I have bought a moto. And it's bright green...I figured I didnt stick out enough, what with being white and all in Asia, so I thought bright green would be the color to go with. (Actually, I was just concerned about not being able to find a black moto back in a crowd). I think I'm the only white girl in Phnom Penh with a bright green moto, so if you happen to be driving, please watch out for me. Thanks. I have yet to take pictures of it (Ive been a little busy trying to learn to drive it) but as soon as I do, I will post them. Last Thursday, Joan (Perry's wife) and I went moto shopping and she also bought pretty much the same moto, except her's is not the cool green (its black). I did not bring enough money on that day to buy a moto (I was just browsing) but then I found the bright green moto (its a 2006 Honda Wave 125S) and I had to have it. So I gave the guy some money to hold it and I picked it up yesterday with Joan. I honestly wasn't quite sure where the moto shop was and consequently got really lost on the way back to work. I ended up on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, almost in the provinces, so I pulled over and turned off the moto and consulted my map. I figured I had to turn around and eventually I would run into something familiar so I was going to do that but I couldn't get my moto started again. I'm sitting here, turning the key and nothing is happenening. So I motion to one of the guys at the wall and he comes over and he...pushes the start button. That's right...its an electric start. I'm such a blonde sometimes. But eventually I made it back to work and I was just proud of myself for driving in traffic here and not dying. I've had the moto for 2 days now, and have not died yet, so I think I'm doing pretty well.
Thanksgiving here was pretty good. A few women from the Embassy invited me to their houses when they found out that I was, for all intents and purposes, an orphan. And it was lovely because they actually had 2 (not one, but TWO) real turkeys (shipped in from the states of course...gotta love the Embassy people), ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, deviled eggs, and lots of other yummy stuff that I like. The Marines were there as well as the Army people so I knew a lot of people. The Army guys invited me to go with them to the next Embassy house that they were going to (its like a Thanksgiving feast crawl I guess...?) so I went with them. It was good there too...lots of food. Later that night I had a nice dinner with some friends at their house (non-embassy) but also really delicious. So it was a good day, all in all.
So today, they decided it would be a good day to tear off the roof basically of the place that I am working...they say that they are "fixing" a leak in the roof but it is going to take them 10 days. 10 days for a leak?! In the meantime, I get to listen to non-stop sawing, drilling, and hammering. It is driving me insane. O well. C'est la vie, oui?
God bless Cambodia.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
Diplomatic tests
So it turns out that I am not so good at updating blogs (although I appear to be better than my ASPH fellow counterparts...lets get some updates people!). I think part of the reason is because I havent had anything terribly exciting going on here that I should update you on. I'm really just enjoying living here and meeting new people.
However, yesterday I did meet with the Ambassador, so I figured I could give you a bit of information on that. First of all, I was pretty nervous, even though I kept reminding myself on the ride over to the Embassy that she is "just a person, just a normal person". However, for a normal person, she has a frightening amount of power and I think thats what made me a wee bit nervous. But I get to the Embassy to find that David (the Associate Director of CDC Cambodia) was going to escort me to meet her. I have a sneaking suspicion that my bosses just didnt trust me alone with the Ambassdor, but I was assured that this is just protocol. It was actually quite nice because David offered his opinions in this rather informal meeting, so it wasnt just me talking all the time (which if you know me, is a good thing. The less I talk, the less trouble I get in). :) She pretty much just asked me about my background, how I got here, what I have been doing here. The questions werent terribly hard to answer until she asked me what I thought of the Ministry of Health and if I thought they were doing a good job. I've been in the country less than 2 months, and in that time, I have not worked that closely with the ministry of health yet, so all my opinions are just based off the stories of Perry and others that I work with. So I stuck with my diplomatic "Well, I think parts of the ministry are trying to do a good job, but there is always room for improvement" kinda response. She then talked for awhile and at the end asked me if I had any questions for her. Of course, being a curious sort, I had like a million questions, probably none of which were appropriate to ask and which she would not have been able to tell me the answers to anyway. So I just stuck with asking about her personal background and how she got this gig (you never know, maybe I want to be an Ambassador someday...). I really think it would be fun to spend a day in the life, just to see what she actually does on a day to day basis. I bet she has some great stories too because she has been a career diplomat for 30 years now and has been all over the place. So after we were finished David told me that I did a good job and that she liked me. I am now "official" (whatever that means) and I have passed my first diplomatic test. I hope there are not many more.
Alas, I fear there are since the Marine Ball is coming up this Saturday. Talk about a diplomatic test. Geesh. There is an actual VIP table. However, my dress is finally ready (not exactly what I wanted, but still simple elegance... I hope), I have all my accesories, and I know where to get my hair done (I wouldn't be getting my hair done if I would have just thought to bring my curling iron...). However, getting my hair done beautifully here only costs about $8 so what the heck? (I also got my eyebrows waxed for $3- Mom, pass THAT along to Deb!) This is what I love about Cambodia. If I don't want to, I really don't need to sacrifice many creature comforts (like when I need to go to a ball). But most of the time, it's just the dirty, sweaty Cambodia that I love...where no matter where you go or what you do, you will always have the faint smell of garbage, sweat, and a whiff of fish stuck to you. God bless Cambodia.
However, yesterday I did meet with the Ambassador, so I figured I could give you a bit of information on that. First of all, I was pretty nervous, even though I kept reminding myself on the ride over to the Embassy that she is "just a person, just a normal person". However, for a normal person, she has a frightening amount of power and I think thats what made me a wee bit nervous. But I get to the Embassy to find that David (the Associate Director of CDC Cambodia) was going to escort me to meet her. I have a sneaking suspicion that my bosses just didnt trust me alone with the Ambassdor, but I was assured that this is just protocol. It was actually quite nice because David offered his opinions in this rather informal meeting, so it wasnt just me talking all the time (which if you know me, is a good thing. The less I talk, the less trouble I get in). :) She pretty much just asked me about my background, how I got here, what I have been doing here. The questions werent terribly hard to answer until she asked me what I thought of the Ministry of Health and if I thought they were doing a good job. I've been in the country less than 2 months, and in that time, I have not worked that closely with the ministry of health yet, so all my opinions are just based off the stories of Perry and others that I work with. So I stuck with my diplomatic "Well, I think parts of the ministry are trying to do a good job, but there is always room for improvement" kinda response. She then talked for awhile and at the end asked me if I had any questions for her. Of course, being a curious sort, I had like a million questions, probably none of which were appropriate to ask and which she would not have been able to tell me the answers to anyway. So I just stuck with asking about her personal background and how she got this gig (you never know, maybe I want to be an Ambassador someday...). I really think it would be fun to spend a day in the life, just to see what she actually does on a day to day basis. I bet she has some great stories too because she has been a career diplomat for 30 years now and has been all over the place. So after we were finished David told me that I did a good job and that she liked me. I am now "official" (whatever that means) and I have passed my first diplomatic test. I hope there are not many more.
Alas, I fear there are since the Marine Ball is coming up this Saturday. Talk about a diplomatic test. Geesh. There is an actual VIP table. However, my dress is finally ready (not exactly what I wanted, but still simple elegance... I hope), I have all my accesories, and I know where to get my hair done (I wouldn't be getting my hair done if I would have just thought to bring my curling iron...). However, getting my hair done beautifully here only costs about $8 so what the heck? (I also got my eyebrows waxed for $3- Mom, pass THAT along to Deb!) This is what I love about Cambodia. If I don't want to, I really don't need to sacrifice many creature comforts (like when I need to go to a ball). But most of the time, it's just the dirty, sweaty Cambodia that I love...where no matter where you go or what you do, you will always have the faint smell of garbage, sweat, and a whiff of fish stuck to you. God bless Cambodia.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
What an amazing weekend...
This past weekend may have been my favorite weekend in Cambodia so far. However, looking back, I realize that I say that about all my weekends, at least until I get to the next one. They just keep getting better and better. There has to be a point where they will plateau but I hope that doesnt come soon.
Anyway, this past weekend was not only Halloween (my favorite holiday ever) but also the Water Festival so I had a 4-day weekend (Sat-Tues). The Water Festival is supposed to celebrate the end of the rainy season and usually people who live in Phnom Penh go out into the provinces and people from the provinces travel into Phnom Penh (don't ask me why, this just is). So the population of Phnom Penh swells by the millions and its crammed with people, which makes for a fun time usually. I, however, made no travel plans as I wanted to see what the Water Festival was like in the city. I had heard that there are boat races on the river and fireworks at night and it sounded like a fun time.
I ended up hanging out with the Marines most of the weekend. I met them on Friday night at their Halloween house party and after that, they just kept inviting me to go out. This was actually quite nice because I got to walk around a lot at night without feeling unsafe (when you have 4 large Marines with you, you feel pretty protected). We did a lot of things, many of which will not be detailed here, but it was an awesome time. One thing I learned- never argue with the Marines about directions. You will lose.
So by hanging out with the Marines, I found out about the Marine Ball. I bought my ticket (Nov 21) and I have a Marine as a date so now I just need a dress. I am terribly excited about it. I will keep you updated on that.
Anyway, this past weekend was not only Halloween (my favorite holiday ever) but also the Water Festival so I had a 4-day weekend (Sat-Tues). The Water Festival is supposed to celebrate the end of the rainy season and usually people who live in Phnom Penh go out into the provinces and people from the provinces travel into Phnom Penh (don't ask me why, this just is). So the population of Phnom Penh swells by the millions and its crammed with people, which makes for a fun time usually. I, however, made no travel plans as I wanted to see what the Water Festival was like in the city. I had heard that there are boat races on the river and fireworks at night and it sounded like a fun time.
I ended up hanging out with the Marines most of the weekend. I met them on Friday night at their Halloween house party and after that, they just kept inviting me to go out. This was actually quite nice because I got to walk around a lot at night without feeling unsafe (when you have 4 large Marines with you, you feel pretty protected). We did a lot of things, many of which will not be detailed here, but it was an awesome time. One thing I learned- never argue with the Marines about directions. You will lose.
So by hanging out with the Marines, I found out about the Marine Ball. I bought my ticket (Nov 21) and I have a Marine as a date so now I just need a dress. I am terribly excited about it. I will keep you updated on that.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
