Hi again! It has been a while since I properly updated you on what's going on at site and with my life in Cambodia, so I thought I would write to let you know the news here.
Alright, well one of my more recent adventures was getting wedding photos taken with my very good friend Diana and Garrett. This is a sort of ritual amongst some volunteers before going back to the States- getting dressed up in glitzy Khmer wedding outfits and standing solemnly in strange and awkward poses in front of a green screen while wondering detachedly if you'll collapse under the combined weight of the caked-on makeup currently melting off of your face and the jewelry draped around your neck like a noose. Really though, it's a blast!
We were given almost no direction which really just made the outcome that much more authentic.
Ok, next up on the update: Camp G.L.O.W.! My provincial mates and I had been in the process of organizing this event for quite some time (extra props to Diana and Sam for handling the brunt of that responsibility), and it finally happened. We brought 50 girls together from five villages to spend two days and one night together in Prey Veng town, learning about leadership, women's health, the factors of a healthy relationship, as well as discussing opportunities and resources specific to Khmer girls and women. G.L.O.W. stands for "Girls Leading Our World" and our hope with this two day camp was to provide the girls the time and space for them to be able to express themselves freely, instead of deferring to the boys/men of society to provide the answers, as is typical in Cambodia.
Here are some pictures from the event.
Names of each of our villages (Peareang is me! [actually spelled "Pearaing" but they were close]) as well as the names of the different volunteer organizations which gave presentations at the camp.
Note the backwards "y" in Prey Veng. Classic.
He must have been pretty riveting as Diana's students used this time to create a wand made of markers which they would periodically wave malevolently in his direction.
The girls made collages with pictures representing something about themselves they liked, and then forming some kind of physical feature (most people did faces, one girl did a hand).
KOICA volunteer (basically the Korean Peace Corps) leading a session. We were chopped liver after this K-Pop star entered the scene.
Sometimes, I like to doodle. Author's note: Diana gets credit for the outline of the creature. And possibly the teeth, but that's up for debate.
That night we volunteers took a load off at the local TELA (air conditioned gas station), had some beers and ate these gross dried fish snacks, which- lucky for us- held the sole virtue of reducing the risk of lard.
The next day we did a session on abuse within relationships, discussing what constitutes a healthy relationship and what doesn't. We had the girls write down on post-its what they thought "love is" and what they thought "love is not." Some of the answers were really good: love is respect. Love is not control. Some of them were confusing: Love is candy. Or the even more mysterious: Love is not candy.
We did a recycled fashion show.
And then we took group pictures in our new hot pink t-shirts.
There you have it! That was Camp G.L.O.W. I think my girls had a great time and I'm really glad I participated in this. :)
Next up: Library opening!!!!! You never thought you'd see the day, did you? Well, neither did I. After a full year since the initiation of this project, my library has finally opened to students. That's right: they can now actually use the library, but not before repeated protests from my librarian that it still "wasn't ready" and we had more preparation to do. Give or take a few, my words in response to this were: "excuse me but I'm leaving in a month and would really like to see the students benefit from this resource I've so painstakingly dedicated my life to for the past twelve months" and he conceded. So, two weeks ago, after some intense cleaning followed by a frenzied fight with a rainstorm that massively flooded the library immediately after said cleaning (think Mickey in Fantasia: brooms desperately sweeping the water out the door, frantically running around looking for spare buckets and bowls to shove under leaky spots, etc.), we finally OPENED.
Before the monsters arrived.
I actually had to turn students away at one point, telling them to come back in an hour because the library was getting too full. It was thrilling.
The library is now open a few days a week, from 9 to 11 in the morning. My hope is that if I get this routine established before I leave, perhaps the trend will continue after. Luckily, there will be another volunteer replacing me after I leave, so hopefully they will take my fledgling project into their hands and help it to grow and flourish.
Finally, a few pictures from a recent weekend in Kep (beach town in the south) spent with Garrett- a relaxing few days we took to pat ourselves on the back for accomplishing some recent goals (Garrett getting an "A" in his Stats class, me not killing myself after the stress of this project- the important things in life).
Enjoy!
Pretty Sunset. Photo props to Garrett. #photomajor
This is why Peace Corps volunteers should never be let loose at a breakfast buffet. Note: all of those plates are Garrett's.
Garrepp and I had a great time.
That's all. :) Hope you enjoyed!
Alright, well one of my more recent adventures was getting wedding photos taken with my very good friend Diana and Garrett. This is a sort of ritual amongst some volunteers before going back to the States- getting dressed up in glitzy Khmer wedding outfits and standing solemnly in strange and awkward poses in front of a green screen while wondering detachedly if you'll collapse under the combined weight of the caked-on makeup currently melting off of your face and the jewelry draped around your neck like a noose. Really though, it's a blast!
Getting ready
Samples of the final product
We were given almost no direction which really just made the outcome that much more authentic.
Ok, next up on the update: Camp G.L.O.W.! My provincial mates and I had been in the process of organizing this event for quite some time (extra props to Diana and Sam for handling the brunt of that responsibility), and it finally happened. We brought 50 girls together from five villages to spend two days and one night together in Prey Veng town, learning about leadership, women's health, the factors of a healthy relationship, as well as discussing opportunities and resources specific to Khmer girls and women. G.L.O.W. stands for "Girls Leading Our World" and our hope with this two day camp was to provide the girls the time and space for them to be able to express themselves freely, instead of deferring to the boys/men of society to provide the answers, as is typical in Cambodia.
Here are some pictures from the event.
Names of each of our villages (Peareang is me! [actually spelled "Pearaing" but they were close]) as well as the names of the different volunteer organizations which gave presentations at the camp.
Note the backwards "y" in Prey Veng. Classic.
First speaker at the camp
He must have been pretty riveting as Diana's students used this time to create a wand made of markers which they would periodically wave malevolently in his direction.
The girls made collages with pictures representing something about themselves they liked, and then forming some kind of physical feature (most people did faces, one girl did a hand).
Streeeeeeetching
Sometimes, I like to doodle. Author's note: Diana gets credit for the outline of the creature. And possibly the teeth, but that's up for debate.
That night we volunteers took a load off at the local TELA (air conditioned gas station), had some beers and ate these gross dried fish snacks, which- lucky for us- held the sole virtue of reducing the risk of lard.
The gang, minus Kirk who took the picture.
The next day we did a session on abuse within relationships, discussing what constitutes a healthy relationship and what doesn't. We had the girls write down on post-its what they thought "love is" and what they thought "love is not." Some of the answers were really good: love is respect. Love is not control. Some of them were confusing: Love is candy. Or the even more mysterious: Love is not candy.
Then Kirk and Mark led a session on exercise, which was funny.
We did a recycled fashion show.
And then we took group pictures in our new hot pink t-shirts.
There you have it! That was Camp G.L.O.W. I think my girls had a great time and I'm really glad I participated in this. :)
Next up: Library opening!!!!! You never thought you'd see the day, did you? Well, neither did I. After a full year since the initiation of this project, my library has finally opened to students. That's right: they can now actually use the library, but not before repeated protests from my librarian that it still "wasn't ready" and we had more preparation to do. Give or take a few, my words in response to this were: "excuse me but I'm leaving in a month and would really like to see the students benefit from this resource I've so painstakingly dedicated my life to for the past twelve months" and he conceded. So, two weeks ago, after some intense cleaning followed by a frenzied fight with a rainstorm that massively flooded the library immediately after said cleaning (think Mickey in Fantasia: brooms desperately sweeping the water out the door, frantically running around looking for spare buckets and bowls to shove under leaky spots, etc.), we finally OPENED.
Before the monsters arrived.
And after.
I actually had to turn students away at one point, telling them to come back in an hour because the library was getting too full. It was thrilling.
The library is now open a few days a week, from 9 to 11 in the morning. My hope is that if I get this routine established before I leave, perhaps the trend will continue after. Luckily, there will be another volunteer replacing me after I leave, so hopefully they will take my fledgling project into their hands and help it to grow and flourish.
Finally, a few pictures from a recent weekend in Kep (beach town in the south) spent with Garrett- a relaxing few days we took to pat ourselves on the back for accomplishing some recent goals (Garrett getting an "A" in his Stats class, me not killing myself after the stress of this project- the important things in life).
Enjoy!
We think our hotel room used to be a sauna. Here is the massive and slightly creepy bathroom.
Pretty Sunset. Photo props to Garrett. #photomajor
Pretty Sunset Pt. II
This is why Peace Corps volunteers should never be let loose at a breakfast buffet. Note: all of those plates are Garrett's.
Yeah, I ate that.
Rainbooooowwwww
Garrepp and I had a great time.
Feet feat. new scar
