Weekend Excursions

Most people if they know one thing about Cambodia they typically know about the Khmer Rouge (pronounced K’mai Rouge). I encourage anyone interested to explore the events that led to the 1975-79 genocide and the reconstruction of the education and health systems after nearly 3 million Khmer people were killed in the name of a completely agrarian society. I do not pretend to be an expert on Cambodia, Cambodian history or the Pol Pot regime in particular. That being said, let me tell you about my personal encounters with the aftermath of Khmer Rouge while living in Cambodia some 33 years later.

Since arriving in Cambodia I have been wary of bringing up the past, however I have found that the people with whom I have interacted with thus far have been willing to talk openly about the late ‘70s and often bring it up first. My host family is made up of 4 generations and each has a different perspective on “Pol Pot time.” They left Phnom Penh during the forced evacuation in 1975. Their home is only a 45-minute bike ride from the nearest marked killing field. Two weekends ago I took a trip to the killing field in Krang Tacham. The site was exhumed, restored and made into a memorial site with a small pagoda and spirit houses in 2010 - a project spearheaded by the youth in the surrounding community who asked their parents and grandparents to share stories from the time. A library, resource room, and painted murals help piece together a collective memory bank for this particular site. Very little is translated into English; a good reminder that this was (and still is) a Cambodian memorial. A way for the Khmer people, and particularly that community, to never forget and to continue forward together. 

One of my friend’s host brothers accompanied us on the trip to this regional killing field (he said that nearly 150,000 people perished there), and expressed how most people still don’t understand what the regime stood for and what it was doing. He brought up the uniqueness of Cambodia’s genocide - Khmer people of the same race, ethnicity, religion, education and socioeconomic levels indiscriminately being killed by their own. “It was a time when it was hard to live and easy to die.” 

The site almost seamlessly blurs into the rice paddies beyond in where cows roam nonchalantly, except for rope and fences that mark the exhumed pits. In the middle stands a giant white monument where offerings have been placed in front of the glass panels that encase the countless skulls and bones of all the people who met their end in this place. Walking around is indescribable - knowing that I will be forever incapable of understanding or imagining the horrors of this place’s history. And yet, the hope and ability to continue on with a smile is something I see every day spanning the generations. It is a constant reminder that “the sun still rises if the rooster doesn’t crow and it’s a chance to live another day.”

This past weekend - after passing my practice Language Proficiency Interview (LPI), yay! - all 57 PCTs took a trip to Kep, a small province in the southwest up against the Gulf of Thailand. We spent the day eating anything BUT rice and swimming in the Gulf. There is a great brunch buffet and pizza place near the water and an open-air market where I tried squid on a stick and watched crabs pulled right out of the water and served fresh. I had a little incident with monkeys stealing fried bananas out of my hands as we were exploring the shoreline - no harm except that I lost my tasty snack. 

I came home tried but content with my glowing tan (well maybe more “sun-kissed” skin) and spent the evening chatting with my host mom, older sister, and aunt who lives next door. It was a cooler evening and we sat on the front yard/cement patio listening to the wind. Looking up at the moon (lo-khae) my aunt asked if we had the moon in America. I responded that we did and that when I look up at the moon I think of my family and friends in the States and how only a few hours later they will be looking at the same moon. My host mom chimed in that my parents must miss me very much and that she would too when I left for a new host family in less than 2 weeks. I told her to look up the moon and think of me because I would be doing the same and thinking of her where-ever in Cambodia I will be very soon. 

Gone with the Monsoon

August 1^st was supposed to mark the beginning of the rainy season, however, it wasn’t until about 4 days ago that the rains really started. I am officially doing reverse triathlon most day now; running in the mornings, biking to language class or technical sessions, and then swimming in my sweat (and the rain storms) all afternoon. Whenever there is a lapse in conversation with my host family (or really anyone) I just say “Kampuchea k’dao nas!” - which means “Cambodia is very hot!” - and then we talk about how we need rain and so does the rice (*see previous post to understand the importance of rice here). When it doesn’t rain the signs are everywhere: empty cisterns, dry fields for those not fortunate enough to have the means to irrigate, dusty roads, etc.

In other news, training is winding down, which means that a lot is being packed in to the last couple of weeks. This week is our “practicum,” so we are working in small groups with high school students to do a health outreach activity in the community. My group will be spending a day doing a trash pick-up and sorting demo while talking with local store owners and market sellers to spread the word about how to reduce, reuse, and recycle and why it is important. We came up with the topic of trash through a community needs assessment. In addition to the health center visits, focused group discussions, and household surveys that we have been doing, this community activity with the high schoolers should be a good way of connecting what we have been talking about in technical sessions all along.

No expectations going into the last weeks of training, and especially none in terms of my site placement. So much is up in the air that the best thing I can do is adapt to what is given me. If it starts to downpour I wait out the storm working on my Rubiks Cube as my family looks on. Or if I have a “jok poo-awh” (stomach ache) I take an hour nap in a hammock. It’s all about working with what you have. 

I will post again soon about my trip to an old Khmer Rouge killing field and other observations. 

One month for the history books!

The self-crafted calendar posted on the wall above my desk tells me that a month has passed since this adventure began. So what have I been up to? I am beginning to get a grasp of it myself. I will try my best to sum up what I have been doing and the incredible people I am meeting and engaging with along the way.

Back in the States, I felt like the token Peace Corps girl amongst friends and family. Here - at least when I am with the other PCTs - that identity is stripped away and I have the chance to define myself in different and multiple ways.  And yet at the same time, by all going through and experiencing the ups and downs together, the Peace Corps identity remains intact while still allowing us each to find a niche in the work we will ultimately be doing. I really enjoy the group we have. Being a big group in a medium-sized town, we often (and by often, I mean always)stand out. We end up taking restaurants by storm and overwhelming the local smoothie, fruit stands, and the only place in town with AC, the gas station by the name of Tela. “Meet up at the Tela for ice cream?” is a common question amongst the group. One of the only places in town where you can kind of get swallowed up is the market. It is open-air and despite numerous trips, navigating the place can still be a challenge. I hope to post some pictures later of the array of fruits and veggies of which I could only identify a few when I first got here. Now sraw-gaa-niek (dragonfruit) and sao-mao  (have no idea the English name) are my go-to snacks. Oh and don’t forget the fresh chilled doungs (coconuts) that I have every day. I will buy one with a straw and quickly finish the juice and ask the seller if she will take a machete to it so that I can eat the fleshy interior with the spoon that I now carry around with me in my backpack specifically for this purpose. The word for eat here is nam, as in nom nom…

Speaking of eating, a common greeting is “have you eaten rice already?” Why you might ask. All day everyday I eat rice. And so does most everyone else. Even the animals. At my house, the dogs get the leftovers (they must love me, because I never eat it all...) and the 4 pigs we have get a rice-water-corn mixture of some sort. Definitely not your Middle Ground leftovers that is for sure. The cows hang out in the rice paddies and thus eat it too. And anything can really go on the rice too - omelets, curry, veggies, meat, fish, ants and wasps. You name it, rice can take it.

In regards to training, the majority of this phase of service is about integrating, adjusting and exploring. Food and marketplaces are a great way to do cultural learning. For example, the other day I was asked to sit down with a family of four at a restaurant and was able to practice my limited Khmer and tell them about myself and ask after their health and family. My host family is also extremely helpful and patient as I struggle to tell them that I will go for a short run or won’t be home for lunch. As part of a specific training exercise, I and a few others facilitated a discussion (through translators) about water and sanitation (WASH) practices in a rural village 20Km from where we are living. Even just knowing a little Khmer and asking questions and expressing genuine interest in the community, I was able to connect with the women we met with even if only on a basic level. The experience got me excited  for when we are placed in a community and get to interact like that every day talking about health issues. It’s all about the relationship building and it is my jam. So is hiking in Kirivong (about 2 hours south of Takeo, right on the Vietnam border) and seeing Vietnam and the ocean all at once. That was our group’s weekend trip and it was beautiful and breezy. Although I can handle the heat and laying doing in the middle of the day under my mosquito net and drench my sheets in sweat despite not moving an inch, I do miss a good breeze, rolling hills, and stunning vistas from elevation. Anyway, I will post pictures from that excursions and others when my internet connection is better.