Monday, March 3, 2014

Traditions and Change

A few quick updates before I dive in: 

- THE ENRICHING THE FUTURE PROJECT IS FULLY FUNDED! - Thanks to all who donated! The project was actually OVERfunded and I had to resubmit an updated budget with the generous new amount to include a beefed up (pun intended) marketing campaign. Because of that, the money did not hit until today so now I am diving in and will have more updates as to the progress soon.

- COLD SEASON IS OVER. - Luckily it is still dry and I can have my 53 articles of clothing line-dry in one day without molding (I get lazy with the laundry and it piles up...). But that also means that it is back into the 90s. Sweat, sweat, sweat, sweat, sweat.
a quick trip to Tatai, Koh Kong to beat the heat
waterfalls, hiking, kayaking, swimming?! = heaven.
- THE WORLD MAP IS PAINTED. - I don't know if I mentioned it, but site-mate Emily and I have been working since mid-December with students to create a world map mural at the high school. Now we are just doing touch-ups and will start labeling (in Khmer) soon!
last week

TRADITIONS

A few weeks back, my host grandmother (yeay) told me to clear my schedule Sunday because we would be going to the wat. I didn't think much of it since the wat is literally across the road, 50 paces slightly south-west of my house. I was told that 8am sharp we would be leaving. I interpreted that as "wear your Sunday best we will be going at 9" as Khmer time allows for some ang-kwe-laynging (hanging out). As all good stories of my PC service tend to go, I was wrong. Sunday arrived and I got out of bed, had breakfast, got dressed, and was brushing my teeth when yeay rounded the corner of the house and started hurumphing (a weird mix of a guttural bark and a scooby-doo question sound) and yelling in Khmer that I needed to change into a long-sleeve (not more layers!), wear a hat, pack a snack, and hurry my butt up! It turns out that the cattle-cart packed with wat grannies was sitting out front. I did as I was told and climbed aboard with 24 yeays, 3 daas (grandpas), 1 small boy, and 2 middle-aged women. Twenty-six of us sat crammed on the planks in the bed of the truck, while the others stood in the front leaning against the cab and chanting prayers. Needless to say there were no seat-belts.

That day I will forever refer to as "wat hunting day." We hit 4 different wats across the district, bumping along on the dustiest and worst roads possible. At each wat (Yeang, Koal, Tippadie, and Prasat) we listened to monks chant and give "sermons;" watched kids playing and wreaking havoc with sparklers and low-grade fireworks; gave money on offering plates; ate communal meals; and shopped around among the food and trinket peddlers. While the activities were pretty much the same, each wat had its own distinct flavor or feel. There was the wat that had electrical outlets and 3D wall paintings/sculptures, another with the gathering hall in a circular pavilion in center entrance, one that was falling apart and getting built back up again, and the final one that was more of a carnival than a religious ceremony (but who says they can't mix!). As we made the long haul back home around 5pm, I felt a true sense of contentment and bliss wash over me. Here I was crammed into a cattle cart after a long day, smelling the sweet, musky tobacco chew that all the yeays spit, and feeling as though I was part of something unique and magical. It's not everyday that you have the opportunity to go (and take advantage of) "wat hunting."



CHANGE

In June of last year, Peace Corps Headquarters (Washington) announced that they would be inviting same-sex couples to serve. The Same-Sex Couples Initiative (SSxCI), as it is known, has been a long time in the making and was rolled out with the "pilot couple" in Ecuador right around the same time as the announcement. PC Cambodia was identified as one of a handful countries that would follow suit. So two weeks ago, I headed down to Phnom Penh as a member of the Gender Equality (GenEq) committee to participate in our post's SSxCI Workshop (although it is unlikely PC Cambodia will get a couple this fiscal year). It was a 4-day intensive strategic planning workshop/training that brought up a lot of questions. We were lucky enough to hear from Khmer panelists who are identify as and/or are active in the LGBTQ community in Cambodia, to hear their views on the acceptance of LGBTQ people and how receptive communities would be if a foreign same-sex couple was placed in a village/town. Two main things that I got out of the week were: 1) this initiative is just another aspect of diversity and a great way to further cross-cultural understanding, and 2) the way that Transgender is defined is not universal. Let me explain. The SSxCI is really exciting! It means a lot to me as an ally and I believe that being able to serve in Peace Corps with your significant other would be a powerful experience. (Maybe I will bully my future husband into another tour with me... jokes.) As for the definition of Transgender, I learned as an undergraduate Gender Studies major the importance of self-identification and the feeling of being born into the wrong body. I can say for a fact that my studies were limited and America-centric. In conversations that week it became clear that pronouns when speaking about lesbians and gay men were tied to the gender identity that the person presented. For example, while in the U.S. a lesbian may be butch or dress more traditionally masculine, she is still called a she. In Cambodia, that same person would be called a he and would be labeled transgender, even if she (my use) did not believe herself (my use again) a man. So while gender identity and transgender identity in America can be separate from sexual orientation or sexuality, in Cambodia this is not so much the case. MY MIND WAS BLOWN. While everyday I am confronted by difference in cultures, it is this one in particular that still has me reeling. And I can not profess to be an expert. I have just scratched the surface. And like that Intro to Women's & Gender Studies my second semester first-year, I am hooked and want to learn more.

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