Joom-reap-sua from Cambodia!

This means hello in Khmai, which is one of about 5 phrases I've learned so far. I have been in Cambodia for about 3 days now, and everything has been crazy! We have been in training CONSTANTLY and today is the first day we've had a bit of free time. So I am at an internet cafe updating my blog in hopes that it will be my way to communicate with everyone I love and miss back at home. As I'm sitting here, the cutest little Cambodian kids are playing computer games right by me, giggling in Khmai at this foreigner (probably the first red-head they've ever seen!). They are so cute and friendly and they pretty much laugh hysterically when I try to speak the few phrases I know. But I am loving this whole experience. It's truly amazing that I've been here less than a week, because it feels like I've been here for weeks already (although I would hope that my language will improve drastically by the time I've actually been here a few weeks).

So wow, there is so much to write about and I don't even know where to begin! First off, the Peace Corps staff has been awesome, helping us as much as they possibly can (the staff consists of Americans and Cambodians, so it's awesome to get both perspectives). I feel so lucky to have an amazing group of trainees with me, because it really makes this whole transition a LOT easier. Every day still feels surreal, and I am trying to adjust to the fact that this is my life for the next 2 years; a life so different from anything I have ever lived and experienced in the United States. Although I've been crazy busy learning how to use a squatter without toilet paper (yes, we use our hands), how to wash my laundry by hand, how to properly eat with my host family, and a variety of other things, the pace of life is so much slower and simpler than in the States. It is liberating and refreshing to not constantly live by my phone, or sit on my computer and peruse facebook because I am too lazy to do anything else. It is something so different, and I can already begin to appreciate the simplicity and see the beauty in it all.

Yet there are things that are really difficult. Being unable to talk to family and friends is difficult, not because I miss them (it hasn't been long enough), but because I can't share all of my experiences with them like I want to. There is so much to say, but it is so difficult to effectively describe my thoughts and feelings. The best way to attempt to shed some light is to think of a world completely different from anything you've lived in, pretty much the opposite, and that is what I'm living in now. The food, the people, the language, the dress, technology, the traffic, the animals. My whole world has been turned upside down and it is pretty crazy to think about. Today, I even ate fried ants and they were surprisingly delicious- talk about venturing out of your comfort zone!

Tomorrow, we will find out our training sites (we will be split up into 2 groups in different villages) and then move in with our host families! I am absolutely terrified because I do NOT speak Khmai by any means, but I'm sure day by day, the awkwardness will subside. I am nervous to find out which training site I'm at- I think one is probably more rural than the other. So that is a little bit of info, but not exactly the direction I wanted to take with this post. Next time, I'll pre-write a blog so I can effectively capture everything I've been up to. The next 9 weeks of training are going to be long and difficult, and I don't think I will have any internet access. But no worries- I am doing great! I am learning a million new things every day, so it makes every day interesting and challenging. And I really appreciate all of the comments! I miss you all and wish you were all with me! Hope everyone is doing well!

Hugs and Kisses!

Jacq