Back in the Saddle

I was gone almost the entire month of November because of a strange string of illnesses that allowed me to become a frequent visitor of the medical office. Among the offenders were a kidney stone, fissure, and food poisoning. There might be someone out there with a voodoo or hair doll that does not like me. I also made an appearance in Thailand's wonderful hospitals, although the city of Bangkok itself only confused me with its modern infrastructure and tall buildings.

The last week of November I attended an in-service training in Battambong. It is a large city about seven hours from my site. The bus ride was no joke: one bathroom break in a rice field and over 20 people sitting in the isle. I cease to be surprised in Cambodia. This affinity Cambodia has for strange happenings is a double edged sword; it allows things to always be interesting but also is sometimes a huge pain. I am always in wondrous awe of how Khmer people are so good at keeping their cool and are ok with being very uncomfortable. I am trying to adapt some of this from them. This in-service training was the first time I have seen everyone since training and it was great to talk to all of them. The sessions were on teaching, safety, secondary projects (yay!), and language learning. I left the training feeling sick (food poisoning!), behind on the language, and energized by talking to other people and getting information on secondary projects. Most importantly, I came back realizing that I had not tried hard enough to become a part of my community. I had let a funk, (brought on by being sick and added to by language and teaching frustrations) take over my body. I left my site too much, not tried hard enough to talk to people (EVERY DAY), and stopped trying to think of new ideas to get around my problems. I just got the feeling that no one wanted to talk to me at my site, and I was a complete outsider. Things all changed on the taxi ride home.

The taxi I usually take back to my site left me because they did not understand what I was saying on the phone. The next van I took back waited about an hour at the market to fill up. That's when it happened. Sometimes people talk to me a little bit, but only pleasantries. The woman who entered my life via taxi changed my entire view of my town. She came in guns blazing: How old are you? What do you eat that makes you so fat? Being fat is bad for your health!...and so on. For an hour. I understood most of what she was saying! She understood some of what I was saying! It was magical. She asked for my phone number and told me to visit her later that day(and I did). I realized up to that point that I have been stupidly waiting for these grand gestures of welcome from people in my town that I was not getting, and it made me think they did not want me there. This could not be further from the truth. People are just as scared as I am of going up to a complete stranger, (a foreigner none the less) and really talking to them.

Thus upon returning home I told the neighbors I missed them and have sat outside and talked to them everyday, (they seem very happy for my enlightening). I have also been talking more to people in my neighborhood. Even though my Khmer might not be the best, people are actually understanding some of what I am saying. I can not even explain how happy it makes me when I understand what is going on in a conversation!

Today I also started a creative writing club. I tested my 12th grade English club students, (about 50 kids), to narrow it down to a class of ten. This small number will allow for more individual attention. The kids also respond more to questions. It really seems like this club will be a good addition to my schedule. The kids really seemed to respond with individual, thought provoking statements! I am hoping to start an 11th grade version soon as well.

The weather here is wonderful: cool (relatively) and breezy. My host father wears parkas and fur turtlenecks.

Will write later with thoughts I jotted down the past month and hopefully some pictures (although like all of my electronics, my camera is now broken).