So after 6 months of preparation that involved everything from proposal writing to color-coded name tags, Svay Rieng’s very first Camp G.L.O.W. took place March 25th-27th. I will share some more details about what the camp consisted of, but first, true to my tangential nature, I must answer the following question: How did this all begin?
It all began back in September when Jeremy, Kellee, Kristin and I were sitting at Java, our favorite cafe in Phnom Penh. While discussing the normal Peace Corps banter (what food we wanted to eat, our irregular bowel movements, our host families and school frustrations), someone tossed out the idea of doing a Camp G.L.O.W. in our province. What is Camp G.L.O.W.? It stands for Girls Leading Our World, and as you might guess by the title, it is a camp designed to promote leadership amongst girls. Various Peace Corps volunteers around the world conduct Camp G.L.O.W.’s in their respective communities and while united in their effort to encourage young women to become leaders, you can imagine the amount of variation Camp G.L.O.W.’s around the world boast. Volunteers have a lot of latitude in designing the structure and content of their camp, as community needs vary from community to community.
So there we were at Java, discussing what would be good topics to cover in our own camp. We came up with the following: leadership, public speaking, nutrition, self-esteem, body awareness, HIV/AIDS prevention and promoting the idea of community development. We sat there for a few hours and hammered out a rough schedule. We started talking logistics: how many girls? Who would lead the sessions? How would we pay for this? We had many questions, which took many months to figure out. But it all started with an idea at a little coffee shop in Phnom Penh...
Throughout the following months, we dived into the not-so-fun parts of project planning- the dreaded proposal. Kristin really spearheaded the proposal preparation, but we split up different sections of the proposal, which we each were responsible for writing. We applied for a SPA proposal (Small Project Assistance), which is funded by USAID (US Aid for International Development, a major player on the international development scene) and requires that one-third of the total cost come from community contributions. We were able to get space at the Provincial Health Department donated, and a few other areas which enabled us to reach the 33% threshold. Because our relationship with the Provincial Office of Education (P.O.E) is a bit shaky for reasons I am hesitant to go into here, we went through the Provincial Health Department (P.H.D.) to get support, as I teach classes there and have a close relationship with the vice director. We decided to each select 5 girls from our schools (another volunteer, Dillon, selected 5 girls as well), for a total of 25 girls. We each selected a female Kmai counterpart to help be chaperons and lead certain sessions. Everything would be done in Kmai and we would need one main Kmai female who could be the liaison between us and the female counterparts (our Kmai is good, but it’s not at the point where we can discuss extremely advanced topics like those being covered in the camp; well, clearly at least). We were looking for a Kmai woman with strong leadership skills, an enthusiastic personality, and effective English skills to minimize communication inaccuracies. We lucked out when Vanny, a former language cultural facilitator (LCF) who has worked with Peace Corps training for three years, agreed to take on the role. Once she signed on to help, a lot of pressure was lifted and we had an inkling that things were going to be great.
The camp began on Friday when girls started streaming in to the guesthouse in Svay Rieng town. As I live in the provincial town, I made all the reservations for everything; the guesthouse, restaurants for lunch and dinner, and arranging a screening of a movie at Svay Rieng’s very own movie theater! From the beginning, things were running very smoothly, which was very good indicator of how things would run for the rest of the camp. We put five girls in one room- one from each district. For most of these girls, it was their first time sleeping away from home and they were SUPER excited and terrified, all at the same time. After check in, we had our first lunch together and then headed to the health department to begin sessions. We began with a few icebreakers, as it was apparent that the girls were nervous and we wanted to get them to feel comfortable with us and with their fellow camp attendees. We tried an ambitious version of the human knot game, splitting into two groups of 12-15. Although neither group was able to “unknot” themselves, everyone had a blast and it was a great way to kick things off. We followed with another icebreaker and then dug right into the sessions.
The next few days were jam packed. Each of us worked with our Kmai counterparts ahead of time to go over what each would present. My counterpart, Ratha, conducted sessions on leadership and self-esteem. Jeremy’s counterpart, Saray, presented on public speaking. Kellee’s counterpart, Soksara, presented on nutrition, body awareness and HIV/AIDS. Kristin and Vanny teamed up to explain designing community projects. The girls were learning A LOT of information, but it was clear that they were really eager to learn about everything. Some of us were talking about how if we had conducted this camp in the states with American 10th-11th grade girls, it wouldn’t be nearly as successful, as we’d get tons of attitude and plenty of eye-rolling. But here in Cambodia, this was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience for these girls. They rarely have an opportunity to even get out of their districts, let alone engage in a leadership camp full of information and activities. We were all so proud of how hard they all worked, and how engaged they all were, especially as each session progressed. Some of my favorite moments:
*The body-awareness session: This involved Kellee wearing an apron displaying the female anatomy, courtesy of her health center. Soksara discussed the female anatomy and handed out copies of diagrams in Kmai and fielded what seemed to be never-ending questions about “girl stuff:” periods, pregnancy, cramps, hygiene, etc. There are so many false ideas surrounding menstruation in Cambodia, and these girls were intensely curious to learn more about these urban legends, such as: Are you really not supposed to bathe during your period? Can you eat spicy food? And many other things that my kindergarten Kmai couldn’t catch quickly enough. After dispelling the rumors, the real awkwardness began: Soksara brought out wooden penises, in order to show women how to properly put on a condom. Pre-marital sex is NOT common here; in fact, if a woman engages in pre-marital sex, she is often abandoned by her family, as she has shamed the family name. However, once these girls get married, the chance that their husbands will visit brothels during their marriage is VERY high. Women here are still struggling to gain an equal footing. After all, how progressive can a society be when they have the following saying: “Women are like cloth, men are like gold.” If you didn’t catch the meaning of that, basically once women are dirty (like cloth), they are ruined forever. But men (like gold) can be dirty and then simply wipe themselves clean. So condom education is essential for these girls, because they or someone they know will eventually be at risk for contracting an STI, most likely from their own husbands. There is no such thing as sex education here, and these girls are way too embarrassed to ask these questions on their own. But by providing girls with a safe and encouraging environment where they could ask as many questions as they wanted without fear of repercussions, their self-consciousness quickly faded, replaced by an insatiable inquisitiveness that surely accompanies teenagers worldwide. I really believe that this is an important area of education that girls need in order to prevent future sexual health risks.
*Traditional Kmai games in the park at night: After our first dinner, we took the girls to the park to hang out and get to know each other more. We ended up playing traditional Kmai games, which (true to Kmai culture) involved singing, dancing, screaming and holding hands. Probably the most fun I’ve had playing games in a park (definitely the most fun in my “adult” years).
*Svay Rieng meets Hollywood: These girls have never been to a movie theater and we were able to rent it out just for them to screen a movie called “Palace of Dreams,” a soap-opera style movie that discusses HIV/AIDS prevention in Kmai with English subtitles. Little did we know almost every girl had seen the movie several times before, but they certainly acted like it was the first time they had seen it! And they certainly loved the movie theater ‘ambiance.’
*The last day when we all showed up wearing our Camp G.L.O.W. t-shirts. We were like a solid troop marching through town, proudly showing off our shirts and reveling in our exhilaration. Pictures were also a blast as was saying goodbyes, knowing these girls would be imparting their new-found knowledge with their friends and family.
*Community projects: The last session involved girls from each district getting together and planning a community project. My girls (as I think all the other districts did as well) chose to teach a leadership session at our high school to 30 girls on May 5th. They were super excited to take on this project and use their leadership skills to train other students! It was really inspiring to see their excitement in planning these projects for their respective communities.
Whew, that was a lot to write and barely captures the sheer awesomeness of everything. We all had a great time and we were super happy everything went so seamlessly. The most amazing part of everything was seeing an idea that began at a coffee shop gradually become a reality. And not only a reality, but a reality better than anyone could have predicted! Oh the lessons I keep learning in the Peace Corps...absolutely wouldn’t trade this experience for anything!
After all my hard work in March, I am sitting at the airport in Kuala Lumpur waiting for my flight to Sumatra! I am desperately in need of a vacation, so looking forward to this...
Friday, April 1, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
Blogging Laziness
Yes, I know. My blog is sparse when it comes to recent updates. There is something about sitting down and writing about everything that's going on that is just completely overwhelming, so I've just avoided it altogether. Oops. So although I finally overcame my procrastination on updating this, there is just too much to write, and quite frankly, I have books to read, news to catch up on and projects to plan. So I'll keep it brief:
*My International Women's Day event was absolutely amazing. HUGE success. The girls had a blast, the teachers had fun, and my face hurt from smiling so much. It totally gave me the feel-good warm fuzzies.
*Camp GLOW is this Friday-Sunday! We had our training of the trainers meeting on Sunday morning, and all of our Kmai counterparts got to meet each other, go through the schedule and get things clarified. We have 5 counterparts (each of us picked one woman who we thought would be good to conduct sessions and chaperon the girls) and we have a former LCF (language cultural facilitator) from our Peace Corps training days, Vanny, as our main Kmai liaison and leader for the event. She is absolutely awesome and we are really lucky that she agreed to help us. Those three days are jam packed and I am imagining things are going to be hectic, but awesome. I can't even properly describe all the planning that has gone into this; from writing the proposal back in September to making reservations to invitations to gathering supplies to getting t-shirts printed and all of the other little details that we have had to iron out. It's essentially my last BIG project and definitely the most arduous one. But what better way to end my Peace Corps service? Gotta finish on a high note.
*I'm heading to Sumatra, Indonesia April 1st-14th with 6 friends from Peace Corps. We are sticking to the north and going to hike up some volcanoes, see some orangutans, and visit the largest lake in Southeast Asia (Lake Toba), home to the Batak people who were cannibals up until the 20th century! Should be a much needed vacation full of trekking, good food, great friends and relaxation.
*I have less than 4 months in the Bode. Someone please tell me where all the time went? And damn, 2 years is a long time to live in a place like this. The various extreme Cambodian elements (heat, SUN, dirt) have definitely taken their toll...
*My International Women's Day event was absolutely amazing. HUGE success. The girls had a blast, the teachers had fun, and my face hurt from smiling so much. It totally gave me the feel-good warm fuzzies.
*Camp GLOW is this Friday-Sunday! We had our training of the trainers meeting on Sunday morning, and all of our Kmai counterparts got to meet each other, go through the schedule and get things clarified. We have 5 counterparts (each of us picked one woman who we thought would be good to conduct sessions and chaperon the girls) and we have a former LCF (language cultural facilitator) from our Peace Corps training days, Vanny, as our main Kmai liaison and leader for the event. She is absolutely awesome and we are really lucky that she agreed to help us. Those three days are jam packed and I am imagining things are going to be hectic, but awesome. I can't even properly describe all the planning that has gone into this; from writing the proposal back in September to making reservations to invitations to gathering supplies to getting t-shirts printed and all of the other little details that we have had to iron out. It's essentially my last BIG project and definitely the most arduous one. But what better way to end my Peace Corps service? Gotta finish on a high note.
*I'm heading to Sumatra, Indonesia April 1st-14th with 6 friends from Peace Corps. We are sticking to the north and going to hike up some volcanoes, see some orangutans, and visit the largest lake in Southeast Asia (Lake Toba), home to the Batak people who were cannibals up until the 20th century! Should be a much needed vacation full of trekking, good food, great friends and relaxation.
*I have less than 4 months in the Bode. Someone please tell me where all the time went? And damn, 2 years is a long time to live in a place like this. The various extreme Cambodian elements (heat, SUN, dirt) have definitely taken their toll...
Friday, March 4, 2011
March Madness
Although this term usually refers to the time when basketball fans get to entertain their absurdity for a prolonged period, it has taken on a whole new meaning for my last March of Peace Corps service. Typically underwhelmed by all my free time, I've found myself completely devoid of reading time, laundry time or studying time (EEEK). "When it rains, it pours" has never felt more applicable.
First up on the agenda is the poster contest I am organizing at my school for International Women's Day (March 8th). What I thought would be a fairly low-key event has turned into absolute insanity. The contest and event are open to all girls at my school (grades 7-12) and the theme is "What does International Women's Day mean to you?" The event will begin Tuesday morning, when students and teachers will have the opportunity to walk around the school to see the posters (of which will require my co-teachers and me to arrive at school at 5 am, pre-sunrise, to tape them up around the school). I will then give a speech in Kmai about Women's Day (rife with inspirational words, given I don't botch the translation too badly), a speaker from the Department of Women's Affairs in Svay Rieng, an awards ceremony for the top 3 posters, and games and activities. There will be fruit, water and traditional Kmai cake available for everyone. What began as a small project turned into a HUGE project, and despite feeling very overwhelmed and stressed, I know it's a great opportunity for students to actually think about the role of women in Cambodian society and just have a day of fun. These girls deserve at least a little of that before they really begin to feel the many challenges that accompany being a woman in a male-dominated society.
I began to see the fruits of my labor this morning, when swarms of girls started showing up to the library to drop off their posters. Each and every girl had a huge smile on their face as they delivered their poster to my co-teacher and me. I sneaked a glance at Pilot, my co-teacher, and saw how genuinely thrilled he was to see the huge numbers of girls filing in to the library. Teachers started dropping in, incredulously surveying the goings-ons. By the time all the girls had delivered their posters, we counted 55! More are expected to submit posters tomorrow, before some of the female teachers and I get together to decide 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. Needless to say, I am so excited for this event to happen. Although there is still much preparation left to do, it is all coming together and I couldn't be happier. I'm just trying to mentally prepare for all the slip-ups that are inevitable in an event with 300+ people.
So once I recover from International Women's Day (my sleep is seriously in need of some beauty), I will shift focus to Camp GLOW (girls leading our world). This is a project I am working on with 4 other Peace Corps volunteers in my province. We are inviting 25 girls (5 from each of our schools) to attend a 3-day workshop in the provincial town (March 25th-27th). They will stay at a guesthouse and for many of them, it's their first time away from home, let alone away from their district. We have all kinds of workshops planned, including public speaking, leadership skills, AIDS/HIV awareness, nutrition and a workshop discussing self-image and body awareness. We each are inviting a woman counterpart from our school to help us lead the workshops and chaperon the girls. Everything will be conducted in Kmai and the idea is that girls will share the knowledge learned at the camp with friends and family once they return. We have been planning this since September and applied for a grant from USAID, which was approved, so all our blood, sweat and tears will soon become reality! Like the poster contest, it's a pain to put together, but I am guessing it will be one of the highlights of my time here.
So yea, there you have it. That's what I am working on, while simultaneously trying to find the time/energy to study LSAT. Who knew I had such a strong feminist side? I doubt I'm the next Gloria Steinem, but hey, nothing wrong with a little girl power!
First up on the agenda is the poster contest I am organizing at my school for International Women's Day (March 8th). What I thought would be a fairly low-key event has turned into absolute insanity. The contest and event are open to all girls at my school (grades 7-12) and the theme is "What does International Women's Day mean to you?" The event will begin Tuesday morning, when students and teachers will have the opportunity to walk around the school to see the posters (of which will require my co-teachers and me to arrive at school at 5 am, pre-sunrise, to tape them up around the school). I will then give a speech in Kmai about Women's Day (rife with inspirational words, given I don't botch the translation too badly), a speaker from the Department of Women's Affairs in Svay Rieng, an awards ceremony for the top 3 posters, and games and activities. There will be fruit, water and traditional Kmai cake available for everyone. What began as a small project turned into a HUGE project, and despite feeling very overwhelmed and stressed, I know it's a great opportunity for students to actually think about the role of women in Cambodian society and just have a day of fun. These girls deserve at least a little of that before they really begin to feel the many challenges that accompany being a woman in a male-dominated society.
I began to see the fruits of my labor this morning, when swarms of girls started showing up to the library to drop off their posters. Each and every girl had a huge smile on their face as they delivered their poster to my co-teacher and me. I sneaked a glance at Pilot, my co-teacher, and saw how genuinely thrilled he was to see the huge numbers of girls filing in to the library. Teachers started dropping in, incredulously surveying the goings-ons. By the time all the girls had delivered their posters, we counted 55! More are expected to submit posters tomorrow, before some of the female teachers and I get together to decide 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. Needless to say, I am so excited for this event to happen. Although there is still much preparation left to do, it is all coming together and I couldn't be happier. I'm just trying to mentally prepare for all the slip-ups that are inevitable in an event with 300+ people.
So once I recover from International Women's Day (my sleep is seriously in need of some beauty), I will shift focus to Camp GLOW (girls leading our world). This is a project I am working on with 4 other Peace Corps volunteers in my province. We are inviting 25 girls (5 from each of our schools) to attend a 3-day workshop in the provincial town (March 25th-27th). They will stay at a guesthouse and for many of them, it's their first time away from home, let alone away from their district. We have all kinds of workshops planned, including public speaking, leadership skills, AIDS/HIV awareness, nutrition and a workshop discussing self-image and body awareness. We each are inviting a woman counterpart from our school to help us lead the workshops and chaperon the girls. Everything will be conducted in Kmai and the idea is that girls will share the knowledge learned at the camp with friends and family once they return. We have been planning this since September and applied for a grant from USAID, which was approved, so all our blood, sweat and tears will soon become reality! Like the poster contest, it's a pain to put together, but I am guessing it will be one of the highlights of my time here.
So yea, there you have it. That's what I am working on, while simultaneously trying to find the time/energy to study LSAT. Who knew I had such a strong feminist side? I doubt I'm the next Gloria Steinem, but hey, nothing wrong with a little girl power!
Thursday, February 3, 2011
I still don't get it
Just as there are certain things about America that Cambodians will never be able to fully grasp, there are many things about Cambodia I still cannot understand after a year and a half:
1.How are Cambodians not fat? They eat nothing but sugar and fried foods. The nutritious content from any vegetables consumed is surely canceled out by the oil that they are soaked in.
2. The Cambodian school system. I just don't get it, whether it be primary, upper-secondary, universities or whatever else. I don't understand the scheduling, the social dynamics, the testing, or pretty much anything else that has to do with school. I mentioned this to my co-teacher who responded that he still doesn't understand it and he's been teaching for 30 years!
3. Who belongs to which family. There are so many randoms at my house at any given moment and I learned a long time ago to just stop trying to figure out who they are. Introductions are rare here, unless it is a formal occasion. So I often find myself sitting at the dinner table gawking at strangers, wondering "who the hell are you and why are you at my house?"
4. Why Cambodians don't listen to me when I tell them there are 50 states, not 52. Whoever the miscreant that started this rumor needs to be severely punished.
5. How do Cambodians not sweat while wearing multiple layers of clothing in disgustingly hot, humid weather?! It's 100 degrees + and my market lady is wearing a full pajama set, a sweater on top, socks, gloves and a hat, not even breaking a sweat. How is this humanly possible?
6. How are Cambodians absolutely immune to noise? Either they're all deaf or they have acquired some super-human ability to tune everything out. They can perfectly carry on a conversation while seated next to blaring speakers and not even realize that music is playing. I am certain the only people who have ever uttered "Please turn that down" in Cambodia are foreigners.
7. Anything that Westerners would do that requires intense protective footwear Cambodians can do in flip flops that are maybe an inch thin. This includes farming, any type of sport, hiking through the jungle up a mountain or any other heavy manual labor.
8. The obsession with baby penises. They touch them constantly and love to play with them. I still avert my eyes and feel my cheeks flush when I witness this.
9. The ability to sit in the "Asian squat" for hours upon hours. I tell you, I have seen 80 year olds more flexible than Gumby just chilling out in the squatty position.
10. Dogs getting stuck together post-sexual intercourse. The reasoning behind this has long been debated among Peace Corps volunteers and I still don't understand why this happens. I had never seen this back in the States and would have been perfectly happy not seeing it. It's rather crude, especially between unhealthy, mangy Cambodian dogs. Can anyone tell me the science behind this?
1.How are Cambodians not fat? They eat nothing but sugar and fried foods. The nutritious content from any vegetables consumed is surely canceled out by the oil that they are soaked in.
2. The Cambodian school system. I just don't get it, whether it be primary, upper-secondary, universities or whatever else. I don't understand the scheduling, the social dynamics, the testing, or pretty much anything else that has to do with school. I mentioned this to my co-teacher who responded that he still doesn't understand it and he's been teaching for 30 years!
3. Who belongs to which family. There are so many randoms at my house at any given moment and I learned a long time ago to just stop trying to figure out who they are. Introductions are rare here, unless it is a formal occasion. So I often find myself sitting at the dinner table gawking at strangers, wondering "who the hell are you and why are you at my house?"
4. Why Cambodians don't listen to me when I tell them there are 50 states, not 52. Whoever the miscreant that started this rumor needs to be severely punished.
5. How do Cambodians not sweat while wearing multiple layers of clothing in disgustingly hot, humid weather?! It's 100 degrees + and my market lady is wearing a full pajama set, a sweater on top, socks, gloves and a hat, not even breaking a sweat. How is this humanly possible?
6. How are Cambodians absolutely immune to noise? Either they're all deaf or they have acquired some super-human ability to tune everything out. They can perfectly carry on a conversation while seated next to blaring speakers and not even realize that music is playing. I am certain the only people who have ever uttered "Please turn that down" in Cambodia are foreigners.
7. Anything that Westerners would do that requires intense protective footwear Cambodians can do in flip flops that are maybe an inch thin. This includes farming, any type of sport, hiking through the jungle up a mountain or any other heavy manual labor.
8. The obsession with baby penises. They touch them constantly and love to play with them. I still avert my eyes and feel my cheeks flush when I witness this.
9. The ability to sit in the "Asian squat" for hours upon hours. I tell you, I have seen 80 year olds more flexible than Gumby just chilling out in the squatty position.
10. Dogs getting stuck together post-sexual intercourse. The reasoning behind this has long been debated among Peace Corps volunteers and I still don't understand why this happens. I had never seen this back in the States and would have been perfectly happy not seeing it. It's rather crude, especially between unhealthy, mangy Cambodian dogs. Can anyone tell me the science behind this?
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Cultural Differences
Cross-cultural exchange is one of the most important aspects of being a Peace Corps volunteer. I am learning about Cambodian culture, but am also sharing bits and pieces of American culture with Cambodians. Although some of the information shared is very mundane (do you have this fruit in America? What about the moon; do you have that there?), some stuff is interesting (many of the cultural customs, gender roles, etc ). Despite my repeated attempts, there are just some things that many people here just cannot fathom, so I will condense these topics into a list:
1. A salary of $30,000 in America is not very high at all. I’ve tried to explain that although this exorbitant amount seems high, it really isn’t that much when living costs are taken into account. In fact, for a family of 6 (which is quite common here), $30,000 would be considered living at the poverty line in the U.S. But when you are trying to explain this to people who have a yearly salary of $720 (the average Cambodian teacher’s salary which might support 6+ people), no amount of explanation will convince them that this is meager. Fair enough.
2. Many teenagers work in the United States to earn extra money. My host family thought this was one of the weirdest concepts ever. I told them that I had multiple jobs throughout high school so that I could buy my own car and pay for X, Y and Z, and they just didn’t understand this. It makes sense as Cambodia is not an economy dominated by the service sector, but rather split between agriculture, industry and services (which are predominately in Phnom Penh). Cambodian children and teenagers don’t get paid to help their family plant and thresh rice; it’s their duty to the family and each family member is expected to pull their own weight to ensure that food is on the table.
3. Most people want to be tan in America (or “black” as Cambodians refer to it). White skin is something that every Cambodian I have met is OBSESSED with. You can hardly buy any beauty product without some promise of getting whiter skin from it. There is even pink nipple cream, for those who are truly determined to transform themselves into a white person. This is one of Cambodian people’s favorite topics of conversation with me, as I am safely betting that I am the palest person any of the Cambodians in my town have seen. I explain that in America, people pay A LOT of money in an attempt to have darker skin and also frequently sit out in the sun for hours. “You Americans are crazy; why would you do that?” is the response I typically get. Why do we do that?
4. It is common to date many people before you get married. Yes, this may include pre-marital sex. My host mother thinks this is just insanity. “You have a lot of “broken” girls in your country,” she tells me.
5. Cheating is not allowed in school in America and is considered a very big deal. I am pretty sure most of my students hate me, for this is a policy I have strictly instituted in my classrooms. Even though I have been very successful in terms of getting my students to do tests on their own, the idea of “cheating” is something so natural to Cambodians; it is difficult to explain without just simply being that bitchy, strict American teacher. But I still try to explain why I have this policy to them- it’s important to think on your own and depend on yourself to solve problems. In a communal culture where individuality is not encouraged, this has been an uphill battle.
6. We don’t just eat one type of food, and we definitely don’t eat rice three times a day. America is a melting pot. We have all kinds of food, cultures and people from all over the world. I think the most shocking thing to them is that I don’t eat rice that much in America. “But aren’t you hungry?” my students ask. I explain that there are myriad food options, which ensures that I am never hungry, even though I am not eating rice. And don’t worry, I don’t use the word “myriad” to explain it.
7. Women get married after they are 23 in America. It is not unheard of for teenage girls to marry older men here and by the time a woman reaches her early twenties, she needs to be married and popping out babies. The great thing about explaining that I don’t feel pressure to get married at any certain point (or even at all) is that most Cambodian women I talk to think that it’s a pretty good idea. I think many Cambodian women, given the access to education and job opportunities, would love to prolong getting married and having kids and stimulate themselves with activities aside from domestic work. But this is an area that Cambodian culture is still struggling to incorporate into societal norms, and I do believe that when it does happen, it’ll give Cambodia the kick in the butt it certainly needs.
8. Beer can be casually drank and you don’t have to ‘cheers’ before every sip. This is a bandwagon I wish I could throw Cambodians on, for it is not fun having to say cheers anytime you want to take a sip of your brewski. Also, it seems like Cambodian men have all adopted the American college student mantra- ‘drink until you are absolutely sloshed.’ I feel like a huge loser pretending to down beers and then spitting it out, but hangovers in a humid and hot country like Cambodia are to be avoided like the plague.
9. Weddings and funerals vary in America and can be held inside. My host mother asked me when America’s wedding season was, and I told her it was whenever you want it to be. Weddings here are super fun, but they definitely do not get points for creativity. The setup is as follows: a tent, under which are tables and chairs with the same patterned cloth covering them, a table with fruit on it (which is used to dance around), and 15-20 HUGE speakers, which ensures that the vibrations from the wedding will remain with you long after you leave. Funerals here follow a structured format as well: monks chanting on a loud speaker that begins at 4am and lasts for days (but feels like years). Guests wear white and the service consists of giving some money to the family, joining in a short prayer while the monks chant, eating rice-porridge (‘bobo’) or Kmai noodles, eating as quickly as possible with a table full of strangers, and then going home. I’m pretty sure I have yet to attend a funeral gathering that lasts more than 30 minutes. You are in and out of there. I explained a bit about American funerals and that it is common to wear all black and cry. Once again, Jacqueline comes from a freakazoid planet.
10. We like to read for pleasure in America. I am still waiting to see a Cambodian with a good mystery novel in his hand. Who am I kidding? I am waiting to see any novel in a Cambodian’s hand.
1. A salary of $30,000 in America is not very high at all. I’ve tried to explain that although this exorbitant amount seems high, it really isn’t that much when living costs are taken into account. In fact, for a family of 6 (which is quite common here), $30,000 would be considered living at the poverty line in the U.S. But when you are trying to explain this to people who have a yearly salary of $720 (the average Cambodian teacher’s salary which might support 6+ people), no amount of explanation will convince them that this is meager. Fair enough.
2. Many teenagers work in the United States to earn extra money. My host family thought this was one of the weirdest concepts ever. I told them that I had multiple jobs throughout high school so that I could buy my own car and pay for X, Y and Z, and they just didn’t understand this. It makes sense as Cambodia is not an economy dominated by the service sector, but rather split between agriculture, industry and services (which are predominately in Phnom Penh). Cambodian children and teenagers don’t get paid to help their family plant and thresh rice; it’s their duty to the family and each family member is expected to pull their own weight to ensure that food is on the table.
3. Most people want to be tan in America (or “black” as Cambodians refer to it). White skin is something that every Cambodian I have met is OBSESSED with. You can hardly buy any beauty product without some promise of getting whiter skin from it. There is even pink nipple cream, for those who are truly determined to transform themselves into a white person. This is one of Cambodian people’s favorite topics of conversation with me, as I am safely betting that I am the palest person any of the Cambodians in my town have seen. I explain that in America, people pay A LOT of money in an attempt to have darker skin and also frequently sit out in the sun for hours. “You Americans are crazy; why would you do that?” is the response I typically get. Why do we do that?
4. It is common to date many people before you get married. Yes, this may include pre-marital sex. My host mother thinks this is just insanity. “You have a lot of “broken” girls in your country,” she tells me.
5. Cheating is not allowed in school in America and is considered a very big deal. I am pretty sure most of my students hate me, for this is a policy I have strictly instituted in my classrooms. Even though I have been very successful in terms of getting my students to do tests on their own, the idea of “cheating” is something so natural to Cambodians; it is difficult to explain without just simply being that bitchy, strict American teacher. But I still try to explain why I have this policy to them- it’s important to think on your own and depend on yourself to solve problems. In a communal culture where individuality is not encouraged, this has been an uphill battle.
6. We don’t just eat one type of food, and we definitely don’t eat rice three times a day. America is a melting pot. We have all kinds of food, cultures and people from all over the world. I think the most shocking thing to them is that I don’t eat rice that much in America. “But aren’t you hungry?” my students ask. I explain that there are myriad food options, which ensures that I am never hungry, even though I am not eating rice. And don’t worry, I don’t use the word “myriad” to explain it.
7. Women get married after they are 23 in America. It is not unheard of for teenage girls to marry older men here and by the time a woman reaches her early twenties, she needs to be married and popping out babies. The great thing about explaining that I don’t feel pressure to get married at any certain point (or even at all) is that most Cambodian women I talk to think that it’s a pretty good idea. I think many Cambodian women, given the access to education and job opportunities, would love to prolong getting married and having kids and stimulate themselves with activities aside from domestic work. But this is an area that Cambodian culture is still struggling to incorporate into societal norms, and I do believe that when it does happen, it’ll give Cambodia the kick in the butt it certainly needs.
8. Beer can be casually drank and you don’t have to ‘cheers’ before every sip. This is a bandwagon I wish I could throw Cambodians on, for it is not fun having to say cheers anytime you want to take a sip of your brewski. Also, it seems like Cambodian men have all adopted the American college student mantra- ‘drink until you are absolutely sloshed.’ I feel like a huge loser pretending to down beers and then spitting it out, but hangovers in a humid and hot country like Cambodia are to be avoided like the plague.
9. Weddings and funerals vary in America and can be held inside. My host mother asked me when America’s wedding season was, and I told her it was whenever you want it to be. Weddings here are super fun, but they definitely do not get points for creativity. The setup is as follows: a tent, under which are tables and chairs with the same patterned cloth covering them, a table with fruit on it (which is used to dance around), and 15-20 HUGE speakers, which ensures that the vibrations from the wedding will remain with you long after you leave. Funerals here follow a structured format as well: monks chanting on a loud speaker that begins at 4am and lasts for days (but feels like years). Guests wear white and the service consists of giving some money to the family, joining in a short prayer while the monks chant, eating rice-porridge (‘bobo’) or Kmai noodles, eating as quickly as possible with a table full of strangers, and then going home. I’m pretty sure I have yet to attend a funeral gathering that lasts more than 30 minutes. You are in and out of there. I explained a bit about American funerals and that it is common to wear all black and cry. Once again, Jacqueline comes from a freakazoid planet.
10. We like to read for pleasure in America. I am still waiting to see a Cambodian with a good mystery novel in his hand. Who am I kidding? I am waiting to see any novel in a Cambodian’s hand.
Monday, January 17, 2011
The Handout Syndrome
Over the past year and a half, development and all of its minutiae have become one of the many topics I constantly find myself coming back to. After all, I am working in development; “human capacity building” or some other misnomer that is continually bounced around as my job description. As you may have inferred based on my previous sentence, my opinions regarding development work are plagued with skepticism (although patches of hopefulness are scattered here and there). The more I read on the topic, the more I realize that no one really knows what to do; pump in foreign aid? Turn a blind eye and let crooked governments try to solve their own problems? Conditional cash transfers? Micro lending? Charter cities? I certainly don’t have the answer to this basic development quandary, but I can draw from my experience in Cambodia and conclude that current development practices are creating a dangerous dependency on handouts.
How is development work creating dependency and possibly making things worse? Well, this a complex question that I am not even going to attempt to give a concrete answer to, for I think about it enough in my head and I struggle to eloquently capture my thoughts. But if my school director’s repeated pleas are an adequate microcosm representing Cambodia, then you can figure it out for yourself:
School Director: You know, we will miss you when you go back to America.
Me: Thanks lo cru (teacher). I will miss everyone here as well.
School Director: Yes, we all hope that you will be very rich and successful.
Me: Thanks lo cru! I hope so too.
School Director: Yes, this way you can come back to Cambodia and bring lots of money to this school. You can help us! Don’t forget, when you are rich, you must come back and give lots of money to us.
Unfortunately, it seems many impoverished countries around the world have adopted a similar attitude. “The foreign aid will save us! All we need is more money!” If only it were that easy. Instead of waiting for their knight in shining armor to save them, governments (and citizens) need to understand that many of the problems should be attacked internally. I am not by any means advocating a Darwinian end of all aid money. But there are many factors that need to be in play- a government that isn’t pocketing aid contributions and genuinely seeks to promote the well-being of its people, a citizenry willing to move forward, and a strict standard to hold aid agencies accountable to. Otherwise, you have a big hot mess, precisely what I see here: a government not wanting to improve life for its citizens for fear of losing power and thousands of NGO’s overlapping each other and doing the same work because there is no accountability.
So where does Peace Corps fit into all of this? Well, depending on what day you ask me, I have a different answer. But today, my answer is this: the beauty of Peace Corps lies in the cultural exchange. That is what we’re really here for. Yes, I go to school every day and use a crappy, outdated book to teach kids of whom 90% will become rice farmers. I work with Cambodian co-teachers who don’t really want to change their teaching methodologies because they don’t really want to teach because they get paid 60 dollars a month because money is being siphoned from some mysterious source. So are all the aforementioned strategies causing revolutionary change? No. That’s why we call this ‘grassroots.’ But I can tell you this. The exchange I’ve had with my host family and other Kmai people whom I’ve grown close to is something that will forever change the way I look at things and probably the way they do as well. Each one of us who serves as a Peace Corps volunteer gets an inimitable look into the culture we are dropped into, not something that your average Phnom Penh-dwelling NGO worker gets as they create their foreign bubble, without even an attempt to understand the culture they are trying to “change” for the better. Perhaps a good way to improve development practices of NGO's and its workers would be learning the local language, culture and customs. Strip away the condescending attitudes of those who come to “develop” and what’s left? A good start.
How is development work creating dependency and possibly making things worse? Well, this a complex question that I am not even going to attempt to give a concrete answer to, for I think about it enough in my head and I struggle to eloquently capture my thoughts. But if my school director’s repeated pleas are an adequate microcosm representing Cambodia, then you can figure it out for yourself:
School Director: You know, we will miss you when you go back to America.
Me: Thanks lo cru (teacher). I will miss everyone here as well.
School Director: Yes, we all hope that you will be very rich and successful.
Me: Thanks lo cru! I hope so too.
School Director: Yes, this way you can come back to Cambodia and bring lots of money to this school. You can help us! Don’t forget, when you are rich, you must come back and give lots of money to us.
Unfortunately, it seems many impoverished countries around the world have adopted a similar attitude. “The foreign aid will save us! All we need is more money!” If only it were that easy. Instead of waiting for their knight in shining armor to save them, governments (and citizens) need to understand that many of the problems should be attacked internally. I am not by any means advocating a Darwinian end of all aid money. But there are many factors that need to be in play- a government that isn’t pocketing aid contributions and genuinely seeks to promote the well-being of its people, a citizenry willing to move forward, and a strict standard to hold aid agencies accountable to. Otherwise, you have a big hot mess, precisely what I see here: a government not wanting to improve life for its citizens for fear of losing power and thousands of NGO’s overlapping each other and doing the same work because there is no accountability.
So where does Peace Corps fit into all of this? Well, depending on what day you ask me, I have a different answer. But today, my answer is this: the beauty of Peace Corps lies in the cultural exchange. That is what we’re really here for. Yes, I go to school every day and use a crappy, outdated book to teach kids of whom 90% will become rice farmers. I work with Cambodian co-teachers who don’t really want to change their teaching methodologies because they don’t really want to teach because they get paid 60 dollars a month because money is being siphoned from some mysterious source. So are all the aforementioned strategies causing revolutionary change? No. That’s why we call this ‘grassroots.’ But I can tell you this. The exchange I’ve had with my host family and other Kmai people whom I’ve grown close to is something that will forever change the way I look at things and probably the way they do as well. Each one of us who serves as a Peace Corps volunteer gets an inimitable look into the culture we are dropped into, not something that your average Phnom Penh-dwelling NGO worker gets as they create their foreign bubble, without even an attempt to understand the culture they are trying to “change” for the better. Perhaps a good way to improve development practices of NGO's and its workers would be learning the local language, culture and customs. Strip away the condescending attitudes of those who come to “develop” and what’s left? A good start.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Happy 2011!
A bunch of us Peace Corps volunteers at the beach for New Years.
Kristin, Kellee and me on New Years Eve2011. The year in which my Peace Corps service comes to an end and I will be thrust back into the American grind of school, work, and taking advantage of catching up with family and friends I haven't seen in way too long. A year that will no doubt be just as interesting of a transition as 2009 and as eye-opening as 2010. I don't really make New Year's resolutions because I've hardly ever seen them come to fruition. But as I actually have time to "work" on them/think about them, I do have a few:
New Years in Kampong Som1. Read more than 1 book at a time. I have a serious problem doing this because I just like to start and finish them one by one, just like I like to eat my side entrees completely before I eat my main dish. But the more development books I've been reading, the longer it takes me to finish and the more I find myself wishing I was reading another book. So why don't I?
2. Annihilate the LSAT. Enough said.
3. Enjoy living in the moment. This isn't as much of a New Year's resolution as a life change resolution. I find myself (and many fellow Americans) constantly planning the next step. What's next after Peace Corps? What will I do with my gap between school and Peace Corps? Where will I live? Who will I find myself still having things in common with? Although I am bursting with excitement about my stateside return, I know years down the road I'll look back at my time here with a nostalgia that stings. So I am trying to not obsess about every little future detail. Trying being the key word.
4. Keep in touch with my host fam in Cambodia after I leave. I've taught my sister how to use email, facebook and Skype. Now all that's left is making sure to show up to our future skype dates. I can't wait to see my host family's reaction when they see me/chat with me via the computer (Crap, this resolution already violates #3, "living in the moment").
Sign my sister made for me for New Years!5. Run another half marathon. Not sure where or when, but just do it.
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