What I've Been Up To

12-19-08

I haven't written anything for a while. Quite frankly I haven't really felt like it. That sort of thing happens to me, I've found. I'll faithfully record my observations for a month or so, then lose the urge to put things into words. Then, when some time has passed, I'll force myself to write down what's been happening and suddenly I will want to write more.

Quite frankly, I haven't been up to much. Except for a few activities, I have spent my time in Romduel or down in Svay Rieng. Peace Corps policy is that we don't leave our sites for the first three months of service, barring medical leave or official Peace Corps activity or travel. Yet I have managed to get into Phnom Penh three times during this “lockdown,” so in practice very few people go the full three months without anything coming up.

Back in November I went into Phnom Penh to take the Foreign Service Exam, which was cool because it was given at the Embassy. Technically, on that day, I went back to the United States. And then I went into Phnom Penh to get my hand looked at. In case anyone was wondering, as it turns out it is not a fungus after all, but an allergic reaction to something. It doesn't itch or hurt or anything, it just looks really gross. It's all yellow and bubbly and looks like I've got gangrene or something. The Medical Officer gave me a steroid cream that was pretty effective at making it go away. However, over that last few days it has come back. Quite annoying. I hope I don't have to deal with this thing for the next two years.

The other time I got to leave site was for our “In-Service Language Training,” which was basically a one-day reenactment of our pre-service training. The one I was in was held at in Takeo province, to the south-west of Phnom Penh. The training thing itself was frustrating, but the pizza I ate on my way back through Phnom Penh more than made up for it.

Other than that, I've just been going to school six days a week and teaching for a few hours. The rest of my day is taken up with reading or exercising. However, my house finally got electricity earlier this week. I can now keep my laptop and my Nintendo DS charged, so things are looking up, entertainment-wise. Cheap, 24-hour electricity, straight from Svay Rieng, which gets it straight from Vietnam.

The only other reportable activity was the “Girl's Day” put on by the K1's here in Svay Rieng. This event was already in the works when us K2's got out here, but the K1's were nice enough to let us join in. Basically, each of us brought in three female students to Svay Rieng on this day, and the students were able to meet with female Khmer professionals from around the town. For example, there were women attending Svay Rieng University to talk about admissions, a nurse from the hospital, a woman from the bank, and our very own Peace Corps safety and security officer, to name just a few. I thought it was a really big success; I should also stress that I had no part in helping to plan or organize it. I just brought some students from my school and helped with little things.

Lockdown ends the first week of January. Personally, I'm planning on waiting a few weeks until I go into Phnom Penh, but go I will. The lure of western food and the chance to get away from everything for a few days is a powerful lure. I just with Phnom Penh wasn't so expensive. But I guess that's the life of a volunteer abroad.