HELLO from the opposite side of the world (literally). I have officially been in Cambodia for 10 weeks now. As I recently posted on my twitter, at least once a day I am in awe with this realization: I am HERE and LIVING in ASIA. These past ten weeks have taught me so much about myself that I needed to learn, but also was scared to realize. However in addition to learning about myself, I have gained so much knowledge on this beautiful country.

Here are a few things I learned during training, and please bear with me as they jump around a bit:

1. I am kind-of-sort-of a picky eater. Currently, my main source of protein comes from fried eggs. Why? Because I am WEIRD and don’t know how to eat meat off the bone without the irrational fear that I am going to choke and die plaguing my mind.
2. My cohort is full of kind, supportive, and intelligent humans. Throughout training I have had countless conversations around white saviorism, gender equality, and the concept of sustainable development.
3. My brain is full of many unanswered questions. Examples: What defines a developed nation/ who are we comparing “underdeveloped” nations to? Is there such thing as a ‘right’ way to live, or are we all just doing it differently?
4. The D.I.E. versus D.I.V.E. Model. One of the first things we learned in training is that there are four steps to integration and understanding the events around us: describe, interpret, verify, and evaluate. If we are to jump straight from the interpret stage to that of evaluating, we are potentially taking away inaccurate views on the event that took place. In short… you die (hypothetically). But if you are able to verify the events that take place, then you are ahead of the game and able to dive right into better understanding of the community around you.
5. Saying “They have so little but are still so happy and kind,” is a harmful statement. Essentially what you’re saying by this is that material wealth defines happiness.
6. I have been BLESSED with the best host family not once, but twice so far in this experience. My family back in Takeo helped me while I was sick countless times, navigate the market, and learn how to properly ankuyleng (sit and hang out).
7. Friendships are sometimes all relative to distance. Everyone I am currently friends with here, are my friends in part simply because we are all going through the same thing at the same time. It took time to acknowledge that all relationships are going to be different however, and that not everyone here knows me very well like my friends back home. Now that we are all spread out throughout Cambodia, I’ve had time to reflect on the friendships I created during PST and am beyond thankful I have already created some that will last beyond service.
8. I tend to let the negative moments define my experience. During PST there were times I felt like my experience wasn’t right because I wasn’t struggling like some of my peers. That maybe I was doing something wrong. When I first got to my permanent site last weekend, I was also having a hard adjustment. In my mind, my new family wouldn’t like me very much and my language skills were the WORST. I reached out to a few people who told me to take the small wins as they come. Keep track of those mini successes such as understanding something someone asks you, or being able to leave your mosquito net for more than two hours. Since this realization, I honestly have had a great time. Slowly but surely, I have been able to create a routine here. A few wins are as follows:
   • My dad has started calling me his kid whenever people come to the shop and call me a “barang”
   • I met some of my students and now whenever they see me they call me teacher and talk to me.
   • I found a place that sells coffee near my home (this is the best win to be honest).
   • My mom tells everyone I know so much Khmer after I tell them I only know a little.
   • I have been able to have longer conversations with my cousin and mom about my life in America (we’ve now talked about my cat five times… it’s been great).

While I have learned so much more than those eight points, I don’t know how to put it all into words. Overall, I would like you all to know that I am doing more than fine here! I have moved to Kampong Thom province and will be teaching at a high school alongside Cambodian teachers. I am as excited for these next two years as I am terrified.

P.S. I miss everyone from home so much. I know I have been active a lot on social media, but I also know I haven’t been very active in your lives. Please don’t hesitate to reach out via email, text, or facebook if you want to talk about anything!