Reflections

          As our time in Cambodia comes to an end, we have taken time to reflect on our year in this amazing country. At one of the many going away parties that our friends, colleagues, and students have thrown us, we were asked to answer some questions about our time here. Our friend Soma, who has worked as a radio host had some great questions for us as did our other friends Leana, Sophia, and Arlene. I’d like to take a moment to answer these questions, as many of our other friends and relatives are interested in knowing as well.

1.      What was our favorite moment over the past year?

Keith and I both agreed that our trip to Kampong Tom was by far the most amazing experience in Cambodia. We have made so many great memories, but for both of us, the opportunity to really connect with our adopted family had the greatest impact.

2.      What was the worst moment?

Again, we agreed on this answer. The first month was really stressful, because the management at our school made our schedules a living nightmare. We didn’t know if we actually were going to be able to stay, because we didn’t have jobs for the first few weeks even after being in contact with the administration for over 7 months.

3.      What was the funniest moment?

Chantelle- for me it was when our Khmer students asked us how to use shaving cream. We had donated some of our left over toiletries to the students who lived in the dorm. We assumed that they would be able to figure out how to use soap, shampoo, face wash, and shaving cream. We realized however, that they didn’t really use some of those things. They thought that you were supposed to wash your body with the shaving cream. It was so funny and innocent. I just died laughing.

Keith- for me it was when I traveled to the local fortune teller. I was quite skeptical at first, but I decided to go, because it was a once in a lifetime opportunity and my friends were encouraging me. While there, I asked if I would have any children in the future. After a close inspection of my palms, the fortune teller responded to our friends who were translating. Sophia and Leana just looked at each other and busted out laughing. I couldn’t understand what was so funny. They explained to me that the direct translation of the fortune teller was “baby making factory”! She warned me to be careful or I would end up with six kids. Chantelle was not amused.

4.      What was the scariest thing?

We both have had some run-ins with weird insects in Cambodia. One night there was a gigantic flying cockroach that came in the window and flew around the living room. No joke, it was the size of a small bird! Another day in Keith’s classroom, there was a huge spider, approximately the size of his palm. Both of these experiences left us to think about how easy it is for these creatures to come into our homes with no warning.

5.      What is our favorite restaurant?

This was a hard question to answer, because there are so many really good restaurants around town. We decided that our favorite Khmer food restaurant was Khmer Surin, but as I said there were a lot of really good meals during our stay. We will be creating a post about all of our favorite spots to add to this question.

Here are a few more questions and answers that we thought you might enjoy:

6.      What was the most shocking part?

Chantelle- the most shocking part was witnessing firsthand the corruption of the country--not only in the government, but from foreigners as well. I couldn’t get over seeing old western men with young Khmer prostitutes. Also, the fact that there is such a huge gap between the rich and poor was quite eye-opening. You can see Range Rovers passing by the children who are collecting bottles for recycling or begging for money. It’s just very unfair and so sad

Keith- I agree. In addition, it amazed me that people were so obsessed with image and didn’t hide the fact that they looked down on you. For example, we rode bicycles to save money and time, and were told by Khmer teachers and students that riding bicycles was for poor people, and that they thought it was inappropriate for us to commute in this fashion. The students were more open to the idea and actually thought that it was cool that we were helping their environment and getting exercise.

7.      What did we bring with us that we didn’t need?

Chantelle- closed toed shoes. I wore my Tom’s maybe twice this whole year because it was too hot/too dirty/ and too wet. I usually wore nicer sandals to work and while out and about instead.

Keith- long sleeved shirts. It’s so hot all the time. I also brought some waterproof boots, but they were too warm as well. I also stuck to wearing sandals and sneakers.

8.      What did we wish that we had brought?

Chantelle- first and foremost, our dog lilly. We both have missed her tremendously. Other than that, we were able to find what we needed or our family sent us care packages with items like Dunkin Donuts coffee, travel mugs, snacks, magazines, and books.

                                                                                                   

Keith- If I would have had a raincoat to begin with, our first few months would have gone more smoothly. I underestimated the rainy season, and thought that I would be too hot. Chantelle bought me one for my birthday, but that was after we had already experienced one monsoon season.

9.      What was the best/worst parts about our job?

Chantelle- The best part for me was teaching my health classes. It didn’t really feel like work, because I enjoyed enlightening my students.  My students were so sweet and for the most part hard working. They made me feel like my work was important. The worst part was frustrations with administration. After getting to know the system better it was less frustrating, but the hardest part was having a problem and not getting support from our superiors. Fortunately, this is an issue that is currently being changed.

Keith- The students were by far the best part of the job. The majority of them were very hard working, very respectful, fun, and generally were excited to learn. The worst part for me was my schedule and the inability to communicate our problems to management. I often felt like my issues were unresolved, which is part of the reason why we decided to stop after one year.

10.  When are we coming back?

This is the million dollar question. We are excited to go home and see our family and friends, but are sad to say goodbye. We have been offered promotions within the university from the president himself. We also have been offered other positions in other places. Now, we have to weigh our options and decide what is best for us for the immediate and distant future…tough choices. We will say that we most certainly plan to return to Cambodia. We do not know, however, when and for how long our next trip will be.