Cambodian Life

Hello everyone… it’s been a while since I last blogged (almost a week)…
After being here 2 weeks I can safely say that I’ve settled in the new routine… everything is anticipated compared to the other side of the world: wake up early 6ish, morning run/swim and workout… early breakfast (7) and then the day starts! This last week has been particularly busy… after finishing my rescue course we started the biological part of the training… starting with fish, invertebrates and coral identification. The lists are quite long (30-40 each) and I still have to learn some of the species (especially corals), but considering we've only been at it for 3 days I can say I’m fairly satisfied of the progress we've made. I am now a marine biologist that can actually identify stuff underwater instead of just talking about ecosystems in general :-P yay!


Today Fia explained to us how the actual sampling method works and how we’ll be testing the different variations on the field in the coming weeks to determine pros and cons of each. Our final objective is to develop a standard sampling method to propose to all the Marine Conservation Programs in Cambodia so that all the data can be comparable. It won’t be an easy task, and for sure I won’t see the final product during my 3 month stay here… but who knows… maybe I’ll find a way to stay…
We've been diving quite a lot too… 2-4 per day, so I’m quickly reaching the minimum number of dives required to start my dive master training (can’t wait)…  I’ve been also assisting with the refresher courses for some customers in the last days so I’m getting an idea of what I’ll be doing in the future if I ever d longerecide to work as a divemaster  somewhere…

Apart from that, life on the island is pretty simple… electricity is limited to a few hours a day and cell phone/internet reception is scarce to say the least… so not much contact with the outside world… We’re getting to know the locals better each day (a couple beers and a bottle of Cambodian whiskey always help), and I’ve been keeping myself busy improving the resort at every chance I get… I set up a bonfire camp a couple days ago and built a swing today…it faces right at the ocean and the sunset so it’s officially become my favourite spot on the island… … this place is definitely starting to grow on me… It’ll be sad to leave it in a couple weeks :(

Being an Emergency First Responder

First actual day on the island... alarm went off at 7.15, but I didn't get out of bed until 7.45… late.
I rushed to the bar and found everyone having breakfast already… I promptly joined in with a nice plate of eggs and rice, followed by a big platter of fruit, including that delicious white one with black seeds, of which I soon found out the name: Dragon’s Fruit.
After breakfast it was time to start studying for my Emergency First Response course… so I took my book out… and I soon found something better to do: cleaning up the resort! :-P I picked up most of the trash I found around the bungalows and I started looking around to find all the little improvements I could do to make the place more liveable: cutting down dead trees, hammering in some tactical nails, etc...  After that I had to force myself to read the manual and get ready for the practical lesson we would have in the afternoon.
The course itself was actually a refresher of the one I took when I did my lifeguard course, but still, it was fairly interesting and fun to practice (especially the simulations).
The afternoon passed pretty fast and it was soon time to eat again…yay! :-P

The next days were relatively calm for me since David started his Open Water Course and I had some studying to do before starting my Rescue Diver Course… routine was pretty much the same: early breakfast, dives, lunch, dives, studying, dinner… rinse and repeat.
The weather was good during the first couple days but lately it’s been often rainy and cloudy… let’s hope it goes back to nice and sunny soon, before my Italian tan wears off… :-P