietnam (story to be posted later...maybe). On the bus ride home, I told Tessa that I was going to apply for an E visa instead of a T. Tessa was a little confused when I told her this because the T visa is cheaper than the E visa. In addition, we are leaving Cambodia in a few weeks and therefore extensions do not really apply to us anymore. So why the E visa? It is the principle. I was supposed to have an E and I want one in my passport. Sorry, there really is not a more outstanding reason. Also, having the option to stay in Cambodia forever also factored into my decision for getting an E visa. Don't worry, I won't stay in Phnom Penh forever now because I need to finish my degree. Haha. Once I obtain my MPH, who knows where I will end up...hopefully back in PP.

So one visa application submission, interrogation by an immigration officer, and $27.00 later I finally have an E visa in my passport. Hooray! I would show you a picture, but I am afraid my computer will blow up because of memory issues. :)



P.S. I am really glad to be back home in Phnom Penh. Saigon was great, but way too expensive.

Rice

I love being Cambodia, I really do. I love that I can spend time with my neighbors, sit on the balcony watching the rain, play charades everyday, but most of all I love that I eat rice for almost every meal!  It is wonderful!

Some people go through caffeine withdrawals when they do not get a drink every few hours, I go through rice withdrawals when I do not eat it at least once a day. Rice just goes with everything, there really is not one dish I cannot think of that is not enhanced by adding rice. Okay, lets not think of obscure dishes like macaroni and cheese or cake because that is just ridiculous.

Be prepared everyone, when I get home the first thing I will make is a bowl of rice. :)

YUM.

Okay, maybe not rice because I do not have a rice cooker...but it is next on my "Things to buy" list.

Monsoon

Monsoon season aka rainy season is officially here! Everyday it sounds like a waterfall in our house, not because water is leaking through the roof but because of the amount of rain hitting our metal roof. It sounds wonderful, right?

Well, it was great the first few rainstorms...now it is just bothersome. Everyone disappears at night, walking to work is like crossing the Mississippi, and frankly I am running out of dry clothes. Rain, rain go away, come again some other day. Seriously, I am ready to embark on a cloud destruction trek, invest in a floatation device, or invent a machine that will blow these rain clouds to Utah.

Pictures

Well, it has been quite a bit of time since I wrote an actual blogpost. Frankly, life in Cambodia is not as exotic as most people think it is. Everyday I wake up at 6 am, go running, shower, go to work at the RACHA office, go home, eat dinner, and hang out at the beauty salon. Unfortunately, I am not fighting off monkeys and elephants on a regular basis.



Now to the blogpost title...

I have never been a fan of photos. Whenever anyone tries to take a photo of me, I run or hide behind an object/person. As I have gotten older and social media more apparent in my life, I have come to realize that photos are part of everyday life. I can no longer successfully avoid all photos...as a result, Facebook now has a bunch of unflattering photos of me.

I cannot help it, for some reason I have this urge to pull faces or create a double chin. However, do not get mad at me if a photo of me is not serious...after all, do you not want to remember me for who I truly am? I suppose if you really want me to smile, I can smile like I am in pain...

Work in progress, work in progress. For now, here are some flattering photos Tessa took of me while we were playing in the rain.

P.S. Mom, I promise there are plenty of photos that are normal. I just haven't had time to post them.

Also, I will blog more about the work I am doing with RACHA. I have been traveling the past few days and will catch up on posts sooner or later.

Taken

Sometimes I wish I could go back in time and destroy this movie before it was released. I know that the action scenes are fantastic and that all the people who die deserve it, but it is ruining the spirit of adventure. Without fail someone will use the idea behind Taken as reasoning to not do something. Yes, things like that do happen...but not all the time. There is one important concept that will help you prevent being "Taken" and that is risk management. Seriously, not everyone gets chloroformed and dragged off into sexual slavery. 

Anyways, just something I have been thinking about for the past few days. 

Birthday Parties, Power Rangers, and Dancing

A couple days ago the hairstylist family invited me, Tessa, and Rachel to attend a little get together.  I was incredibly excited to go because frankly there is not a whole lot to do on Sunday. So at 7 pm all three of us went to the salon next door to meet Pov and walk with her to the picnic spot on Diamond Island. Now, Diamond Island is not an island surrounded by ocean and filled with tropical plants, it is a glorified industrial park. Families do not go to Diamond Island to picnic on grass, but rather on the sidewalk and benches.

Once we arrived at the picnic destination, Pov and I started setting up the picnic area. We placed mats on the floor, set up a tent like object, and waited for the rest of the party to show up.  After about an hour, family started showing up followed by Neth. Neth, the hairstylist mother, is probably the most hilarious person I have ever met. After about 10 minutes of eating and drinking, she started saying and doing random things. One of the highlights of the night is when she said, "food give power, Power Ranger!" She then proceeded to punch the air and dance. Neth then broke out into song and started singing happy birthday and really emphasizing the word "you." Seriously, there is never a dull moment with this sister.

The food was not terrible, but the names did not make the dishes appealing. For instance, there was a dish called beef forest, which turned out to be pig intestine. I do not really know where beef forest came from, but pig intestine is not what I imagined to be the main component. Frog legs were interesting, but the texture is definitely something I will have to overcome if I want to eat it again.

Other highlights of the night include riding scooters, playing games with Neth, finding Pov a place to chuchu,  darts, and chess on the balcony.

Cambodia is great! :)

Veggies sound nice

If you know me, then you know that I love meat. I am always craving something with meat whether that is in a burger or a salad. Since coming to Cambodia, I have craved less and less meat and considering turning vegetarian. Why? Every so often I see things that make me want to change what I eat. For instance, almost every week a van passes our street with live pigs strapped to a board hanging out the back. Whenever the truck goes over a bump, the pigs squeal and wiggle. Live animals strapped to motos are not exclusive to pigs in fact anything deemed edible can be found strapped alive to a moto.

The market is another reason why vegetarianism is beginning to appeal to me. Yesterday, Neth took Tessa and I to the market to shop for a special dinner (story to come). Well at this market there was a bunch of fish, blood, heads with bodies, and a bunch of noses without faces. Mix the sights with the smell and you have the reason why going vegetarian becomes a more appealing option.

Actually, now that I think about it...going vegetarian is not an option. I like meat too much. I will just let someone else pick it up. Problem solved.

Traffic

In most developing countries, road traffic laws are relatively non-existent. Most label stop signs, lights, and lines on the road as suggestions. So how does traffic function? There are several rules you should know if you are planning to drive, walk, or bike in Cambodia:

1- Biggest car wins- I do not think this rule really needs any clarification. If a truck wants to go in front of you, then you probably should let it go in front of you. No matter how many hours you spend at the gym you will not be able to push a 2 ton truck off of you.

2- When in doubt, honk it out - Since rules of the road are optional, it is important to use the horn to make people aware that you are a) heading their direction b) passing them c) announcing your presence. People will not be offended if you honk at them. In fact, they probably would prefer that you honk at them instead of creeping up on them.

3- If you drive against traffic, stay close to the curb - Sometimes you want to drive on the opposite side of the road, I get it. Just remember that if you do, stay close to the curb because playing chicken never works.

4- Always wear a helmet when you are driving a moto because if you do not, you will be pulled over. Apparently this law and the lights off in the day time law are followed strictly.

5- Sidewalks are for parking and driving on....forget pedestrians. Who needs them?

Tuol Sleng Museum

The Tuol Sleng Museum or the genocide museum is a sobering experience where one visually learns about the war-torn history of Cambodia. No matter how many history books or news reports I read, nothing adequately prepared me for the reality of what many Cambodians lived through while under the regime of Pol Pot, when more than 2 million Cambodians were killed.

During the reign of Pol Pot, a place once filled with children and laughter was turned into a revolving door of death. Known as S21, this prison was a killing apparatus and is believed to have tortured and killed approximately 17, 000 people. Many of these people were sent to S21 as a result of the Khmer Rouge's paranoid leadership.

Upon entering the genocide museum, you see a sign warning that any loud talking or laughter is forbidden. That warning seems unnecessary as you enter the first floor and see the rooms with barred windows and steel beds with chains. Photos on the wall depict the brutally beaten bodies of the last victims of S21.

The second floor is probably the most haunting as you see countless walls and boards covered with black-and-white face shots of the Khmer Rouge’s many victims: men, women, young children, etc. Some photos showed sadness and fear, while others face shots showed defiance. Regardless of the emotions shown in the pictures, the sadness I felt was overwhelming because the majority of those people never made it home.

 

  For me, it was hard to believe that little knew about this genocide as it was happening.

Filter much?

If you have ever traveled to Southeast Asia or met someone who immigrated from this region, then you may understand the title of this blog post. In Cambodia, the women and men here do not hesitate to comment on a person's weight, shape, and height.

Example A: The other day Tessa, Rachel, and I were out to dinner with some neighbors. One of the men turned to Tessa and said "You and your friends are very big, but eat so little."

Example B: Yesterday Rachel and I went on a moto ride with Pov (the petite hairdresser from next door). Throughout the moto ride, Pov's scooter was shaking we stopped at a parking lot to wait for her sister and Tessa. Pov's sister arrives and the two sisters start speaking in Khmer and pointing at Rachel. Pov's sister turns to me and says, "Pov says your friend is too big, makes her moto shake."

Example C: K- "My mother says she has 3 new daughters: a skinny one, a medium one, and one that looks like her."

Those are just a few of the many times someone has said something to us about our weight, height, and shape. Don't worry, they don't say it to offend us...it is just the culture :)

Community Scorecard

This week Tessa, Rachel, and I went to Prey Veng to participate in a Community Scorecard activity with RACHA. Community Scorecard is a program run by RACHA that creates an open discussion between health clinic staff and community members in order to improve the health system. The first day, I visited the health clinic to watch the health clinic staff evaluate themselves in 5 different areas. These ratings would then be presented during a joint meeting with the health clinic staff, RACHA, and representatives of the community.

The next day, we piled into a vehicle and drove out to the primary school that the meeting was being held at. At this meeting, the community members shared their rating of the health clinic, listened to the health clinic staff, identified barriers within the health clinic and in the community, and created an action plan to overcome the selected barriers. Although this meeting was in Khmer, it truly was fascinating to see the community and health center staff work together to improve how health is delivered. The meeting lasted about 4 hours and was very informative.  Following the meeting, we discussed ways to improve the meetings

The most noteworthy part of the day was the trip back to the RACHA office. In order to get to the school, the car had to drive over an unleveled dirt road. Well during the 4-hour meeting, nature decided to make it rain. Now, when it rains here...it pours. The dirt road turned into mud and parts of the road became almost undriveable. There were instances where the car would slide and be inches away from falling in the ditch. Luckily we were traveling with brave men from RACHA who got out of the car in their suits to push the car and prevent it from falling in the ditch. It was a rough hour long ride, but it was well worth it to participate in the meeting. Thank you Pirom! You truly are a lifesaver!

Posted below are some pictures from the meeting and harrowing drive. :)

The community listening to the evaluation

Health Clinic Staff

The muddy ditch

Cars stopping because of the mud

Looking excited....Tessa had to pee....

What the road looked like

Who I Spend My Time With

Here are the people who make my life in Cambodia incredible!

Rachel- Intelligent and hilarious...almost makes the U a tolerable school. :)

Pov- Hairdresser, expert charade player, and tennis star

Vina- Hairdresser's sister, decent charade player, and always on the phone.

Not- Sassy, ninja attack star, and Khmer teacher

Pov and Ni

Pov and Not listening to my ipod. Apparently I have good taste! :)

Tessa- Hilarious, adventurous, and saves my candy when I throw it on the roof! Hero.

Pov

Soccer and karate star, incredibly sassy.

Kickboxing

The other day Tessa decided that she wanted to learn how to punch. So, I told her that I would help her because 1) I like punching things 2) It gives us something to do at night besides play with the children or get our hair washed. We went outside and I asked her to punch my palm. I have to be honest, that punch was terrible. Her thumb was sticking out and she hit me with her palm, not her knuckles. After a few hours of instruction and channeling her inner chi, she was able to punch relatively hard. It is still a ways away from making me see stars, but it has enough power behind it to make my arm tingle for a few seconds. Now to master kicking! Watch out world, Tessa is going to be one mean, lean fighting machine by the end of the summer. Who knows, maybe she will make the Olympic team? Maybe not, but one can hope. J

Although, I think we have to start kickboxing when it is very late outside. There has been an outburst of violence among the children because they see Tessa punching my palm. The only problem with practicing late at night is that the children do not have bed times. There is a 3 year old named Cup Cup who is up later than I am and is awake before I am. Who is this child? Go to sleep! I’ll post a picture of her later once I figure out where my camera cord is.

-M

Rabbit Island

All right, blog post catch up time! It has been a few weeks since I last blogged and a lot of things have happened. Recently, my colleagues and I were able to visit Rabbit Island located near Kampot.

In order to get to Rabbit Island, you have to take a 4-hour bus ride from Phnom Penh. Unlike the US, a relatively nice A/C bus costs around $12.00 and you get a free meal. Also, random tangent...if you go to a country considered “developing”, be prepared for the driver to use his horn almost every minute. Do not be that lady who yells at the bus driver because he is using his horn. Also, if you are a man who has chest hair shoulder pads, please do not wear a t-shirt that shows those shoulder pads to the rest of the world. Europeans...

Back to Rabbit Island! After arriving in Kampot, we took a 30-minute ride on this rickety boat to the island. Although there were instances where the boat almost capsized, it was well worth it once we arrived. This island is one of the very few spots that have been relatively untouched by tourists. Bungalows that are located on the shore cost about $5.00 dollars a night, fresh juice $1.50, and watching the sunset on a hammock – FREE! Although I only stayed two days, it truly was a piece of paradise. Anyone want to come back with me?

I should warn you though, there are a lot of stray animals on the island. The one you specifically have to look out for is the rabid kitty. It does whatever it wants and does not understand the meaning of "get away or the little boy is going to throw you on the roof." Weird, right? 

Posted below are some pictures of Rabbit Island.

-M

10-Second Rule

 Growing up there is one rule that always seemed odd to me the 10 Second Rule. For those of you who are not familiar with this rule, it essentially says that any edible object dropped on the floor can be eaten without any risk of negative repercussions as long as it is picked up within 10 seconds. I have always believed that once an edible object is dropped on the floor, then that item should be discarded immediately. However, my roommate Tessa thinks that the 10-second rule is a legitimate rule.

 

What brought up this discussion? The other day when Tessa, Rachel, and I were watching Titanic, Tessa dropped her popcorn on the theater floor. After a few seconds, Tessa brushed the popcorn on the floor into her hands and proceeded to eat the kernels. My face was in complete shock, all I could think about is urine crystals from the floor embedding themselves in the popcorn kernels! Okay, I really did not think of that but my friend Julie would have yelled that.

So what do you think? Does the 10 second rule really exist or is it simply just a myth?

My Heart Will Go On

Yesterday after work, Rachel, Tessa, and I went to see Titanic in 3D. We went for several reasons the 1) Rachel has never seen Titanic 2) Tessa loves Celine Dion 3) the movie started at a decent hour. As we walked up to Legend Cinema, I could not help but imagine the theater packed with other Titanic fanatics who also wanted to see the classic film again. When we entered the theater, I was honestly shocked to see that we were the only ones there to see the timeless tale of Jack and Rose.

As I sat in my chair, I was amazed to see how 3D revolutionized the cinematic experience. It felt as if though I was holding on to the Titanic as it sank into the Atlantic, which took about 3 and half hours. If only it had lasted another 6 hours and the priceless diamond sold for billions of dollars. Oh well, at least I will have the song “My Heart Will Go On” in my head for the next few weeks. Who would not want that?

Thank you Rachel for letting Tessa and me watch Titanic with you. Now you know why one can only watch that movie once every 10 years. Seriously, a lot of those scenes could have been cut out for the sake of time...

Home

My Room

The Bathroom Sink

The Washroom

The Spiral Staircase

View Outside

Spiral Staircase

Poker Face

The other day Rachel, Tessa, and I went to get our hair washed at the salon next door. This salon is a family business and run by a mother, Neth, and her 18-year-old daughter, Pau. As stated in previous posts, having one’s hair washed is a great way to end a stressful day.

This day was particularly different because the mother decided to style our hair. Tessa received a cute French braid and I received a decent hairstyle as well. Rachel on the other hand was not as lucky, which leads me to the title of this blogpost. When Rachel was getting her hair styled, she was facing the opposite direction of Tessa and me. Once she was finished, the mother turned Rachel’s chair to reveal Rachel’s stylish hairstyle. I tried my hardest to not laugh or make a face, but after .01 seconds I burst out laughing. I could not contain my laughter, which resulted in Tessa and Rachel bursting out laughing. I felt really bad, but honestly this hairdo was just too good to be true. It looked as if Rachel's hair was a helmet form the movie Leatherheads. Apparently my inability to control my laughter means I have no poker face. 

 

Sorry, I cannot figure out how to rotate pictures in Blogger.

Zoo and Monkey Attacks

The Zoo

Today the Cambodia internship group and Jessie (a lovely member from the ward) took a trip to the zoo, which is located outside the city of Phnom Penh. Initially I was a little skeptical about this trip because I have had the worst luck at zoos. Without fail, I see 3-4 animals at the zoo. The rest are both sleeping and hidden behind shrubbery or they are not in their exhibit. However, I was optimistic that this would be different because zoos abroad tend to have more animals.

So, at 10 am the entire group me at the church and piled into a van. After an hour of talking, driving through dirt roads, and getting stuck in traffic we arrived at the dirt road that led up to the zoo. As we drove up this dirt path, you could see at least 20 individuals standing on the side of the road. In only took me a few seconds to realize that these individuals were elderly and begging for money. Unfortunately, there was no possibility of us stopping to give them money. After all, if you give one beggar money, then it is expected of you to give the others money as well. As we drove by these elderly beggars, you could tell that it had been a couple days since he or she has had a substantial meal. One of these days I am going to pack some nutritious treats to hand out to beggars.

After another 20 minutes, we arrived at the ticket booth and entered the establishment. Unlike Western zoos, this zoo did not have a nice parking lot and a paved walkway that would lead you to animal exhibits. In this zoo, there were 4 different sections that you could walk, drive, or ride a tuk tuk to. The first section was the monkey and deer exhibit, which literally is an open area with a bunch of wild monkeys and deer. People will follow you around and try to sell you potatoes and bananas to feed the animals. Of course I bought some because what are the chances you will get to feed monkeys and deer in the US? Slim. At first the monkeys and deer were very cute, they would walk up to me and gently grab the food out of my hands. 

Well, after about 10 minutes the monkeys and deer got overly excited and hungry. They started snatching the potatoes and bananas when we were not looking. It was not long before the vicious monkeys and deer found out about the food we were handing out. One of the vicious monkeys had a cleft lip and a reputation for biting. It is safe to say that we dropped a lot of our food and made a quick escape out of the exhibit.

The rest of the zoo was not that exciting. The most noteworthy experiences happened to Beau, the facilitator from BYU, who was attacked twice by two different monkeys. One of the attacks happened while he was standing by a monkey cage, the other happened while he was trying to hand a monkey a potato. I tried to convince him to touch another monkey...after all, the third try is the successful one, right?