Site Placement!

So I have a lot to update about! I know where I will be living the next 2 years!!! I will be in the provincial town of Svay Rieng, which is most south-eastern province in Cambodia, on the Vietnam border. I found all of this out about 2 weeks ago, during site announcement in Takeo. Initially, I didn’t know what to think about being placed in Svay Rieng. I didn’t know too much about it, but I was really happy to be placed in the provincial town.

The best way to explain a provincial town is like the capital of a state. Basically, it is the center of the province and has big markets, lots of people and a lot more resources than the more rural areas. I was also very excited to find out that my province had 5 volunteers in it! Jeremy, Kristen, Kellee and Dillon are also in Svay Rieng and I am a big fan of all of them, so I really lucked out in terms of people being placed around me. Also, we have a unique situation because volunteers placed in Prey Veng, the neighboring province, are allowed to travel to Svay Rieng provincial town (me!) during our 3-month lockdown since their provincial town is much harder to get to. So that means that 9 of us will get to see each other during lockdown (Susannah (USC alumna), Crissie, Nick and RT will be in Prey Veng), which is a huge number. Also, my friend from h.s., Michael, is in Prey Veng, along with another volunteer. That makes 11 of us, which is a great support network and awesome for getting together!

So after finding out our sites, we all went to Phnom Penh for 3 nights. We indulged ourselves with Western food (pizza, Mexican food, sandwiches, peanut butter (which I bought and brought back with me to my training site- delicious!), etc. We were in Phnom Penh for counter-part conference, meeting our co-teachers that we will be working with at our permanent sites. I am in a unique situation because I will be working at 2 schools- a high school and a provincial teacher training center (PTTC), whereas most volunteers are just working at 1 school. So I met my 2 co-teachers in Phnom Penh and immediately took a liking to both of them! They both are extremely nice and it seems like we will be able to work together well. Although it’s still early and you never know! But I was pleasantly surprised after all the horror stories I have heard about co-teachers.

During the day, we attended our conference with our co-teachers. But at night, we got a chance to hang out and unwind a bit. We all went out and got beers and I had a chance to hang out with my group of girls- Kealan, Keiko, Jessica, Meagan and Janise. I feel so lucky to have bonded with these girls- we call ourselves the ‘incredible 6’ and I know that we will all be a great support network for one another, despite being all over the country. One of the nights, most of the volunteers went to this amazing bar called Elsewhere, where we went swimming and had drinks, played chicken-fight, and just had a blast. Another night, us girls grabbed some wine, crackers, nutella, and American tabloids and just vented/shared stories with each other in our hotel. Those few days were just what I needed!

The next day was site visit, and boy was I surprised when the taxi pulled up to my house- about 2.5 hrs from Phnom Penh. Talk about the hook-up! After being in a house in training that was the epitome of rural, my permanent house was quite the surprise- a beautiful 2-story cement house with trees providing great shade and hammocks just waiting for me to sit in! My new family is pretty amazing- I have a host dad, mom, 3 sisters ranging from age 14-18 and a 9-yr old host brother who is adorable! My host dad speaks English and has been working for NGO’s for 20 yrs! He is incredibly nice, as well as everyone in my family. I bonded with them right off the bat, and was astounded at all the stuff in my house- t.v., semi-running water, a beautiful room that I can’t wait to move in to (I actually have a mattress!). Everything was just absolutely perfect. Not to mention my house is super close to everything I could ever need or want- the market, the PTTC, the guesthouse (for visitors!), the internet place, the tuk-a-luk stands! My co-teachers showed me around the town for the 3 days I was there, and I could not believe how lucky I felt to be placed at a site which I felt was perfect for me. I met the school directors, toured the schools and chatted with them about what was in store for me. I honestly couldn’t have asked for anything better!

After site visit, we all returned to Phnom Penh for another night and we all exchanged stories. Some volunteers had horror stories, some kind of felt neutral, and a few were enthusiastic like me. I then realized how lucky I was! The next day, we attended a tribunal for one of the members of the Khmai Rouge who is being tried by a Cambodian/UN court. It was really interesting seeing an international court and almost made me return to my past desire to pursue law...we’ll see about that. We said our good-byes and returned to our training villages.

So in less than 2 weeks, we will swear in as official Peace Corps volunteers! Yay! We will go to Phnom Penh for 2-3 nights (TBD) and then all head our separate ways. I am super excited to get to site and get started building my relationships within the community, but am also sad that I will no longer see other volunteers on a regular basis. I am definitely one of the volunteers that has it easy in terms of lockdown- I can see 8 other people during those 3 months! But some people are stuck in their province with only 1 or 2 other people! But still, it will be nice to see some of my closest friends in late December, after lockdown is over. But I definitely plan on taking advantage of those 3 months and meeting people in my province and practicing my Khmai as much as possible (I’m actually improving quite a bit and can have pretty basic convos with my family and community members). So yea, life is awesome and I am still enjoying every exhausting minute!

And thanks again to all of those people who have emailed and/or called! It’s nice to stay connected! And thanks Orly for your letters- I am so EXCITED every time I read them and think of you! I love and miss everyone- wish you were here! I will prob get pics up when I get to my permanent site as I will have more time and more internet access!

Hugs!