Muy Ch'nam, howee. Muy Ch'nam, tdee'ut.

1 year, already. 1 year, more.

Yay selling amazing little things she made out of probably banana leaves.


This year flew by but if you asked the past-Laura, Laura in January for example, she would say that time was CRAWLING by. It's odd how time in this country creeps along. It was really difficult to get this particular blog post started because I was, first of all, worried that I don't have a lot to show for after a whole year in Peace Corps. And second of all, where do I even begin? There is actually a lot to say but how does one sum up a year of being pulled up from the roots and dropped into an unknown land?

little girl strolling in Kampot town


BOOKS. I read a personal record number of books this past year....Approximately 25 books so far. That's an average of about 2 books per month. Way better than my reading average in USA of about 2 books every 4 months or so. Reading now takes precedent over movie and TV show watching for me. I consider this great progress toward improved brain nourishment. I'm trying to read all the books I should have read during middle school, high school, and college. I am not well-read and am severely lacking the the Classics department. So PLEASE! If you have any recommendations, please send them my way. Must feed brain.

LANGUAGE! Huh, I guess that could be considered somewhat significant. A little over a year ago, I had trouble saying "hello" in Khmer. Now, I can make my way through a day in a village; eat breakfast at the market, chat with folks at the coffee shop, and awkwardly try to explain student loans to the health center staff IN KHMER! Luckily, I continue to learn more each day. I have a long way to go but I am happy with my language skills at this point. There are more than 12 million people that speak Khmer in the world. Out of a population of over 7 billion people, I'd say it's something to be proud of to speak such an antiquated language. Soksabaii. Happy healthy.

Khmer Family. Living with a Khmer family was one of my biggest challenges and stressors this year. It was most difficult because I went from living somewhat on my own for practically 7 years, to living within a household in a completely different cultural context than my own. I lost control of when and what I ate on a daily basis. I no longer had free reign over my own room - decorating, nesting, etc. I was also moved around from room to room within the house and that was stressful and confusing to me.

My Lovely Host Parents: Sok Sovanara & Srey Kompeak


After all the stress and confusion settled at home, I was able to realize that I could not/would not trade my adoptive Khmer family for another one. My host mom and I have a special connection and she was the first one to ever mention this. I do things that I usually would not do for her, because I want to make her happy. It's the least I can do since she welcomed me into her home, feeds me more than enough food, and is always making sure I am happy. And she continues to remind me "Kom kut ch'raan" or "don't think too much." These words have now become a personal mantra that I think to myself when I am indeed "thinking too much."

Speaking of feeding me: My host mom just gave me some bananas...


This past year, I watched my little host brother Theva grow up right before my eyes. He was a shy, chubby, silly 13 year old boy when I first met him. He is slowly growing into a young man; growing taller and stretching the chubbiness out, his voice is lower, and he's more confident with each day. I watched my host sister Srey Neang's pregnant belly grow and felt helpless when she suffered with unending nausea and morning (or evening) sickness. She gave birth in May to a sweet little girl that they call Lita. I get to watch her and her husband raise the little one and I am impressed with their parenting skills. I'm happy to report that she is already a smart, happy, and healthy baby.

Travel. I never imagined I would be serving the Peace Corps in South East Asia but I must say, I am lucky. This side of the world is incredible. So much history and such a different cultural setting than I've ever experienced. I am also so close to places I only dreamed of visiting. India for one, I previously treated as a travel "hoop-dream". I didn't think I'd get a chance to travel to India until much later in my life but lo! and behold! I made my way through southern India earlier this year and plan on returning to explore the northern parts of India in the future.

Bike adventures are endless.


Something even more surprising to me, is all the wonders that Cambodia contains in such a small and somewhat modest country. Most of us are aware of Angkor Wat which I not only had the privilege to see but I also ran my first half marathon all around the fallen Empire. Not many people can say that. Beyond the deep-seated history that I'm fortunate to be surrounded by, I also have access to rivers, the Gulf of Thailand, the ocean (well, South China Sea...) and ISLANDS! I'm practically in paradise.

Cans on Cans on Cans - life on the island is tough.


Food. For the most part, I have not been disappointed by food in this country. EXCEPT FOR THE EXCESS OF RICE but that's a rant for another day. My host mom is an excellent cook and I am very seriously excited every night for our meals together. This is also when I finally get to spend quality time with my host family since everyone is busy throughout the day. The most unexpected foods that I LOVE and never thought I'd be eating are as follows (in order of most favorite):

1. Frogs. Especially when they are in this soup that includes lemon grass, chili peppers, basil, and other things unknown to me.
2. Baan Chaiov (especially with fried quivtio noodles(thick white noodles)) I've talked about this one before - it's like a Khmer crepe and so so good.) I can get this number for about 37 cents at my market. Mmmmmm Khmer breakfast......
3. Fish. Some fish, particularly when it comes from either the sea, the Mekong, or Tonle Sap. These fish are big, with beautiful white flesh, and fewer choking-hazard-bones. We eat this fish with SPICY tuk trai (fish sauce) and fresh veggies. My mouth is watering just thinking about this meal.
4. Sautéed pumpkin vine.
5. Sautéed Trakuon (morning glory but not the morning glory you're thinking of.)
6. And watermelon still surprises me. I never thought I would get over the texture of this fruit but now I can eat an entire watermelon in one sitting (they're a little smaller here...)

And then there are the foods that I've tried because I pretty much try anything within reason, but for whatever reason, just don't know how to eat. "Aut je nyam" is a wonderful phrase that Khmer people use when they are not particularly fond of a certain food. It means I don't know how to eat that. It's a great tool here except it doesn't always work on my host mom. Sometimes, regardless of whether I say "aut je nyam" or not, she might just pile something on my plate and say "nyam baan tic, nyam baan tic!" or "just eat a little." Well....if you insist.

I do not know how to eat:
1. ANTS! I hate ants. SO MUCH! They are likely to take over this country any time now. Unless Khmer people continue to eat them...but I will not eat them...so I will just encourage others to eat them for me. But Khmer people LOVE ants. And these ants are gigantic! About the size of a baby hippopotamus. They especially love them in a sour ant soup. This is the best way to eat ants because sometimes when I am humoring my host mom by eating a spoonful, the ant's claws will hook onto my lips and hang there. In complete disgust and fear, I TEAR the ant off of my lip and throw it on the ground, all the while maintaining a presence of complete calm and composure in front of my host family. Ahhh...they didn't even notice me freak out...

2. Other bugs; crickets (because they resemble cockroaches way too much) and cockroaches, I don't eat them. I do want to try a fried tarantula though. Soon.
3. Prahok. Some forms of this are tolerable but not beyond 2-4 bites.
4. Creatures with shells or protective homes surrounding their bodies. I will eat them but not always with delight. Snails - least like. Shellfish - not bad.
5. Raw-ish shrimp. I did this once because my host dad was doing it. It was not pleasant and I was slightly unhappy when I realized everyone else in my host family thought it was weird and gross.

And last but not least...

WORK. This was what I was loathing to summarize when I started this blog post. I had some failed attempts at work this year. I am most disappointed in my lack of follow through with teaching at the primary school. I was really looking forward to this before I actually got into the school and started "teaching." The first couple of weeks was fulfilling enough, especially compared to what I wasn't doing at the health center. My favorite part about teaching was leaving the school at the end of my lesson...because I had 6 million children trying to hold my hand as I walked to my house. But there were so many factors that led me to believe that teaching is NOT my forte. This was hard for me to accept. I was a teacher for all of my stuffed animals sitting in their makeshift desks made from drawers of my old creaky dresser when I was six years old. I never failed my stuffed animals; how could I fail my real-live-breathing-children that consider me a celebrity?

Like I said, teaching is not my forte as far as I know and without proper training on HOW to teach I won't really know. I am not interested in preparing lessons; I prefer to "wing-it." And very seriously: how does one ACTUALLY TEACH? It's simply beyond me at this point. I applaud those that know the secret. Besides that, the "classes" I was teaching were not organized in any way, shape, or form. Kids of all ages continued to pile into the library and most of them were not paying attention to me. The teachers in the back of the room wanted me to teach them English but for some reason they could not fathom having a separate lesson from the kids at a different time. In the end, I was fed up and stopped showing up. I'm not proud of this but on the other hand, I started to find a place in the health center and finally felt good about it.

Sit! Good baby.


It's not a lot to brag about but I really LOVE weighing babies. I now feel confident enough to approach mothers coming to the health center and I ask them what they are there for. Most of the mothers are there for vaccinations for their babes. So I bring the moms and babes to the vaccination room, weigh the babes, and mark their weight on the growth monitoring chart. I mention whether or not the child is at a healthy weight for their age and try to give advice if the baby is under weight. My main goal in doing this is to show the health center staff that I do this EVERY TIME A BABY COMES IN TO GET A VACCINATION. Not once in a while (yu yu m'dong.) Every damn dong! (Every damn time!) Consistency. I hope that the health center staff will take note of what I'm doing and eventually start doing it themselves and do it even better because they speak Khmer quite better than me. And hopefully they will be able to encourage mothers to pay more attention to what their babes are eating or not eating.
I heart you.


My time at the health center everyday is short. There is just not enough for me to do. Luckily I've supplemented my work load by taking on illustration jobs. I have been drawing some of the most dull, and strange, and repetitive drawings that will be used in training manuals for present and future Peace Corps Cambodia volunteers. I really like doing this. Sometimes I feel like my eyes are bleeding by the time I'm finished with a handful of organs or proper first aid drawings but it's worth it. It's going to be nice to see all of my drawings nicely placed within the pages of manuals that will make the lives of Health Education volunteers much easier. (Hopefully.)

This babies name is "Laura (Lo-rah in Khmer)"


I helped a neighboring health center get a new latrine built - the conclusion to this project can be found HERE.

My health center will be getting a make-over in September thanks to the US Navy. A couple Navy engineers and US Embassy employees visited the Tramkok health center earlier this month and made an assessment on what could be repaired based on a $200K grant for humanitarian assistance construction within Takeo province. My health center director was hoping for a lot of new things, including a new roof for our secondary building. When the engineers looked at the 35 year old building, they all cringed a little. If the roof was torn off to build a new one, it would not happen because the building itself is too dangerous. The building is falling apart. So I wrote up a proposal to get the old building demolished and replaced! If this proposal gets approved, the building should be completed in two years. I might not be here by the time the grand opening happens, but I am so happy to even have a chance of this happening for the Tramkok health center. We hope.

Howee. I think I am done summarizing my year. It was so hard to start this summary but it was almost harder to stop once I got started.

My neighbors dog (my best friend): he's deaf and a cartoon. I love him.


Peace.
Love.
Dove.

ស្រីកំដរ(ក្នុងពិធីរៀបការ) ស្រីកំដរ(ក្នុងពិធីរៀបការ) (No I cannot read that)

So, I have this host uncle. Don't know his name; we'll just call him "Boo" which is uncle in Khmer.

And Boo has this daughter whom I've never met. She got married this weekend, so I met her there. No big deal, I was one of her bridesmaids.

How did that happen exactly? Good question...I'll tell you how I finally figured out that I was indeed going to be a bridesmaid in my first ever Khmer wedding (attending and/or participating.)

Boo comes over to my house every once in a while to eat dinner with my family. Boo likes me, I think. He talks to me and I agree with enthusiasm to everything he says to me. Unfortunately he sounds like he's talking with marbles in his mouth so I never know what I'm agreeing to when I do so. Months ago I was able to pick up through our difficult conversation that his daughter would be getting married in January. "Cool" I thought, "I really want to show off my dance moves during the reception."

As we neared the date of the wedding, Boo would come over and mumble some things about me and babies and how they'd be pretty or something or other. The harder I tried to listen, the less I understood of his muffled speech. It was a fun game to guess what he was saying. He would hold my hand for a little too long, and holding my hand at all is unusual for any Khmer man to do. I told him my mom was coming in February and he said she should come in January instead to attend the wedding. I told him it's very difficult to change airline tickets and also very expensive. Since he thinks me and my American family are rich, he kind of scoffed at my response. Money shouldn't be an issue, what's important is that my mom attends the wedding.

About a week before the wedding, Boo came over for dinner once again; held my hand, talked about the wedding, and I only took in so much information. Then, my host mom said some things (in Khmer) like "put on make-up and dress..." and then I said "yes! yes!" And I smiled for everyone to let them know I would do whatever they wanted me to do. The way my host mom explained this to me, the dressing up and make-up and stuff, made me think...maybe perhaps I will be in this wedding?

Khmer weddings are typically about two days long and day one was set for January 19th. I didn't know when or how anything would pan out, I just waited patiently for my host mom to give me the signal. I waited around on Saturday morning, twiddled my thumbs, got tired of sitting around so I went to the market for my ice coffee fix. Finally I was told by my host pa that host mom was at the salon and that she was calling for me.

And this is where I got my first set of fake nails.

Awww yeah, I instagrammed that shiiiit. Gross.


It was at the beauty salon that I really REALLY started to think I was to be a bridesmaid for this shindig. The head midwife from the health center came to get her hair did and talked to my host mom about the wedding. Through my excellent listening skills (I can listen/understand Khmer much better than I can speak it) I heard the midwife ask "how is Laura going to be the bridesmaid when she doesn't even know the bride?" I was thinking the same thing. Then host mom explained that host Boo loves me and that he really wanted me to be in the ceremony (or something like that.) Then I thought to myself "Self, are you really gonna be a bridesmaid for the first time in your life in a Khmer wedding?" But I didn't want to jinx myself by thinking too excitedly that I was really going to be in the wedding. So I played it cool, yo.

Khmer weddings are all about tradition and loud music being amplified for all the neighboring provinces to hear. Day one was more intimate, with mostly gung-ho yays and immediate family members. And me, of course. The first ceremony I attended was to ask for the elders blessing in order for the bride and groom to marry. Apparently this ceremony is called "Inviting the Elders to Chew Betel Nut."

Ceremony #1 with the traditional Khmer band


The groom, bride, and parents


For some reason, there was also spraying of cologne. Boo went around spraying everyone's head. It was entertaining but not the most pleasant smelling cologne.

everyone clearly loves this part of the ceremony


even the kids think the music is a little loud


I was not involved in day one of the wedding, which made me question my very participation in the wedding. Luckily for me, the groom's sister was practically fluent in English and was able to clarify for me that I was indeed a bridesmaid. Even with this solidified information in my brain, I was still worried about how it would all work. "What clothing was I to wear? Do they provide the clothing for me? I hope they put make-up on my face to make me look like Jennifer Lopez." I was awkward and unsure in all of my thoughts especially because I was told I wouldn't be sleeping in my own bed but on the wood floor of a random house with many random people for the night. That night also happened to be the coldest night I have ever experienced in Cambodia and all I had to keep myself warm was a towel. I curled up in the fetal position in order to get optimum coverage with the towel from head to toe. As I was sweetly falling asleep, Boo woke me to tell me he was putting a blanket on me. "oh, gee...thanks Boo...but you didn't have to wake me up for that..."

Sleeping on the floor was not really any issue for me since sleeping on the floor was one of my favorite things to do as a wee little one. However, oftentimes when I sleep in foreign places I tend to wake up extremely early and don't know what to do with myself. I was always the first one awake during sleepover parties. So, of course I woke up at 3:30AM. The application of cosmetics and hairspray begins at 4AM (along with the amplified Khmer music) anyway so I was on the right track to bridesmaidship.

I was the first one to get my mask put on and then I sat around for 2 hours. Finally, my hair was quickly crimped and put up, with hair extensions and orchids to accent. Then the first costume was put on. All of the wedding party was dressed in shiny gold outfits. This outfit was by far my favorite. Unfortunately I do not have photos but hope to acquire ALL photos of myself from the official photographers of the wedding.

The Bride or "Goan Kr'mum" getting all done up. Kr'mum alone means virgin.


One of my fellow Bridesmaid's hair. I was super jealous cuz the other bridesmaids had long luscious locks and didn't require extensions.


We finally made our public entrance at 8:30AM (I've already been awake for 5 hours! what?!) We walked in a procession through all the guests seated in the shape of an aisle. Then the entertainers, a man and woman dressed in traditional Khmer garb as well, walked down the aisle and sang about the 36 fruits that must be given as gifts to the couple. There must be at least 36 fruits present during this ceremony or something bad happens...I don't really know this but I'm sure it would be chaotic if there were not 36 fruits present.

Then we returned to our hot and stuffy room for a costume change. Next we were all dressed in shiny pink outfits with the funny Khmer puffy MC Hammer pants.

In our "dressing room"


And next was the hair cutting ceremony. The whole wedding party walked around a table and then almost every guest symbolically cut the hair of the bride and groom. This represents a fresh start in their relationship. This is also to wish them happiness, prosperity, and longevity.

Following this ceremony, we finally ate lunch and I had a hefty headache. My host family left me to go hang out at the lake and I sat around for several hours. But fortunately, I found an American girl at the ceremony! She was also stuck at the party for the long haul because her host mom was the groom's sister. Kate (that is my new American friend's name) was fresh to Cambodia, only a week and a 1/2 into her 12 week study abroad program. I rambled on and on to this poor girl because it was such a relief to speak English. We both were experiencing what may be considered "Caffeine headaches" as we did not get our fix of coffee yet. Being the prized foreigners at the wedding, someone was sent out to get the coffee for us. Talk about service!

And then I had to leave her to get my second layer of make-up and hair done.

The other two Bridesmaids: we were rushed to get our hair/make-up fixed up only to sit for another hour.


Then we stood at the entrance of the party for about two hours with the groomsmen to greet the guests coming in for the real party. Every guest received party favors (fruit shaped keychains!) at the entrance. I was a spectacle, believe it or not. My favorite part was blowing the minds of a couple of my high school students and health center staff. They were shocked to see me at the wedding at all...let alone with traditional Khmer garb on. It was awesome.

After the last guests trickled in, we had one last costume change into our party dresses and one last ceremony. We walked around a table again, three times. Then the bride and groom lit candles. The wax of the candle represents anger and by burning it, it's an agreement of the newlyweds to not be angry with each other in their marriage. Then we finally got to eat dinner. I ate a little Khmer salad, some cashews, and drank half a beer until I was forced onto the dance floor. Now's my time to shine!

How many times can you dance around a circle until it gets beyond boring? Apparently, it never gets old for Khmer people since we danced around the same table for 3 hours straight. I busted out my latest moves and once again, blew the minds of everyone. Who knew the twist was such an impressive dance move?!

I was followed around by far too many overly eager and drunken older Khmer men. My host family did not seem to catch onto my body language/distressed face as I tried to escape the strange convulsive dancing of these men. But rather than letting these guys ruin my night, I just embraced my extreme exhaustion by dancing even stranger because everyone thought my moves were the cat's pajamas. Indeed, they were.

I, on the other hand, was entranced by the moves of an unsung dancing queen. He wore green camouflage pants, gold spray painted army boots, and a skin tight yellow t-shirt that read "SINGLE SINGLE SINGLE" in shiny gold lettering. He danced in his own world, his eyes shut, toes pointed, and leaning as far back as possible as if to win the imaginary game of Limbo. He pointed his fingers to the sky, sometimes his pointer fingers but sometimes his middle fingers. Luckily it doesn't mean the same thing in Cambodia as it does in America. It probably means nothing in Cambodia.

Dancing 50 more times around the table and I was finally able to go home. And I can say, without a doubt, that this was my favorite and most memorable fully Khmer experience so far.

Still looking fly after 20 straight hours of Khmer wedding madness.


Perhaps I will have a Khmer wedding of my own someday............................................................

Sister Laura, Teacher Laura

Gruusaa khnom neung mut peat khnom (my family and friends),

Here I am, sitting in my new home just a mere 15k from my previous home. Though the distance I've traveled in Cambodia was not far, the differences are expansive. Not so much in the pace of life or the daily doings-comings-and-goings, but in HOW EVERYTHING IS ABOUT 20 TIMES MORE AWESOME HERE THAN AT MY OLD TRAINING HOME!!!!

My new family fits my personality almost perfectly. They have a passion for life that isn't shrouded in tension or silent judgmental thoughts (ahem, previous home.) My host mom is a beautiful woman, inside and out. She is one of the most generous people I've met and already cares for me like her own child. Living with host families in Cambodia makes me realize how important certain relationships are to me. Since females and males here rarely form close bonds/friendships together unless they are married or siblings means that the female relationships I maintain are paramount to my happiness and sense of belonging. It's amazing how much happier I am now that I have a host mom that openly shows her love, care, and respect for me.

Happy host ma after we enjoyed eating some delicious curry


As far as my work goes, I still feel pretty useless at the Health Center given that my language is severely lacking and I haven't put a lot of action into getting a tutor and/or studied Khmer very much at all. I've gone through vocabulary lists with some of my Health Center staff but that's pretty much it.

I'm hoping with all hope that the Khmer language will just come to me a lot like swimming came to me last summer when I basically taught myself how to swim in preparation for the YWCA Women's Triathlon. I do want to give credit where credit belongs, though, to those that did give me great swimming advice - Melissa Tangye, Ellen Cleary....and others that I cannot think of right now. My bad.

One day while swimming in the murky and uncomfortably warm Lake Nokomis last year, I suddenly realized that I was no longer consciously thinking about swimming (ONE, TWO, THREE; NOW BREATHE! ONE, TWO, THREE; NOW BREATHE!) My instructions were no longer on repeat in my head and I was thinking about things other than swimming! I was thinking about a person that was annoying me then and how I could alleviate that situation. I was probably also thinking about what I should eat after swimming. Once I was conscious of this revelation I was elated and felt like the BEST SWIMMER IN THE WORLD! And I was happy.

And for gosh sake, let's try not to compare my super excellent swimming skills unseen by the public in practice to what actually occurred during the Triathlon that was witnessed by thousands (maybe only hundreds.) My swimming technique in the actual race could be likened to someone near drowning and especially new to the water.

Whoa! Throwback photo of the BEST SWIMMER IN THE WORLD!

And back to my main point: that's exactly how it will go with speaking the Khmer language. All of a sudden I'll be all like "hey, what? I'm speaking Khmer and I understand every single word you are mumbling to me right now." And that's how it'll go.
Until then, I will continue to smile and nod...

Here are things:

My host mom set up an English class for me. When we initially negotiated the English class, she said that she wanted me to teach her children English and I was totally cool with that. Of course I'll teach your kids English! They're my new family after all. And then the actual English class poured into our backyard and I was slightly overwhelmed and in over my head. I can hardly speak English, let alone teach it and there are seven eager/overachieving kids expecting to become fluent in this international language.

Sorry kids, you're going to be let down because all you're going to learn is Beyonce songs and Minnesotan slang. Or YOU'RE WELCOME!

Some of my English Students. They look happy.


Teacher Laura (having an Owen Wilson kind of day)


Cool thing:

I went to my first Khmer party this weekend. I still haven't figured out what the party was for though. I asked some of my new little friends (a hoard of 3-9 year old boys, BFFs) but was unable to get a clear answer. I went early with my host mom to help prepare for the party. I kept the rowdy children in order by running around in the rice paddies with them and making mustaches with giant leaves. And then I folded flowers! Pretty!

Purty folded flower thing that I made!


At first I ruled out the possibility that the party was a Birthday party since most Khmer people don't celebrate b-days or even know when their Birthday is. HOWEVER, there was a woman being blessed, touched by a bunch of people, and given many gifts so then I thought "Hmmm...well maybe it's her Birthday....?" And then I was told that she was 112 years old. One Hundred and Twelve Years Old. Muy Roy Dop Bpie Ch'nam. Holy geez, are you serious?

Oldest Woman in Cambodia? INCREDIBLE.


So in the end, I still didn't know what the hell was going on at this party. I was blessed by a monk and it was one of the most challenging things to sit through. When it comes to things like Buddhism and monks, the Cambodians don't mess around. I sat for over an hour in a Sampot (uncomfortable-long-thick-silk-skirt) with my feet falling asleep, switching from one hip to the next. Sweating up a storm and trying to keep my hands pressed together at my chest. The yays (grandmothers) around me sat nearly motionless and in full attention to the monotonous script of the monk. But he wasn't actually that monotonous. He made everyone laugh from time to time and of course, I joined everyone in the laughter to pretend I knew what the hell he was saying. Naturally.

Sompeahs. Khmer people have amazing endurance when it comes to this sort of thing. I, on the other hand, am unable to sit still for more than 5 minutes.


And it's way past my bedtime. I hope everyone in other parts of the world are doing just as well as I am.

Much love,


Sister Laura

Is this real life?

Dear my friends,

It's 6AM, Monday August 6th 2012 and my house is rockin'. My host mom, Him Sophany (Sophany is her first name, Phany for short) , is having a three day sale. She's a bulk rice vendor but this sale is extra special because it includes breakfast, lunch, coffee, soda, and et cetera. The State Exams are happening for the next three days and she is taking advantage of the traffic in our front yard. We're directly across from a high school and many students from the area are coming here to take the exams. My host mom seems pretty happy about it. She's getting lot of help from her family (people I've never seen before which means they are also probably not family either, just randoms) and she's smiling a lot more than usual. I'm slowly feeling more comfortable around her which is usually pretty good.

Sometimes I think that my host mom is starting to like me more but then again, I think she's just trying to preserve my white skin. It's very hard to tell.
Oftentimes when I leave the house in the morning, she'll smile, touch my arm, and rattle off a few things in Khmer to me. I initially take this as a very motherly sign of love and endearment. But then she proceeds to pull my sleeves down to cover my forearms.

"It's only 7AM and 90 degrees out, host mom! I would be nearly naked if it weren't socially/culturally inappropriate! Please let me keep my sleeves folded up to bare my sexy, sweaty elbows!"

...Is what I would say if it were socially/culturally appropriate to say to any person in Cambodia. Unfortunately, it is not appropriate. Neither are showing shoulders, knees, or Public Displays of Affection. But go to town (literally!) with Public Displays of Defecation.
Aut Ai Dtay! Mut Peat khnyom, Aut. Ai. Dtay.

HERE'S MY HOST MOM SPOONING SUGAR ONTO A PLATE WITH SOME KIND OF ROOT/TREE/VEGETABLE/FOOD/PLANT


Okay, but in all seriousness, I do think I'm making progress with my host family. My host sister, Sopda (Sokda?), continues to be a doll and very helpful. My host dad is very quiet, funny, and kind (a lot like my for-real-father!) Host mom is what she is. A powerful woman. As difficult as it is for me to understand what kind of mood she's in and what she's thinking most of the time, it is more inspiring to see a strong and successful woman in Cambodia than for me to get along with her perfectly. And for that, I am happy. As long as I can get her to laugh at least once every two days, then I am satisfied.

FOR EXAMPLE {And also, side note: it's no longer 8/6/2012. It is now 8/10/2012. It's hard to update blogs...}:
My language group (Team Tiger Growl) took a trip to the Market for our TDA (Trainee Directed Activity) today and happened upon some really sweet Khmer fashion. 3/4 of us decided to get matching Lacoste Sports pants and rock them at our Technical training that afternoon. I was so excited about my new Lacoste Sports pants that I put them on as soon as I got home for lunch. I then ate lunch on the cray (it's like a deck...but you sit on it and eat food on it and it's like a table but not a table.) Anyway, I finished eating and scooted off the cray but did so in an ungraceful manner and snagged my LACOSTE SPORTS PANTS on a snaggley wood panel!

"Skrrrrrrrrip!" said my Lacoste Sports pants and low and behold, I have a large hole on my butt. I say "oh no!" in Khmer, of course, and explain that I just bought the pants at the market today! My host mom and dad laugh and laugh at my misfortune.
Luckily we have this lady (servant?) at our house all the time (she was the one that helped me wash my clothes my first time attempting that whole thing...) whom raced to a tailor with my pants and got them sewed up right away and I was able to wear them to technical training with Team Tiger Growl in practically-seamless-perfection.

Long story short, (tl;dr) my host mom laughed at (with?) me today.

TEAM TIGER GROWL: Amber, Laura, Caitie (not picture: Peter)


Okay, people! Thanks for hanging in there and reading thus far.
Here's a short list of observations/notes/factoids:
1. Sometimes, when I hear chickens cluck it sounds like "Go DJ, Go DJ, GO!"
2. Roosters crow at all hours of the day. Not only at Dawn.
3. Dogs are less of an issue while running now. I carried a stick with me the other day. I did not hit any dogs, OBVIOUSLY, but I did wield the stick at a couple dogs that tried to chase me down. I think they are now afraid/bored of me. Either way, I am happy about this.

4. (This will be a longer note) To preface, I run the same 30 minute loop every time I run and a couple days ago I noticed something new. A small area/commune that was previously the most troubling to me due to angry dogs was actually very quiet this run. I noticed how much trash there was and some small children staring at me. And then I noticed the women at a particular house to my right . There were several women, maybe 7 or so. They were wearing shorts and tank-tops, had bleached hair, and looked very "untraditional" to Khmer women standards. I've seen similar women like this before on the way to Takeo near the railroad tracks. These women are prostitutes. Or so I assume. Either way, one of the women smiles at me, says "Hello" and "I pray for your heart."
This statement only made me feel guilt/sadness and made me wonder where/how she learned that particular phrase. One can only assume.

5. Takeo Province is experiencing a drought which is very disappointing and not good for many reasons. Most people here depend on the rain for growing their rice. Also, a lot of people use rain water as a source for bathing/cooking/drinking/etc. And for selfish reasons, I love the rain here because it's too damn hot and rain does not come often enough.
6. Do not play sports of any kind barefooted. You will regret it.
7. I'm midway through my PRE-SERVICE-TRAINING! Yay!!!!!
8. AND ONE LAST THING: Since this blog is called "Laurax Doodles in Khmer" I will try to post my doodles/drawings more often. I swear I am doing it...
here's proof:

Koala drawing for my friend Kateri



Okay. I'm going to end it here because this is the latest I've stayed up in several weeks (It's almost 10PM!!!) and I needs my sleep!
Love,


LoRAHHH!