Friday, November 12, 2010

Muy Kai Kon Lah into Site!



These are some of the kids at my site. The girl in front and boy next to her live at my house. Her name is Seraynut, nicknamed Nut and his name is Samnang, nicknamed Chud. They're great fun and they love teaching me Kmai. Plus if I tell them things that I like, then I know it will get back to my parents and they'll know what I like and don't like to eat, do etc.

For all you non-Kmai speakers out there, my blog post title means one and a half months at site and going strong. Well strong at least for now... it seems that most of the volunteers here oscillate between the highs and lows of volunteering here in Cambodia.

I've been living with my host family now and we're really starting to get into a swing of daily life. It's great I have a little ritual going now. Every morning I get up around 6:30 or 7 ish, whenever the construction workers decide to start jack- hammering outside my window. I go downstairs and make myself a cup of coffee. I now drink it black with a half teaspoon of sugar in it to cut the bitter taste of the grinds. Then I eat a piece of fruit if I have some... mostly asian pears or bananas (I know, I know... if you're reading this and you know me, you also know that in the States I hate bananas and anything associated with them, but here in Cambodia, they are soooo sweet!). They're usually the little mini ones and they're just a great snack to have, plus its great because they're cheap too and we volunteers don't get paid that much. And then sometimes, if I'm lucky and I have bread on hand, I have some jam on bread. I can't toast my bread here because that would require lighting a fire and of course, my host family doesn't think I'm capable of that- which they're probably right so I don't press the issue- so I just settle with my bread and jam. It's still pretty great. And if I'm really really lucky that morning, I get "nom kroat". This is literally translated into fruit orange bread. Sometimes my host brother buys me some and sometimes I go get them myself. They're really delicious and super bad for you probably, but some mornings they really can turn things around. Basically its like a beignet or a fried doughnut hole with sweet nums nums inside- for what a num nums is, I have no idea but its tasty! If you come to visit, be sure that I will introduce you to the Cambodia Nom Kroat!

more to come :)