August
The work update:
1) Over the past few months, a proposal came through regarding updating and facilitating an entire overhaul of the current English Language Curriculum for the Cambodian school system. This was luckily picked up by Peace Corps in conjunction with a few other volunteer groups and government organizations due to our on site experience in the low-performing schools in the rural areas, aka where nearly 80% of all Cambodian students reside. The current books in place are over 15 years old with no updated versions available and have been less than adequate for addressing the learning needs of students, the hesitancy of teachers and the lack of available hours to implement the lessons properly. So, with that said, they handed the curriculum development, textbook formatting and all creative freedom to us (with the Cambodian government’s guiding hand throughout the process). Along with around 15 other PCVs, we’ve been putting together drafts of the syllabi for review while waiting for funding from various organizations to put the project in place. It’s been a lot of reading up on textbook management and even more waiting, but it looks like we may be on track for the next step. With a two week workshop next month, we’ll be meeting with consultants and experts in the field along with our Cambodian counterparts to make sure we are addressing the needs of our students, teachers and the goals of the country in general. It’s an amazing honor and I couldn’t be more thrilled to be part of it.
2) BCDO has been working its ass off these past few months in gathering donations, supplies and researching various projects to test out. It’s been truly amazing being part of their work and seeing the changes they’ve helped foster in the area as well as the change within their organization. Our biomass briquette project is in the making, but with the amount of rain we’re having, getting the materials press-ready has been difficult. There are a few volunteers that are coming to stay with the organization in a few months which should prove interesting, but overall something I think may help us in the end. Tourism has been slow in the rainy months (it always is) but we’re still organizing tours and homestays in the area which is becoming more and more fluid with every group.
3) The new volunteers came back in July and have been in training for the past month. They seem to be adjusting…It’s been interesting to say the least, watching them react the same way we did a short year ago and go through the same hoops we went through ourselves. Between them coming and the K3s going, it really has set a time limit on my time left here.
The life update:
Things are moving way too fast. People always say that as you get older, things seem to pick up the pace more and more. A short time ago, I was the new one in the country and now we’re the ones leading training for the newer group. I’m down to around 10 months left in country as a PCV and with that brings the inevitable freak out of what comes next. On top of that is the crippling notion that I may not finish all that I’m working on before that time comes. I’ve looked into jobs in DC, the Foreign Service and even possibly working in Cambodia another year. I’ve really grown to love my life here and enjoy the time that I’ve been given. Between my host family, my daily routine, the amazing crap that is all around the country and the sense of avoiding the daily grind of city life in the States, I’ve been happier here than I have been in years.
Celebrating my 24th birthday (and 2nd in Cambodia) was a surreal experience but a good one. Between the Beer Pong in the German beer garden in Phnom Penh, movies at the new movie theatre and the disgustingly delicious bacon wrapped doughnut I was given, life just makes me smile over here. There’s some pretty great friendships here and it’ll be hard eventually saying goodbye to those, but I guess that’s just life. I miss my life in the states and the people there, but there is a sense of belonging and comfort in my life here.
Overall, things are going really well. I’ll be going to the islands this weekend for part two of my birthday week and for the birthdays of a few friends. After that, it’s one week at site before running up to Phnom Penh for the two week workshop, training in Takeo for organic farming for the new volunteers and then run back in time for the new school year and a few side projects.
Things are good