I thought I would start off my first blog entry of 2010 with a list of resolutions for the year. That way you all can call me out on them :) :

1)Be better at life. Pretty general. More specifically I want to be more bold about seeking out resources and pursuing projects/opportunities in my community. I want to be more enthusiastic about teaching crappy curriculum to students who could not care less half the time. I want to work on finding a good balance between caring for myself and giving of myself for the sake of the people I came here to serve.

2)Learn to resist the RAGE that boils up in me whenever there is a “biti” (celebration) in town. I hate loud speakers, but I have got to learn to fight the BITI RAGE.

3)Grow out my finger nails. I say it EVERY SINGLE YEAR. Never happens. Oh well, lets try again 2010.

4)Vomit less. I want to learn to master my slightly inane tendency to become ill when extremely nervous or emotionally stressed. Not sure if this is physically possible, but I am going to give it a go. I give anxiety too much of a stronghold in my daily life.

Now for a short list of favorites:
1)Favorite slogan: “It’s America time!” Miller Beer

2)Favorite question from a co-teacher: “What do you call it in English when you stand in a line a put one hand on the shoulder of the person in front of you? What do you call it when you stand with your hand behind your back and one foot forward?” I have also been asked rather important burning questions like “what is a magnetron tube, duvet cover, corn dog, caramel corn, safety product recall, etc…”

3)Favorite misuse of the English language: One of the teachers at my school does not understand that the word “especially” is meant to go with an adjective. That outfit is especially pretty. You look especially nice today. Etc… She uses it like an adjective itself and I refuse to correct it because it makes me unreasonably happy when I hear phrases like “your hair looks especially today” or “beyonce dances especially.”

4)Favorite conversation with a stranger: This is a toss up. Both come from New Years in Siem Reap. We had a great time (me and a group of female volunteers) in the market in Siem Reap shopping for dresses for new years eve. There are a ton of tourists there so it is especially (haha) shocking when a foreigner speaks some Khmer. We of course had fun with this and made friends with lots of the sellers in the market. My favorite conversation was with a woman I bought a dress from who spent a good while convincing me that it was okay to buy this rather short tight dress because “sexy girl ok Siem Reap.” I told her where I actually live and she laughed and kindly informed me that maybe “sexy girl not okay battambang, but ok New Year Siem Reap." She also more than cut the prince of the dress in half when she found out I lived in Cambodia. Nice bonus. That night we were out at a fine drinking establishment known as “Angkor What” celebrating the new year when a random norweigan man asked me if he had seen me in the market earlier. I said yes probably, and he inquired whether I knew Khmer. I said yes a little, and his response was “that’s hot.” Another group of guys informed us that being in the Peace Corps is also “hot.” Who knew?

5)Favorite host family moments: I came downstairs the other day and my little sisters/nieces I guess, had tied leggos to the bottom of their shoes and were “ice skating” on a wooden table top. It was precious. They then serenaded me with a number of English songs they had learned in school. Foo, the 2 year old, is one of my favorite humans. This week my favorite Foo moments included him getting PISSED that I cannot understand his tiny little voice, him crying when we left for English class at the health center (me, one of my health center nurses, and the 4 girls), and coming outside in the morning to find Foo squatting on the side of the main highway in Cambodia outside the family shop taking care of business. This phased no one.