tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38580150663405741142024-02-07T00:30:13.368-08:00Tantalizing Tales from the Pupa StageMeeyatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465719419888849550noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858015066340574114.post-16505868774577304822009-02-20T02:13:00.000-08:002009-02-20T04:50:09.756-08:00some pix to tide you overYeah yeah yeah...<br /><br />I know it's been forever since I posted. Effing internet here makes posting such a chore. <br /><br />Anyway... here are a few photos...maybe a video too<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />this is a video of my old house. you can get a bit of an idea of the place (if I uploaded the right vid). I ended up moving to where I am now because it was just too far outside of town for me. I now live very near the market and can come and go as I please. woo hoo!<br /><br />While I'm waiting on the vid to upload, here's a quick quip about Cambodia:<br />Everywhere else in the world, if you touch your poo once a month, they say "You're a sick bastard!" In Cambodia, if you aren't touching your poo at least once a day, they say "I think you're sick, bastard!" this is because 99.9% of Cambodian's do not use toilet paper. They use their left hand for cleaning the old #2 chute! Think about that next time I'm shaking your hand! In place of TP, more modern places (like my new house) have the "butt blaster". This is a small hose with a spray attachment on the end that comes out of the wall near the toilet and allows you to pressure wash the ol bung hole. One of the first things you learn however is to test spray the hose as some have brutally strong water pressure and could detatch your colon. Those who have older houses (like my old one) have a cistern of water near the squat toilet and a water dipper. You have to splash your water on the "spot" and then, yes you guessed it, let your fingers do the washing! This sounds pretty bad but in practice it ends up being a lot cleaner than using paper (provided you wash your hands afterwards with soap). Only thing is, the average Cambodian male (at least the ones who want everyone to know they have money) lets their nails grow to be very long. (to demonstrate that they don't have to work in the fields everyday) Long nails on a person who wipes their ass with their hand isn't a good combination. I personally can't stand the whole "I've got money" thing. Many students who have money here think they can do as they please, coming and going during class etc. It's been fun for me to bring them back to Earth from time to time. Man... this vid is taking a long time to upload. What else can I talk about... let's see. <br /><br />I've started working with an NGO here called the Tiger Foundation (<a href="http://www.tigerfoundation.com">www.tigerfoundation.com</a>). They are working with a school near my own and I hope to work with them on various community development projects in the future. One project I'm already on board for is a fundraising motorcycle trip. The trip involves travel from Singapore to Cambodia, moving through Malaysia and Thailand. I'll be acting as logistical support during the trip but won't get to ride any bikes sadly. Damn Peace Corps rules! I sure hope you readers enjoy this damn video coz it's taking forever to upload. Hell, it's probably the wrong one anyway.<br /><br />Ok... this vid is taking too long so I'm leaving it out. I'll try to post some photos and stuff later on! See ya soon!Meeyatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465719419888849550noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858015066340574114.post-56202348672568139672008-11-04T01:22:00.000-08:002008-11-04T01:35:24.290-08:00...And the winner isHello all! Well, It's currently 4:23pm on Tuesday November 4th here in Cambodia...That's right! ELECTION DAY!! and we're 11 hours ahead of the United States. Don't worry, I won't ruin the day for you by letting you know who won. How nice am I?<br /><br />Things are still plugging along here in Kampuchea. Today I spent some time working on a grant proposal with a couple of Khmer teachers. It looks like I'll be able to a bit of the old job with them and help them out with project prioritizing and planning. Should be fun. <br /><br />Last week there were two Khmer holidays, King Coronation day and the King's birthday. Since this meant that nobody would be in school for pretty much the whole week, a few volunteers took this opportunity to head up north to check out Siem Reap. This turned out to be a really good experience...and I didn't even go to Angkor Wat! Don't worry, coming to Kampuchea and not checking out Angkor would be like going all the way to the Grand Canyon and only staying for 15 minutes and I'd never do anything as effing stupid as that! This trip was more about decompressing with other PCVs from the pressures of settling into site. <br /><br />Siem Reap at times resembles more of a spring break destination than Cambodia and a couple of the bars (on "bar" st.) even had a halloween party on the 31st. So, needless to say, there was fun to be had by all and it was nice to know that this spot was only about two hours away by bus, even though it was a little expensive.<br /><br />Well, this is the week that i'm putting the rubber to the road finally. I will solidify relationships at one of my three schools and finally get down to business. That leaves the other two still to go...<br /><br />Whew... this job is almost like work.<br /><br />see you soon!<br /><br />-MeeyatchMeeyatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465719419888849550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858015066340574114.post-19020138987307073392008-10-16T01:39:00.000-07:002008-10-16T02:10:32.146-07:00Greetings from Big Snake Province!Hello all from my new home of Kampong Thom. (previously called Kampong Thom"(big) Pooh(snake) as at some point in history, a really large snake was found here someplace.<br /><br />Anyway...here is a prepared blog for ya with some pix... enjoy!<br /><br /><p class="MsoNormal">October 16, 2008</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Hello everyone…or more specifically to the three or so people who are actually still reading my dementia.<span style=""> </span>I’ve been in my permanent site of Kampong Thom for about a week and so far it’s been pretty good.<span style=""> </span>I’ve made some friends locally as well as in Phnom Penh (which will be good for those times when I get to get away for a while)</p> <p class="MsoNormal">For the last week I’ve been damn busy observing classes at the high school and teacher training college an generally running all over Kampong Thom town looking for things I need to keep me sane at home ( like a fan, an extension cord, a beach chair for reading etc.).<span style=""> </span>Through it all there has been one constant:<span style=""> </span>I’m getting ripped off on prices.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Now this isn’t as nefarious as it might seem at first.<span style=""> </span>Most Khmer aren’t consciously trying to sell you a product for more than it’s worth, i.e. cheat you.<span style=""> </span>They are simply using a localized economic model.<span style=""> </span>Quite literally, there are two price structures in Kampuchea, which correspond to the two basic target markets for merchants: Khmer consumers and “Everyone else”.<span style=""> </span>The average Khmer doesn’t make $4 a day, so obviously they cannot afford to pay much for goods and services.<span style=""> </span>Generally foreigners here come in two flavors: those working for NGOs who typically have a healthy spending allowance (relative to locals) and tourists who for the most part have a good amount of money or they wouldn’t be able to visit Cambodia in the first place.<span style=""> </span>In addition to having more money, these foreigners are used to items costing a great deal more in terms of their home currency (for example one really can’t eat a good breakfast for 75 cents in the UK but a meal for 3000 riel is common in Cambodia).<span style=""> </span>Because of these two factors a two-tiered price structure has emerged.<span style=""> </span>So yesterday when I was shopping for undershirts and shorts, I bought a pair of knock off nike tennis shorts, new, for $3.<span style=""> </span>I felt pretty good about my purchase until I arrived home and my host sister (one year older than me and married to my host bro in law) asked me how much I paid.<span style=""> </span>When I told her, she looked aghast and told me that those shorts should never cost more than 7000 riel, or about $1.75.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">This pissed me off a bit at first, but then I stopped thinking of it as personal and started thinking about the economics and it all made sense.<span style=""> </span>Quite literally, the price is determined by what the market will bear.<span style=""> </span>In this case however, there are two distinct markets.<span style=""> </span>For me, $3 seemed like a good price for new shorts and I was afraid to bargain lower.<span style=""> </span>A Khmer would say I got a really bad deal.<span style=""> </span>So it’s all a matter of perspective.<span style=""> </span>Still, I’m a bit stuck between the two markets here.<span style=""> </span>As a volunteer, I make about $4 a day, which puts me in the Khmer consumer group in terms of budget.<span style=""> </span>Sadly, I’ll always have the appearance of a chalk white foreigner so the assumption will be that I have funds consistent with that consumer group (and I also come from a world that $3 shorts are a good deal).<span style=""> </span>This may change as more shop owners and sellers at the market become familiar with me, but it is unlikely that I’ll ever get the true Khmer price from many sellers.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Just a little slice of life in Kampuchea-land!!</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Here are some pix:</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Pic 1- my training family. Three brothers, oldest sister and mother</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Pic 2- a view of a floating village I visited.<span style=""> </span>They had barbershops, electronics sellers, even a floating gas station.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Pic 3- Same day I visited the floating village we stopped at the Wat (temple) to pay respect to the monks.<span style=""> </span>The wat is on sort of an island and must be accessed by boat. In the picture with me are Socheata to my right (my language teacher) and another PCV.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Pic 4- Photographic evidence reinforcing a previous blog point.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Pic 5- Riding in the back of a truck, on my way to another water village, Kampong Luong with Socheata on my birthday.<span style=""> </span>Sometimes you have to get a ride with whomever is going that way. Spent my b-day getting pelted by passing boaters with balloons filled with colored water.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Pic 6- your basic Kampuchean water borne snack stand.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Pic 7-<span style=""> </span>When Socheatas attack!! (on the way to the water village)</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Pic 8- View of Kampong Chhnang from the top of the hotel where our swearing in was held.<span style=""> </span>First time in a tie in over two and a half years.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Pic 9- Vanny and Socheata, two language instructors looking stunning in their Khmer formal wear after swearing in ceremony.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Pic 10-<span style=""> </span>One of my favorite photos of Kampuchea life.<span style=""> </span>My younger two host bros playing pool.<span style=""> </span>Incidentally, all three of my host brothers are way better at pool than anyone else I’ve ever played against anywhere.<span style=""> </span>They would rattle off successive complex combinations while talking to me all the time.<span style=""> </span>Check out the sign above the pool table.<span style=""> </span>“Please Welcome to this here.”</p><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> 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catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtX4AnnBnFxLFk64rjQ-Nx-dLqjxIjuR2F0_eLCGEQvA6MsPN7PP3GrzRaoGm-h6lZnrFwxakDJJiSgVZlvfRdlqSDKKaAVcUZ0KTLs4Y8M8_lGY6PHuj2P3WFpe-Q7vfqrlU5lC726dI/s1600-h/6+plyn+pool.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtX4AnnBnFxLFk64rjQ-Nx-dLqjxIjuR2F0_eLCGEQvA6MsPN7PP3GrzRaoGm-h6lZnrFwxakDJJiSgVZlvfRdlqSDKKaAVcUZ0KTLs4Y8M8_lGY6PHuj2P3WFpe-Q7vfqrlU5lC726dI/s320/6+plyn+pool.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257675737146559634" border="0" /></a>Meeyatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465719419888849550noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858015066340574114.post-25174542691596027572008-09-05T03:46:00.000-07:002008-09-05T03:56:01.676-07:00Hello all! Well, it's been a while since the last post. Big news!!! I've received my permanent site where I'll be for the next 2 years!! <br /><br />I'll be going to Kampong Thom provincial town. It's located in the geographic center of Cambodia (in case you're checking the map). It's a popular stop over on the way to Siem Riep (Angkor Wat). I'm pretty excited as it's an up and coming town that just got it's first western food restaurant, an italian place owned by an ex-pat who is a former Peace Corps volunteer! Talk about a valuable resource in town!! Getting a western food place is the tell tale of a town making the turn towards the big time! Can a bar focusing on American Football be far behind??<br /><br />In the next two days I'll be travelling to visit the site for the first time. I kinda got the hook up with my host family as I will have a whole floor to myself at the house as well as access to...gasp... ELECTRICITY!! More expensive but it sure will be easier to read with all that light!<br /><br />what follows is some pre written stuff to catch everyone up on what it's been like here in Kampuchea!<br /><br /><br />I guess I should apologize for the brevity of my recent posts. I can only get on the internet while in Kampong Chhnang, the provincial town that is the hub site of our training. The only spare time we have is during lunch so I haven’t had much time to chat away about stuff. I’m typing this post ahead of time so that it can be cut and pasted quickly. Hopefully it will catch everyone up on some of my thoughts about Kampuchea.<br /><br />Here are some random thoughts:<br /><br />Cows- Cambodia may have the skinniest cows on the planet. We drove by some on the bus ride out of Phnom Penh and I remember thinking “man, I’ve never seen a cow with six pack abs before.”<br /><br />Driving- Anyone who has ever mused that driving would be much better without all those pesky rules should spend a couple of weeks on the roads in Cambodia. Traveling the roadways here will change your opinion of what is safe and what isn’t. Seatbelts? We don’t need no stinkin’ seatbelts. I used to think that two lane roads were for only two cars at a time. Think of the most narrow two lane road you know and you will be able to get three cars and a motorcycle abreast of each other, no problem. Trust me, there’s room.<br /><br />Text messaging- Cell phones have taken Cambodia by storm. This makes sense as the more remote areas can get service by just putting up a few towers. Khmer people text each other much more often than calling tho as it is much cheaper. This has had an unusual side affect. Text-speak has become pervasive in Khmer society. For example, one of the first things my language teacher did was to pull our leg regarding how hard the test was going to be. He smiled and said.. “Jk! Jk!” This type of thing happens everywhere with people of all ages. For most Khmer, the cell phone is the first exposure they get to English, so most people with phones will remark to you at some point “BFF” “JK, JK” or “LOL”. They also learn useful phrases such as “Missed call” and “one new number.”<br /><br />Rice- Rice is in every meal. It’s so important that Khmer actually say “eat rice” (nyom bye) as another phrase for “having a meal” If someone they know passes by the house it’s polite for them to yell “Come eat rice”. Rice however has a dark side. If someone, say a new arrival to the country dives in headlong into a diet that is 85% rice you…may…NEVER…crap…again!! Luckily, an apple a day will not only keep the doctor away, it will help get things moving so that you don’t turn septic from impacted bowels. Sadly, apples are not readily available here, and the locals seem to know their value to us “barang” (foreigners) so they are expensive and nobody will budge on the price.<br /><br />Money- Now that I’ve complained that apples can be expensive, here’s a tidbit on money. It’s silly cheap to live here. If one eats a super deluxe meal, has a couple of beers and coffee you could end up paying 24,000 riel. This sounds like a lot until you know that 4000 riel equals roughly $1 (that comes out to six bucks for you English majors out there). The average meal here is around 4000 riel, with breakfast inside the market rewarding the brave with a nice amount of food for only 1500 riel. There is a lady at a roadside stand that makes waffles for only 200 riel each! Yummy!!<br /><br />Motos- A moto is basically what Khmer call a motorscooter (too small to be a motorcycle but larger than a moped). It is the preferred mode of motorized travel as cars are usually beyond the means of most Khmer families. The number of passengers that can be safely transported on a moto is limited only by the number of family members the mother has been able to chug out. So far, the record number that I have seen on a single moto, driving down the road at 35 mph or so is 5 humans and a chicken.<br /><br />More numbers- Regarding cargo, there is no such thing as stacked too high. If the stack was too high, it would have fallen down. So furniture, chicken coops, etc can be seen driving down the road in stacks 3 or four times higher than the roof of the vehicle (or moto). Regarding taxis, there is no such thing as too full. The way you know it is full is that nobody else wants on. If someone else does, there is room. Regarding taxis again, If you ask the driver where the taxi is going, there will be only one answer “where you want to go” If you really want to know where a taxi is heading you have to check to see where the fifteen or so people already on the taxi are headed. If that’s your town, in you go.<br /><br />Cojones- Bob Barker has never been to Cambodia. Testicles are everywhere. Pigs, Cows, drunk dudes and most of all, Dogs. What’s more, dogs seem to have some sort of ESP that alerts them if someone starts looking their way, at which time they instinctively start licking themselves. Nobody here even understands the concept of neutering dogs. Even the girl dogs here have testicles.<br /><br />Gambling- Khmer love them some gambling. From cards to sports everyone seems to gamble. In my training village of Boribo, volleyball is the sport of choice and there is always money on the line. There is even action riding on a game involving kicking a flip flop that you can make a few thousand riel playing…provided you are under the age of 10. Everyone here gambles.<br /><br />Danger- Danger is a relative term here (see Motos Numbers, and Driving above). Things we think are dangerous Khmer see as routine. Every once in a while, a Khmer will say “Care…Danger!”. If you hear this you better damn well steer clear of whatever activity they are referring to (riding on the street, swimming, drinking water) coz if they think it’s dangerous it’s probably something that would make Evel Knievel shit his pants.<br /><br />Cows and farm livin- About a week ago I was finishing up lunch with my host family. Suddenly there was some sort of commotion behind the house which my host brother ran to investigate. It turns out that my a cow my brother was tending was having a baby! He asked me if I wanted to see it but I was late for class so I said I would check it out later. No more came of this until I was heading home the next morning after teaching a class. Several people including my host brother and host father were gathered around the well. As I approached, my brother said “Bonn Say-ha…the cow…she die.” (obviously he was concerned that this might be an issue for me). My host father looked up and was characteristically brief: He said one word-- “Chin-aing” (Delicious). Yep, the next day I ate me some baby cow. And father was right. It was yummy. That’s farm livin’ for ya!<br /><br /><br />Stay tuned for the next installment! I’ll be checking in with everyone soon!<br /><br /><br />C- Ya!!<br /><br />MeeyatchMeeyatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465719419888849550noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858015066340574114.post-49274339296425186252008-08-17T22:58:00.001-07:002008-08-17T23:16:08.510-07:00First Photos from Kampuchea!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaF2Epei4lUSf28dwZOdpGLgVm09zINcrNWsatWh0my6cXfz_mJe2Vos2GYYwEF9Bi52TwPXH5elYLUInhEy8dJmnm9NMIK1tpt7x9uSUx0Vm1LDMUOdJ5y_ZbCt0y2JlL6P1Xd3_e7Ug/s1600-h/DSCN1234.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235737435718545906" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaF2Epei4lUSf28dwZOdpGLgVm09zINcrNWsatWh0my6cXfz_mJe2Vos2GYYwEF9Bi52TwPXH5elYLUInhEy8dJmnm9NMIK1tpt7x9uSUx0Vm1LDMUOdJ5y_ZbCt0y2JlL6P1Xd3_e7Ug/s320/DSCN1234.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-L3IpjOJ6i-AH6P2rmlaSUW2vyQ6vHOHvN7-b3S1_JnliPQ6z92QCjfxHNXCBH0ASCFgdLen757t9Nfm4dE0fH7fWnCQ5chIiOCnt1wG5CVUdBCqRe4g4Aq_-jbvrGyGiDXIBoM_Uzvs/s1600-h/DSCN1246.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235737444677722402" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-L3IpjOJ6i-AH6P2rmlaSUW2vyQ6vHOHvN7-b3S1_JnliPQ6z92QCjfxHNXCBH0ASCFgdLen757t9Nfm4dE0fH7fWnCQ5chIiOCnt1wG5CVUdBCqRe4g4Aq_-jbvrGyGiDXIBoM_Uzvs/s320/DSCN1246.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGHlCJfjD_bEIimPudtbzKYCe7zqMObPaDuz7KQ69UkVvA20GsITYZKNxVIC4O_YRQ6C7bIzUVCqJEL6hrjiDSZubrqkW7sChH9I2Gvfq7sfkgikM8j7ckWswWB5gMRA53ihRxBz0bWdQ/s1600-h/DSCN1184.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235736285009597922" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGHlCJfjD_bEIimPudtbzKYCe7zqMObPaDuz7KQ69UkVvA20GsITYZKNxVIC4O_YRQ6C7bIzUVCqJEL6hrjiDSZubrqkW7sChH9I2Gvfq7sfkgikM8j7ckWswWB5gMRA53ihRxBz0bWdQ/s320/DSCN1184.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdAmT-zui27ttQOpLnAFge1mt9xE5x65tLgtF-4K7BJ9V0IqiiRpnr_JMMc7IzbvKS70ceBWqqZhhkBrBKGWNlOVtM9nReo5NVxFMBoNdYesnPJQTTGr8ZmMPflSrGq5OrktpJTLz7gz0/s1600-h/DSCN1208.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235736289680193330" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdAmT-zui27ttQOpLnAFge1mt9xE5x65tLgtF-4K7BJ9V0IqiiRpnr_JMMc7IzbvKS70ceBWqqZhhkBrBKGWNlOVtM9nReo5NVxFMBoNdYesnPJQTTGr8ZmMPflSrGq5OrktpJTLz7gz0/s320/DSCN1208.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4J_94S3f-kJ5lVPCh3s7Ud-uelcUP4BhwV2klPbnJPuBqh4r5gJG98MHMLiolPXuvMdO9WZanFqy-THwutW_K_qaKjw1c9Ms9cYZv-WM5mm30n99cjK4BLzwB_xH54M5baCMzfjHwewo/s1600-h/DSCN1215.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235736294757726434" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4J_94S3f-kJ5lVPCh3s7Ud-uelcUP4BhwV2klPbnJPuBqh4r5gJG98MHMLiolPXuvMdO9WZanFqy-THwutW_K_qaKjw1c9Ms9cYZv-WM5mm30n99cjK4BLzwB_xH54M5baCMzfjHwewo/s320/DSCN1215.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivoYlER7dWeTj2HuELnQMIgdAnmMKhIg8WVWwWOKVyJwhyweBI01rGIH8BwC33X34nL1Slk-AYIHEH2kM1DIVtyX3RZCOyIyeCVuhm0D2__9IX2fsAtjaq2tdKgPgJ9ctQNdHUiQZ3zL8/s1600-h/DSCN1227.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235736297629415842" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivoYlER7dWeTj2HuELnQMIgdAnmMKhIg8WVWwWOKVyJwhyweBI01rGIH8BwC33X34nL1Slk-AYIHEH2kM1DIVtyX3RZCOyIyeCVuhm0D2__9IX2fsAtjaq2tdKgPgJ9ctQNdHUiQZ3zL8/s320/DSCN1227.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGIoXj-lva-JhVCMqinCwpfkD74Sre5gU2Loh7tktNkEUOBiWmC-CTV0hHOVdhA_tpQtJ_m41UdaQ6zDjGrxHduJXlfNSRxEPvR-EtrF2C9RXt7XwkdbS-zSoqqDOnLYXgpTNKTcSQQS8/s1600-h/DSCN1228.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235736303351610130" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGIoXj-lva-JhVCMqinCwpfkD74Sre5gU2Loh7tktNkEUOBiWmC-CTV0hHOVdhA_tpQtJ_m41UdaQ6zDjGrxHduJXlfNSRxEPvR-EtrF2C9RXt7XwkdbS-zSoqqDOnLYXgpTNKTcSQQS8/s320/DSCN1228.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>Here are some random pix, from the trip over, a bike ride to the river, some classroom pix and some of my host family/home.</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>Enjoy!</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div></div>Meeyatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465719419888849550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858015066340574114.post-67062238539677337692008-07-28T03:45:00.000-07:002008-07-28T04:00:05.574-07:00Hello from Kampon Chhnang, Cambodia!Hello all! <br /><br />Well, I'm finally here! It's raining here in Kampong Chhnang. It does that alot. But it's cool coz I'm already soaked through with sweat anyway. It's been an amazing experience so far! Our accomodations have been relatively posh (reminds me a bit of the ol Noble Hotel in Lander) but we will be moving out to host families in two days. The language training is going nicely and I'm learning quite a bit. I can order food, ask where the bathroom is, introduce myself and tell folks where I'm from and talk about my family. The food is one of the best parts here. I can eat like a king for 5000 riel...about $1.25. We got a bit of a tourist markup from one restaurant but when we considered that it amounted to around a quarter, it was hard to get upset. Only one bummer so far. I had my nice leatherman tool out to repair a fellow trainee's jacket zipper and left it on my table. This was an error in judgement as the next day after returning from class it was gone. Chalk it up to a learning experience! <br /><br />Today we did a practice run to the market here in KC. I'll have to take some pictures of a market someplace because words won't do it proper justice. Try to picture Blade Runner without all the skyscrapers and flying cars and you'll get an idea.<br /><br />Speaking of flying cars, the traffic here is something else. Most people get around on scooters called Motos and there are apparently only suggested rules for driving. While there are plenty of accidents to be had, mostly this chaotic ballet of busses, trucks cars, motos, Tuk Tuks (little motorcycle drawn carriages) and bicyclists is managed quite normally by everyone. This may be the only place I've ever been that the horn was used to simply announce that you were approaching instead of an attack on a fellow motorist. <br /><br />I'll try to get my crap together and post some photos soon. Right now I'm still living out of a suitcase and have no room to set up the computer and what not. Besides, packing and unpacking things is a pain in the ass!<br /><br />I'll get into some of the people stuff on my next couple of posts. There are some really fine people here with me ás well as those helping us to learn the languages and the customs.<br /><br />All in all...like I said, it's a crazy, awesome overload of the senses! <br /><br />When next you hear from me I'll have transitioned to my host family where I'll stay for the remainder of the training period. <br /><br />Good times!!<br /><br />MitchMeeyatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465719419888849550noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858015066340574114.post-38796678187874475452008-07-18T19:07:00.000-07:002008-07-18T19:17:23.168-07:0011th hour and all's well...mostlyHello all! <br /><br />Well, this is it. Tomorrow I take off to San Francisco and begin my twenty seven month odyssey to southeast Asia. <br /><br />The car is sold (got a good price too!)<br /><br />The bags are packed (They are 1.3 lbs under the weight limit!)<br /><br />I've tied up all the loose ends I could think of...I hope...<br /><br />I got to see The Dark Knight today (you owe it to yourself to see one of the finest performances in a movie. Heath Ledger is disturbingly brilliant.)<br /><br />I ate a great big ol steak at Outback with my Mom. (served to us by freaking Rain Man)<br /><br />And now I lay comfortably chilling out in bed. The noisy barking dogs erasing any anxiety I may have had about the trip (Makes me look forward to being in Cambodia!)<br /><br />I hope to keep on posting, hopefully with value added, entertaining posts. <br /><br />Wish me luck!<br /><br />MitchMeeyatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465719419888849550noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858015066340574114.post-45920322714184803032008-07-13T21:08:00.000-07:002008-07-13T21:15:07.158-07:00Five days to Go!Hello all! Five days to go and I'm getting down to the final stages of packing. The only item of unfinished business seems to be selling the car. Who would've thought that it would be this tough to sell a car in Bristol. It has all the new technology like radial tires, FM radio, even that new fangled unleaded gas. Oh well, in a couple of days, if it still hasn't been sold, I'll be driving down to Carmax to turn it into some quick cash. Beyond that, it's all about trying to keep the bag weights down and making it easy for things to be shipped to me after the fact. Haven't been doing much language study in the past several weeks. I guess I'll be hitting the flashcards pretty hard on the plane!<br /><br />Next post will be from San Francisco! <br /><br />Chat at ya soon!<br /><br />MitchMeeyatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465719419888849550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858015066340574114.post-82390817755036949002008-07-13T21:06:00.000-07:002008-07-13T21:16:24.145-07:00Quick Hit #5: Effing CigarsIf you've ever found yourself out in public, and you've thought "you know, I'm just not being enough of an A-hole." simply light up a cigar. Problem solved.Meeyatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465719419888849550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858015066340574114.post-4764099473610644472008-07-01T15:49:00.000-07:002008-07-01T17:20:17.419-07:00From Fine Wine to the Firing Line...Hello friends (especially any new friends from my Cambodia PC group)!<br /><br />I have just returned from a whirlwind tour of Northern VA and Maryland. It was nice to get together with Rick and Jenny once more before I took off on the great adventure! This was a long weekend of great food, great wine (so they tell me), five round bursts and narrow escapes!<br /><br />Everything started with a afternoon tour of the Maryland wine country. Both Rick and Jenny embrace wine as a hobby. Their near religious appreciation for the excellent vintages was offset nicely by my heathen ignorance as we sauntered from vineyard to vineyard bringing a little madness to the haute couture. As we tasted the grapes, some sour, some sweet, a disturbing pattern began to emerge. Apparently, young ladies that pour wine at tastings (R and J would know some nifty wine-person title for them) are especially susceptible to ill fortune. One poor girl told the story of the runaway fiance that left her with semi-fond memories and a nice ring. At a later stop, another known only as Sweet Katherine told us, in her super-hyper manner, that her fiance (I think the Maryland word for boyfriend) was interested only in her "benefits". Sweet K went on to say that she was available to come with me to Cambodia (R and J loved sharing my plans, especially to Sweek K) and that she could keep the shop open until 9 if we wanted to stay. R and J snickered and turned the knife by suggesting a group photo with Katherine. After, there were many comments along the lines of "Sweet Katherine wants to give you her benefits" which to be fair, seemed none too benevolent. One got the impression that while she was tending the shop, somewhere nearby three goats were crossing her bridge unmolested.<br /><br />The other highlight of this awesome trip was a trip with R and J to their gun club. There I was introduced to the finer points of the Glock 19, the H&K .45 and 9mm. I really thought I was doing pretty well. Most of my shots were grouped in a nice little six inch circle at 25 feet. After about fifty rounds I stood back to appreciate my handiwork and quickly had my baloon deflated as I watched Jenny put round after round nearly on top of each other. Freaking Lethal Weapon man! Give this girl a few more months and she'll be on the damn Olympic team!<br /><br />All in all, it was a great weekend. It really was great food, great drink (does PBR make a Merlot?) and especially great friends. Now, it's time for me to put the finishing touches on my packing and get accquainted with my new friends in Cambodia group #2!!<br /><br />Till next time!<br /><br />MitchMeeyatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465719419888849550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858015066340574114.post-2406749700078302742008-06-26T19:18:00.000-07:002008-06-26T19:26:33.036-07:00Snake Mythology: AddendumOk,<br /><br />Per my previous post, I just spent five weeks in the desert, didn't see one snake.<br /><br />I've been back in VA for 6 days. Yesterday while running around a lake I nearly stepped on a copperhead stalking me from the edge of the trail. Hilarious.<br /><br />This just goes to prove two points:<br /><br />1- Desert snakes are still a myth<br /><br />and...<br /><br />2- VA snakes dig my blog!<br /><br />REPRESENT!!<br /><br />-MMeeyatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465719419888849550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858015066340574114.post-69050431545216447852008-06-23T17:57:00.000-07:002008-06-23T18:28:02.025-07:00Snake Mythology; T-minus 25 Days and Counting!Hello faithful readers!<br /><br />I'm back in Bristol, VA having left behind the lush er...damn hot desert landscape of Tucson. I really liked Tucson (If you ever find yourself in Southern Arizona, make sure to drop by the Cowpony bar. It kicks ass!) I could see myself settling down in Tucson someday, that is if I ever find myself settling down.<br /><br />One thing left me feeling a little ripped off regarding my time in the desert. Five weeks in the middle of the rocky sandy, blistering nothing and I didn't see ONE...DAMN...SNAKE!! I don't want to hear any more about the desert teeming with Rattlers with a snake lurking behind every sagebrush. As far as I'm concerned, that's bull crap. What a gyp. All those scenes in the westerns where the cowboy is riding along on his horse when suddenly...EEEK! A RATTLESNAKE!! Yeah, right. Maybe if he was riding along in the middle of the night...making noises like a gopher...a sick gopher...with a wooden leg. Desert snakes are a myth!!<br /><br />Anyway, absent vipers aside, when I got back to VA, my Peace Corps staging kit was waiting for me! The staging kit is the PC signal that the final countdown has started. Inside were updated packing guidelines, a final checklist of things to do/bring to staging, a schedule of training as well as my international flight itinerary. So...<br /><br />On July 19 I'll be hopping a plane to San Francisco!! I'll be spending two and a half days at the Hotel Kubuki, a Japanese themed 4 star hotel! Woo Hoo!! Originally, I had thought I'd be flying straight into Phnom Penh but I guess that doesn't happen. My international flight itinerary reads like a list of all of the places that I've wanted to go. We leave San Francisco on July 21 at 2pm. We fly 11 hours to Japan (woo hoo!!). From Japan, we fly 6 hours to Bangkok Thailand (WOO HOO!) and from there it's a short 1 hr flight to Phnom Penh Cambodia. I know, I know, it's not like I'll be leaving the Airport or anything, and in actuality, it's probably going to be a pain in the neck passing through all these airports, but for now, it just sounds cool. REALLY COOL!!<br /><br />So now I'm busy shopping up things like light blue short sleeve dress shirts (ugh!) voltage converters, flat blade razors, "dark" colored slacks all the while trying to learn enough Khmer so I don't sound like a complete jackass. I'm looking forward to finally stepping out the door and getting this next chapter underway. It's close now and I think I'm ready.Meeyatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465719419888849550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858015066340574114.post-80644868396419457452008-06-06T16:40:00.000-07:002008-06-06T16:58:55.675-07:00Quick Hit #5: "New Fix, Old Jones."I checked out the new Indiana Jones movie a few days ago. The last Indiana Jones movie came out 19 years ago. Holy crap.<br /><br />Don't get me wrong. I love the character and Harrison Ford is one of my favorites but the bit is so old at this point that the next movie, he'll be digging around in an old tomb or something and find... himself!<br /><br />"Coming soon... Indiana Jones and the movie that should have been made ten years ago!"<br />or<br />"Coming soon... Indiana Jones and the Prostate of Fire"<br />or<br />"Coming soon... Indiana Jones and the Dark Incontinent"<br />or<br />"Coming soon... Indiana Jones: Raider of the Lost AARP"<br />or<br />"Coming soon.... Indiana Jones: I've fallen and I can't get up!"<br /><br />Sometimes the new old is just old.<br /><br />-MMeeyatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465719419888849550noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858015066340574114.post-45985690140433876532008-05-25T17:51:00.000-07:002008-05-26T08:59:47.428-07:00PHOENIX LANDER TOUCHES DOWN ON MARS!!Yes folks, the Phoenix lander has finally arrived, touching down on the surface of Mars, primed to start it's mission to find some signal, some small evidence of life on the red planet.<br /><br />After the dust cleared, the first snapshot showed a mangled arm extending from beneath the lander, it's six-fingered hand holding a sign that read simply "Welcome."<br /><br />Shit, hope he wasn't alone.<br /><br />-M<br /><br />ps- I wonder how you say "Our bad" in Martian?Meeyatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465719419888849550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858015066340574114.post-90454175759248330832008-05-24T15:42:00.000-07:002008-05-26T09:01:06.581-07:00Gotta Love Tucson!!Let me tell you about Tucson.<br /><br />Two days ago, I got back from a run and checked the thermometer (as I felt like I was about to die). It was literally 105 in the shade (the thermometer is under the car port area).<br /><br />This morning, I finally decided to stop waiting around and take a drive. After about 30 minutes of driving, I stopped the car, stepped to the side of the road, and made a snowball. No, I made two snowballs.<br /><br />This afternoon, I went to the Home Depot to look for some stuff. I was sweatin it at over 80 degrees again.<br /><br />My morning trip was to Mount Lemmon. It stands at over 9000 feet above sea level. The temperatures there can be up to 30 degrees lower than in Tucson less than 30 miles away! Freaking snow at the end of May! In ARIZONA!! The views are amazing. It seems as if you can see all of Arizona. Like a jackass I forgot to take my camera so no cool pix. I'll go again when the cuz comes down to visit from Phoenix.<br /><br />Oh yeah. On the way to a place called Summerhaven (shocker) near the summit of Mt. Lemmon, I drove through a cloud.<br /><br />Yeah, gotta love Tucson.<br /><br />-MMeeyatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465719419888849550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858015066340574114.post-68378961363346401022008-05-22T22:02:00.000-07:002008-05-22T22:22:44.277-07:00Quick Hit #4: "Child Care tips part 1"There seems to be a lot of controversy over parents using a good old fashioned spanking to discipline their children. This used to be common (I can remember a few my Mom laid on me). Today however, if a child goes to school and shows any signs of this punishment, a nosey teacher calls Child Services and the kid is whisked away to foster care and the parent goes to J-A-I-L. Everyone loses. Is the only alternative to spare the rod and spoil the child? I think not! Just follow these simple steps and you will preserve the tradition of corporal punishment, avoiding any unwanted attention or consequences.<br /><br />1- Yard Sales. Yes, yard sales. Head out to a few yard sales and buy yourself a used tricycle. Any color will do.<br /><br />2- Remove the handlebars from the tricycle.<br /><br />3- For those times when Jr. gets out of hand and an "attitude adjustment" is required, crack him a few times with the handlebars.<br /><br />4-Send your freshly disciplined progeny to school worry free. If Junior's nosey teachers see any bruises it will look like he fell off his bike.<br /><br />Voila! Happy family!<br /><br />-MMeeyatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465719419888849550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858015066340574114.post-53613656463555000812008-05-22T21:51:00.000-07:002008-05-22T22:17:46.256-07:00Quick Hit #3: "Robin...You smell something burning?"Did you ever stop to think that if the Bat cave catches on fire the Dark Knight is screwed.<br /><br />I mean, how the hell is the Fire department supposed to find it?<br /><br />Your bats, your bats, your bats are on fire...<br /><br />-MMeeyatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465719419888849550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858015066340574114.post-21032845810224205832008-05-21T22:14:00.000-07:002008-05-21T23:12:50.486-07:00Quick Hit #2 "One for the Ages"When I think of my potential soul mate, I don't have any conditions regarding how old she has to be. I think the cliche of an older man seeking out a young nubile woman is ridiculous. Age is nothing but a number and I feel it' s foolhardy to set such parameters when it comes to the woman I will be with for the rest of my life. She will be as old or as young as she is. Our chemistry, our romance and how we enrich each other's lives is what counts.<br /><br />I do however feel it's important that I be at least one year older than my father-in-law.<br /><br />-MMeeyatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465719419888849550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858015066340574114.post-40878855837883709712008-05-21T10:43:00.000-07:002008-05-22T00:13:38.595-07:00Soldiers on a Plane, Monsters are a Pain and Snakes on a Plain<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX9xuikJye6_tio-NNDWz0cesDYeV01LN4-Q7yy_MJsxk8Nx6CQ1zWvznVX8RGh5VEVMsd9WUwp5PTKbdRzAavR8idJeBnq3WO_q08_cXym4B4Cr43tS_-YFSx-TBh0c2uS0gfNdqFUIs/s1600-h/DSCN1108.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX9xuikJye6_tio-NNDWz0cesDYeV01LN4-Q7yy_MJsxk8Nx6CQ1zWvznVX8RGh5VEVMsd9WUwp5PTKbdRzAavR8idJeBnq3WO_q08_cXym4B4Cr43tS_-YFSx-TBh0c2uS0gfNdqFUIs/s320/DSCN1108.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5202888578860525682" border="0" /></a>Hello true believers!!<br /><br />If I look a little frazzled, it's because I endured a marathon cross country voyage to get to my temporary west coast hacienda. I guess I didn't realize when I got on the plane in TN that I'd spend the next 13 hours heading west. Crap man... I could have taken a covered wagon and saved the folks at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">NOLS</span></span> some money.<br /><br />It took me three airplanes, two layovers of more than two hours (one of nearly four) to get me to my destination. During my time on the planes and the layovers, I made some observations:<br /><br />1- Many of the soldiers we are sending to Iraq do not speak English. Joining me on my flight from Charlotte to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Las</span></span> Vegas (the middle leg of this idiot's <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">triathlon</span>) where a platoon (or more) of soldiers, all in U.S. Army <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">BDUs</span>. They were universally polite to everyone, and didn't make much of a fuss at all (especially if they were returning from overseas and heading to Vegas for some R and R). During the entire flight, I didn't hear a single one of them utter one word of English. This leads me to believe that our government has decided to employ one of my ideas from a former post. (to recap, the idea was to put a sign on the Mexico side of the border that reads in English "If you would like to volunteer for service in the U.S. Army, please climb over this fence to the other side" thus solving the problem of illegal immigration while bolstering our levies of fighting men and women. (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Blogger's</span> Note: For those reading this that might not know me very well, please be assured that these comments are in the vein of satire meant to expose the dangers of ignorance and have a little fun. I have learned a lot from those of other cultures and hope to continue my explorations for some time to come!)<br /><br />2- Some Bees, called "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Africanized</span>" are aggressive and have been known to follow you and continue to make nuisances of themselves even as you attempt to disengage and remove to a safe distance (the staff of the SW branch had a run in with such a gang winged bad asses the day before my arrival. Many "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">ouches</span>" and "dammits" were had by all. Maybe even a "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">friggin</span>' bastard.")<br /><br />3- Some redneck, loud, obnoxious and of course... fat... travelers are apparently "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Africanized</span>" as well. I ran into such a pair while a prisoner at the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Las</span> Vegas airport. While resting in the terminal, passing the time with some truly world class people watching, the husband and wife began their coordinated assault. Despite there being an entire row of empty seats to my left, they elected to sit directly adjacent to me. The mass of the wife easily defied the boundaries of her seat and I retreated to the farthest edge of mine to no avail. Her hip (I think) or dorsal fin (possibly) ...touched me (the horror!). Fearing further flesh-battery, I moved to another vantage point which I felt was a safe distance away. With one eye on the circling menace and the other on the clock, I lapsed into semi-consciousness, waiting for my flight to begin boarding.<br /><br />Upon entering the plane, I learned to my relief that the flight was only half booked and there would be plenty of room to spread out. I was also encouraged to learn that my seat was in the back of the plane, nearly the last row. Ah...solitude.<br /><br />Right. Not this trip.<br /><br />Slowly, inexorably, they marched down the aisle, with John Williams' Jaws theme playing behind them, passing one empty row after another, crashing down into the two seats directly in front of me. At this point I looked out the window to make sure a wing wasn't missing. "What's next?" I thought. A Gremlin ripping up an engine? Would our pilot turn out to be JFK Jr... with John Denver as the co-pilot? Were there rugby players on board? I resigned myself to my fate and amidst loud guffaws, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">guttural</span> noises and seat adjustments, I leaned back, shutting everything out, attaining a Zen state of relaxed calm and tranquility.<br /><br />And then she farted.<br /><br />I don't remember anything after that. When next I became aware, the plane was on the ground in Arizona. They continued on to terrorize Tokyo and I escaped into the balmy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">pre</span>-dawn darkness of Tucson.<br /><br />Before I show you some photos of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">NOLS</span> Southwest Headquarters, I'll share with you a brief anecdote that sums up living in the desert. I was preparing to leave for a run last night and asked one of the staff that's still here whether it was safe to run on the road at night or if I should wait until morning. He responded "do you mean safe from cars or from snakes?" "Tomorrow it is" I said.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEalRKvQJw_hxD1gii8aqd78qWHUDIrOM8a2J7pqRA8l0Pa-CmhA9-SotaT6bvxVBzV5Tm_6EIefopTZ07eOh-TJ8NJUWSMvzJ75Vro4GpVWZGduYbHtoDq-6Ue4N8-Hix8kp0HmrpxOE/s1600-h/DSCN1118.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEalRKvQJw_hxD1gii8aqd78qWHUDIrOM8a2J7pqRA8l0Pa-CmhA9-SotaT6bvxVBzV5Tm_6EIefopTZ07eOh-TJ8NJUWSMvzJ75Vro4GpVWZGduYbHtoDq-6Ue4N8-Hix8kp0HmrpxOE/s400/DSCN1118.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5202905273398405250" border="0" /></a>The front gate of the Southwest branch<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzIm3URjBFOLeUzNWOdPRTCY2a1puZpP-rgLdt233S5eD-VrRg2Dsl5mQoVO9kGjZohJkcTY9z_DhM0AqW4geKmuCZZSDRiGYjtqENEEPRAy_ddXg6Ki10cDvN6kblXBztQYULZm3kfU4/s1600-h/DSCN1115.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzIm3URjBFOLeUzNWOdPRTCY2a1puZpP-rgLdt233S5eD-VrRg2Dsl5mQoVO9kGjZohJkcTY9z_DhM0AqW4geKmuCZZSDRiGYjtqENEEPRAy_ddXg6Ki10cDvN6kblXBztQYULZm3kfU4/s400/DSCN1115.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5202905990657943698" border="0" /></a>A wide angle view of the campus.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSpvjBQV_cv-dOdFDEd7mUFoE9y7VKk6NNtSvBNnRCI0hIveuNL1ix5qmIl0E5QSI3lweUk4AiTND8rh1P4Clx-YkLRJo_2PE87uYR1y6o1ANjsX2CiKQ74G0NVa_kr-cIXJ3jZwKrcmM/s1600-h/DSCN1114.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSpvjBQV_cv-dOdFDEd7mUFoE9y7VKk6NNtSvBNnRCI0hIveuNL1ix5qmIl0E5QSI3lweUk4AiTND8rh1P4Clx-YkLRJo_2PE87uYR1y6o1ANjsX2CiKQ74G0NVa_kr-cIXJ3jZwKrcmM/s400/DSCN1114.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5202906467399313570" border="0" /></a>The climbing wall<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDaLS2I0tezapqvKCxaecZLV6f5kkvtwy-IRSK37PgSXbrDuEsvRTUG5Nun1mXNsjPMniaxW4SYnEtsZpUwtHufHSgyQJROpqCs_ltCIP6SiNv1QXs538Pd8mcZ1ykCc14LJ0LRrQa8_0/s1600-h/DSCN1109.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDaLS2I0tezapqvKCxaecZLV6f5kkvtwy-IRSK37PgSXbrDuEsvRTUG5Nun1mXNsjPMniaxW4SYnEtsZpUwtHufHSgyQJROpqCs_ltCIP6SiNv1QXs538Pd8mcZ1ykCc14LJ0LRrQa8_0/s400/DSCN1109.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5202907021450094770" border="0" /></a>The main house<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjlJaHnJmn_ZZy_aF7sUSu2bdRLigxg2CE3vu3Qo1jA_2-GqJqafBu2wyLHJodT8pAvgTCppeeMpY6cPUGyPifoltOdPgDsS623w63yb_N3f8j_DjOnRrQZXtqKI3g2r0MKdxXdBgoyuU/s1600-h/DSCN1090.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjlJaHnJmn_ZZy_aF7sUSu2bdRLigxg2CE3vu3Qo1jA_2-GqJqafBu2wyLHJodT8pAvgTCppeeMpY6cPUGyPifoltOdPgDsS623w63yb_N3f8j_DjOnRrQZXtqKI3g2r0MKdxXdBgoyuU/s400/DSCN1090.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5202907721529764034" border="0" /></a>The pool area<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTQcGSD_z4z2nUa9QdsrnLRSngKpJmxgx4AAgEfSRxCt81y65SrVDQEF6iqF8zYz6grMy6SpHbuo7G74K36Ws_jRK-7WYgiMnoABHu-b3Ip6TkYAXaU3huBLwpGJeH_uOg8jw7PAEc-0g/s1600-h/DSCN1093.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTQcGSD_z4z2nUa9QdsrnLRSngKpJmxgx4AAgEfSRxCt81y65SrVDQEF6iqF8zYz6grMy6SpHbuo7G74K36Ws_jRK-7WYgiMnoABHu-b3Ip6TkYAXaU3huBLwpGJeH_uOg8jw7PAEc-0g/s400/DSCN1093.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5202908297055381714" border="0" /></a>The "bunk house" area where I'm sleeping<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivUMtQ0dPShIV1ahaofa3Z8gYg6Iv5dcxR1d9hNNPzZq87sRdAOBl_RskMsuKlXV9E7ed0en0EXaJ8J1T9PiDsQiSoh6F-AjPCa3DCHMV9cVUOdT4VkjcrsEGcb2krxe-q72sDOIVHjRQ/s1600-h/DSCN1092.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivUMtQ0dPShIV1ahaofa3Z8gYg6Iv5dcxR1d9hNNPzZq87sRdAOBl_RskMsuKlXV9E7ed0en0EXaJ8J1T9PiDsQiSoh6F-AjPCa3DCHMV9cVUOdT4VkjcrsEGcb2krxe-q72sDOIVHjRQ/s400/DSCN1092.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5202909113099167970" border="0" /></a>The patio area with grill and fireplace<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNRHbSTeetNEYOsnw0XkX5tcf1QFR-KjT3McFZWXLse2Iif47x77BiKp-JT-BOEoMyWsL01Sjq7sUy-Pq2NDJT2icCk1yJ8hFuKPqg83FMIIQlkJZQPbaesacp3DFtZuwtkXb3dpH1dIw/s1600-h/DSCN1095.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNRHbSTeetNEYOsnw0XkX5tcf1QFR-KjT3McFZWXLse2Iif47x77BiKp-JT-BOEoMyWsL01Sjq7sUy-Pq2NDJT2icCk1yJ8hFuKPqg83FMIIQlkJZQPbaesacp3DFtZuwtkXb3dpH1dIw/s400/DSCN1095.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5202910676467263730" border="0" /></a><br /><br />And so... as the sun sets in Tucson sky, I bid you a fond farewell! Until the next post amigos!!<br /><br />- Mitch<br /></div><br /><br /><br /></div>Meeyatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465719419888849550noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858015066340574114.post-1539100813173429972008-05-11T18:55:00.001-07:002008-05-12T13:50:09.252-07:00Heading to Tucson<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/digitaltrav/89333805/"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://www.flickr.com/photos/digitaltrav/89333805/" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Bristol...<br />Shit...<br />Still in Bristol...<br />(a shining no-prize to anyone who knows this film reference)<br /><br /><div id="button_bar"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/digitaltrav/89333805/#addtofaves" onclick="this.blur();return false" id="photo_gne_button_add_to_faves" class="sprite-add_to_faves_grey" style="width: 54px; cursor: pointer;" alt="Add to faves"> </a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/digitaltrav/89333805/#blogthis" onclick="this.blur();return false" id="photo_gne_button_blog_this" class="sprite-blog_this_grey" style="width: 45px; 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width: 218px;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td width="3"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/www.flickr.com/images/tc_white_tl.gif" height="3" width="3" /><br /><br /></td><td class="td_note_white"><br /><br /></td><td width="3"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/www.flickr.com/images/tc_white_tr.gif" height="3" width="3" /><br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td class="td_note_white"><br /><br /></td><td class="td_note_white" style="padding: 0px; height: 155px;"><span id="rotate_span" style=";font-family:arial;font-size:12;" ></span><br /><br /></td><td class="td_note_white"><br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td><img src="http://l.yimg.com/www.flickr.com/images/tc_white_bl.gif" height="3" width="3" /><br /><br /></td><td class="td_note_white"><br /><br /></td><td><img src="http://l.yimg.com/www.flickr.com/images/tc_white_br.gif" height="3" width="3" /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="z-index: 999; display: none;" id="shadow_div"><table class="shadow_table" style="padding: 0px;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td width="11"><img class="trans_png" src="http://l.yimg.com/www.flickr.com/images/tc_white_shadow_tl.png" height="11" width="11" /><br /><br /></td><td id="shadow_width_controller"><img class="trans_png" src="http://l.yimg.com/www.flickr.com/images/tc_white_shadow_t.png" height="11" width="100%" /><br /><br /></td><td width="11"><img class="trans_png" src="http://l.yimg.com/www.flickr.com/images/tc_white_shadow_tr.png" height="11" width="11" /><br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td id="shadow_height_controller" height="30"><img class="trans_png" src="http://l.yimg.com/www.flickr.com/images/tc_white_shadow_l.png" height="100%" width="11" /><br /><br /></td><td><br /><br /></td><td><img class="trans_png" src="http://l.yimg.com/www.flickr.com/images/tc_white_shadow_r.png" height="100%" width="11" /><br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td><img class="trans_png" src="http://l.yimg.com/www.flickr.com/images/tc_white_shadow_bl.png" height="11" width="11" /><br /><br /></td><td><img id="shadow_width_controller2" class="trans_png" src="http://l.yimg.com/www.flickr.com/images/tc_white_shadow_b.png" height="11" width="100%" /><br /><br /></td><td><img class="trans_png" src="http://l.yimg.com/www.flickr.com/images/tc_white_shadow_br.png" height="11" width="11" /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div id="photoImgDiv89333805" style="width: 335px;" class="photoImgDiv"> <img style="width: 262px; height: 320px;" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/33/89333805_aeefacfde6.jpg?v=0" alt="" onload="show_notes_initially();" class="reflect" /></div><br /><br />You know there's not much going on when you are moving bricks for fun...and looking forward to it. Sadly, there's only a few more wagon loads to go...and I've already built a lattice work screen on the porch... and washed my car... and rearranged the lawn furniture...<br /><br />Can insanity be far behind? Many of you out there would argue that insanity is already well entrenched above my shoulders but that is beside my point.<br /><br />Just as desperate thoughts were setting in (just how much weight will that shower curtain rod hold?) I received a blessed bail out from my good friends at NOLS!! After a flurry of emails and a couple of phone calls I was confirmed as the caretaker of the NOLS Southwest HQ in Tucson for a portion of the summer! That's right! A five week suspended sentence just in the nick of time!<br /><br />Breathing easier, I got down off the chair, loosened the belt from around my neck and started thinking about sunny days in the desert, chilling by the pool and getting to know Tucson.<br /><br />Whew! That was close!<br /><br />Now... what to do about June 20 thru July 20? Nothing like Bristol to make you look forward to Cambodia!<br /><br />:-)Meeyatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465719419888849550noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858015066340574114.post-82094474191918952402008-05-02T16:01:00.000-07:002008-05-02T16:32:16.456-07:00Is it May already? Dang...Well, so far so good with the Khmer language training. Actually, I've been slacking a bit on the studying for the past week or so while I decide what the next two months will hold for me. More specifically, WHERE I'll be spending the next two months. It's a good problem to have, in some ways.<br /><br />There is a chance I could be care-taking the NOLS South West HQ in Tucson. Not a bad place to hole up and learn a few things. I'm still waiting to hear the final decision on that one.<br /><br />Last night was my last class teaching English at Gaither High School. I took some pictures of some of my students. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLfzOD3QqQdvxnLykP5bP48aOJkPPOOJB8_sRMKuw7qfmmR1h0fb30d_APhC7MkhIGwdZPlYXUHpcMpJcIAkQBpTDjZyyh1l1H4rS_H2i8gWve4_2lf8XkAzNxou5ynvDwW1Er-rTfvy0/s1600-h/DSCN1047.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 401px; height: 274px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLfzOD3QqQdvxnLykP5bP48aOJkPPOOJB8_sRMKuw7qfmmR1h0fb30d_APhC7MkhIGwdZPlYXUHpcMpJcIAkQBpTDjZyyh1l1H4rS_H2i8gWve4_2lf8XkAzNxou5ynvDwW1Er-rTfvy0/s320/DSCN1047.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5195922144117645762" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I like this picture. In one shot you have students from Peru, Iran, Vietnam, Korea, Colombia, Honduras, Brazil and Haiti. It was really cool to spend time with these students learning about their cultures. I'm going to miss these guys. I really enjoyed teaching them. Working with the teachers at Gaither gave me some great experience and excellent ideas that I'm going to put to good use in Cambodia. I know I'm going to have a great time!<br /><br />The second picture are the "Charlie's Angels" of the Hillsborou<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwVMq5uq1Ah-j-NRJAY2KzJRYBbez5xppb-NzlLzk1iVKnpuAcNNDtlJWAL_3vuw03leeyHMulv1aP7jpGFRCECKllmqa6dbr25kTObIN63Isfi5YguEj722zjyk38kyrLQ1E_FOZh60c/s1600-h/DSCN1048.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwVMq5uq1Ah-j-NRJAY2KzJRYBbez5xppb-NzlLzk1iVKnpuAcNNDtlJWAL_3vuw03leeyHMulv1aP7jpGFRCECKllmqa6dbr25kTObIN63Isfi5YguEj722zjyk38kyrLQ1E_FOZh60c/s400/DSCN1048.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5195926091192590802" border="0" /></a>gh county adult education ESL classes!<br /><br />Well, in two days I'm outta Tampa for the next few years. <br /><br />...and I still never made it to Key West. Damn.<br /><br /> I'll chat at ya soon!<br /><br />-MitchMeeyatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465719419888849550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858015066340574114.post-31047944619171454592008-04-21T19:14:00.000-07:002008-04-21T19:23:18.275-07:00You Tube to the Rescue!!After spending a few days scouring the internet, googling "Khmer Language", "Cambodian Alphabet" and the like, I finally had a breakthrough. Would you believe that right now, You Tube is the most comprehensive source of learning materials for the language of the Cambodian people?<br /><br />I've found many wonderful lessons on the 33 Khmer consonants and vowels, complete with the all important native pronunciation!! This alone has helped me to get a foothold on a totally different language family from my own.<br /><br />check out this vid for the consonants:<br /><br /><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/3tmRlehWEuo&hl=en"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/3tmRlehWEuo&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="355" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />Well... I'm off and running. The squiggly lines and shapes are actually starting to make sense. I'm still well off from forming whole words, but it's not bad for 2 weeks when you consider what a pain it looked like it would be!<br /><br />Chat at ya soon!<br /><br />MitchMeeyatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465719419888849550noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858015066340574114.post-35507053810805882662008-04-18T12:19:00.000-07:002008-04-21T19:26:46.814-07:00Khmer You Varmint!!Hello all!<br /><br />Well, since I got my news in the mail from Cambodia, it's been all about getting things done. As a volunteer, I will need a special PC passport that I will use while in Cambodia. I will also need a visa to work in that country. I got all the paperwork and photos together and sent them off last week.<br /><br />Next in line to complete was my "Aspiration Statement". This is a short document meant to be a sort of introduction to the PC Country staff. Details I provided in this statement will help the PC folks to customize my training in accordance with my experience and what motivates me personally. I had a pretty good time going back over my history putting things in perspective for this. It was interesting to see that it looked like events throughout my life have been leading up to this opportunity. Little clues early on that I would enjoy being a teacher, and love traveling. (Many thanks to those that helped me in putting my thoughts together so that they made sense and didn't make me look too much like a nut-case!)<br /><br />Now, I can turn myself to the challenge of finding Khmer language resources. So far, there have been more than a few hits from my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">google</span> searches. The big obstacle is that none of the sites is a "one-stop-shop". It looks like I may have to pull bits and pieces from multiple sites.<br />Khmer is an interesting language. It's derived from an ancient Brahmi script used in southern India. There are 33 consonant sounds and 24 vowel sounds. Their alphabet is arranged according to where in the mouth the sound is formed. In this way, the list of the alphabet is a sort of "map of the mouth" and has the added benefit of giving you a hint as to how to say each sound. Kinda clever huh? I think despite the complications and differences that learning this language is going to be interesting and maybe even fun!<br /><br />If I get extremely lucky, I'll be able to find a native speaker of Khmer locally that can help me out. I'm not enthusiastic about my chances of finding someone after I move to VA though. Oh well, the way I look at it, I might as well get in the mode of overcoming obstacles now.<br /><br />As of now, I'm planning to leave Tampa for VA at the end of April. Wish me luck!!<br /><br />Chat at ya soon!<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Meeyatch</span>Meeyatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465719419888849550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858015066340574114.post-36876713801662919242008-04-08T16:26:00.000-07:002008-04-08T21:23:21.487-07:00The wait is OVER!! IT'S ON!!!So, yesterday I was coming back in from another rousing day out and about. If your reading my blog, then you know I've been checking my mailbox everyday looking for news from the Peace Corps regarding where I'm going to be posted. As of my last post i was on Defcon 1... it was in the mail!!<br /><br />So I stopped by the mailboxes (which in this neighborhood are located at the corner of each street) and checked my box. Two flimsy pieces of junk mail. " Oh well." I thought. It was only put in the mail on Friday. It would have to be some sorta miracle for it to make it that quick.<br /><br />I went back to the car, got some groceries out and headed into the house. "A few more days won't kill me."<br /><br />Then I looked down at the doorstep and saw this.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKWJHhHmGcOxAjWQYpJ2TpKr46-YRqJgIfR2JCGQowbLgzAzEHTOsKBiSdz7S7jKU9wI33gokr0tdoBvOS9CKw7pf8fxJCgbr3aICUAiootfTbr0qvZm5h09nlzRNNgG5LQBNLUNb2oUM/s1600-h/FSCN1043.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKWJHhHmGcOxAjWQYpJ2TpKr46-YRqJgIfR2JCGQowbLgzAzEHTOsKBiSdz7S7jKU9wI33gokr0tdoBvOS9CKw7pf8fxJCgbr3aICUAiootfTbr0qvZm5h09nlzRNNgG5LQBNLUNb2oUM/s320/FSCN1043.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5187022448233921938" border="0" /></a><br />HOLY CRAP!! THIS IS IT!!<br /><br />I took my stuff inside, puff puff, and puff, tried to puff, puff control my breathing. I picked up the envelope and took it inside. I sat down at the table and slowly, tore open the package.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXMuteThFXLcQgsdJb_79QMFCI7fncSO2hnAkSY21iF2c0eSVCwDMXisOqxgJtp3IgWh4BPTbcMEgWq4eEc2Cysfhol-z3f_phgVlO8VWFS3u0oLio49djkoBiA93BEgG5mwvyYRonVZ4/s1600-h/FSCN1042.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXMuteThFXLcQgsdJb_79QMFCI7fncSO2hnAkSY21iF2c0eSVCwDMXisOqxgJtp3IgWh4BPTbcMEgWq4eEc2Cysfhol-z3f_phgVlO8VWFS3u0oLio49djkoBiA93BEgG5mwvyYRonVZ4/s320/FSCN1042.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5187023367356923298" border="0" /></a>Yep, it was my invitation kit alright!! Inside this blue packet was the culmination of a long, eight month qualification process. Hours of trepidation for myself, and for those that were with me. From my personal interview in Ft. Collins Colorado, through my medical testing in Virginia, all the way through the circus that was my Dental clearance. It all came to this. Where would it be? Philippines? Cambodia? China? Thailand? or maybe the frozen tundra of Mongolia? I decided not to wonder anymore. It was time to open the kit, read the letter and embrace my future...at least the next two years of it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiORiivepS55hKwd40oERbixbB6Gq2Jpl4cYQ2pCr3CVGNIifzqpHp6rSruuHg8dsgjZAk1iaLTKjqx6Tq0m8nrkWKsyuZoPITyadzUoB-msckHigHFs7j6jo7ppbk1ca9ySgBR_zJn6Bo/s1600-h/DSCN1041.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiORiivepS55hKwd40oERbixbB6Gq2Jpl4cYQ2pCr3CVGNIifzqpHp6rSruuHg8dsgjZAk1iaLTKjqx6Tq0m8nrkWKsyuZoPITyadzUoB-msckHigHFs7j6jo7ppbk1ca9ySgBR_zJn6Bo/s320/DSCN1041.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5187025111113645490" border="0" /></a><br />CAMBODIA!!! YEAH BOYEEEE!!<br /><br /><img alt="The image “http://www.peacecorpswiki.org/images/Cb-map.gif” cannot be displayed, because it contains errors." src="http://www.peacecorpswiki.org/images/Cb-map.gif" /><br /> <br />The Kingdom of Cambodia (or Kampuchea as the natives call it) is amazing. It's a land of mountains and floodplains. Of ancient and mystical Angkor Wat, and the brutal Killing Fields. The Cambodians a people proud of their 1000 year heritage, but still overcoming the "near total destruction of their educated workforce" by the Khmer Rouge in the mid to late 70s. Over 1 million people were killed during this attempt by the communist regime to erase all traces of western influence from Cambodian society. It's going to be awesome to be part of helping a proud people complete a economic, social and cultural comeback! My volunteer class will be only the second group in, with the Peace Corps program starting in Cambodia in 2007.<br /><br />This of course comes with some challenges. The first I'm coming up against is language related. It seems that Khmer, the official language of Cambodia is not yet supported by programs like Rosetta Stone and the like. It will be up to me to seek out what resources I can and give myself a leg up prior to my Pre service training. I guess this is the point of going to help out. To help Cambodia grow and be more of a part of the global society. My welcome kit went over a few more potential challenges to give me an idea of what I was getting myself into. My favorite part of the kit though was in one of several letters included from current volunteers describing necessary equipment for exercising: "I'll pull on my cross trainers and go running along the river. I carry my ipod in my left hand and a dog-whacking stick in my right hand (Dogs are feral animals in this country and attack if you enter their territory. They're not lovable pets, but they are delicious)."<br /><br />Yeah... count me in!<br /><br />So there you have it. I have between now and July 20 to get a few more ducks in a row and then I'm off! It's kinda funny that here I am, writing about my "Pupa stage" and I get posted to a country that is also in the midst of its own transformation. Sounds like a good match to me.<br /><br />Chat at ya soon!<br /><br />Meeyatch<br /><br />song of the next two years: Run to the Hills and Wasted Years by Iron Maiden.Meeyatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465719419888849550noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858015066340574114.post-11546051395884760192008-04-03T21:55:00.000-07:002008-04-03T22:55:40.349-07:00A Premonition, A Decision, and Long Awaited FruitionWhat a last three days I've had.<br /><br />Monday: Received an email from a good friend of mine with the gift. She said she had a dream about me and that I had finally heard from the Peace Corps. She told me to be on the lookout. As usual, I cynically thought "sure, I'll be right there" and prepared myself for more waiting.<br /><br />Tuesday 3pm: I'm sitting in Barnes and Noble, decompressing (i.e. impressing all the hot ladies by reading a graphic novel, DC's Infinite Crisis actually) when my phone rings. I check the number, see the 202 area code and my heart starts to race. 202 is D.C. , Washington D.C. I'm thinking this is it. I let it go to voicemail just to make sure. I check the message and sure enough, it's "Carmen" from the PC placement office, and she has an invitation she'd like to discuss with me. Again, it's like all of my nerves lit up at once. Almost shaking with anticipation, butterflies in my stomach, I went outside to call her back. This was it, I'm finally going to find out where In Asia I'll be spending my two years!! Philippines? Cambodia?<br /><br /><br />I get Carmen on the phone and she throws me the curve ball. It seemed the PC had a shortage of applicants with business experience for a posting in the Caucuses. For the geographically challenged, think Georgia (not Jimmy Carter GA) and the Ukraine. The placement folks saw my background and it made sense to see if I would be willing to take that posting. Taken completely by surprise, I came unhinged. I spent the next few minutes on the phone sounding like an idiot, or maybe a ssssstroke v-v-victim.<br /><br />"er...uh..yeah... I see. er...Caucuses? wow...er... Ham Sandwich... hmmm...yeah."<br /><br />I told Carmen I wanted to think it over but I'd let her know before 5pm on Wednesday. I hung up the phone and my head promptly flew off into outer space.<br /><br />Tuesday 4pm: I needed to get grounded. I needed some advice. I tried to get in touch with my recruiter...but she was out of the office. I chatted with a couple of close friends with some experience with government service and for the most part, over thought the whole thing. I really want to help out, but the prospect of changing both my primary project (from teaching to business development) and my region from Asia to the mountains between Europe, Russia and India kinda threw me for a loop. I had to go teach English class, but all I wanted to do was to look up the Caucuses on the internet and start running through my decision making process.<br /><br />Well, I finally decided that since it took me several weeks of research and scenario running to decide on my original region that it didn't make sense to choose a new path based on only a few hours. Also, I was really enjoying the new prosepct of teaching for a living.<br /><br />Wednesday 4:30: After much over analysis, weeping wailing and gnashing of teeth, I called Carmen back to let her know my decision and to make sure that she understood that I really want to help, but feel like the best option was to follow my original path. I was worried it would look bad if I didn't agree to help out however they needed. Carmen assured me it wouldn't count against me. I felt better. But, I was back at the waiting game again. Crap.<br /><br />Thursday 2pm: Finally got a call back from my recruiter. I returned her call and let her know about the alternative offer, of my decision to decline, and of my concerns about it reflecting poorly on me. She agreed with Carmen's statement that this would not be a big issue and for me not to worry about it. I felt better. But again, I was back to the waiting. Crap Crap Crap.<br /><br />Thursday 3:30: In Barnes and Noble again. Finishing DC's Infinite Crisis. Phone rings again. Again, it's a 202 area code...D.C. This time I answer. It's Patrick, who identifies himself as my placement officer. I'm not sure what to expect at this point but I say "how are you doing?" I have no heartbeat.<br /><br />Patrick says he spoke to my recruiter from Denver, and that I shouldn't worry about the whole Caucuses decision. In fact, after a few questions about why I wanted to be a teacher and what I've been doing to qualify myself, he let me know that my Invitation packet would be going in the mail Friday. Just like that.<br /><br />So...It's Friday, almost 2am as I type this. I'm wired. But, the wait is almost over. In a few hours the packet will be in the mail. The wait is almost over.<br /><br />Been a helluva few days.Meeyatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465719419888849550noreply@blogger.com0