Wow I know it’s been months in part bc I was getting my act
together anyways I got a real job I know shocker. I have to say I am not sure
how I like working 8-5:30 in an office every day I like to work outside but
this is what pays the bills plus I have medical insurances so now if I get sick
I don’t have to hope Buddha will take care of me hehe jk. I work as a monitor
and evaluation and resource mobilization coordinator for the learning institute
which is a research ngo they also work on programs all related to natural
resource management. What this means is I am become very knowledgeable in the environment
and policies related to land in Cambodia I actually no more Cambodian laws in
this area then America ironic. Anyways I
am learning a lot and have a lot of things I need to get done in this job roles
I am the only foreigner so it’s all Khmer staff which means somehow I am also
in charge of editing reports in eng I know reading this makes you laugh out
loud. I don’t know enough about staff dynamics yet to report much there are two
younger girls who share the office with me they seem to really get along and
have been very nice to me. I have not had to much contact with the director but
I am supposed to work closely with him as well for various aspects of my job. In between my lunch I have managed to fit in Khmer
lessons which is helpful however I am sort of overrun with so many other things
it’s hard to allow my brain to absorb it
all. My first week they had me attend this workshop on access to clean energy
from a gender perspective (I got a certificate) I know enough about gender
concepts related to develop however they taught us it all from a rights based approach
which I honestly have never really don’t before so it was informative plus I met
good connects including a solar power ngo. Aside from work I have been still
getting my MDS on the weekends so no free time =( but I have made a really good
friend so we hang out a lot and it does not feel like I completely lose the
weekend. Though this past month has sort of sucked bc we have been learning
stata this data entry software and in the kingdom of wonder you cannot buy a license
copy and all the boot leg copies r for windows not mac so it’s been hard to understand
what is going on so this class has caused me to spent hours on home work and
reports. I still have no idea how I will fund my thesis but we will be starting
to focus on this more this summer. I don’t want to get anyone’s hopes up but I decided
to take the Foreign Service exam the US gov will arrest me if I talk too much
about the test (now that I know the drones are watching) best avoid the topic ha-ha.
I will not know for a 5 weeks how I did however the grammar section was quite hard
for me but I felt confident with us treaties and history. Further still even if
I pass this part there is 2 more steps to the process and then after that a
waiting list for up to 18 months so it could be over 3 years be4 I would become
an actual diplomat assuming I pass all the stages. If some are you want to know
why I want to join I can say this I do think freedom of people is important and
the concepts of democracy etc be4 it has been controlled I think is a standard I
would like to live by. Living in Cambodia makes me realize how important democracy
is for development and human right speaking up its voting season. Since im sure
America is missing this it’s the president elections hear and when a certain
someone is a dictator and not president well it creates problems. Ex this past week two opposition parties formed
together in hopes to have a better chance to win well theses members that are
in the national assembly (similar congress except know one votes them in) have
been kicked out further more they said something to the effect that Vietnam was
behind Khmer rouge on national assembly letter head now promoting a new law and
I guess the arrest of these members. Furthermore the opposition party leader
sam ramsey (he has been in ex communication from Cambodia bc the current leader
has charged him to like 200 life sentences) has come out to say that the
current actions to kick out all the opposition from national assembly will lead
to a civil war the current leader claims that if there is a war that it will be
the oppositions fault. My take well not enough people will up rise there will
not be a civil war this election and the status quo will remain. All I can say
is the lack of separation of gov in every spear in this country is absolute
corruption. Well enough on politics let’s get into Khmer family gossip you will
not believe who called me last week….the cream of wheat guy!!! On Skype no less
which means I had to look at his face and stay calm it was hard but I managed. Well
if you need a catch up my host sister broke up with him 3 months ago I thought
we were in the clear with his craziness but turns out no…I would be interested to
hear your takes on the following conversation. Okay so he informs me that he
has not talked to my sister but as their wedding pictures does she want them I happen
to know she does so I tell him yes to send them but then he says no I don’t trust
the postal service. Why that is odd is bc he sent her cards and things all the
time be4 so I know something is up and I say well how do u want to send it then
boom craziness comes out of his mouth ill just fly back to Cambodia to give
them to her me (wtf!!!) Okay when are you coming back to Cambodia him o Feb of
next year. I’m still thinking who pays 2 grand to give someone wedding pic when
they had no money to visit for 4 years of their marriage well I decided to tell
him that my host sister would never agree to meet him I also tell him that he
owes my host mom 4 grand (she as been on me to email him for money since they
split but I just lied and said he changed his email phone etc bc I thought
pointless to ever speak to him again). I took this as a sign from the universe
to try to get her money back which I still will not hold my breath. He is still
dense and thinks everyone in that family is stupid and he is superior so he
pretty much laughs that she can do nothing to him so I can tell her basically
to forget it (mean while my host mom has told me in the past if he comes back
to Cambodia she wants the police to arrest him). Then he goes on some long rant how he can get
around phnom penh by himself and that he would stay in a hotel and no one would
know where he was staying blah blah but then goes back to my host sister
meeting him in his hotel (which means she would know where he is staying lmao)
unless he plans t have to different places he is staying at anyways to give her
the wedding pics. FYI for all the worried readers out their over my dead body
is she meeting him anywhere especially not in a hotel room bc that does not have
rape or kidnapping written all over it. Does he think im stupid or something I wonder
but I think he is up to something shady if he plans to come all the way back to
Cambodia I just wonder what his plan is? I play very matter of fact with him so
I never raise my voice or tell him he is wrong stupid that’s left for this blog
=) it is bc of this he tells me things he should not but yet again I don’t know
if he is playing 48 laws of power on me. I guess I should mention my host mom
does not know all of this happened bc she would be pretty upset so I just
called my host sister only bc I did not want her picking up any phone calls
from America in case it was him of course she was more pissed then sad and I guess
worried. So any ways moral of all of this cream of wheat guy contacted me and
is up to something not good. This post is way to long so I will let you all go
and hope to catch you all up with more stories soon. Peace out from the other side of
the world.
