Throw Away Payday (and other mishaps)

Enjoy video of this evening's rain storm taken from our balcony - windows open, fresh air blowing, frogs chorusing...

I want to start with a disclaimer that what follows is NOT a criticism of Liger, my colleagues, the tuk-tuk drivers we know or anything/one else. It is simply the first time that I am detailing a series of frustrating or annoying events since arriving in Cambodia. I hope everyone understands.

1. Our students have lice. They probably had lice when they arrived here three weeks ago and will definitely have lice again, but we did not notice the lice until Thursday morning. Our "lice policy," if it can be called that simply states that students with lice shall be "excluded." Since we have just started this school, there was no lice shampoo on campus, no protocol for communication about said lice among staff and no real understanding among staff about what to do with students when they were found to have lice. I did not know there was a lice issue until I overheard some of a mid-morning meeting I was not even a part of. Hmmm...

Flash forward to a series of events in which all pillow cases and sheets must be stripped and washed. But we only have one set of bedding per student. Whoops -- let's order more! We have no shampoo, so let's send someone off for it. Word comes back that the shampoo must stay in the hair for four hours. We scramble to cancel afternoon rotation and plan a mass shampoo and rinse. When the shampoo arrives, the label indicates it must stay in the hair for TWENTY-four hours. Scratch that, back to afternoon rotations. Shampooing begins after school.

Now imagine: five house parents, two teachers (me and Jess), the nurse and his assistant and about 35 students in varying stages of disarray. The male students are shirtless with multi-colored pajama pants on (some with Angry Birds, others with swimming turtles). The female students are sorrowfully casting their hair bands/clips/bows/ties into big tubs of disinfectant. With nine adults shampooing (highly toxic, so plastic gloves and hospital masks were employed), each child sat on a desk chair underneath House 1. The shampoo was poured into dry hair and massaged in thoroughly for about five minutes, depending on the length of hair (Jess and I tried to do mostly boys...haha) and then combed out. We had to be very careful that none of the shampoo got into eyes, nose or mouth, and then the combs and towels were dropped into disinfectant as well. The chairs got the fire hose later on.

It took an hour and a half. After school. In the heat. Impromptu de-lousing shall henceforth be listed on my resume.

2. Friday night Jeff and I wanted to go to dinner in the city. He picked out an Italian spot near the Riverside and we called Mr. Da to come for us at 6:15. Around 5pm, I get a call from a colleague. She wants to know if we have a tuk-tuk coming and if so, at what time. Other overseas staff are looking for rides. Two plan to moto in, but one more is looking for a ride. We agree that we can take him into the city. Then, Jeff and I start thinking that if we have two destinations among us, Mr. Da is going to feel responsible for picking both of us up on the return trip to Liger.

Sidenote: Previously, we had an incident where Mr. Da made two trips into the city from Liger -- one with the interns at 4:30 and one with Jeff and me at 6. We did not know that he had brought the interns in before us, and thought we had him for the night. We ended up calling Mr. Da for our return trip at 8, only to have to stop and pick up four other Liger staff at their restaurant as well.

We all need to make accommodations, and traveling together is certainly convenient, but on this particular night Jeff and I just really needed a break. Therefore, Jeff went down to speak to the other staff member about perhaps getting another tuk-tuk back from dinner to avoid the situation we ran into last time. He agreed that it was a good idea.

6:15 rolls around and three overseas staff plus Jeff and I get in the tuk-tuk. I expected one. I recover, no problem. Five minutes later, without warning, Mr. Da pulls over on the side of our route and picks up his sister and her baby. This time the person is female, not sumo-wrestly and male, thank goodness, because that makes seven in the tuk-tuk. I am crunched onto Jeff's lap and Mr. Da's sisters' grocery bags are at our feet, making it very hard to sit comfortably. Also, to self-pityingly add insult to injury, I am now facing in the opposite direction that we are traveling, which always makes me feel sick.

We stop once to let off two friends at dinner. We stop a second time to let off another friend. I achingly retire to the seat next to sister and baby, and Jeff and I begin to wonder if we are also going to drop them off before arriving at our destination.

Indeed, we are.

So, after an hour and a half and three stops (actually four, since we couldn't find our restaurant the first time around and needed wireless to check the address), we arrive at our destination. I had been told that nothing in Cambodia is straightforward, but this really took the cake.

3. Final anecdote. On a positive note, we got paid on Friday! Woo! Jeff and I asked Mr. Da to stop at our bank's ATM on the way home to check balances and take out some cash. I took out $200 and happily got into the tuk-tuk to head home. Do you already have an ominous feeling building in your stomach? Well, you should.

We make it onto the road before our turn onto Liger lane (so about 90% of the way there), and Jeff starts to get the money together to pay Mr. Da. He has $13 and wants to give him $15. I look in my wallet and grab my singles and my riels. As I hand Jeff the two dollars that he asked for, he exclaims, "Wait, what?!" and I turn to see money flying out of the back of the tuk-tuk.

It is nine-thirty pm. On a dirt road in Cambodia. And our money has just flown away.

I wildly search my wallet, praying that it was riels, but both my hundred dollar bills are gone.

Jeff yells for Mr. Da to stop (poor Mr. Da) and turn around. I am already frantic, sure that we are never going to find them and am vacillating between tears and hysterical laughter. Mr. Da turns around and we try to communicate what has happened. The tuk-tuk had continued driving for about 45 seconds after the money was lost.

He starts back in the opposite direction and there is no one else on the road, which is unlikely and a miracle, because they would probably have driven by and caused the money to fly even further away.

"THERE IT IS!," I shriek, pointing. I see a bill, folded in half, laying in the middle of the street. Unbelievable. I leap out of the tuk-tuk and immediately three barking dogs lunge at me from the dark yard of someone's house. I scream and jump back in, but Mr. Da snatches up the money.

"Ooohhh. Hundred," he says solemnly, passing it back to me. "Yes. One more. Back." I point.

We keep driving and lo and behold, there is the second hundred. Folded in half, laying in the middle of the road. I let Mr. Da grab it. I also tell him that I have never loved anyone as much as I love him. Then I cry.

"Take us back to Liger." "Liger?" "LIGER."

4. I leave you with two pictures of one of my favorite kiddos: Puthea. He reminds me of Josh Rosenbloom, who I love. The first is from play practice and the second is from the bus back from soccer this morning.