So today was just a normal day but everything just went well... or better than well, everything was just a little bit better than it would normally be expected to be. I don't know what it was exactly so I will just write about my day and maybe someday in the future, I can look back and remember this feeling. It is a good feeling, like... sometimes things just work... work without struggle.
Alright. Well this morning I woke up at around 6:30am from a call of nature. I decided that since I didn't have anything important to do that I could let myself go back to bed... last night I had been so exhausted that I couldn't remember if I had anything to do or not so I think I deserved a little sleep in. I got back into bed and then had really fun dreams where I was just hanging out with friends and went to interesting places. The kind of dreams where when you wake up you want to go back to sleep but then remember how fun the dream is and want to have fun like that in real life so it gives you inspiration for the day... so the start of a good day.
I'm not going to make this day seem like it is the greatest day ever, nothing special happened, nothing really worth a blog post about at all... but it's more the way everything came together... the day just flowed. I can't explain it. Nothing came too soon or too late. Nothing happened more or less than it should. I didn't do anything that I haven't done before. It was pretty normal. But everything that did happen, happened with a certain joy. Maybe it was me, I don't know, but... well read on...
So after I got up, I made some coffee and went to my gma's hammock to study a little GRE. A little vocab, a little math review. Then lunch. My gma went to the Wat today because it was a Teng-ai Saul, or Holy Day, so she didn't have time to make it to the market to buy food... so fried rice with egg and water greens was lunch... basic but it filled me up. After lunch, I told my gma that I was going to the market. She asked, 'Why, to get more food?' I think she was nervous that the fried rice wasn't enough. I told her I was just going to get my nails done since they had started to chip. I got a french manicure and the lady did a great job, like always.
In Cambodia, I have learned that the simple things, like getting my nails done, bring so much pleasure and joy to my life... I think it is because when I used to think Peace Corps, I thought it was going to be two years of looking like ____ and avoiding mirrors. Then I got to Cambodia and realized looks are important. Owning a comb is important. Washing your face is important. I will never forget how people will just come up to you and say, 'Hi, good morning, oh! You have a really large, red pimple... (points to your nose)... right there.' Who knows why they do it, some say because they care about you and want you to know they notice things that are different, like if you have gained or lost weight. In the beginning, it was pretty hard dealing with this type of culture that doesn't shrink away from commenting about your physical appearance... since it is a 180 from American culture where a little white lie here and there to make your friends feel better is not only appreciated but expected. I remember one time, my neighbor, across the street who is a little outspoken, or just loud actually... she was in front of my house talking with the sugar cane juice seller when I came up to say good morning. She points at my chin and says, 'Pimple. Pimple.' And trying to respect her culture and show my love and admiration for her, I responded, 'Yes, I have a pimple, and you are fat.' and just in case she didn't get my point, I added, 'You should excercise.' 'Yes, I am fat... but I'm too lazy to excercise.' Well, that settles that.
Back from the 'salon', I hung out with the gmas that live around my house and let them admire my new polish and my lovely, long, white fingers... I'll never really understand why they find my fingers so beautiful but I really think my gma thinks they are my best feature.
Then off to school. I am pretty much done teaching. We go to school and just end up sitting there since my co-teacher doesn't think it is worth it only teaching the 5 students who have shown up today... so I guess this means school is out for the summer!!! And I am done at Touk Meas High School forever. Can't say I am going to miss the English for Cambodia books, not gonna lie. My students that are working on my world map project are busy studying pretty much all the time... they have about 3 hours free a week so this map thing has been coming along pretty slowly. My school director came up to me a few days ago, 'Come twu ka jahp ah howee, k'laht dau mun jahp' or in English, GET IT DONE! and I got a few, 'Brang-nyap' or HURRY! So since the kids were busy, I spent this afternoon working fixing their screwups. They did a pretty good job so I didn't have a lot to do, but I also wanted to make sure all the countries were accounted for... I hope they are... here's to hoping Peace Corps doesn't replace me with a geography major...
The afternoon rains came just in time. I was like, 'Oh no! The rains are here, I have to stop working now'... biked home, saved gma's clothes from the rain (I'm a hero), got my book (the mill on the floss, by George Eliot) and relaxed. Rain makes relaxing so much more guilt free. I love it. Gma came home once the rains stopped because she had been stuck under cover at the market. She made a really big deal about the clothes, 'OH! who saved the clothes!'... 'I did grandma!' Thinking I was pretty hot stuff. 'Thank you, thank you... but you forgot the clothes behind the house.' Haha. A little deflated but still at least saved half of them. I shrugged it off to culture shock... can I still claim that 2 years in? Might as well...
This is going on forever! Okay, I'll hurry up. So a lady came over and said I should ask for another two years in Cambodia... not going to happen but it's a nice thought. She made me promise to bring my husband when I get him to visit Cambodia. Sure, why not. Then she said if I stayed two more years I would speak 'clear'... oh, so you don't think I speak clear??? 'No, you speak clear, you would just speak soooo clear after two more years.' I get this a lot... and it makes me wonder, if I did stay two more years, would they still say the same thing, 'oh, stay two more years, then you really will be able to speak clear... 100%.' No thanks, I'll settle for my 80% that most people give me.
I went on a short run about 2km, came back, showered, did a face mask, read some more, boiled my drinking water, made some jasmine tea, talked with my gma's other boarder who works at kampot cement and waited for the electricity to come back on, and then had the best dinner ever: fried fish with garlic, cabbage soup, and bell pepper, pineapple and pork stir fry. I uploaded my pics from my camera to my computer and ended the day with this lovely blog thing.
Goodnight, friend, thanks for reading. Live like everyday is a pleasure, cause the simple things and simple days are often what bring the most joy... I think that is the truth... decomplicate your life.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment