Disclaimer

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

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Where I'll be Vacationing to in April

I might not update for a couple of weeks (that's never happened...), because I'll be on vacation for 11 days! I'll try to update while I'm there if I have internet access, however, I think I'll be focusing on being on vacation rather than writing blog posts, sorry.

However, here is an itinerary of our trip:

April 9th-16th: Laos -
We'll (4 of us) be starting our trip by traveling to the top of Laos. For those of you who do not know, Laos is the country situated directly above Cambodia and between Thailand and Vietnam. We'll hopefully get to Long Pro Bong and Vientiane (capitol), then work our way down south, hopefully capitalizing on tubing down the Mekong River. These are all tentative plans, but I'll be sure to blog about each spot we get to (including the very long intermittent train/bus rides.

April 17th-19th: Ratanakiri, Cambodia -
For the last three days of the trip, we're hoping to explore the northeastern most province in Cambodia, Ratanakiri. Ratanakiri is known for is highly forested areas with waterfalls, a lake, and most importantly, elephants! I'm not really sure exactly what we'll do and how we'll do it, but that'll probably be the plan and mindset for most of the trip; that is, we're winging it. Well, that's about as much as I know and can blog about at this time, but I'm excited to relate all of the fun and interesting adventures to come when I (and we) get there. Talk to you soon, Garrett

Playing Basketball Against Khmer and Philippino Guys

So, you think being 6' 0" would give you an advantage, if not total dominance, over Asian men averaging 5' 7"/5' 8". Well, I was certainly wrong about that. Now, given, I haven't played basketball in a very, very long time, however, I'd like to think of myself as fairly apt at sports in the most mediocre sense. These guys were quick. Some of them seemed to exhaust themselves as quickly as I did, but some of them I had to give at least three feet while guarding or else, wait...oh no! Where'd he go?! Damn...easy bucket. I'd like to pride myself on my (one) tip shot made, but I think my use was primarily in rebounding. Needless to say, I need a little practice on my b-ball skills. I don't often get to interact competitively in this country, as volleyball is much more prevalent in my town than is soccer, so playing a fast-paced game (volleyball, not so much, though I do play that at site) here was such a pleasant experience. I'm hoping I will get to do this more often while I'm here. I'm realistic and understand this won't come often considering there is no basketball where I live, but I'm looking forward to the times that I do get to play the game. Speaking of basketball. I obviously can't view any games at my site considering the speed of the internet here, however, I just realized that all the games were actually on the radio! Where have I been?! Needless to say, I'll be listening and "watching" to the Final Four and National Championship games this upcoming weekend.

Talk to you soon,
Garrett

Friday, March 25, 2011

How to Wash Your Clothes in a Developing Country

Some more doing of nothing:
Well, actually, doing this takes quite the bit of energy and effort to accomplish, not to mention time. What do I speak of? Laundry. That's right. Laundry.

Now, yes, it is true: if you have a lot of money, you could do your laundry with a washing machine. The interesting thing, though is that I have yet to see any dryers for sale.

Anyhow, to the point:

(Optional) Step 1: Fill a plastic (or iron) basin with water and clothers. Soak and rinse.
Step 1: Fill large plastic (or iron) basin with laundry detergent and water.
Step 2: Fill another plastic (or iron) basin with water.
Step 3: Rub t-shirts and light cloth materials with bare hands.
Scrub collared shirts (inside and out)
Scrub slacks (inside and out)
Step 4: Wring each piece of clothing of its water and soak in basin readied with water.
Step 5: Wash out soapy/dirty water of basin no. 1, and then refill. Add fabric softener.
Note: without fabric softener, your clothes really do stiffen and smell not so great.
Step 6: Soak clothes in fabric softener
Step 7: Let soak for 30 min - overnight (dependant on preference. I typically soak for 1 1/2 hrs)
Step 8: Wring out clothes into dry basin
Step 9: Hang clothes to dry for
(Optional) Step 10: Ride your bike really quickly back home to retrieve your clothes as it rains
Note: As you live in Cambodia, you develop a 6th sense for when it's gonna
rain.

This process can take anywhere from 30min to 3 hours. (Just the washing part) It really depends on how many items you are washing and more importantly, what kind of clothes you are washing. Slacks take longer than t-shirts. I usually like to do laundry every other day, that way I don't have to spend hours doing it. I've recently gained a habit of bringing my iPod with me into the bathroom or outside (where I do laundry) and listen to NPR; it makes the time fly.

Well, there you go. There is washing your clothes in a nutshell.

Talk to you soon,
Garrett

Sitting and Doing Nothing is Great

Lately, it's been surprisingly a lot cooler than all of us have expected it to get. This is typically the time of year where it really begins to heat up (with its peak in April/May), but the weather has spoken differently. Tonight for dinner, my host mother served bai cha (fried rice) with tomatoes (red ones!), onions, beef, and cucumbers. It was pretty good. Afterwards, I just sat with her and chatted for about 20 min. It was nice. There was a cool breeze, a beautiful sunset, and no (I repeat: no) monks and recorded (poorly performed) music blaring over the PA for all to witness; it was relaxing. After that, I watched my highly anticipated Sports Center clip (4:27 seconds long) that had been downloading for a good hour and a half and now, I'm here typing.

Talk to you soon,
Garrett

Monday, March 21, 2011

...

Someone was referred to this blog by searching "How to make basketball cookies."

The Dentist in Cambodia

So, no one really likes going to the dentist, right? Even though your teeth feel great afterwards?

Well, it's the same here. Peace Corps Volunteers are required to get their teeth cleaned and checked twice during their service: once at the mid-point and once right before leaving the country. Our set date for dental cleanings and check-ups are set for our MST in mid-late May. However, since Taylor and I were in Phnom Penh, Joanne (our Peace Corps Medical Officer [PCMO]) asked us if we "would like to get it over with" the following day. You know, that's not the exact phrasing I was really hoping to hear. You don't want to hear that when talking about going to the dentist, so you sure don't want to hear that when going to the dentist in a developing country.

So, the following day, there I was in the lobby waiting to get my teeth cleaned. They called me in, and I walked into a room, very much like a dentist's office in the United States (kinda), with a desk and the "recliner" where all the horr...magic happens. They had pretty much the same tools and assistants and certified dentists to go along with them. They were a little less than gentle, but all in all, it wasn't really that bad. I tried to speak to them in Khmer to make the air a little less awkward (as being in the dentist chair is a very intimate situation), but then the assistant started explaining, what I could only assume to be, about what was going on with my teeth. I had no idea what he was saying. I head the word "teeth" and "good", so that's all that really matters, right?

Now, do not be fooled! This situation is something only well-taken-care-of Peace Corps volunteers and rich people in Phnom Penh have the luxury of experiencing. Most oftnen, people go to local dentists, that set up shop in a not-so-structurally-stable wooden building with a picture of someone's not-so-structurally-stable set of teeth and gums outside on a sign. A good amount of these "dentists" are not certified by the royal government. It is not uncommon for a place like this to get shut down. However, the royal government does not often come into small villages, so it's very possible for it to continue. Let's just say, I'm glad I'm not having my teeth cleaned by the local dentist.

Talk to you soon,
Garrett

Getting Stuff Done Feels Great, and So Does Dry Ginger Ale

This past weekend, I was in Phnom Penh with a couple of key people working on the health manual. It's amazing how much work we really got done in light of feeling like we weren't really doing much of anything. As we sat in the Peace Corps office, sending documents back and forth to each other's edits, amendment, additions, and deletions, we really just felt like we were hanging out, but before we knew it (on Friday), it was already verging on 4:00p or 5:00p. We had started at around 9:30a. The next morning, we met around 8:00a, and by the time we called it a weekend. We had edited most of the document and made the changes we were able to accomplish in the time we allotted ourselves. By around 12:00p or 1:00p on Sunday, the footers and page numbers were added as well as plenty of additional material. A lot of the volunteers are putting in plenty of hard work on this resource, and I think it will pay off in the end. I guess, the true test will be to see how the K5s see in its usefulness within 6 months of them being at site. At that point we can really begin to forge it into a more final resource. The rough draft is complete minus some missing materials and it will go to the printers at the beginning of May just in time for Mid-Service Training (MST) at middle-end of the same month.

While in Phnom Penh, I went to Lucky (a supermarket that has everything (most everything) you could ever ask for while in Cambodia (at least most everything you could ever ask for while in Cambodia for 8 months). So, I found what I can't find here and brought it back to my site to keep me happy. That sacred item: Schweppes Dry Ginger Ale. It is probably the greatest gift to mankind, at least, it is to me at the time being. To add to the happiness and excitement, when I got back home from the weekend, I walked into my bathroom and the cistern not only was completely full, but had been completely drained and swept beforehand. I had been asking my family to clean it for months, telling them how much cleaner they will feel without dirt in their water. I think it paid off. At least, I feel cleaner. One more person feeling cleaner is better than none.

Hope all is well, and
Talk to you soon,
Garrett

p.s. Go Cats! Bear Down and Beat the Duke University Blue Devils!

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Making a Bracket and Sticking to It!

Yesterday, I decided (obviously) to fill out a bracket for the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. I did. I filled out two on ESPN.com and two on Facebook...(.com). I was content. A few brackets, but I really only had one true bracket, like most people do, right? But then, I made the mistake of not turning off the internet on my phone last night. So, I paid the $0.70 for the day's usage. Why waste it?

I started off by reading and ignoring the internet. I was going to bypass it for awhile and wait until it got later at night to check Facebook(.com) and my email. I read for a good three hours, and then I thought What the heck?! I'll just check it really quick. Really quick, huh?! I'm still on it... In the midst of my internet haze, I filled out five more brackets on ESPN.com and one more on Facebook(.com). What could all of this be?! This is blasphemous. I know I have the availability of making 13 brackets using both websites, but I think I was just creating brackets just for the sake of covering all possibilities. It's kind of cheating, and we all know it. Stick to one. (For the people in my bracket pool. Yes. I know. I have two, but that's because I accidentally created the pool with the one I didn't want to use. #4 is the real one!) phew...had to clear that up. Well, I thought I was losing touch with the physical world. Normally, I would have printed out a bracket, started to fill it out in pencil, and then eventually finalize it with ink. So, I did just (kinda) that. I got out my notebook and by hand, made my own bracket and filled it out. This is my one bracket. It's something I can physically hold, and that's something not to lose mind of. It's something I will have to remember when I move back to the United States and have things at the whim of the electronic world.

1st Round Upsets:

East
(9)Villanova over (8)George Mason
Southwest
(9)Illinois over (8) UNLV
(12) Richmond over (5) Vanderbilt
(11*) USC over (6) Georgetown
(10) Florida St. over (7) Texas A&M
West
(9) Tennessee over (8) Michigan
(13) Oakland over (4) Texas (50/50)
Southeast
(9) Old Dominion over (8) Butler
(13) Belmont over (4) Wisconsin (I might have said it the other way had you not lost 33-36 to Penn St.)

*USC still has to play a game in the 1st round

My thoughts: I know I have a lot of upsets for the first round. But really, this year, anything from a 4 seed to a 13 seed is basically in the same pool. The only teams that appear consistent are 1-3 seeds(and that's a maybe on the 3 seeds) and 14-16 seeds. I also just noticed that I give no love to the 8 seeds.

Anyhow, the point of all of this is that I think I apprear disillusioned by the internet, hoping that through its capacity, it will offer me something new after I've exhausted all of it usefulness to me (which usually happens in the span of about 30 min). I'm still on the internet. I'm going to go read.

Hope all is well, and
Talk to you soon,
Garrett

Monday, March 14, 2011

Kids will be Kids

So, I was just relaxing in my room half working/half watching The Sopranos. I has my windows mostly open and the fan blasting, because otherwise it feels like a sauna in here. After about a minute and a half of giggling, I notice in my peripherals a seven year-old boy with his five year-old sister just staring. Their eyes are just barely on the horizon of the window sill, and the older one pops up and says, "Susadye!", then immediately pops back down giggling furiously. I ignore it at first, but then they both do it not quite simultaneously. So, I responded, "Susadye. Soksabye awt?" (How are you?) They just giggled and said again, "Susadye!" (Persist giggling). "Can I help you?" (in Khmer). They just stay there, half crouched, staring. No response. Then, "Susadye!" Ughh...okay, I'll play along. So, I make some funny face. The kid pops down under the sill, so I sneak up to the window, and when I see him confused why there's no one in there in th..."AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" They both run. So, I go back to my bed to continue being semi-quasi-kinda productive. Wait for it. Wait for it. Wait fo..."Susadye!" Okay, alright. Seriously. I close the one window, but leave the other open so as not to melt. I hear shuffling. Damn, they're running to the other window. By the time I get back to my bed... "Susadye."

Is it partly because I'm the foreigner living in their...their home? (I'm not really sure where they live. They've been here for about six days. Cambodian people have a tendency to "come out of the woodwork") Anyhow, the answer is yes. But, is that any different than some curious (and slightly obnoxious, but kinda cute) American kid with a stranger living in their homes? Well, yeah, a little, because America is a melting pot, and if you're not Chinese or Cambodian, you look strange. But, it's pretty much the same.

Talk to you soon,
Garrett

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Seriously, Who Would Pay for Such Awful Internet Service?!

I'm not upset. Was I a little discouraged at the time? Yes.

What happened?

I put $10 on my Metfone (IST) phone. First off, $10 is a LOT to buy for my phone at any one time. To give you an idea. I get online as often as I do (twice a week) for $6/month. I decided I wanted to have 3G (I currently use 2G/GPRS [i.e. crappy internet]) so I could stream the Pac-10 Tournament games (which conveniently enough were not being streamed anywhere online). So, I just got on the internet and did what I would normally do. I purchased the 3G for a week: $6 for access for the week and the first 700MB free; after that it's $0.003/100KB. So, you would think. Oh, that's not so bad. I had $13.35 on my phone before charging anything. I was fine for the first day. 20 minutes into day two, I ran out of money. I want to curse, but I'll refrain. Anyhow, I put another $5 on my phone, which should last me for the next month. I'm currently on my all day all access pass for $0.70 for the day.

Seriously, why in the world should internet cost that much here?! This was the best option for me for using it just for the weekend (or so I thought), too. The worst part: the 3G where I am is not all that much better than the 2G/GPRS.

Talk to you soon,
Garrett

Relaxation in Cambodia is Coffee/Tea a Hammock and a Chess Board

So, I've been trying to think of more interesting aspects of Cambodian culture that I just pass over lightly (often because I'm taking part in them). And, of course, it came to me. What do Cambodians do more often than not? Nothing.

So, in Peace Corps, there is what is called the PACA Manual. I can't remember what it stands for but the words "Assessment" and "Community" are probably one of those "A"s and the "C". In it, part of the "Community Assessment" is to see what your community schedule looks like. "Hammock time" ranked amongst the most highly involved in and participated activities in the community. So, more often than not, you'll see some Cambodian men drinking their iced or hot coffee playing a game of "chess" that I can't quite comprehend. The pieces don't all move the same, and the rules are slightly different. To be honest, I don't like it! I'm very conservative when it comes to that game. Or, you might find some men and/or women drinking hot or iced tea just relaxing and chatting/sleeping away in a hammock somewhere.

In Cambodia, doing much of nothing really is integrating. It's nice.

Talk to you soon,
Garrett

Basketball and Girl Scout Cookies Make Life Better

Girl Scout Cookies:

There's no trickiness or intellect when it comes to this title. It's just the plain and simple truth. I received three boxes of Girl Scot cookies in the mail from my parents about a week ago (thank you. thank you. thank you.), including tagalongs (the best), samoas, and thin mints. When I got back home I put all three boxes in the refrigerator. Yes. My host mother owns a refrigerator. Is this common? Absolutely not. Anyhow, later that night, I cracked open the Tagalongs and sunk my teeth slowly through the thin, outerlayer of chocolate, then savoring the thick, second layer of delicious, creamy peanut butter until finally hitting the cruncy cookie center. I ate the first two rows before deciding that I should save the last two (rows) for the following day. You're probably thinking, "Hey, Garrett! Wait! Tagalongs only have three rows of delicious peanut butter chocolate cookies." By Jove, you're right! There are only three rows. I guess I should have just gone ahead and eaten the last row. To few to put back. And, that's just what I did.

Basketball:

I won't lie. There's nothing quite like devoting a good seven hours to just following basketball scores while reading up on the news. Unfortunately, when you're in the midst of an exciting set of NCAA conference tournaments, it makes going to bed so difficult, because all you can think about is the results of the subsequent days (especially when the Pac-10 Championship hangs on the line for your alma mater). Anyhow, I've had quite a pleasure of following some rather exciting close games (Arizona v USC, UNC v Miami, Louisville v ND, SDSU v UNLV) as well as some rather close, yet very unexciting, slow paced games (Penn St. v Wis). Seriously...36-33? I'll be, obviously, rooting for the Wildcats in what seems will be a very tough, exciting game against the Washington Huskies. Neither of these two teams need to win in order to secure their spot in the Big Dance (NCAA Men's BBall Tournament), so it's all about pride, revenge, showmanship, and determination. Selection Sunday is, well, on Sunday, so I'll be at work hoping for a high seeding for Arizona.

Hope all is well, and
Talk to you soon,
Garrett