Today, we had our second “Hub Site” day, but it wasn’t at
the usual place. It was at the Provincial Office of Education. It was quite
nice to see all of the ETTTs again, and catch up on how our language and
technical trainings are coming.
We met our CD (Country Director) today. Her name is Penny
and she was away when we originally got here. She seems pretty cool and offered some good
advice on how to approach service while we were all eating lunch together on
the steps. We also met some of the WID-GAD (Gender and Development) Committee,
which is a committee I would definitely like to join when the applications come
out. Here’s their website if you want to check out what they do: http://pckhmerwidgad.blogspot.com/
Oh, we also learned about all the different things that
can give us diarrhea! So now I can be scared of mosquitos and food. Just
kidding!
Don’t expect to get updates every day! I just realized
throughout the course of the day that I had more to say :-)
A few things I forgot to mention last time:
1. Bucket showers. I think I have finally mastered taking
a bucket shower. When I was in TZ, the water was warmed before we used it, but
here it comes out of a well that is installed in the bathroom, so it’s cold.
During our PST Orientation, when we were literally being re-potty-trained, the
woman doing the training told us that we would learn to do it in four “buckets.”
My first bucket shower took over 10 buckets, but now I’m consistently at or
below 6 buckets, and with the length of my hair, I consider it a victory. Also,
when I say buckets, I don’t mean like giant buckets… I’m talking about
something the size of an average pot to boil water. Mom, if you’re reading
this, it’s about the size of our second smallest water-boiling-pot with a
handle. Yeah.
2. Khmer. I love it but it is so hard to learn a
language, at least for me, by phonetics only. The Khmer written script is a
whole ‘nother animal that I eventually want to learn, but for now, we just
speak. I try to practice with my host family every day. And I’m proud of myself
as I can feel myself getting better in my daily interactions, and have less
hand motions to do.
3. BUGS. There are bugs everywhere. I’m not squeamish by
any means, but the sheer number of spiders, mosquitos, and flies makes me skin
crawl sometimes. In fact, a spider has taken residence in my loofah. I think I’m
just going to let him keep it. I do, however, get great satisfaction out of
using my bug-zapper. As a formerly “kill nothing, just release it to the
outside” person, I feel slightly guilty but it’s nice to know that the bugs I
am zapping will not be in my clothes, on my sheets, or on me.
4. Technical sessions. As a health volunteer, I learn, on
a daily basis, about the health care system in Cambodia. This week is maternal
and child health. My trainer let me speak to the other CHEs for a few minutes
about being doula and how to support women through birth in a non-medical
context. It felt really cool to share my knowledge. We all learned that many of
the female CHEs also help with the birthing and the pre-natal check-ups, which
made me extremely excited to get sworn in and start my service already!
5. Internet. I now have a “Metfone Stick” which means I
can basically access the internet whenever I would like. However, I’m seriously
trying to get over this addiction, although I am obviously already failing.
Miserably.
6. Elections… It has been really hectic with all of the
campaign “parades,” but I’m glad that’s finally coming to a close on Sunday,
Election Day. I will be stuck close to home, so I will probably write more
then.
7. If you want to send me mail (which I would LOVE),
please send nothing big, nothing valuable, and nothing that will melt. Letters
and pictures (from a camera or drawn), and maybe small books or movies (I have
a DVD drive). I’ve also really been craving granola bars and Nutrigrain bars
for breakfast, and have been trying to satisfy that craving with teething
crackers (yes, for babies). Please
please please let me know if you send me something as the mail is not always
reliable. I’m not sure how much it costs to send stuff here, but if you talk to
my mom, she’s already sent one package. If you want a letter back, let me know!
I’d like to get back into the habit of hand-written letters. Anyway, here’s the
address [[should I put it in the side bar??]]:
Attn: Mary Walsh
Peace Corps
Cambodia
P.O. Box 2453
Phnom Penh 3,
Cambodia
I’m going to leave it at 7, since I’m a K7, but I would
like to close with the fact that I have never loved an object more than I love
my chamber pot in the middle of the night when I hear dogs howling outside, and
oral rehydration salts taste gross but work so well.
I’ll write more soon!
2 comments:
Ohhhh, I really do writing letters. Now I have someone to write to again. I won't do what I did last time with someone which was send a letter - them email them and proceed to give them the details of what was in the letter! :-)
Is the baths like traditional Japanese ones? You sit on a low stool, use a bucket to get wet, wash yourself then use water in a bucket to rinse? Obviously, you don't get to go into a bath to soak after, but I'm trying to make associations in my mind.
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