Sophorn's House
11:42 AM
Yesterday was my last day doing field work. I woke up in the morning excited to be finishing up my surveys, ready to get back to Phnom Penh and started on my report.
Lauren and I sat on the side of the road in front of the guest house while we waited for Sareth to pick us up. We had a long conversation about high school, especially in regard to awkward dates and people who were just awkward in general. In hindsight, I've come to realize that I was probably the awkward one. I just hope that I've changed my ways since then.
But let's be honest, I probably haven't.
I still can't believe that I've been graduated for two years now. I honestly feel like I had the perfect high school career, with amazing friends who were very low-key and avoided drama like the plague. In many aspects high school seems like it was just yesterday, especially when I think about the good times I had. I've found, however, that I more often than not feel like high school was a lifetime ago. The experiences I've had since I've graduated have made me feel older, wiser, and more independent.
Sounds like something an immature person would say, don't you think?
There's no doubt that I still have a lot of growing up to do. I mean, I'm only nineteen! But I have learned things in college that I could have never learned in high school. For one thing, I have a better idea of the kind of person I am. More importantly, though, I have a better idea of what I want to become …
Sareth showed up around 7:30 AM. We hopped in the back of the RACHA/USAID car and made our way to the first village, flying past field workers the entire thirty minutes it took to get there. The village was a large one, with about 1000 inhabitants. We walked from home to home, interviewing women until it was about 10 AM. I hit my quota, ninety women, and called it good. We made our way back to the vehicle; I sat in the back seat and sipped on chocolate soy milk while Sareth figured out what was next on our schedule.
Due to Sareth's English skills, I was able to ask him the few burning questions I had.
"Do many men smoke here?"
"Yeah, most of the men do."
"What about the women?"
"They don't smoke." Most of the older women chew tobacco; thankfully that particular habit is becoming more uncommon for younger women.
"Are there any types of regulations that are put on cigarettes or alcohol in Cambodia? In the United States you have to be at least 21 …"
"No, no regulations. Anybody can buy alcohol or cigarettes, it doesn't matter what age you are. The people who sell only care about the money, they don't care about health … Many children drink and smoke …"
Although there isn't any regulation of the purchasing of narcotics, the Cambodian government has taken a few steps to try to improve the situation: they've banned cigarette ads from TV and other forms of media …
That's about it.
We stuck around the village to watch a quick health seminar put on by Sareth and one of the VHSG's before heading back to the city center. An older Cambodian man (who had teeth eerily similar to Gollum from LOTR) sat in a hammock nearby, staring at us and talking about us with the driver. I only knew that because he kept saying "barang" in his conversation, the Khmer word for "white person" or European.
Luckily we were able to catch a bus back to Phnom Penh that afternoon in time for the branch activity. I sat on the bus next to the window, my head jerking back and forth as I fell in and out of sleep. Wait, why does my arm suddenly feel all wet? Rain was pouring outside the mobile tin can and leaking through the window. This is what you get when you only pay $2.50 for a bus ticket...
that baby is ADORABLE!
ReplyDeleteAh... the wet arm trick... bet you had to change your pants after that one...
ReplyDeleteHey, don't you think that man in your picture looks a little like me? I'm thinking I could probably pass for Cambodianese.