Living in Cambodia has shown me that it's often the small moments that help you truly understand a community. As a Peace Corps Volunteer and primary school English teacher, my days are filled with repeated, important moments that help me navigate life in a rural village. These routines may seem simple, but the reflect cutlural values like respect and connection.
In this post, I'll share what my daily life looks like here in rural Cambodia. By exploring these everyday experiences, I hope you can compare your routine to mine and see how learning about the world often starts with paying attention to the ordinary.
My name is Catherine (Catie) Cramer.
I live in a small, rural village in Prey Kabbas, Takeo Province. I live with a host family, which means I share their home and daily routines. In my family, I have a host mom and dad, an older sister who is married and has a two-year-old son, and a younger sister who lives in Phnom Penh while attending university.
Our house is made of concrete and is multi-level. The bathroom is outside and does not have Western-style amenities. We use bucket baths and a squat toilet, which was very new to me at first. Over time, these routines became normal.
