my new site - at least a little about it woo

(post written October 14)

I'm in my permanent site now, but I didn't get a chance to post this last post until now, and I haven't had enough time to write another legitimate post actually about my permanent site now that I'm here. I am safe and sound, though, and everything here seems like it's going pretty well. And for those of you hanging in suspense, I did get the rest of my speech written before the big swear-in day, and it went as smoothly as possible for someone who doesn't love love love giving speeches. They had some kind of cool fruit at the reception, too, whose name I can't remember now for the life of me but that looked kinda like a fig on the outside but then on the inside had lychee-textured white flesh. And the skin kinda left a latex-ey residue. Anyone know the name? At all?

Before coming to my permanent site, I went to Phnom Penh for one night, which was nice, since I got to spend time with the people I really like from my training village before we went our separate ways to different provinces and entered three-month provincial lock-down. I also ate mint chocolate chip gelato and pizza while there. Delicious.

Anyway, back at the ranch, my host family is warming up to me day by day, and they are even starting to understand my passion for vegetables. My host mom and friends from my training village still call pretty frequently, and I am starting to make new friends in this community. When you come visit (BECAUSE I KNOW YOU WILL), you can meet all of them.

After arriving here the 5th, I went with my school director the following day to our provincial town, where I bought a battery so that I can charge my phone, etc. here in my house (as my district does not have electricity). I didn't get to explore much, but it was nice to see it, even just for a little bit. I plan to go next weekend again so that I can pick up a package that I have waiting for me there (my address is going to be the same, it seems, for all time, and Peace Corps in Phnom Penh will ship stuff to our provincial capital about once a month. Send me mail! Send me packages! If you don't have my address here, you can email me, and I'll tell you!). It's apparently a really beautiful town, and there are a few Western restaurants, one of which serves apple pie. So I know where to go if I get any intense cravings.

Here in my permanent site I have come to realize the joys of living in a super tiny town, mainly legitimately being able to know basically everyone and having some of the most gorgeous scenery I've ever seen in my life--huge expanses of green rice fields dotted with palm trees and accented by stone mountains in the background. I'll take some pictures one of these days and post them so you can see what I'm talking about. I'll also take some of my living space, which is all decorated and organized, now that I bought some bamboo bookshelves last Sunday in the town of a fellow volunteer located about 14k from where I am. Woo! It is pretty homey now, which is nice.

Observation of classes at the high school here is going well, too; I sincerely think I am going to enjoy working with the English teachers here, and I think the administration seems very competent and effective. I look forward to actually setting up my schedule and getting started with teaching next month!

Ok, it's late here, and I'm going to get up at 4:30 tomorrow to bike early to a town 17k away that has internet, so I'm going to go on and stop this post now. Sorry I haven't posted in so long! I will make every effort to impose some sort of regularity on them from now on.