The weeks are already flying by...

This week was really hectic and fun. On Monday night I went to a yoga class with Sarah, the other volunteer at DAC. Tuesday and Wednesday nights were spent buying some essentials and setting up my new place. On Thursday, my office moved locations from the huge house we were in to a very small office a few blocks away. Moving meant that we couldn’t get any work done and still don’t have our computers or internet set up today (Monday, I am hand-writing this entry). Thursday night I went to an hour of meditation with Sarah and Erika at Wat Lang Ka, a beautiful Buddhist pagoda.

All Friday morning, I had a committee meeting where I met an AVI (Australia) volunteer who is both blonde and Bahaii, random! She could tell I was Persian and wants to come visit the temple in Chicago. It's funny how easy it is to find SOMETHING in common with almost everyone, no matter how different they may seem.

The office was still a mess that afternoon, so I spent most of the time running errands. I had lunch at a noodle stand at Phsar Toul Tum Poung (Russian market) for $1! I started talking to a couple of very friendly women there who have been living here for 13 years or so. They told me all about the ups and downs of long-term expat life. One of them was from Chicago and offered to take a package for me when she goes back for a wedding next week. I thought that was so unbelievable and sweet of her since she had just met me! Anyway, my purpose for going to the market was to buy sheets and a towel, but I ended up running into a stall that had all the kitchenware I needed for half the price at the Supermarket, so I bought all that, ran out of money, and had to go home and come back for the other stuff. In between trips to the market in the southern part of town, I went up north to pick up my water filter from the VSO office.

On Friday night, we went to a circus at the French Cultural Center. The crowd was, not surprisingly, mostly kids and the traveling performers from Europe were pretty silly. There were a few Asian acts, however, that were breathtaking. There was a contortionist accompanied by a male gymnast who was doing handstands over her contorted body and then pushing her into new positions by pretending to fight with her, giving some meaning to her contortions. I don’t know if it was the love story or the beautiful music, but this was my favorite act.

On Saturday I spent a lot of time shopping. First Meghan and Erika and I met up with Leonie and Kate (two vols from the UK) at a very posh designer boutique with unique party dresses running around the same price as they would in the States. Next we all met up with NoNo at a Japanese second-hand clothing store with items from all over the world. Nono calls herself an “international brat” because she has lived all over the world, including the US, but she is originally Danish and anything but a brat (she's so sweet)!

After this, Meghan and Erika and I went back to the Programme Office, where we randomly ran into Hollie. Hollie works in Stung Treng, a beautiful province to the north, but luckily, none of the provinces are too far from Phnom Penh, so we get to see vols like her pretty often on the weekends. Hollie was only supposed to be here for a year, but after a month or two, she got a mosquito born illness called Dengue fever. She was out recovering at the Programme Office and friend's houses for 10 weeks over Christmas-time! She is such a good sport, she never went back home, and on top of that, decided to extend her placement for another 6 months to make up for the lost time at work! She’s so nice and mature that I was surprised to learn that she is only 22 and came here with a competitive youth volunteering program within VSO called Youth for Development (YfD).

On Sunday I spent some quality time at the pool catching up online and chillin with more vols. I got to know Perry, Sarah's husband as well as a fellow VSO vol, who told me some scary stories about all the accidents he's seen and even been in... and he's only been here less than a year! Luckily, he has never been severely hurt, but it made me realize that I should be more careful on the roads.

Accidents Happen

I've been in Phnom Penh for less than 3 weeks and have already seen 3 moto accidents. The first one was minor and all I saw of the second one was a SWARM of at least 50 people shouting and holding up traffic in a chaotic circle in the middle of the road. The scene brought new meaning to the term “gawker’s delay.” VSO has taught us to stay out of situations like this for our own safety, so I was a good girl and moved on.

The third accident, however, really shook me up. I was riding my bike home at around 9 PM or so two nights ago and was only about a block away when I heard a loud thud. Suddenly, everyone over a block away was shouting and running in the direction of the sound. What I wouldn't have given to hear what they were saying and to know what exactly had happened. I knew I should stay out of it, but curiousity got the best of me. All I did was ride my bike by, but it was enough to see two men lying on the street, eyes closed like they were sleeping, but in un-natural positions. Two motos were also lying abondoned on the street about twenty feet apart. A small crowd was already growing so I didn't hang around to see more. What I had already seen twisted my stomach and frightened me enough to have me franticly praying and thanking God the rest of the way home and up the stairs to my place. Eventually, about 15 minutes later, I heard sirens out the window. I didn't see any blood so I pray to God that those men are okay and that I never end up in a similar predicament.

EDIT (4/1/09):
In retrospect, after talking to other volunteers, I realize I may have overreacted a bit. People have been telling me all sorts of stories about cross-country buses running over passers-by without even stopping, trucks falling off cliffs, bloody car accidents. During the day, I feel "relatively" safe because everyone drives so slowly and cautiously that accidents are usually too small to cause too much damage... to the point where I think I'm starting to get a little reckless myself and need to stop cutting people off, weaving between cars, riding up on sidewalks, running red lights and turning left down the wrong side of the road just because its easier than cutting all the way across (everybody does it!). At night, however, it can get really dangerous because the streets are dead past 10 PM and the motos go FAST without taking the normal pre-cautions to slow down or stop at any crossroads.

I have an apartment!

I finally have an apartment! Yey! Like my bike, this small acquisition has made a monumental impact on my level of happiness.

After heading out on several ventures with my real estate agent, I was starting to get frustrated! At first, I was looking for 2-bedroom places because Meghan and I wanted to live together and even briefly embraced the idea of living with another new volunteer from the UK named Erika. Erika is around our age and also used to work at Accenture so we have a lot in common. Unfortunately, since we are all staying different lengths of time (3, 5, and 6 months), we couldn't expense a 3-bedroom place for the whole 6 months. So I had to set out on my own, and in retrospect I'm glad I have because I love having my own personal space and I know I will still see these girls all the time.

Surprisingly, the places I had to choose from were very nice, almost all had hot water, A/C in the bedrooms, and cable TV. Many felt very new and clean and even had brand new mattresses and washing machines in the unit, which is a luxury you rarely get in apartments back home! In the end, I went with a smaller place in a great location close to work. I was drawn to the vast private gated balcony that is so large and secure it would be better referred to as outdoor living space. I felt a little silly and impractical not going for the biggest or newest place, but to me it was worth giving up other amenities to have this unique design that I could never take advantage of back home (because it's too cold!).

My apartment is on the 4th floor above a restaurant that the owner also lives in and 2 other apartments on a main street (in true Golli style, though it's no Clark street!) in the very expat-friendly area of Boeung Keng Kang (BKK1). Next door are a couple travel agents and internet cafes... I think I made the right decision. Being on the 4th floor of a corner unit also gives me a stunning, far-reaching view of most of the rooftops of Phnom Penh on two sides.

It's amazing how much better I feel these days than I did in the very beginning. I honestly believe that no matter where you live or what you are doing, the simple things in life can make the biggest difference in a human being's level of happiness. Beyond food and shelter... autonomy and freedom, familiarity and a sense of purpose. Access to internet and air conditioning. OK so those last two are a stretch that I should probably learn to live without, but you get the idea...

The market

I have a confession to make, I've been cheating. I've been spending much of the last couple of weekends relaxing pool-side in beautiful gardens of fancy hotels with free wi-fi. This weekend I was pretty much alone in the city since the rest of the new volunteers went to Kampong Cham, a province, for language training. Since most of them are here for 2 years, they get five weeks of language training, while I'll only be here for 3 months and don't get any. My friends who are here for 6 months will only get a week or so, so they'll be back soon. I wasn't too upset because I haven't really been alone since I got here, so I was perfectly content going to relax at the pool by myself, but I decided to venture to Central Market first...

The market is not for the faint of heart, the sensitive nose, or anyone with any indication of any social anxiety disorder. First, you pass or avoid the food section, which mostly consists of raw meat and seafood that has been sitting out all morning and smells like it. It STINKS. And there is a lot of weird shit on sale. Live fish and crabs jumping out of their enclosures right in front of my feet, live chickens just waiting to give me the bird flu. They love fish and fish heads here. I don't know if I've seen any fish dish without its head. Apparently, the head is the delicacy.

With every step, there is someone hollering at me from every angle, "Hello!" "Miss!" "Lady!" "Buy one?" "Motodop?" "Tuk-tuk?" "Hi?" Sometimes I just want to scream "LEAVE ME ALONE!!!" and stick my middle finger up at them. I suck at bargaining. The only time I can get things for cheap is when I genuinely don't want them anymore. Don't ever ask a shopkeeper how much something costs unless you intend to buy it. Once you ask that question, if you decline the item, they will assume it is because of the price and they will not leave you alone. "OK one less dollar, ok what is your last price!" I tried just ignoring them and walking away a couple of times, but they were still calling after me! One time a girl chased me 3 stalls down. Of course, whenever you try to bargain for something that you actually want, the shopkeeper just says "No, too low" and then you try to walk away and act all cool and nothing happens. They don't come after you.

To make matters worse, I got lost on my way home in the mid-day heat and sun. After 15 minutes, my throat started hurting from the pollution and I was stressed out. Walking in the streets is almost as bad as the market. Everyone wants to say hello and everyone asks you if you need a ride. If I needed a ride, I would be looking around for one! I want to know how often this tactic actually works for them to continue to annoy people with it. Sometimes I know the Khmer sitting on the side of the road say Hi to me because they are genuinely nice people with curious smiles, but it still makes me want to scream and run away. There is nowhere to sit, no shade to stand in, nowhere to hide from all the sun and attention and chaos.

This is why I ran away to the hotel garden, it's not so much for the clean air created by the green plants surrounding me. It's not for the peaceful quiet free of honking and moto engine revving. It's because its the only place where I can get away from it all and relax in the shade without being cooped up in my room. Where I can just be another person blending into the background.

First day of work!

Today was a day of many firsts! It was my first day of work! I had no idea what to expect when I walked to the VSO office to meet Rith (my placement officer), but was pleasantly surprised when we jumped into one of a posh VSO vehicle to drive to the DAC. Once there, ironically the rest of the day progressed not too differently from the first day on any Accenture project. I first met with the client in the resource center/big meeting room for an hour or two. This first meeting was with the Executive Director of the DAC and his Deputy Executive.

I was impressed to learn that the DAC is on a national, Ministry level. However, they are trying to preserve their autonomy so they can continue to be a member organization and continue to support virtually every disability organization in Cambodia without too much government influence. I was also impressed by how professional and organized they were and how well they seemed to "have their shit together." I had ups and downs between feeling like the task ahead may be too daunting to feeling like all my work had already been done for me! Again, typical consulting project. Except this time, I felt the heavy weight on my shoulders of being the main person responsible for the success of the project.

Afterwards, I met the "real people," my colleagues who I would be working with on a daily basis. Everyone was really nice and their English was very cute. They sent me emails welcoming me to "the DAC family." I went to lunch with the executives just like any other first day. We DROVE to a nice restaurant; I offered to pay but they took care of the bill. I was surprised... VSO has trained us well not to expect any of the perks of corporate life such as expensed lunch meetings. But the executives of this company at least seem to do well, after all my boss does own a car.

In the afternoon, I met with my colleagues to get up to speed on things and received a bunch of documents that I still have to finish reviewing tomorrow. I'm pretty excited about what I will be doing! At the end of my day, I was DRIVEN home again. I was very spoiled with all the time in the car today. In this single day, I have spent more time in a car than in my whole first week of being here. And probably more than I will in all of the rest of my time here.

Another first! I got my bike from VSO today. I love it! It's a bright blue older model from the '70's with a basket in front. Life on two wheels is so much better than life on two feet. At first it was a little scary, but once I got the hang of it, I felt much safer than I did when I was walking. My bike also has a zippered cloth enclosure around the basket to keep my belongings safe from purse-snatchers.

Today I used my motorcycle helmet for the first time! I rode on the back of my real estate agent's moto to look for apartments. How strange! But the apartments were all really nice! Much nicer than I expected. I feel like I'm cheating or spoiled because I get to have things like A/C and a washing machine. But it's nice and I'm happy to have it. I'll leave the roughness the like of Africa for my next adventure.

Cyclo Tour

So what have I actually been doing here other than attempting to survive the chaotic traffic? Well, I have been in training for the last few days, which has been pretty laidback, lots of breaks. These are well appreciated because we're all tired and jet-lagged, but it also makes me feel like I'm not doing a whole lot a lot of the time. We had an introduction to the VSO Programme Office and the different Programmes, which include Health, Sustainable Livelihoods, and Education. My project is in the Education Programme. We also had a safety and security briefing with the Country Director and a health briefing with a local doctor, which were both incredibly helpful. The Country Director is an energetic British woman named Alice and our local doctor is a nice Filipino woman we call Dr. Marissa.

Today we took a Cyclo (which is like sitting in an adult sized stroller attached to the front of a bicycle) tour of the city which was really fun. Because our cyclo drivers are not educated and speak no English, we also had a quick Khmer language lesson the day before to help us direct our drivers which way to go. It was funny, when we first walked out to meet our cyclists, one of them immediately called dibs on me. I'm assuming it was because I am small. Imagine 15 cyclos slowly winding their way around town; we made quite a scene. We stopped for a drink at the FCC and I had a delicious banana coconut smoothie. We wandered around Wat Phnom and visited the Russian Markets, where you can buy brand names like Gap, Banana Republic, H&M, and others at a margin of the US retail price, since most of these clothes are made here. Short sleeve shirts are $2, long sleeves are $4, I bought a backpack for $12. A hot breakfast at the guesthouse is usually $2 and our cyclo drivers were each paid a whopping $6 for a full day of toting us around! Tomorrow I have the day off so I'm not sure yet what we will do.

I am here with 13 other new volunteers and 3 of them have brought their partners. Overall, VSO Cambodia consists of about 100 volunteers spread out over the many provinces of the country and is one of the biggest VSO country programmes. I never realized before just how international VSO is, but even the volunteers are from all different parts of the world: 6 people are from the UK, 4 are from the Philippines, 3 from India, 1 is from Kenya and 1 from Uganda. Meghan and I are the only ones from the US. While in theory, I think this is great, in practice it is frustrating. People tend to stick to their own countrymen and some have a hard time communicating in English. Someone mentioned to me that being in Cambodia was enough of a culture shock without having to deal with multiple other cultures at the same time, which can be overwhelming. The age ranges are across the board too, with Meghan and I being the youngest. Many people are our parents' age, which leaves us with little in common and again makes it's hard to bond... but is also somewhat comforting.

Traffic

The scariest thing about Cambodia is that we walk in the streets. Literally. Sidewalks are rare and sporadic; one block will have one, the next one won't. And they are not really sidewalks; they are more like parking spots on the side of the road, so they are usually obstructed by parked cars and motos. At first, I would try to go in between the parked cars and squeeze myself between them and the buildings, but eventually I realized that this was futile. I was going to have to walk in the street at some point anyways, so I may as well just get on with it. So we usually walk alongside traffic, my exposed and unprotected toes mere inches away from the wheels of motos and huge SUVs. My sister Leyla has been here before on vacation and had warned me that she hated not being able to walk on the sidewalks, but I don't think I really understood what she meant until I saw it for myself. Every second I feel that I may be run over and die. But this is nothing new for me actually. I feel like this even when I cross the streets in Chicago.

The worst part was when we were walking during the after-work rush hour and some motos started driving up onto a rare sidewalk. That was the only place that was ours. Where I could walk without fear of being run over and feel somewhat safe. But not anymore; they came up so fast, like it belonged to them. And that was when I first realized... No one else walks here. No wonder I feel so unsafe, I SHOULD. Maybe I shouldn't be walking at all. I suppose that if you had a bike and especially a moto, why would you ever need to walk? It's not like it is too cold out or there is any lack of parking. You just put your moto wherever you want (Or at least that's what it looks like to me?). Why would you ever walk? Maybe I won't need to anymore once I am given a bicycle. That would be nice.

The cars are huge. Lexus, Mercedes, Toyota... all their windows are completely darkened. Back windows, front windows, even the front windshield! Makes me wonder who is driving these huge, beautiful new cars that they need to hide... Are they druglords? Rich people? White people? To cross traffic you are just supposed to step into the street walking at a steady pace and the motos will go around you. But not the cars. The cars will not stop for you so you better not get in their way. There are no crappy or even somewhat older looking cars. The cars are ALL brand new, shiny top models. I suppose if you are rich enough to own a car here, then you are rich enough to own a nice new car and to keep upgrading it. But the sharp contrast between the new cars and falling-apart motos is unnerving. It reminds me never to forget the huge gap in earning power between the rich and poor.

First Impressions

The first thing I remember when I arrived in Phnom Penh yesterday was the VSO representative waiting for us at the airport. It was funny because I had just told Meghan "I've always wanted to have someone waiting for me to arrive at the airport with a sign with my name on it" and then we turned a corner and there he was! OK so my name wasn't on the sign, it just said "VSO" but it was close enough. Even though I have traveled internationally on corporate business before with all expenses paid (which I do appreciate!), no amount of money is as valuable in those first few hours as having a local person greet you when you arrive and help you with your Visa, luggage, and transport from the airport.

The second thing I remember (or maybe this was actually the first) is that it was hot, not just hot but HOT... SAUNA HOT. I am basically in a sauna 24/7. Hopefully this means I will start to look like the people here. Who are TINY. It's funny to think that some people fret about not having hot water in a country like this, because I can't imagine ever having a use for it. The water is already warm enough. I am grateful for running water at all, for electricity, and for the cleanliness I have seen so far in this beautiful country which has surpassed all my expectations. Of course I am also grateful for VSO. The program office is awesome, it's huge, clean and nice, the food is amazing, the people are all incredibly friendly and warm. I only hope my placement office is half this nice.

The third thing I remember is coming out of the airport and being reminded of Iran. I'm not sure if it's the pollution, the markings on the curbs and roads, the parking lot, the people, the mayhem of traffic on the street, or what. Maybe it's just that this place is so different from the US that it seems more similar to the developing country I am most familiar with. I often feel this way in a new country, I even felt this way in some parts of Europe! The biggest difference, however, right off the bat, between here and every other country I have ever been to in my life is the vast number of motos (motorcycles and mopeds) on the streets that dominate the traffic. Cars are in the minority here, making up only perhaps 10-15% of total traffic. That is a sign of how much poorer this country is, and that is where the comparisons end.

Almost there!

I am in the airport in Taiwan where I have found free Internet! Yey! 4.5 hours to San Fran with a 4 hour layover, 14 hours to Taipei with a 3 hour layover, and in only 3.5 hours I will finally arrive in Cambodia after almost 30 total hours of traveling time! Whew!