The Khmer word for being bored with nothing to do is "apsok" (អផ្សុក). What is funny is that I go in and out of waves of being "apsok" or not. That is not to say I do not have a lot of work to do (which I have piles of lesson plans I need to create), but I find myself on my free days (Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays) to either be stuck at home all day doing basically nothing or to have the complete opposite and have 2-3 places I need to be.
After Khmer New Year, we had the hottest two weeks that have been on record in Cambodia. It was between 105 and 109 during the hottest parts of the day and it felt like I was sitting inside an oven, just cooking. I finally caved in opening my window at night (despite the fear of snakes coming in to my room) because if not it felt like I was boiling (remember I only have my tiny fan to keep me cool!) During that week, the school director encouraged the students to wear wet towels on their heads to keep cool and also changed school hours temporarily from 7-10 and 2-5, trying to avoid the hottest parts of the day. You can just imagine everyone dying of the heat and praying for the rain to come (I even did run outside to pray for it to rain and my grandma said "No Alex! Don't pray to the sky, go inside the house and pray to the ancestors" -so I did what she said and I ran inside hoping that all the ancestors heard me, their adopted American child).
Shockingly during this very very hot time, I was extremely busy (which I guess helped distract me from the fact that I was melting). So here I will list some of the highlights in chronological order.
What I think is the most important is that I taught both my younger siblings (8 and 9) the phrase "Can you stop, you drive me crazy!" I technically did not even teach it to them, they naturally learned it because they hear it a lot (so you can only imagine what goes on at my house). All jokes aside, I love the kids, but I forgot what it is like to be 8 and 9 years old around all the time: they like to touch and destroy everything (and they remember everything... including my phone passcode which I don't want to change but I may have to because now I have too many selfies of the two of them saved on my Snapchat with all of the filters). They like to come in my room and read books on the floor while I am either doing work at my desk or while sitting on my bed, but sometimes the get a little restless and I always have to tell them that I am actually doing work and not playing on my computer
Chopping fish: before I had my site visit, where one of the Peace Corps staff come to see me at my house, I was never allowed to help cut the fish up (which is ok because I was still getting used to the fact that my family gutted fish outside our house on the regular). My family wouldn't let me help because they were scared I would cut my hand open with the big knife, but then after the site visit the Peace Corps staff said "It's ok if Alex does it, she has a medical kit". SO before I left to go to Phnom Penh, my family taught me how to cut the fish. I will make a separate post about the whole fish operation, but if anybody reading this truly knows me, you KNOW this is very out of the box for me. I just went from being a vegetarian/pescetarian for 6 years, had to have my French host mom cut the heads off the fish before we ate because I didn't like looking at it, to now with me sitting there cutting the heads off of the fish. I would call this character development at its finest.
Teacher Hangout: during one of the hotter days (high was 109) the teachers at my school invited me to go fishing behind the school. This form of fishing was the one where you throw a net in the water and swim to catch it. Most of the male teachers did it (4), but I opted out: I didn't want to get wet but it turns out I was one of the only female teachers who knew how to swim. They caught the fish and we had a cookout and drank Passion Fruit Soda and sat and talked. In that moment I was honestly so happy of the school I was at and the community was in that I texted a Peace Corps staff member just being like "I love it here". I was also getting weirdly emotional/borderline tearing up because of joy. After that, I had to bike to my family's hometown (25 minute bike ride, 5km). I was not the smartest in wearing jean overalls to bike there when it was 109 degrees outside at 1 o'clock in the afternoon, but I did it anyways. This was one of the moments where I was invited to go to two things at once and so I made it work to go to both because I wanted to spend time with the teachers and also spend time with my family. Once I got to the hometown, I took a small nap and then rode in a small wooden boat. onthe water next to the house. We passed by the dock at the pagoda where some people were shouting "What is a foreigner doing here?" and asked if I spoke Khmer. They were impressed with my simple responses of "khnom ceh Khmer" (I can speak Khmer) and "khnom ceh hail tik" (I can swim). We ate dinner and then I went home before everyone else because I had to bike home before dark. (This is the greatest example of I usually have not a lot to do, but then have a lot to do on my days off)
Super small side note but they taught all the kids at the school to say "I love my teacher" but I did not know this at first and so when my kiddos in 4B did it for me I was like "AWWWW YOU GUYS" but then it turns out they were all taught to say it. It was still cute.
Also side side note: my school director and some teachers were in the office and they asked me what my star sign was and my zodiac sign. It was wholesome
Bike problems: I sometimes let all of the kids at my house borrow my bike to play with it/go places if I am not busy (never very far). So sometimes it is funny watching them ride up and down the street. However, two of them parked my bike and the bike fell over, resulting in my brake breaking/knocking out of place, that was a debacle trying to get it fixed the day before I had to leave for my training in Phnom Penh. One of the kids at my house was so sweet to take my bike to the bike fixer (because my brother who usually fixes my bike was not home)
Books!!: The day before I left to go to Phnom Penh, I got a shipment of books from one of the organizations that donated books that I requested (thank you International Book Project!) My school director's family actually runs the post office so it was nice I did not even have to go pick it up, he just brought it to the school. And then when I got back from Phnom Penh, another shipment came in from Darien Book Aid (yay!) So now I have so many picture books in English for our library at school! So exciting!
Nails: the day before I left for Phnom Penh, I went to get my nails done because sister Kimchhann always tells me I have to look my best (I am telling you she is my Cambodian Crystal) I was there alone and then she pulled up with a coffee for me and sat at the nail place and talked to me. It was honestly so special and made me feel like I was at home.
PDM: I went to Phnom Penh for a week with my school director for a Project Design and Management workshop. Most people think I just go on vacation when I am in Phnom Penh, but let me tell you this was the most unrelaxing thing. This workshop was intense, I was a little overwhelmed, but it was super helpful for our project. My school director wants to build a basketball court at our school (which is on the more expensive side for projects, therefore don't be surprised when I post a blog post in the future asking for donations!) I also got to see my old Khmer teachers from training so I was happy about that and I got to see Kyle again, although I had just been with her 3 weeks prior. For this, I just want to do great for my school so I think I was getting overwhelmed because although it is a big project, I also want to do it well and efficiently. Also side note, I was appointed to be a part of the Small Grants Committee (which is something I applied for but is super exciting that I got it!) so once I finish a training for it in July, I will be able to help and review other volunteers' grants to make sure they are in tip top shape before submitting them
Wedding with the teachers: I hustled back to my town on Friday because I thought I had something on Saturday (which I didn't) and then a wedding and had to go to the hometown on Sunday. This is another examble of apsok versus super busy. On that Saturday I was apsok, and did not leave the house but then on Sunday I was double booked again. So Saturday I just hung out and cleaned my room and then on Sunday I first went to a wedding with the teachers (the son of one of the teachers was getting married). If you already didn't know, Cambodian weddings are like the events of the season and so most of the time people are dressed to the nines, wear lots of makeup, and get their hair done. I had a little extra makeup on but that all was sweated off on the bike ride between my house and the event (which I biked in a dress). I ate and danced with the teachers and then I had to go to the hometown. In order to not bike in a dress for 25 minutes, I went to the corner store and asked some people I kind of know if I could change in their bathroom. This was clearly a strange request but they let me change (and then I bought something too). I then biked to the hometown, did my usual nap, and then contemplated swimming or not, but then decided I didn't want to get my clothes wet (it is very common for women to just swim in their clothes). This was a nice and very busy day and thank goodness it was a little cooler than the 109 degree days (it was only 95 degrees that day)
Field Day: I will also make a separate post about this, but a Japanese organization that helped donate a new building at the school came with over 100 volunteers to have a sports field day with the students. I still had to wear my teacher uniform (long sleeved button down and a sampot) but I still played sports with the kids. I saw all of my co-teachers also playing sports and honestly it was such a perfect day because after the field day, the teachers stayed at the school and we had a dance party
My siblings protective of me: although my siblings do drive me crazy, as the saying goes, they are also so protective of me and I really do love them. (also example when I tell my brother that I have to go to Phnom Penh he always bursts into tears because he says I always leave for too long and that he misses me). One day I told them I was sad and they automatically came into my room and said "Alex don't care it will be ok" and they helped change some photos in my room and frame. Then they spent the whole day with me. Separately, my brother asked me what the word "sweeper" was in English and proceeded to make a name tag saying that he is the designated "sweeper for my room" and then proceeded to clean my whole room. This weekend was pretty boring and we just hungout at the house both days and also swang on the swingsets at the school across the street but every weekend my siblings become more and more just like my regular siblings.
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