Happy July! Good luck friends!

Where did June go?! I seem to blinked and the month passed and here we are staring at the Education PCVs (ETTTs) first COS date TOMORROW. What does this mean?

the originals...

airport chaos

It means that 16 PCVs from my cohort (K6), who I have been with in effect since Staging in DC mid July 2012, are wrapping up loose ends with PC and getting on flights and buses to make their journeys home. It is very festive actually as the 4th of July is also upon us. This post is for those government-issued friends I have the pleasure of getting to know over the past 2 years! Thanks for the memories!

There have been a few events in the past month that highlight the support between fellow volunteers that I have been lucky to experience.

The final meeting of the K6 Women's Group (aka Booster Club). 

This group was established in December 2013, spearheaded by the lovely Sam, with the purpose of bringing female PCVs together to talk in a candid manner about issues we face in Cambodia, problems we have (current, past, and future), and celebrate successes, all in a confidential environment. While some people wrote this off as a "bitching circle," the group was very very far from that. I have never felt so at ease and supported in Cambodia than I did during our meetings. Some of the members I was already close friends with, others it was a pleasure to get to know them. In such a tight-knit, at times suffocatingly small group of people who make up the PCV cohort in Cambodia (around 100 at any one point), the gossip happens. It can be immature and harmful. Having a space and group that is 100 percent committed to confidentiality and that exists to work through issues collectively and with much need group support, has been crucial for my happiness these past months. And I could not thank enough those who gave me a boost through this wonderful group. Thank you!

meeting with personalized cupcakes!

The Phnom Penh International 1/2 Marathon

Was I ready to run this race? Had I trained at all prior to making it to the starting line side-by-side with Sam and Amy? NO. Was that stupid? Maybe. Probably. Despite the course being less than ideal (I mean stopping traffic was nice, but seriously why all the loops repeated!?), it was quite an event and I am so glad I got peer pressured into signing up. Plus these lovely ladies were waiting at the finish line with warm beer that Catie won with a 3rd place finish in the 10K! A great way to end my 2 years of races in Cambodia (see previous: here, and here, and here.)

Health Fairs 

Some members of the CHE program have pushed for mass messaging on healthy behaviors through traveling health fair project at primary and secondary schools across the country. I was fortunate to be invited to attend and help teach at one about 20km from my site with Emily a few weekends back. We met up with about 9 other PCVs (K6 and K7s) from the northern provinces at Joel's site after a very eventful bike ride from our site - popped tire, hitch-hiked back, exchanged bikes, continued, got a ride from a pick-up filled with fish that broke down, hopped on another and only was 30 minutes late! Emily was my lovely assistant and demonstrated how to properly brush teeth 5 separate times for the groups of 30 plus students, while I got them to sing, color, and chant about the major lessons of teeth brushing. About 150 students rotated between our lesson, and others on smoking and alcohol abuse awareness, hand washing, exercise, nutrition, and cross-cultural understanding. Success! Snaps for Joel for organizing.

student participation :)

IN OTHER NEWS: 

Kep Yoga Retreat with Nataraj Yoga Phnom Penh.

I took some time for myself and recharged with a lovely yoga retreat in Kep with the Nataraj Yoga studio based in Phnom Penh. The retreat was filled with (of course) yoga, meditation, a hike, pool time, a bike ride to visit a local craft shop, good food, a trip to the Crab Market, and interesting conversation with the 11 other ex-pat women (of different nationalities) in attendance. A very rejuvenating experience, one with plenty of time for reflection, leading into the final months of my PC service.

relaxing post-yoga

bike ride with the group

WHADA shop, weaving a "kroma" (khmer scarf). It tough!

Summer Solstice

I have been doing some summer cleaning and to celebrate the coming of summer Emily and I decided to use the TON of paper I have hoarded over the past 2 years (I had stuff from my staging and pre-service training!) to have a bonfire and make s'mores. The sky was cloudy so no stargazing was involved, but it sure felt like summer! (Despite that it actually has been a bit cooler here, as in low of 81 degrees F...)

My staging workbook is now ash/fertilizer for the garden.

World Cup

So the times for the games played live are at pretty inconvenient times for the usual volunteer whose host family goes to bed around 8:30PM. That being said, that has not kept me from keeping on top of this international event and watching as many games as I can. Last night, I stayed up for the 11PM kick off of the Argentina-Switzerland game. I was planning to sneak in a 2 hour nap between then and the start of the USA-Belgium game, but no the blue and red had to go into extra time. So a quick cat nap and then up again for the 3AM start of the USA game. Again another extra time that ended in an unsatisfying result but a whirlwind ending that pumped adrenaline through me as I watched under my mosquito net. So when it was all said and done it was 5:30AM and my host mom was up and out to the market with the sun and so I was too. Thank goodness for cheap Khmer coffee, a wonderful HC staff, and a siesta time that is respected (here called "chop somrack" or "dayk layng"). That is patriotism for you.

P.S. Flights and travel are all booked. Back stateside Sept.17th. Just fyi...