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.