I'm a little sad writing this post, as it's my very last things I don't want to forget post. These posts originally started out as one post, and just kept growing as I kept thinking of more and more things I loved about Cambodia and my time there. It has been so great to write them all down to remind myself, and to share them with you. Hopefully you have a little better idea of what life in Cambodia is like. As my last post I'm just sharing memories. Wonderful memories with our host families, co-workers, students, strangers, and other PCVs.
Memories:
-That time the staff in Blue Pumpkin ice cream shop taught us to sing Happy Birthday in Khmer.
-That time we were all falling asleep in blue pumpkin over our carton of ice cream because it was 11p.m. and way past our village bed time.
-That time after a year of telling Bookie that I loved her pajamas, and wanting some, she finally bought me my very own pair.
-That time that those pajamas were way too small for me, but I wore them to greet family at the airport anyway.
-That time we took a 2 hour boat ride back from Koh Rong and the weather was horrible and half the people on the boat ended up throwing up.
-That time we took the night bus (guess I can admit it now) and it scared us into never taking another night bus ever.
-That first time we hitchhiked by accident and the very nice lady we met in the process.
-The amazing people we have met since then by hitchhiking.
-How Hal has taught other volunteers how to hitchhike around Cambodia.
-That time we started counting all of the foreigners we saw coming into Siem Reap and how we told every one else on the touri that we were Cambodian already, and not foreigners. They thought it was real funny.
-That time we went back to visit our training host family and asked my host brother to write "welcome" in Khmer on something and he ended up writing a note about how he loved us :)
-That time Hal
tried to jump over a hammock and broke his elbow.
-When we found Christmas lights in our provincial town and that first time we turned off the light and turned them on.
-That time when my students and I were hanging out and they were speaking in Khmer and asked if I knew what they were saying, and I for once did!
-When my students finally sung
all of the "12 Days of Christmas".
-When my students sung my dad Happy Birthday.
-When my Host family sung my dad Happy Birthday
-When my students told me that they loved Camp GLOW.
-When my Camp GLOW girls called me and asked if they could come plan their lessons at my house, right then.
-Seeing my girls teach their lessons back in our village, and being so excited to teach the information that they learned at Camp GLOW.
-The unbelievably awesomely khmer presents that my students and family gave us to take home.
-That time I taught my students to say "Supercalifajulisticexpialidocious" for my last lesson to them
-That time I had dengue.
-Spending New Years 2012 on the ocean in the Gulf of Thailand and watching fireworks over the ocean to celebrate the New Year.
-When we went to Angkor Wat for free during sun set, and no one was there, and we ran through an empty courtyard, it felt like I was in a National Treasure movie.
-That time Hal and I tried to wait out the storm in training, but dinner time came and we rode home through the heart of the storm and every inch of us got soaking wet.
-Riding the bamboo train in Battambong and getting caught in a rain storm. We also all ended up soaking wet.
-All of the movie nights we had in our room in training.
-That time we had a jambalaya party in training, and people from other villages came to hang out at our house.
-Seeing that my school director created a place for students from the elementary school across from his house, to come and read beginner English books.
-Watching my co-teacher's wonderful private school continue to expand and grow, all to the benefit of her students.
-That time we tried to learn "The Dougie" and "The Stanky Leg" from the internet.
-Creating a PCV family as the best support system you could have ever asked for, and being able to celebrate holidays and events with them as your family away from home.
I'll never forget my time in Cambodia. It has imprinted itself on me. I can't wait for members of my PCV family to finish their service in Cambodia, and for the shenanigans to continue, state side.
6 comments:
dengue oh no! looks like a great time in Cambodia and definitely dont want to loose those memories for sure
You'll be so glad you wrote all these memories down because even though you're sure you could never forget them, they do start slipping out of your mind as time goes on. I always thought that the hardest part about coming home was trying to assimilate who I'd become in El Salvador with who I was before. I don't know if you've had any kind of similar struggle. The other one that was hard was when people would ask me, "How was the mission?" I'm sure you get that with people asking you how the Peace Corps was, and it's such an impossibly large question...
Anyway, to answer some of your questions on my blog:
-yes, you can bring in a laptop and type (one-handed) while donating plasma. I usually just bring a book to read, but a lot of people bring laptops or just watch the movies they always have going.
-yes, I loved the part about how the four hobbits took back The Shire at the end of the trilogy. So cool! I'm way excited for The Hobbit to come out now that I've read it and the others.
-Teaching is ridiculously hard work, but I'll make it through.
Thanks for all your love and support :) Glad that you're back home safe!
Everything in all of these posts.. looks so amazing. I know I've said it before but it's just such a once in a lifetime experience. You're so lucky to have met all of those wonderful people!
wow! those are so many memories and experiences that you had there! what a great thing to be able to have them all written out and pictures too! we have good family friends that were missionaries in cambodia!
Ah so many amazing memories, you will never ever forget this experience.
You have so many great memories!! You'll never forget your time over there!
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