Discover Top Posts Tagged with #sieam reap

One Month Gone, Two More To Go

A number of things have changed since I arrived.

I thought I’d lose weight here, instead I think I’ve gained weight as I’m always starving. I can sleep through all imaginable nightly disturbances (with the expectation of one of my roommates talking very loudly on her phone in Dutch and eating chips). My body now always wakes up at 6:40 in the morning, even if I’m allowed to sleep in. Likewise, my body always wants a nap at 11am or 3pm.

I am able to move between extremes of wealth and poverty without shock, and I can walk away when there is a child begging for money. I am oblivious to the sound of car horns. I can cross a deadly intersection (awkum! -thank you- to all the Khmer people that randomly helped me cross these scary streets the first weeks I was here). I can keep from gasping when the driver hits the brakes to prevent us from hitting a cow or one time, an elephant – really mad I didn’t have my camera with me for that moment!

I have learned to squat over a hole and not pee on my feet and to always bring tissues or toilet paper with me wherever I go. I have learned you can get bored of curry (surprisingly not rice though, in fact I actually crave it some days). I’ve learned to not question what is in the food we are served at lunch and dinner and to just eat it. I’ve also learned to not be afraid of ice cubes but fear the shredded ice.

I’ve come used to tuk tuk drivers yelling “tuk tuk?! I make good price for you!” even when I’ve just gotten out of a tuk tuk. I’ve also become familiar with having men say, “I love you!” as I walk by and to just smile and say it back instead of looking at them like they’re crazy. I love the kids that run up to me on the streets and say “hello! What’s your name?” and then run away before I can answer. I’ve come accustomed to marriage proposals being thrown at me left, right and center. I’m afraid that I get so many here that when, in my future, I finally get one that’s serious I’ll just reply with a smile and a laugh and say “sure! Only if you pay for the plane tickets to Canada though.”

I’m slowly beginning to learn the language. Two older girls at the school I volunteer at are tirelessly trying to teach me “what’s your name?”, “my name is Gillian”, “how old are you?”, and “I am 19” in Khmer. I’m hoping that by the end of my second month I’ll have these sayings down packed and can move on to some other ones! Being a volunteer in an apartment with people from all around the world, I’ve also begun to want to learn every language in the world. Who knew when I traveled to Cambodia I’d also be trying to learn Dutch, Danish, and Italian?

I’ve learned that though it is not acceptable to touch, hug, and kiss the opposite sex in public, it is widely popular to do so with the same sex. Therefore, I’m now use to men hugging and touching each other, and have learned this does not mean they are gay as it would back home. I’ve also come use to women and girls my age hugging me and holding my hand even if I hardly know them. I’ve adapted to the smell of the slum and being dirty as the kids here are too adorable not to let them hang all off of you.

I now permanently have a smile plastered on my face when I go outside, as the people here are so happy it’s contagious. I’m thrilled when I get one of those tuk tuk drivers that just wants to make you laugh and will joke around with you the whole drive.

I’ve learned to not be scared of the little bugs around here and I’m getting use to having flies around me all day. Thankfully I haven’t seen any big bugs yet… knock on wood. I’ve started to love the geckos that sneak into our room because they eat all the mosquitoes, even if they do make the most annoying sound. I’ve stopped shrieking whenever I see a mouse or rat on the street or in my classroom. Thankfully there’s been none in our apartment… knock on wood again!

I’ve adapted well to the heat so far, in fact I hardly complain about it. However, I thank my lucky stars everyday that I got a room with air conditioning. I’m sure if I didn’t have that I’d be searching for a flight to a cooler place immediately.

I’ve learned what the real price of things should be at the market when I watched a Khmer girl get the same item as me for MUCH cheaper. I now know how to bargain and if I’m not getting the price I want, walking away almost always works. I’m now scared that I’ll get home and go to the mall and try to bargain there because it’s actually quite fun.

I have learned that appearances mean very little here unless you expect to go hang out with other tourists. Here, I’m beautiful just because I have white skin and red, golden hair. It seems that nothing else matters to the locals here. I’ve also stopped shaving my legs constantly. Sounds gross, but here no one notices that kind of thing (again, unless you plan on hanging out with other tourists). However, on those occasions where I do shave my legs, I end up marveling at how smooth they are for a good 30 minutes (like I am right now).

I’ve realized I’m a shit teacher. I’ve come up with some decent lessons I think but it’s hard to get the kids to understand them because I don’t speak Khmer. But what I think makes me a shit teacher is; basically I’m not one to raise my voice at children. I never realized how hard it is to control 35-40 kids at once. Thankfully my morning class is only around 37 kids and there are three of us but my afternoon class is close to over 40 and I’m all by myself. They’re just so loud and I’m so quiet that it’s hard to get them to pay attention to me once one of them goes crazy. So fellow teachers out there, if you have any advice for this sad little volunteer of a teacher, please help!

I miss my dog though, and I’m not use to not really being able to hug and play with the dogs here. Even though just looking at these dogs I wouldn’t want to hug them as they’re dirty, have fleas, and if they lick or bite you I don’t even want to know what kind of disease I would get.

All in all though, I’m having a great time and can’t wait to see what these next two months will hold.

#one month #cambodia #sieam reap #phnom penh