It's Wedding Season!

This past weekend I went to Siem Reap for what we call a “dahling”.  This Khmer word can mean many things- to go for a walk, to travel, to visit, go for a bike ride, etc.  It’s probably my favorite word in Khmer.  So this dahling was much needed because I had been at site for about a month and the wear and tear of school was getting to me.  There was a bike race and half-marathon around Angkor Wat, so many volunteers participated in that.  Everyone assumed that I was going to participate, but lazily, I decided against it.  I am not one to have regrets, but I really regret that decision.  They woke up at 5 am and biked around the temples at sunrise.  It was for a good cause too.  A few volunteers have really funny stories.  One said that she was passed up by little barefoot Khmer kids.  Some people dressed in mascot costumes and passed volunteers (imagine Benny the Bull passing you in a marathon…)  Overall though, it was a good weekend because it was an excuse for all of us to get together.  I’m at the point in my service and my life that I prefer to be around my friends and avoid the obnoxious crowds and bars.  So it was a pretty tame weekend.  The highlight included barbequing at Tyler’s house, who was a K2 volunteer and teaches at a school in Siem Reap.  His apartment complex has a grill and a pool, so we had a pretty typical American day.  I cooked some asparagus for the first time in over a year.  There is a western grocery store in Siem Reap that has almost everything, so we always stock up on our western needs there.  It is a really basic grocery store, but there are only a handful in Cambodia, so we tend to spend a lot of money there and lug back our goodies to site.  It’s called Lucky, rightly so. I bought brownie mix and baked brownies at Tyler’s house to bring back to my house.

After the feast that we cooked for Thanksgiving, my host mother asked me if I know how to cook American food.  When I said that I did, she didn’t mask her surprise too well, then asked me to cook for the family.  I have been thinking about cooking for them for a long time, but I was nervous that they would hate it but feel bad.  As Americans, we eat all different types of food and essentially what is American food?  When I think about what my family typically eats, it varies.  On Monday we could eat Italian, then Tuesday is Mexican, so on and so forth.  But in Cambodia, it’s rice with some sort of stir fry or soup.  It wasn’t that big of a deal for the volunteers that I came with to adjust to Khmer food because it’s very similar to Thai and Chinese food.  But for my students that went to America for a conference, they hated the food.  One boy only ate fruit and another said that he hated literally everything except when they ate Thai or Chinese food.  There was only one girl out of 7 students that enjoyed the food.  So, I was nervous about this, and rightly so.  I decided that spaghetti was a safe bet.  Cambodians eat noodles, but rice noodles.  They also eat a lot of vegetables, so I decided to make sure that it was more similar to something my family would eat. 

The day of, Huck asked me what he needed to buy.  I bought the noodles and Ragoo sauce in Siem Reap at Lucky.  So, Huck bought onions, green peppers, tomatoes, bread and beef.  I added a few more tomatoes, onions and garlic to the sauce(I bought one bottle of sauce for 2 pounds of pasta).  Then I put in green peppers and beef to give them something that they could identify.  The name that we gave to the pasta was “mee eettalee” which directly means “Italian noodles”.  So all day, my nephew Chun Lai kept asking about mee eettalee and my host sister was happy for the night off.  I was a nervous wreck all day that they would get sick or hate it and continue to eat it because they were too polite to say that they hated it.  Huck and I cooked it together, which was an experience because we cooked over coals, so it’s sort of difficult to control the heat.  But we managed to boil the water and prepare the sauce.  I had Huck and my host mom taste it because Cambodians tend to put sugar and MSg seasoning in everything, so I wanted to make sure that they liked it. 

When it came time to serve, we all sat down and ate the pasta, which chopsticks.  You may laugh, but it’s much easier and cleaner.  We had way too much pasta, but my host mom took care of that and took several bowls of mee eettalee to our neighbors and her friends.  My older sister came over and ate some, but she put her own special touches on it- lime, sugar and hot sauce.  To each their own.  Cambodians probably cringe that Americans cook rice in a microwave, so I guess we are even. 

The family seemed to really enjoy it, and I know this because my host mom asked me if she can buy the noodles here, because she wants to cook them for Chinese New Year in February, which is the biggest holiday in our house.  We also ate the brownies after, but I got hungry on the bus back to Battambang and shared a few, so there weren’t that many.  Next time I’m in Siem Reap though, I will bake some more.

Huck

Chun Liap, my niece

Chun Lai and Chun Liap with their mother

Not so easy

Basketti face! 

Lai

Ma eatin noodles

In the kitchen

Brownie and bread. 

Family

Tomorrow is Human Right’s Day and in celebration, I will be meeting with my counterpart for the hygiene station for lunch.  Thanks to everyone who made a donation!  I went to the bank and got the money gram, so I will give him the $450 to begin construction.  It should take about 4 days to build, and in the meantime, I will be meeting with my summer interns and our three new trainees from the orphanage to prepare the workshop.  We are meeting on Sunday and will most likely present the workshop next Sunday (December 19^th).  Because of the school schedules, it’s tricky to find a day that works for everyone, so it’s usually Sunday when I work with students.  I am really excited to get the kids their station, toothbrushes, toothpaste and soap.  It will be very interesting to see this workshop because I plan on taking a backseat and letting my two summer interns run the show.  They worked so hard over the summer and now know how to do these things, so I will be there more for guidance, and they will be the leaders.  I am really excited to see it unfold.  The station should be complete around Wednesday or Thursday, so the timing is pretty good for our workshop. 

Time is really flying and it goes by even faster when I am really busy, which is the case for this month.  I have a wedding this weekend- my host brother’s brother in law is getting married.  I would seem very distant in this relationship, but I got my invitation for both days, with my name written in English.  Last year, I just received invitations a few days before without a name because people didn’t know it.  Moving up in the world.  Next weekend is the wedding of my “ming’s daughter”.  Ming means aunt, but she isn’t a real aunt or host aunt.  I was supposed to live at her house, but due to Peace Corps requirements, I couldn’t live there, but we have maintained a friendship.  Her brother and sister in law came from Rhode Island and I met them when I went to the house for lunch this week.  They told me about their life in America, which has been really difficult, but they maintain how lucky they have been.  The wife cooks cakes and sells them at a grocery store to pay for their trips back to Cambodia.  They are both on disability because she has thyroid cancer and he had a stroke a few years ago.  They are just a testament to the Khmer work ethic and family values.  It was a different side of the Cambodian experience that was new to me.  I’m excited to hear more at the wedding.

After the back to back weddings, it will be Christmas!  The Christmas spirit is a little tough to get into when you are perpetually sweating.  It still feels like summer 2009, which is good because I think I’d be homesick if there was holiday cheer and I wasn’t at home.  There will be Canadian doctors and nurses coming from December 22 to 24.  I will be busy shuffling my family, my students and kids around my site to and from the clinic.  On Christmas Eve, the orphanage goes to church and has a little celebration that includes traditional Khmer music and dancing.  I have not been invited yet, but I am hoping to get in on that.  I joke that this is the year of the weasel because I have been sneaking into events that I probably wouldn’t have been invited to unless I was a foreigner or a Peace Corps Volunteer, such as any Cambodian ceremony, the speech by Hillary Clinton and the Embassy gala.  Cambodians are very interested in Chinese astrology.  I never knew before, I was born in the year of the rabbit, same as Huck.  My brother once was explaining this in Khmer and I was confused why he was calling himself a horse, his son a pig and his daughter some animal I had never even heard of (dragon), but now I get it.  Huck’s friend was over the other night and asked me what I star sign was.  I reverted back to being American and said Capricorn then realized after the puzzled stares that he meant the other one.  Is that a pick-up line?  Not sure.  But it comes up a lot. My old daily planner had a chart that told you which animal you were by which year you born in.  

According to a website I found (chinesezodiac.com), this is what a rabbit is like. 

Personality

Occupying the 4th position in the Chinese Zodiac, the Rabbit symbolizes such character traits as creativity, compassion, and sensitivity. Rabbits are friendly, outgoing and prefer the company of others. They also prefer to avoid conflict. In confrontational situations, Rabbits approach calmly and with consideration for the other party. Rabbits believe strongly in friends and family and lacking such bonds can lead to emotional issues.

Their serene nature keeps Rabbits from becoming visibly upset. Because they’re serene animals, Rabbits are easily taken advantage of. Their sensitive nature makes them shy away from aggressive or competitive situations. They’re overall conservative and not interested in taking risks.

Classy, sophisticated, expressive, well-mannered and stylish, those born under the Sign of the Rabbit enjoy leaning about cultural issues and learning about people from other countries. Rabbits are most comfortable being home, and their homes are always neat and organized. Home is also where Rabbits prefer to entertain. Rabbits are conservative in their decorating tastes.

Rabbits should work at building more self-confidence and self-worth so they can feel more secure. The desire for remaining in safe, comfortable environments keeps Rabbits from taking risks which sometimes causes them to miss out on good opportunities. 

Health

Even though Rabbits don’t usually get visibly upset or stressed, they do tend to keep these feelings inside. When they don’t express these feelings, such feeling can cause Rabbits to become ill. Rabbits could benefit from more everyday activity which would reduce their stress levels and better their health.

Relationships

Rabbits tend to give more of themselves than they should. This can lead to unrealistic expectations and unhealthy situations. Rabbits need partners who won’t take advantage of their giving nature. Such pairings will be strong.

Career

Rabbits are articulate and good communicators which is why friends and acquaintances seek out their advice. It’s also why Rabbits make excellent diplomats and politicians. Other good careers for Rabbits include: writer, publisher, actor, fashion designer, therapist, doctor, administrator, public relations, and teacher.

Rabbits and the 5 elements

 

Fire Rabbits – Years 1927 and 1987 (I was born in 1987)

Fire adds spark to the Rabbit’s personality and all that Fire Rabbits do. Fire compels Rabbits to seek new adventures. Prone to tantrums, Fire Rabbits prefer to avoid conflict.

Compatibility

The Rabbit is most compatible with the Pig and Dog and incompatible with the Rooster and Rat