Life Now in PP

So a few might be wondering what our life is like in PP now. As a review, here is how we spent the last few months: volunteering at an NGO teaching English, spending lots of time with good friends we've made during volunteering, drinking, enjoying life, teaching a month-long course (Conan), taking a month off (me).

Now, though, things have changed a bit. As for me, I am now teaching yoga quite a few times a week and enjoying these few months of working on myself physically and mentally. Also, I have initiated another month-long "one a day," and this month is meditation. I've been pretty successful at it (only missed two days: sick one and spaced the other), and I'm also working on another, more private, 100 day goal. This idea was inspired by a couple of websites I came across, and I thought "why the hell not?" If you're interested, here they are:

Advanced Life Skills

100 Projects

As for Conan, he is devoting the next few months to something he has always wanted to carve the time out to do--write. So far, he has been pretty successful, publishing an article (and another on the way), as well as working on his book. He's also been enjoying working out and cooking us all very good meals. If you haven't read it already and are interested, here is a link to his most recent article:

Conan's Article

Lastly, Sila. Well, life hasn't changed much for him. He is still going to school and will continue to do so until the end of March. One big thing that has changed is his room. We got rid of his bed and now he sleeps in a tent that Santa brought for him. Needless to say, he is stoked. I've included pictures for you to get a visual of the coolest room ever.

Christmas, New Year's, and Weirdest Place Ever

Christmas has come and gone, and overall, it was a really good day. Santa came, as expected, so it was a good thing we left some cookies and carrots (for the reindeer), as well as some dinosaurs to keep guard. 

Sila was excited to open his many gifts: a cool snake puzzle, dinosaurs, and t-shirts from MooMoo; a few DVDs, action figurines, and an excavator truck from Santa; and books and clothes from mom and dad. 

For New Year's we decided to take a little reprieve from the city and go visit a rare place in Cambodia: wooded land. For more reading on deforestation in Cambodia, click here: http://www.wildlifealliance.org/page/view/71/forests

The place? Kirirom National Forest. So we hopped on a bus and took off.

A few short hours in, the driver indicated we were to get off. Sila decided to puke about five minutes before, so as Conan was scooping puke from the seat and putting it into Sila's blanket, I was grabbing all our stuff and frantically getting off the bus. Thankfully, once we got off, we had an audience of about ten Khmers, observing our every move. Stripping Sila and putting new clothes on him? Yup, they were there. Conan wrapping all clothes and puke into the blanket? Yup, Khmers. 

Finally with a smile and a sigh, we were ready to hop on two motorbikes and head down a road to the Kirirom Hillside Resort, which boasted horseback riding, spa/sauna, fitness center, pool, dinosaur park, zoo, fishing, kayaking...all for a cool $50 a night. 

When we got there...well...it was Cambodian fabulous, as we like to say. 

First, let me diverge: "fabulous" to us means the epitome of a culture's most kitschy things. This term first came up as we were living in Tennessee came across many people who were, well, Tennessee fabulous. 

Oh, there were dinosaurs and parks and pools and a spa/sauna (but you had to tell someone when you wanted to go in so they could turn it on), as well as a zoo and other the other "fabulous" items boasted on the website. Was it all in functional quality? Not really. Was there ANYONE else at the resort? Nope. Was it weird? Yup. Was it the weirdest place we have ever been? Yup.

 

 

 

 

 

Despite it being slightly creepy and everything being a bit defunct and Sila puking every other day and me puking and the other thing for six straight hours and being bedridden for over a day, we had a good time but decided to call it quits a bit early and head back to PP. Ah, PP. There is no place like home....except America. 

So there you go. I'll leave you with a few more pictures (of Sila, of course). Hope all is well with everyone, and if you're still with me because this is the longest blog post ever, then much love to you!

 

A Different Vibe in PP

This post was going to be about Christmas, New Year, and perhaps the weirdest place I have ever been, but I have decided to hold off on that update due to the current situation in Phnom Penh.

Overall, PP is safe for us. Our neighborhood is far away from Freedom Park, the Capital, and the main protest area. The vibe, however, has changed a bit. There are a lot of armed military, carrying very large guns, standing on various corners, and driving throughout the city, and people everywhere are watching the TV and listening to the radio. We don't need to know the language to know what they're watching. Their faces tell it all.

Normally, I'm not easily shaken, but when I was interviewing potential new students for CWF and asked about a problem in Cambodia, most replied "corruption." Corruption with the police, corruption with business, corruption with education.

Now the corruption turns to garment workers and their wages. This is a local Cambodian issue that has worldwide effects. Because you know who buys this stuff? We do. Nike, Puma, H & M, Gap. Yup. We're probably guilty of shopping here. Yes, we hear about the factory workers, getting low wages and working in poor conditions, but does it really hit home? Not really. I know it didn't for me until right now.

I don't want to worry anyone, but I do want to raise awareness and let you know that the vibe has changed. Hopefully it will go back to smiles on the street and a vanishing of automatic weapons near the playground.

Until then, we'll be safe (we promise) and leave if the embassy tells us to leave. We don't expect it to come to that, but I don't know where this is going. Things are never good when you have a mass amount of people who have nothing to lose plus corrupt government. Only time will tell.

I promise my next post--planned to be in the next few days--will update you all on the holidays and what's in store for us next. Until then, keep an ear and eye open to the news and think about the message it sends when you buy something.

It's Christmas Once Again in....Phnom Penh

One day, during a family nap, we awoke to a Christmas tree on our wall! The only logical explanation was that Santa's elves came and made this for us since they knew that buying a Christmas tree probably wasn't an option this year.

So the Griffin family reveled in this magical creation for a few days until we decided we must decorate it. Out came the scissors, the construction paper, paint, and the glue. 

Papa Griffin really helped in making it special, complete with a dolphin jumping out of the water, a fish, school bus, airplane, and dinosaur. We each decorated a few Christmas bulbs, and if you look closely enough (and you're a pretty good friend), you might just see your state represented.

Surprisingly, this Christmas tree hasn't been our worst. In fact, it might be one of the best! The tree reminds us of home, and we had a lot of fun decorating it as a family.

In addition to a BIG thanks to Santa's elves, we also want to thank YouTube for putting on continuous Christmas music "channels," which fills our home full of Christmas cheer!

 

 

More Vulnerability...

So here I am, four months into living in Cambodia, and it's happening again: increased sense of vulnerability. I thought I had it all down: riding motos like a pro, speaking a bit of the language, and smiling at all the people. But now I've bought a bike. As I write this, it seems silly. Yes, I am anxious about riding a bicycle in Phnom Penh.

Now I know my CWF volunteer friends will laugh because they have been doing this for months now, and I've been riding a moto to and from work. Most would probably argue that riding a moto is far more dangerous than riding a bike, which I probably agree with. But that doesn't change the fact that riding a bike is something new for me, new terrain of my ever-present anxiety to master.

I've hopped on my bike a few times and have been successful, but much like what I mention in a previous post entitled "Vulnerability," I find excuses not to ride it. Not to go out. Writing this blog, for example, is another way to avoid hopping on the bike and exploring PP in a different way.

But what I'll do--eventually--is look back and laugh at this post. I'll recognize it's my same pattern of fearing the unknown and pat myself on the back for overcoming it.

What I would eventually like to get to is not having to look back and laugh. Instead, I want to be laughing with every new thing that comes my way, unaware of the "what ifs" that might be. If you know what I'm talking about, then you also know how hard it is to do this. For now, I'll keep pushing--or pedaling--forward, hoping one day every new thing in my life is met with a sense of exploration and wonder.

Why do I love Cambodia?

Surprisingly, this is a very hard question to answer. Of course, there are the beautiful beaches and the unparalleled Angkor Wat and surrounding temples to consider, but that's not it.

I even try to grapple with the answer as I walk or moto through Phnom Penh--a bustling city but nothing like New York or Paris or Madrid.

So what is it? Well, I think it's the people. And the smells. And the sunshine. And the warmth--from the sun and from the people. And the breeze. And the ease of getting around. It's all of these things.

First, the people. I am currently assisting with testing new students for CWF's next semester, and there is one question I ask potential level 4 or higher students: "If you had $1000 what would you do with it?" The question, a simple one that gauges a student's ability to speak English with a bit of depth, is my favorite to ask because of all the answers I receive.

But if you're reading this, then you probably have spent a $1000 on useless shit: a TV, a phone (gasp!), or something else of the like. And if you're reading this, then you're probably thinking that $1000 is nothing. I know that I would need a dollar figure much higher to really stop and think about how my life would change with such a gift.

Yes, some students' answers range from a new car to a new laptop, but most respond with a sigh, a glint of hope in their eyes, and talk about how they would give their parents money, or open a business, pay for school, study English more, start a NGO where they would help street kids or the elderly, pay for books. And they're so many more answers where I see their hearts open, their hopes soar, and their voices crackle with the potential to have their lives changed.

This is why I love Cambodia. It's the people and their answers. It's the perspective they give me that encourages me to be a better person and to value what I have. It's the smiles I see on their faces as they look at me. It's the constant love and attention they give to Sila because he is a person they feel as if they can connect with, someone who isn't entirely lost to the Western life and who would probably scoff at such a question if he were 10 years older.

It's also the weather. Anyone who knows me knows how much I love sunshine and warmth and maybe a slight breeze and rain. Thankfully, Cambodia has all of this right now, which reminds me of home but yet makes me feel at home.

So there you go. Cambodia, I love you so.

Thanksgiving and Endings

Our second major holiday in Cambodia was...well...a success, I suppose. Yes, we had a proper Thanksgiving dinner, and yes, we were able to be together as a family.

Was it large and full of friends and family? No. Did we have the day off from teaching? No. So that's why it was a doubtful success. Regardless, we made it the best and tried not to focus too much on the fact that we weren't at home and that we miss everyone so freaking much.

I know you're all wondering about Thanksgiving dinner, so I'll include some pictures to give you a visual. Surprisingly, the restaurant did a great job trying to recreate a traditional, American meal. We were pleased, and it was great to eat ourselves into a food-induced coma.

For the second part of my blog posting entitled "Endings," Conan and I are trying not to get too swept up into the homesickness that all the goodbyes have created.

Our semester teaching at CWF has come to an end, and while we're staying, all of the good friends we've made here in Cambodia are leaving...heading home...spending Christmas and New Year's with friends and family...living the comfortable Western life. Sigh.

Don't get me wrong: we really do love our time here in Cambodia and Cambodia itself. It's truly an amazing country, but damn would we love to see our friends and family right now. It is what it is, though, and we have another three to four months left here before we head to Vietnam.

I will leave you with a few pictures from my class party and pictures of the four most amazing people we had a chance to know and who have now left us. I'm sure you're all sick of seeing pictures of them, so this is the last time, unless, of course, they come back to visit!