Appearances are everything

Today is a mélange of topics as usual, the first being that sometimes “Appearance is everything”. I broke through my temerity or simple cowardice (temerity sounds better even if it does reflect the craven sort I have allowed myself to become) and accepted the bicycle that the VSO offers everyone in Phnom Penh. Everyone, even the folks from out of town who have motorcycles back home. I did not take the helmet although it was offered for the simple fact that I want to be able to see as much as I can while I go forth into harm’s way. It turned out ok, inasmuch as I began to recall some sage advice I had received from a fellow in the Philippines who had biked all of the time in Saigon. He said, “All you have to do is avoid the guy in front. ” The guy behind will take care of himself and you. It seems to work somewhat but sometimes I forget to watch out for the guy in front while I am watching out for the car or truck on my left or right. The only guy I am not too concerned about is the guy behind me — I am hoping he is taking care of himself and possibly me.So, after accepting the bike, and getting my housing allowance for equipping my brand new flat, I decided to have lunch in a posh spot, just down the street from my office called the Lotus Restaurant. A gorgeous place, the décor literally French Colonial, and the waitstaff suitably attired in better frocks than at least this patron.

Note: For you French or at least, other Romance language linguists, you will find more and more of the French vocabulary creeping into my chats. I can’t help it, it is here to stay. Many people decry the continuing abandonment of French while others sing praises to its demise. I am neutral except for the fact that it was always a beautiful sounding language and seemed to be truly the language of love. I took Spanish in school and thought it was also a beautiful sounding language, but for the classicists out there, French was still the language of Charles Boyer, and many other incredibly debonair (there, I did it again) screen lovers.

Back to lunch. After being seated and parking my helmet (motorcycle, with “Paco” and a heart with “mom” inscribed on it) and my briefcase, I studied the menu. Since I am only in the middle of my five-day medication, water was the drink of choice but I did spurge and order a coffee with milk as well. Not all coffee with milk is coffee with – at least condensed, milk. No problem, I dutifully drank it down and had what looked like a gallon of water to wash the lunch down. I then ordered the Chicken with lemon grass and an order of rice. Wonderful sounding stuff. It came and I have to say it was one of the worse meals I ever had. I don’t know enough about Asian cuisine, but I am sure that they do not waste anything. I chewed on several bits of gristle, separated some meat from looked like fat, and conscientiously ate the rest. But I have to say; it was most beautiful looking meal I think I ever had. There was a tomato that had been carved in a curl sitting on a nest of what looked like alfalfa sprouts. Sometimes things look too good to eat. So, like I said, “Sometimes, Appearances are everything”.

I have covered some aspects of the traffic on my bike and briefly touched on the monetary sustenance that VSO allows those of us who have sacrificed out lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor and for the benefit of mankind. Well, at least our honor.

Well wishes

So many thoughts and so many impressions, particularly as I walk down the street or do something a little differently from what I did a few hours ago. I find myself comparing my experiences to arriving in the Philippines five years ago. At that time I was much more intimidated by a new culture and by people whom I knew to be friendly but were so clearly different from me and what I had known that I was not sure how I would survive let alone succeed. One major difference between then and now was that the Peace Corps was nursing me along as slowly as possible and giving me plenty of time to make little mistakes and learn from them. The VSO on the other hand has dropped me into the stew and I think I am supposed to know the culture, the politics, the yin and yang of survival in a foreign land. Hmmm? I don’t. Simple to say, but in reality I bless the two years I had in the Philippines because that introduced me to Asia which is a major part of what I am experiencing at the moment. I am still surprised by the traffic and the incredibly sanguine reactions from everyone concerned. I still feel a little paranoid about people staring at me, but in this response I am probably reality based. People do stare in Asia, at objects and people who are unusual. I am an old white guy who still likes to walk in a world where only poor people walk. I still am a little surprised when I turn abruptly and some little kid is just standing there staring at me with a puzzled look on his face. I check my fly and my nose for any boogers, but no, it is me he or she is looking at. It was the same in the Philippines.I moved into my new apartment today. Once again a major difference from five years ago when the Peace Corps had lined me up with a host family, and I began my training immediately in language and culture. Here I was responsible for finding my own flat, negotiating most of the terms, and then going to the markets to furnish what didn’t come with the flat like dishes, pots and pans, some sheets and other linens, groceries, some lamps to light up the dark areas of the flat. At the time of this writing I have purchased some of those things but not all. Tomorrow and Saturday will be the major excursions into the market place.

In these little notes from the front I am not sure if I should tell you more about public life or history or just some more of my daily screw ups. I have plenty of the latter but one of the beauties of being in my age group is that I am often forgiven most anything. The fact that I am still sitting up and drawing breath is a marvel unto itself. But to be fair, I am constantly aware of those of you out there who do truly have longevity at bay and are enjoying life so well. Henrietta and Aunt Ann jump to my mind. Or, I will continue to just throw in whatever I happen to be thinking about at the moment and like the Chinese meals that are in such abundance here because of their low cost, you will get a lot of flavors and tastes. Use your chopsticks to stir it around and pull out what looks or feels good. Throw the rest on the floor like the Cambodian airborne guys I see in the restaurants here. I am sure that the one main necessary in a life full of poverty and hardship is having a military that one can be proud of. Or even having one you’re not very proud of.

Well, that is it for the time being. I am going to make my bed and read a little before I retire in my brand new flat. Life is very good for your little wandering pilgrim as I hope very earnestly it is for you.

Touchdown!

I think I scored a touchdown. As of this moment I have reserved a two-bedroom apartment on the first floor (our second), which is very nice. VSO still has to finalize (I’ll explain in few moments) the final contract, but I surreptitiously brokered a deal by giving a down payment of $50. I could possibly lose this deposit but I think it is unlikely. The rent is a backbreaking $350 a month. The landlady is going to install a large size refrigerator, which will be a nice match to the washing machine in the bathroom. I mentioned two bedrooms; each has its own bathroom (sound good, Kathy?) and there is a third bathroom off the kitchen. Both bedrooms will have air-conditioning. This seems to be standard for apartments in Phnom Penh. There is a front balcony with a decent view; nothing like South Shore but then again, I am in Asia. I will also have to pay for electricity, and sanitation/water ($15/month). This is garbage pickup, which I think is probably the bill for the building but that is ok. I can get a cleaning lady who will also do laundry and maybe cook on two days a week for $40 to $50 month. I am figuring a total budget of approximately $425 to $450 a month. It is in the far south of Phnom Penh near the Japanese and Thai Embassies. One never gets too far from the south side. I will send pictures later. If all goes well, I will move in a week from today which would be Wednesday, the 25th. I will be so glad to have my own place, luxurious though it is.

That is it for now but when you come to visit I will have some very nice digs for you to crash in. My predecessor also had a nice place, which I never saw but is currently being rented by a German named Ulrich. I met Ulrich and he works for a very prosperous NGO so I suspect it is an upscale place as well. I am wondering why I need to keep apologizing for this grand living accommodation, maybe because it is such a far cry from what the average or typical Peace Corps vol goes through.

Paco Parachutists League

The alliteration of the club title just appealed to me. Who knows – maybe another fad could be starting?After the first couple of days here in Phnom Penh, I can report that I am thrilled to be here. It is a vibrant and exciting big city with amenities galore. I have not checked out the bar scene, nor do I expect to for quite some time. I am trying to get acclimated to my jet lag condition and dehydration does not help. However, I expect this condition to pass in a relatively short time; the length of which I cannot predict.

It is Sunday night and as a result of my condition, I am composing this note in the wee hours of the morning, about 1 AM. I took a nap this afternoon and thought that I had slept through the night because when I awoke it I could see daylight. I decided to just lie about for a while since my first meeting wasn’t until 9:30. When I woke again, it was dark and my watch read 7:00 pm. Very confusing but not necessarily a problem. I find that I can do very well on a few hours of sleep at different times of the day. When I begin to put in more time I know that sleep rhythms will sort themselves out. Great work of engineering, the human body.

I am constantly comparing this experience with that of Puerto in Palawan. It isn’t really fair since I didn’t get to Palawan until almost two months after my arrival in the Philippines. But so far Phnom Penh compares very favorably. I am not drained from the heat since it is the cool time of the year. The transportation is very easy and accommodating. Motos (little carriages that are drawn by small motorcycles) and traditional pedicabs are everywhere. I have not taken any motorcycle (similar to cabs, but really a motorcycle) conveyances yet because I am not anxious to drag my helmet along. I am still impressed with my helmet and I expect that when I do begin carrying it, my transition to “Paco” will be more forthcoming. So far it is still “Richard”. I suspect it is because I show somehow that this is my name and is preferable. I am not sure when, if ever, I will start bicycling. I am not ordinarily a fearful person, but the traffic is clearly intimidating. It flows at different speeds, is generally of large number at least on the main boulevards, and moves with apparently complete disregard for other objects whether they are pedestrians, cars, motorcycles or bikes. Directions are relative since traffic flows in both ways literally with the traffic traveling on the correct side of the road having the right of way – I think. So, until I work up the nerve, I will either avoid bicycling or stay only on side streets with less traffic. I haven’t seen any elephants, berserk or not.

Tomorrow (today, because of the crossover of time) I will begin to meet with various personnel from the VSO office and discuss some cultural issues, hunting for a flat (apartment, I know you know that), and some other details. Later in the week I will be meeting with reps from UNESCO, DAC (Disability Action Council) and probably most importantly, members of the Ministry of Education with whom I will be working. I will still have another week to get grounded before doing any serious work but the agenda for that has not been given to me yet.

I have a lead on an apartment that is currently being rented by a girl (lady) who is leaving shortly. It is rumored to be a very nice, large and comfortable flat. I will contact her this week about possibly subletting it. The rumor is also that the landlord is going to raise the rent but unless it is exorbitant I think we will be able to work something out. VSO does provide a rent subsidy of $250/month. The comparison between Palawan and here continues to be significantly different. While the amenities are certainly grater and the cash flow better here, my memories of Palawan and the Philippines are so positive that it will take a long time before Cambodia becomes my Asian idyll. In the meanwhile, I will just have to enjoy being in a foreign land and testing its Shangri-like features.

As I walk along the streets of Phnom Penh or ride the slow moving “Tuk-tuk” (the moto, mentioned earlier), it is hard to fathom that only a few years ago, this entire city was evacuated by the Khmer Rouge and the inhabitants were relocated in “cooperatives”. Hitler called them camps in his day; concentration, in order to be more focused. The entire history of that time here in Cambodia is mind-boggling. There just were not any good guys anywhere. Everyone; French, American, Khmer, Vietnamese, Thai, Chinese, Russian either actively joined in screwing the other guy or looked the other way, or both. After the dead were counted and/or presumed to be – the country began its long haul back into the sunlight and despite drought, complete loss of personal ownership of property, and basically a rebirth using someone else’s currency, the country is actually beginning to see daylight. I had a long talk yesterday with a nurse management adviser who is going home in a few weeks. She extended beyond her 18 months because she had to finish a book that she and her Khmer nurses had written about I-V feeding. It sounds like a manual and was the product of the nurses’ desire to have something concrete to follow when they do a particular procedure. Prior there had not been anything. We also talked about the incredible malnutrition that exists in her work area in the north. I think I will make some detours to visit and see what they are doing there.

Yesterday, I almost literally ran into a Peace Corps guy on the street today as I was searching for an Internet store. He was walking toward me and he looked like a guy I had met the night before with a bunch of VSO’ers at a bar. He, of course, wasn’t the guy I thought, but he did turn out to be a PC’er. We shared some stories about the “Old Corps”(can you believe this turn of events?) and today’s Peace Corps. We exchanged phone numbers – I now am modern and have my own phone number. Next week I have to register with the American Embassy so that they know they can rescue me in case of any trouble or if Canada refuses to accept me as one of their own. This fellow, “Ren”, is in education and is in one of the provinces I am responsible for. Angkor Wat, the famous temple, is in Battanbang Province and he is as well.

Well, that’s it from the Wandering exile. Say a prayer to God, Allah, Buddha or whomever for me. The Druids are working overtime.