turning point

hello hello!

Where did we leave off? Sometime shortly before Christmas. I spent Christmas in Koh Kong with about 20 other PCV’s, we took a boat out to an island that looked like it was the set of LOST. It was great and a nice way to celebrate. I came back to site for a few days and then headed back to Phnom Penh for New Years and a meeting for the the health volunteers. It was really nice to be with other volunteers for the holidays, especially because they aren’t celebrated here. The meeting was productive but I was ready to be back at site after all the traveling.

Of course as soon as I get back to site (literally within the hour) I was sick from something I ate in PP. It was only a matter of time before I had something more than a runny nose. I knew it would pass quickly and I would be fine but my host family was very nervous and I was coined.( “Coining,” or koh khchal, is a method of using a copper coin dipped in tiger balm to apply pressure to acupuncture points of the body. Many Western doctors believe that this actually can be an effective means of pain relief. Coining does leave bruise marks, however, and these can alarm medical personnel and others not familiar with this practice.) People are coined all the time to help speed up the healing process when they are sick, it’s just like making chicken soup here! My host mom took me into my room and coined my entire back and then my front between my shoulders. It didn’t feel great and the next day really didn’t feel any better but it’s all healed and gone now. I knew that I would be fine the next day but I decided to let my host mom coin me because I knew it would make her feel better that she had done something to take care of me. It also doesn’t hurt with the Khmer culture street cred, true to form everyone knew I was coined…along with some other less glamorous details about the emptying of my stomach.

I have a picture…but  I don’t think I’ll post it, let me know if you’re interested in seeing what coining looks like.

So since I’ve been back at site and really while I was traveling around I noticed some things that had changed since the beginning of my service. I look forward to coming back to site. I enjoy going to work and joking around with the staff, buying my bread from the lady who comes on her bike each day and the bike ride through the village. I realized that I recognize more and more people at the health center. Especially the pregnant women, now I can usually tell when someone is coming in for their first check up and I’m friendly with the women who are ready to pop! I can go a few days at a time understanding the entirety of conversations!! There are moments when I still stop and say “huh?!” but for the most part in day to day conversations I get the gist enough and can contribute and answer questions.

More people are recognizing me, not just as “barang jeh Khmer (foreigner who knows Khmer)” but as someone who works at the health center, or takes the taxi back to Banon. On Sunday I was in a taxi back to site and a woman who had seen me before started talking to me. I love when other people have heard my spiel already (I’m from America, I am working at the health center, I am a volunteer, I’ll be here for two years, yes, I am speaking Khmer, yes, I do live in Banon, nope, no kids yet!) and can tell everyone else in the taxi for me. Anyway, this woman lives in the village next to me and wants me to come visit her house, she gave me her name and phone number. I’m really nervous about going but she was so excited and it would be rude to not go. It will be another adventure for sure.

Things are good, like I said I feel like I am making progress with integrating into the community so that makes me really happy. I am learning to read and write Khmer which amuses everyone to no end. They already tell me that I am just like a child (in my eating habits, hand size, language ability…but more on that in another post) so they love watching me practice writing all the loopy letters and learning to pronounce the alphabet. I have some projects that I am working on for the health program and a few in mind to do at site.

Time is flying. It’s hard to believe that I have been at site now longer than I was in training. Part of my feels like I left home a few weeks ago but in about two weeks we will be in Phnom Penh having a little party to celebrate the 6 month anniversary of landing in the ‘bode!

I think that’s all for now. I hope 2011 is off to a wonderful start for everyone. I love and miss you all!

xoxo,

b