Adventures in Bangkok

As a US Citizen, I can get a visa on entry into Cambodia, but it's only valid for one month.  Since I'm here for nearly two months, I had to take a little jaunt to Thailand so that I could leave and come back, getting me another month-long visa.  In terms of immigration hassles, this one wasn't exactly what I would call a hardship.

Unlike Latin America and Africa, traveling within the region in Southeast Asia is incredibly convenient and cheap.  So, about $100 and an hour long flight later, I touched down in Bangkok.  We were there for about a total of 36 hours, so it wasn't along trip and I think I only got to see the very tip of the iceberg.  So, here are the highlights:

• Thai iced coffee is God's gift to caffeine addicts.
• Bangkok's public transportation system is beautiful and I love it.
• There is no limit to the number of temples and Buddhas you will find in Bangkok.
• You haven't been to a market until you've been to the Chatuchak Market.
• You can get craft beer in Bangkok.  And it's gooooood.
• Sometimes tuk tuk drivers will scam you and you gotta roll with the punches.

Now, back in Cambodia I'm wrapping up everything for my practicum.  We've finished all of our interviews, so now it's really just time to get our notes together and knock out the paperwork I have remaining.  My time here has been really interesting.  I don't think I would ever want to live in a hotel for six weeks again and I've certainly missed my friends, but I think this could be a cool place to land if I was living a little bit more of a normal life.  Here are some of the things that I've really enjoyed about Cambodia:

• Availability of real coffee.
• Beer that ranges in price from $0.50 to $1.50, or maybe $2.50 if you're somewhere really fancy.
• Our local bar, Bluedog where I was hugged by a Cambodian for the first time (Hugs, handshakes, etc. are really not typical here.  People are really polite, but physical contact with casual acquaintances is really rare).
• Really cheap transportation.  Tuk tuks are usually around $2-$5, and then you never have to worry about parking or public transportation or anything like that.
• Gorgeous scenery.  We spend about 4 or 5 hours in the car when we go out into the field, but I don't really mind because I can just look out the window.
• Incredibly nice people.  Like, seriously, the Cambodian people I've met are just about the nicest, most polite people I've ever meet.  People welcome you into their homes with no hesitation and are just consistently incredibly kind.
• Afternoon rains.  I know, rainy season is kinda sucky, but I actually love the torrential rainfall in the afternoons.

I'm off to Malaysia on Saturday for a week to go to a friend's wedding and just generally lay about near a pool, so keep an eye out on my Instagram for pictures of me living my best life.

The Halfway Point

It's a bit hard to believe, but I'm at the half-way point of my time in Cambodia.  Aside from field visits when I was working in Boston, which were only a week or so, this is the shortest amount of time that I've ever spent somewhere working.  Since it's so short, I'm also staying in a hotel for the entire time, which is another new experience.  It seems like it might be kind of nice, but I miss things like having my own kitchen and being able to really unpack my suitcase.  Although to be fair, I didn't have shelves in my closet in Sierra Leone for about 5 months, so I didn't unpack there for a long time, either.

We're deep in the heart of rainy season now and I think there's only been one day in the past two weeks that didn't involve torrential rainfall, at least for a few hours.  While that sounds awful, it would be much worse without the rain.  The temperature is usually up to 90 degrees by 10 or 11 AM and the rain is the only thing that cools it down, if only for a few hours.

Last week we finally were able to go out into the field and start doing interviews.  I've lived in cities for a long time now, but there is a part of me that really still loves rural areas.  As you drive out of Phnom Penh into the Takeo province, the buildings dwindle and you find yourself staring out at acres of green rice paddies and a mountain in the distance.  People and cows dot the landscape and the overall effect is really calming.  It was enough to make me not even be too upset at having to leave at 6:30 AM, and that's really saying something for me.

As I wrote before, I was a little worried that the interviews would be too slow-moving for me and I would be bored, but I was surprised with how pleasant I found the whole experience.  When I was at Wash U, I worked for a study and I had to interview about 8-10 people a day.  I was fast and could get through the interviews quickly, but it became monotonous really quickly.  The difference with qualitative research is that you have the freedom to ask more about interesting things and it feels more like a conversation.  I found myself enjoying seeing where each interview would go and liking the opportunity to see the different parts of Takeo.

That said, it is really exhausting.  Each day involves at least 5 hours in the car, if not more, and at least 4 or 5 hours of interviews.  And then after that's finished, best practice is really to review your notes and add in things you forgot, clean them up, and share them with your colleagues.  So after your 12 hour day, you should really spend a few hours working on your notes as well.  Luckily, when you're not in the field, things are pretty low-key so it balances out quite a bit.

I only have about two and a half weeks left now, so the end is coming soon.  This weekend, I'm going to Bangkok with my colleague because our visas are about to expire.  So, we need to leave the country and come back in so that we can stay until we're finished with the work here.  Stay tuned for updates and pictures :)