Disclaimer

This website reflects my own personal views and not that of the U.S. Government nor, more specifically, the Peace Corps.

Sunday, October 31, 2010

The External (Health) Battle

I've realized something recently.

I have had absolutely no (except for a cold that lasted a day) internal health struggles. Yup. That's right. I haven't had diarrhea, a fever, or Dengue Fever. What an immune system! However, what I haven't had much luck with is the external health battle.

- bug-bite turned infection on my ankle (which gave me considerable trouble walking)
- falling off of my bike before even getting to training
- cutting myself with glass (notice these two would probably happen anywhere)
- contact skin dermatitis from strange plants on my left eyelid (not fun)
- contact skin dermatitis from strange plants on my right arm
- etc...

Some of you could just agree that I'm a clutz and physical injuries are bound to happen to me, but I swear, my skin just doesn't like this country (or DEET).

Hopefully my body will grow used to this place and then again, maybe not.

Talk to you soon,
Garrett

p.s. I just potentially found a temporary tutor. Whoo! I will be happy to have an actual tutor rather than relying on myself as I have the past 5 weeks.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Power

So, I'm sitting on my bed, charging my iPod, listening to iTunes and am connected to the internet. How? Because I have power once again to my computer. I can't explain how happy I am to have the ability to chat on Skype for more than an hour and fifteen once every week or two. Awesome! Thanks fam. It is well appreciated. Now, I just need to look for a surge protector...

So, what's new. Well, my town definitely flooded. I had to walk calf deep in water to get water to fill my filter and watched families walk waist deep to get to their homes. Did I say this already? I don't really remember and am too lazy to go back and check. Anyhow, after about a week and a half, I can take a shower and not immediately dirty myself with gross stagnant rain/dirt/fish water. I had fish swimming in the back of my house...

Things at the health center are going well. There seems to only have been one case of Malaria and no cases of Dengue over the last year, so, it appears doing a guppy farm and mosquito-prevention workshops close to my house are out of the question. 20k bike rides, here I come. Basically, how this works, is I have to order giant jars for water, and travel 80k to a buddy's site to get 20 fish in a bag...odd, right? Then, I put them in a few ginormous jars of water and wait for them to get at it. Within weeks? months? I'll have hundreds of little mosquito-eating fish. This is just an idea, but it's one method of killing off mosquitos that like to breed in the stagnant water in peoples' homes in Cambodia, and other mosquito infested countries for that matter.

Okay, my fingers are tired... perhaps another blog soon. Hopefully I can load some photos of my previously flooded home soon.

Talk to you later,
Garrett

Monday, October 18, 2010

Chatting with America

So, I got to Skype with Kim and Michael (and see Erica and Marcos?) today. Definitely the highlight of my week, seeing as the back half of my house did actually flood, a lot. I went to fetch water for my filter...thigh high! Anyhow, it's nice to see missed faces and know I'll be seeing them again 8 weeks from Thursday. I wish upon my laptop charger to get here faster. As my friend, Julie pointed out,--and as it's true, it's worth noting-- it's been a good experience living without my laptop for the past 3 months. I learned that I can read a lot more than one should in one day, for me at least, and there are other forms of entertainment, like watching the fish swim in your flooded back portion of your home. But, come the time I get my charger in (thanks fam), I'll be very glad to continue my Bond marathon, the other bagillion movies I now own (thanks again fam) and start House and Battlestar Gallactica.

Anyhow, life is good. Life is wet, but good. It didn't rain yesterday or today (knock on wood) thankfully, so we'll see how that continues. November is inching its way in which means Battambang, friends, Thanksgiving...all at once!

Hope things are well. Talk to you soon,
Garrett

p.s. I know what you're thinkin': 'Garrett, how can you claim to say you've learned an experience of living without technology while you seem to post something once-twice a week?' You're right. I probably should be holding my tongue, but lets face it. I enjoy communicating with people. I'm checking my peace corps phone: sent txts: 1602 received: 1464

Sunday, October 17, 2010

News of the World

So, you really don't have much to do on a lazy Sunday when it's constantly raining. So, I cashed in and went for another day's worth of internet usage. So here are some important things happening around the world:

-G20 Summit in Seoul

-Several cases of miners dying or being trapped in China, Ecuador, and Chile.

-The 'energetic' Iranian president's trip to Lebanon and his 'impassioned' choice of words against Israel.

-al Queda being pesky and needing vasts amount of unnecessary attention

-Hundreds of thousands of classified documents about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan leaked online

-Serbia continuing not to recognize the independance of Kosovo. Oh, the Balkans. Such strides for freedom, yet many countries stubborn and unwilling. I should know. I'm part Turkish.

Well, that's about it. Hope things are going better in your life than the mining conditions around the world. I hope these events mark some sort of change in standards of working conditions.

Seriously...69 days of living that far underground? Some serious human strength, courage, and endurance.

Talk to you later,
Garrett

Friday, October 15, 2010

Rain and Gorillaz

I think some houses in my village may completely flood if this rain keeps up.

Pay no mind to me or my house though. I'm on level with the road. However, there's not much to say or do for the houses down slope. One of the houses that I normally pass by going to work is normally rather...dry? Yeah, no. Not anymore. I think if this 17-24hr rain keeps up, they might need a boat to get home. No joke. It's a good thing their house is on stilts.

I, however, have a large plastic basin and my water filter pot catching a continual three drops of rain from my ceiling. My friend, Phanna, is going to help me with that this weekend, as that involves going onto the roof of my room/studio/complex thing.

The title says Gorillaz, and that's because I've been listening to the collection on shuffle. Good choice of developing country rain music. I think that should be a new genre. What do you think? I'm listening to 'Spitting out the Demons' from the 'Feel Good Inc EP.'


P.s. Has anyone been following the Iranian president and his visit to Lebanon? ...yeah. I don't think I need to say anything to get my opinion across on him.

Hope all is well
Talk to you soon,
Garrett

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Things I Would Be Embarassed to Like in the United States, but Somehow, Now, Get Giddy About When I'm in Cambodia

1. Justin Beiber (sp?) - yeah, I know... but when "Baby" comes on MyTV or at a dance club, I just feel no inhibition to just blurt out the lyrics at the top of my lungs.

Okay, maybe that's the one thing, but there are so many things that just go underappreciated in the world.

1. Good Nail-Clippers
2. Quality soap without bleach-like whitening chemicals
3. Conditioner
4. Micro-fiber eyeglasses cloth
5. Mattresses
6. Food other than rice
7. Shaving cream
8. Driving...
9. Hugs/Friends
10. Unlimited texts/calling plans

oh..

11. amoebic-dysentary-free ice

Yup, so this is just a small list of things that you never really appreciate until you don't have access to the good sh...good stuff.

oh,

12. Good Loufas

Saturday, October 2, 2010

What Site is Like the First Week.

Here it goes - So, I arrive around 5:00p a week ago, today, and am shown to my room, which interestingly enough is bigger and nicer than my room during training. I have a bed, a desk AND a chair. Pretty shnazzy. It fits all my stuff nicely, and I sleep well. So, here's my typical day thus far: I wake up around 5:00a, promptly to fall back asleep hitting the snooze button on my phone at least three or four more times before actually getting out me bed around 5:40a. I put on some shorts, stretch, and go for a 2 mi. run, which I don't get stared at as much for anymore, now that I've established it as a routine and it's not so weird to see the foreigner run and not seem to be running AWAY from anything. Needless to say, people don't run for exercise here. Anyhow, when I get back, I take a bucket shower, get dressed in slacks and a polo or dress shirt and head to my breakfast lady (yup, i've established that, now), then, to the health center, about 2k away, where I observe (what I'll be doing for the first 3 months) from 7:30a - 11:30a. It's usually pretty slow, so on down time the staff will teach me new words or how to write Khmer...I can write 'village address,' now. After work, I'll ride home, take another bucket shower, change, then head off to have the most delicious tomatoes I've had on this Earth (I think I can rightfully say that, now.). I know, Garrett likes tomatoes?! You need to taste these... Anyhow, after lunch, I'll head to the market, maybe buy a thing or two I still need (i.e. plastic basins for washing my clothes and a stool), and introduce myself to the merchants/villagers. Around 2p, I've exhausted my ability to speak Khmer understandably, and will head home. There, I'll read for about four hours, watch a movie or go on the internet (twice a week). However the latter won't be happening until I find a replacement for my charger. Seriously, after getting my internet set-up on my laptop finally, and testing out that I can Skype WELL in rural Cambodia, my laptop charger blows a fuse. What are the odds. Hopefully, I'll have found a solution in a week's time. Anyhow, around 6:30p my family?/cook?/not really sure how she's related will make dinner for me. I'll chat for about half an hour, then it's back to reading or a movie...again, when that's an option. Around 9:00p I duck out 'til the following day begins. Well, that's about an average day so far. It's amazing how much free-time I have here. Another PCV friend who's been here a year told me not to worry about it so much, and that there first three months are really just to observe and learn how to survive on your own. So, here I am, surviving. On a side note me attrition, my buddy, James left at the beginning of the week for his own reasons. I'll miss him for sure, but look forward to seeing him in December when I'm back for a good 10 days. A few others left. We started, technically, with 55 and now, we're down to 48. Amazing how that's happened. Hope things are well. Talk to you soon, Garrett.