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...