Tuesday, November 29, 2011

bumblebee


here in the bode, we have one main mode of transport.


said transport is kind of like our own personal transformer.


it's our be anywhere, do anything scrap of metal.


or you can just take these photos of my proof of trying to make my bike even cooler.  
with yellow duct tape.


our little "brother" tried to help by adding this green smiley sticker too.


all bow down to my personal hero, bumblebee of cambodia.

Monday, November 28, 2011

a belated thanksgiving

happy tuesday, all! though it's a bit belated, rest assured that we did in fact have a very scrumptilicious thanksgiving here in the bode.  



though it was in no way the same as home- what can make up for those people and those traditions?- it was really awesome to be among friends and our new cambodian family, enjoying turkey, potatoes, carrots, green beans, stuffing and even the best pumpkin chocolate chip bread i've ever had. (that might be the cambodia talking, though, but it sure was good!)

i am incredibly thankful to have an amazing husband here, and amazing families back home that we were able to skype with to say happy thanksgiving.  and i'm ever grateful for our new family and friends here and for such a delicious meal that K4s, staff, and the U.S. embassy provided for us!

happy holiday season, everyone! go make a snow angel for those of us that are still sweatin' to the holiday tunes, yeah?

*thanks to jill and stewart for great pictures :)

Friday, November 18, 2011

is this real life?



today, topher and i traipsed on down to our local "modern gas" store (complete with 20 varieties of rice cookers and gas stove tops) and forked over thirty seven bucks for an amazing little item that has just increased my happiness scale to near tipping point.

a toaster oven.


i didn't believe topher when he a said a little toaster oven could be used to bake.  how is this possible, i said?  and now, i have to admit to the whole world:

i was wrong.

you CAN bake with a toaster oven.

and bake i did.

for my birthday, topher bought me some goodies from a local western grocery store in phnom penh.  in that sack of goodies, he included an amazing package of fudge brownie mix and chocolate frosting.

oh i put that to good use.

even using duck egg instead of chicken egg, it still turned out well.


did you know you could MISS batter? because i sure did!


i first made brownie cookies.  they were delicious.



then i went for broke and tried to make a pan of brownies.  because the pan provided was convex, the batter didn't distribute evenly and they got a little toasty in the middle.


BUT.

they were still delicious.

i frosted them...


and covered them in m&ms from my dear mom...


and cut a few for our host family.


and now i'm digging in with topher, jill and dexter morgan.

happy friday, all!

Thursday, November 17, 2011

a most perfect of saturdays


sometimes, as i've alluded to, it's all too simple to get wrapped up in the why's and worth it's of living in a foreign country as a volunteer.  you know, the how's of cancelled classes, the what's of a language that i've seemingly stalled in, and the if's of overbearing heat, searing from the sky all the live long day.

and i've discovered that when these black thoughts arrive like a drenched cloud, there is often times a moment harkening not long after, providentially, that reverts me back on the straight and narrow.


a few saturdays back, i had many such providential moments that certainly made living through the frustrations all the more worth it and splendidly set me forth on firm footing for happier times.

we've begun returning to our training village- just seven kilometers away- each saturday to be tutored in khmer with a wonderful woman who led our trainers/teachers during training with other volunteers  who live there permanently.



this particular day that brought me out of such a funk, included a surprise of the most delicious pancakes in the smack dab middle of our lesson, a taste of which we've not had since prior to july of this year.  also imbued in the day was a gorgeous, shade-filled ride on a long dirt road, a trip to our former respite of glory- an air conditioned gas/mart-, and a visit to our training host grandmother, wherein she loaded us with ten pounds of rice and thirty pounds of coconuts.

the sunshine, sweet batter, and old haunts were just what a soul needs to revert back to a place of happiness and imaginings.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Our Home Life in Cambodia

oft i'm asked about our life here, our day to day occurrences and such.  as it's only a month or so that i've been living in our current abode, i don't quite feel all that great about breaking out a camera in the midst of teaching while i'm still trying to earn a small place in this here world.  

it just doesn't create that great of an impression, you know? "say this in english, and smile too, for my family back home!"  

also, i frequently forget the word for "take a picture."  see, can't remember it now. toom kloop? 

ah hell.

so i decided to do as i usually do and turn the camera on myself.  and topher.  mostly topher, you should know.


you should also know, be forewarned, that for some reason, topher thinks that "living in cambodia" literally translates to "i don't need to wear a shirt, no matter how many people are in our house."  it doesn't bother me, except for when he demands a hug (as those damn loving husbands are oft to do) and i have to politely (of course!) refuse him by shoving his sweaty arms off of me because the things i hate most in the world rely on sweaty skins touching my non-sweaty skins. 

and i shudder even now. sticky, sweaty skin on my perfectly towel dried non sweaty skins.  


oft in our home, we engage in culinary feats that would dazzle your mind. dazzle, i say!

usually, though, we're limited by that which our local markets offers to sell.  which is never varied.  so, really, the dazzling feats are inherently various concoctions of the same ingredients.  but oh, how our not-quite-done-because-we-can't-seem-to-cook-it-right-in-the-freaking-rice-cooker rice tastes!

you can see above we've dallied in peanut butter and jellies.  quite delicious, and no rice required.



and of course, carrots. and pork.  CARROTS AND PORK PEOPLE! you can't get this in america!


and that's right, topher naps while i cook us pork and carrots.  until it's his turn to cook, then i sleep. but mainly he sleeps! that's right! during our designated rest hours of 11 am to 2 pm, he has the nerve to rest his weary, slightly sweaty naked upper body and SLEEP.

oh the horror.


and then i bet there's a fair few of you out there just dying, staying up at night, querying how, just HOW, we do our laundry.  and therefore i present unto you...the indoor clothesline!  quite the model of ridicule for our host family, as they promptly wondered what the crazy americans were doing hanging their clothes and such inside, out of the rain and dirt, when there were perfectly wonderful (albeit, full) clotheslines just outside.  



i know you're thinking who is this hot, farmer-tanned trollop exposing her shoulders and styling herself as kate, but somehow standing over a pan of food, pretending to have done the unthinkable and cooked such food?


and you're terrified wonder would be quite deserved, as i have in fact cooked MORE meals here in cambodia in the last month that i did ever in our humble abode in maryland, united states of america.  we're talking, like seven or eight meals people.  

and surely you're now muttering to yourself just how do you get me to return and put my stellar skills of pork-and-carrot-cooking to work in YOUR kitchen, eh?  

well, you can't afford me, and i still owe the government twenty three months.

and now, i have to go chop up some over-cooked rice and kiss my husband, as to avoid sweaty arms.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Team Takeo!


ever since topher and i found out about our permanent site (which was back in september), we were wondering which other pcvs we'd end up living near.  because we live in the same province in which we did our training, the announcement was somewhat anti-climactic (though we're really happy to be where we are).  thus, the people we'd be spending so much time with became so important.

so we were freakin' excited when it was announced that we'd be living next to these four lovely ladies.  above, you'll see the two women who live in our old training village (town, really), another woman who actually lives in the exact same house and village that she did her training (a huge surprise! we'd heard you couldn't stay in the same place), and the fantastic woman who lives closest to us, Jill, who is just 7k away.  you can also see our awesome k4 intern (the group ahead of us) that was there all through training and darling husband.  sorry topher, about the shot.

so far, we've been lucky enough to have a movie night with these ladies, a few evenings just with Jill, and even have set up a time on weekends to study Khmer with the two still in our training village.  

despite there being a lack of men (for toph, ya know), we're so lucky with our Team Takeo teammates (the name ofour province.) they are all funny, smart and pretty awesome in general. we also have some great k4's that live in our province as well.


i feel lucky that we've been surrounded by truly great people thus far in cambodia.  it makes the hard days easier when you have faces like those above to look forward seeing every weekend or so.

have you ever discovered great friends in new places?

Saturday, November 5, 2011

thirty things to accomplish

i've made it pretty clear that i love setting goals.  big goals, small goals, medium goals. currently, in my moleskin calendar book, i set weekly goals of the personal and professional persuasion.  it helps keep me on track in a country where time is not always...money, as in america.

and in my infinite amounts of time, i was inspired by my friend megan and created my own thirty before thirty goal list.

i have four years remaining before i turn thirty, therefore, i've set some very long term goals and goals that require a longer-than-usual time (like eighteen months or more.)  i've also tried to divide the goals into ones i can accomplish and focus on here in cambodia, and those i'll have to work on once i return to the united states.  i like this because it allows me to really build up all those things i promised myself i would- like staying in better touch with friends, reading more, and actually saving money.

i tried to divide the goals into areas of my life that are important to me, and create manageable, but work-required goals, you know?


Self Improvement
Physical
  • Run four times a week at least 3 months
  • Run two 10k races
  • Return to mid-college weight and maintain for at least 2 years (this is about 5-7 pounds less than what I weighed at my wedding)
  • Eat no overly-processed foods for at least one month
Mental/Spiritual
  • Learn meditation techniques and meditate once a week for at least 4 months
Financial
  • Create and stick to a monthly budget wherein I save at least 10% of my current salary each month so that I can pay for travel and items that I want. Maintain at least 3 years.
Continual Learning
  • Buy a DSLR and take a class/ read books so that I can take 10 pictures that I'm proud of.
  • Enroll in class/find tutor to learn to play cello so that I can play at least 10 songs well (5 of which are easy, 5 medium-hard.)
  • Buy a sewing machine and take classes so that I can create 5 gifts for others.
  • Enroll in business class(es) so that I can learn basics for running my own small business.
Travel and Language
  • Return to Italy, especially Rome and Florence
  • Visit at least 5 new countries
  • Score at least Advanced Mid on Close of Service LPI in Khmer
  • Find way to continue to use Khmer in U.S.A.
  • Buy Rosetta Stone so that I can return to level of proficiency in Italian
Things I Love
Baking
  • Research and perfect ~50 recipes, including:
    • 15 cookies recipes
    • 15 cake/cupcake recipes
    • 8 pie recipes
    • 15 "other"/bar/special recipes
  • Take culinary classes on the following:
    • Pastries
    • Cake decorating
    • Sauces & Soups
    • Undecided other
  • Seek out ways to and begin to offer/sell my baked goods to family, friends and community
Blogging
  • Comment on 3 blogs a day for at least 3 months
Reading
  • Read at least 4 books a month for at least one year
    • At least 1 of the 4 must be nonfiction
Writing
  • Craft ten short stories
  • Outline and begin to draft novel
Knitting
  • Actually finish a scarf for Chris. Maybe, MAYBE, attempt a blanket.
Relationships
Marriage
  • Develop and honor a once a week date night and maintain for at least six months
  • Do something kind/loving for Chris twice a week for at least six months
  • Prepare mentally, physically and financially to have a child
Family and Friends
  • Write one email or call one person a week for at least eighteen months
  • Send a "just because" card or homemade item to a family or friend once a month for at least eighteen months
Career
  • Take necessary credits/classes to renew teaching certificate
  • Secure a job that excites/fulfills my passions, but also allows me to balance my work and life

the items in green are those i am going to work on/accomplish while in cambodia.  

i'm pretty excited about this list- it took me a good while to put it together!  i'll definitely be posting about items as i accomplish them- and inevitably running into challenges as i try.

what items do you think will be most difficult or rewarding? what goals do you have for the next five years? 

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

novem-blah

for some reason, november has always been my least favorite month.  boo hiss, i shan't and can't like it.

november is always so cold.  the leaves have all fallen or turned brown.  it starts to get actually cold, and the bitterly cold winds pick up.  the fall jacket has to be put away for the winter one, and the novelty of it all has worn off.

i was supposed to be born in november, did you know? i arrived three days early (thank goodness!).  i always wonder if i'd been born on november second- when i was due-if i'd like november.

i still think not.

topher also schmates november.  it's an odd thing, to have the same non-favorite month in common with your husband.  it works, though, you know? one of those crazy things that we can just say "euw i putrid dislike november" and no weird looks are given.

do you have a least favorite month?

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

the end of the photo challenge...

seventeen
technology
i absolutely stole this idea of using technology only to light the shot from Jenna.  she's awesome, as was this idea.  she clearly did it better, but this pretty much sums up our life when we want to catch up on the outside world here in cambodia.

eighteen
my shoes
in all their dirty, beaten up glory.

twenty
bokeh
a shot of my moleskin journal, full of all my ideas, including the designs/floor layout ideas for my future bakery, Marsh Mellow Goodness

twenty one
faceless self portrait
i think this one speaks for itself

twenty two
hands
as drawn during the previously discussed week long conference. also, i wish my fingernails looked this cool, though it's a fair representation of how nail art is achieved in my new home country.

twenty three
sunflare
not sunflare, but a cool flaring of light anyway.  this shows you how much i'd been outside in daylight in the last ten days of october.

twenty four
animal
we have this small joke about eating in cambodia- they don't eat meat here, they eat animals.  that means every part of the animal is up for consumption and considered delicious one way or another. case in point, chicken, in all it's glory.

twenty six
close up
my friend and fellow PCV jill pretty much rocks at all things aesthetic.  here is her witch drawing...

twenty seven
from a distance
...and here is her drawing said witch.  can you tell we miss halloween and fall?

twenty eight
flowers
the beautiful fruit and flower display at the very first khmer wedding i attended.  it's covered in silly string here, which was sprayed at the bride and groom as they entered in their second outfits. they feed each other a piece of fruit from this table and then said table is danced around for the evening, and guests take home the fruit.  

twenty nine
black and white
one of the few photos in this set taken on the actual day assigned.  yours truly, dressed in red, beginning the celebration of my birthday in phnom penh a bit early, with champy bought by darling husband.  

thirty
self portrait
and the final photo, taken on, again, the actual 30th day of october.  this was my birthday treat for myself- a coke float at a large mall in phnom penh, just before we boarded our bus back to permanent site.  it was totally worth the dollar and eighty cents.

happy november all!