Host Sibling Cuteness

My host siblings are adorable little trouble makers. There are two girls who live in my house, a 5 year old and a 7 year old, and a 6 year old boy cousin who lives downstairs.

A few weeks ago we were playing outside, so I offered to buy them ice cream. It was cheap and they enjoyed it, and really I bought it because I wanted ice cream. Last week, I was in my room reading, while Maac was outside, and the three children were in the living room. I could hear the children playing around and I kept hearing the words the word "eat" followed by a word I didn't know. A few minutes later, they burst into my room, and kept repeating this phrase. I told them I didn't understand. So they told me, "Go outside! Go down[stairs]!" I surrendered, grabbed 2 dollars out of my purse just in case, and allowed them to drag me down the stairs, thinking that we were going to sit with Maac. The two older ones took me hands, and the younger one held her sister's other hand, and they marched me out past where Maac was sitting, and down the street. At that point I realized what they were doing. They were taking me to the only store on the street that has ice cream. I was being forced to buy them ice cream. The ice cream was super cheap so I bought it for them ($0.25 per prepackaged cone), and chatted with the shopkeepers while they started eating. When we got back to the house, Maac had come inside and I'm pretty sure the first thing they said to her was "Look, Hannah bought us ice cream!"


The other night I was again in my room reading. Maac was out and my host sisters were in the living room playing. I'd go out and join them periodically, but not as much as they wanted. Suddenly, I heard the younger one scream. Not a play scream either but a scream that said something was terribly wrong. I hadn't heard a crash or bang or anything like that so my actual first thought was that they had set something on fire, since the 7 year old is allowed to use the lighter. I jumped out of my bed and ran into the living room. The two girls were laying on the floor, they took one look at me burst into giggles. I tried to impart to them that doing that kind of thing was bad, and returned to my room. Upon my return, the youngest started screaming again. I mumbled about the boy who cried wolf to myself while I settled onto my bed.

I'm so glad to have these children in my life. They love to mess around, and have now gotten into the habit of begging me to buy them ice cream ("Me, me, me, ice cream?!"), and I can't imagine doing this host family thing without them. They love to practice speaking English with me and are delighted when I speak to them in Khmer.

Goal for the coming week: to get them to stop asking me what I'm doing when I'm in the bathroom.

Khmer Letters

The ones in blue I got right on the first try

Today was a milestone moment in my Khmer writing class. I have officially finished learning all the consonants and vowels! I even was able to write most of them without help.

Nyam Baay! Eat rice!

In Khmer, you would never just say "I eat" (knom nyam). "I eat" must have a food or drink attached to it, for example coffee, or cake, or fruit. If you mean to describe eating a meal though you say "I eat rice" (knom nyam baay), because it's not really considered a meal if there's no rice (rice noodles sometimes count). Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are, respectively, morning rice, afternoon rice, and evening rice. Rice dishes are typical eaten with a spoon. If you have a fork it is used only to assist in putting food on your spoon, it is not put in your mouth. I have yet to be given a knife to use during a Khmer meal. Noodle dishes, though, especially soups, are eaten with chopsticks. I have no ability to use chopsticks, so whenever I eat noodle dishes I end up using them like a fork. I think I'm getting better at controlling them though!

Kuy teav, picture from Wikipedia

For breakfast most days I go out to a haang baay (rice shop aka restaurant). Many people eat breakfast at restaurants here- because it's cheap and cooking breakfast is labor intensive. Common breakfast dishes include rice porridge, rice with pork (or chicken, or egg), ramen noodle soup, or a rice noodle soup (the soups can be with or without meat). I haven't gotten used to the idea of eating rice for breakfast, so I order the rice noodle soup, called kuy teav, without meat everyday. I told one of my Khmer teachers that I get it without meat and he told me that the staff at the restaurant must think I'm very strange. I really love this soup. It's a light broth, thin rice noodles, green onions, a little lettuce, bean sprouts, and something else that I haven't figure out what it is. Most mornings I add lime juice, sriracha, soy sauce, and fish sauce to it to add flavor. I've also seen people add hoisin sauce, salt, and pepper to it.

Lok Lak, picture from Joy Ceira Cooks

I generally eat lunch at the MCC office, with the other service workers and staff. The housekeeper cooks all of us lunch everyday. Lunch normally involves rice, some stir fried vegetables with either fish, chicken, or tofu (most often fish), a soup, and fruit. I have been unable to get myself to like the soups that aren't based around rice noodles, but I do enjoy the rice dishes. One that we had earlier this week, called Lok Lak, included beef, raw veggies, french fries, and an egg, all topped with black pepper sauce. To add any wanted flavor to these meals there is always soy sauce, fish sauce, hot chili sauce, and fish sauce with extremely hot chilis.

My host mom makes dinner in the evening. Dinner usually involves one or two stir fried dishes, normally veggies with a little bit of meat (usually chicken or pork). Often my host mom will also serve some shrimp or small crabs. We all gather on the floor of the main room in the house to eat. Everyone has a spoon and a bowl (well, I'm always given a spoon, a fork, and a plate), and we serve ourselves food. Since I am a guest, my host mom always insisting on serving me rice (adult women normally get their own) and serving me way more than I could ever eat. I always smile and laugh and tell her that she has given me too much, then I either give some of it to my host sisters or return it back to the rice cooker.

Bubble (Milk) Tea

Along with meals, I do a little bit of snacking. My host mom keeps fruit around the house and encourages me to eat it while I'm studying. The other week she was so concerned that I was hungry that she bought a bunch of banana's to keep in my room. There is also a shop around the corner from the office that sells deep fried bananas. I've also become a big fan of iced milk tea, with or without bubbles, so I end up buying it more than I probably should.

Knom reen Khmer*

Independence Monument

During the week I wake up around 6:30AM (when I don't over sleep). I roll up the mosquito net that goes around my bed, make my bed and go shower. As I get ready for the day I greet my host family. Once I am dressed and clean, I gather my school things and helmet and head out the door. This process generally includes a mostly mimed conversation with my host mother, her telling me that I need to cover my arms so I don't get dark and me saying that I'll be fine. I hop on my bike and head over to eat breakfast at a restaurant.

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum

After breakfast, I head over to Khmer Friends, the school where I study reading and writing. There I sit with my teacher for two hours practicing reading and writing khmer letters. There are 33 original consonants, 11 added consonant, and 24 vowels most of which have two vowels. I have learned to read and write all 44 consonant, though I have a hard time remembering them, and I've learned 14 of the vowels. Though Khmer is not tonal, there are many sounds that don't exist in English. I spend most of class writing and reading the letters, and combining consonants and vowels.

On Tuesdays, I ride my bike across the city (~30 minutes) after Khmer Friends to go to a program called LINK. LINK is a natural language acquisition class. The teachers only speak in Khmer and the students are only supposed to speak English. This way we get used to the sounds.

On days that I don't go to LINK, I meet with the MCC Reps to go over MCC guidelines and get some orientation to MCC Cambodia.

Royal Palace

An hour later, I head back to the MCC office for lunch with the rest of the staff, made by our wonderful housekeeper, which also includes rice and some kind of soup. Later in the afternoon, I have an hour of speaking Khmer lessons with a tutor. We work on memorizing and pronouncing words, grammar, listening and forming sentences, with some Cambodian cultures lessons thrown in. When all of my Khmer lessons are done for the day I hang out in the office, write emails and do my homework.

Fridays are my break from Khmer lessons. Instead, I get to learn about Phnom Penh and Cambodia by doing fun tourist things. So far I've gone to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda, and the National Museum of Cambodia.

Around 5PM, I head home. At home I study some more, play with my host sisters, laugh with my host mother, and eat dinner (which again always includes rice). My host sisters' current favorite thing to do with me is stretch. Around 8PM everyone starts getting ready for bed (most people are awake by 6AM). I brush my teeth, arrange my mosquito net, turn on my fan, and crawl into bed.

*Khmer for: I study Khmer.