fast talk * slow read

I do not see myself as a bandwagon type of person, no this is not a post about a bandwagon thing. This is about reducing the shit or ‘one use’ items we have. Over the last few years naturally I have begun to reduce my shit and now I am on a roll and loving it without even thinking twice!

Lets start with the Moon cup, also known as menstrual cup. Yes the above photo is a pottery cup my flat mate made but I don't have a photo of my moon cup as I am using it today.
In the last even five years there are even more company names including the Juju or the Lunette but regardless they all are out here for the same reason. Making periods easier and les harmful on the environment. Men may not enjoy this next part so if your one of them reading this then jump past this.

Lately I have had a bunch of conversations with friends about me and my menstrual cup, its got me thinking and I feel like it needs to be discussed more openly with all women who have questions, want to listen, and especially those who don’t even know what a menstrual cup is (you would hope you would pick it up in the name).

Why the menstrual cup? Well it all comes back to recycle, reuse and reduce.

How much money since the age of 12 have we spent on tampons and pads?? How long has it taken for all of that to decompose? if it has already what about all those plastic covers and backings. The menstrual cup has come back out of hiding to be reused and therefore reduce.

I understand that some people are not going to be able to use menstrual cups for what every reason and that is perfectly fine. I just want to focus on an alternative way to deal with this monthly period of bleeding which is environmentally friendly and cost effective.

About two years ago I was about to go traveling, I knew a tiny bit about the menstrual cup and googled/thought a lot about pros and cons and quickly found the pros do honestly outweigh the cons.

I.was.game!!!

Yes it could be because I am a nurse and have fully explored my bodily functions so dealing with my own period is not a big deal to me at all. I actually feel it is healthier to know as much as you can about what you look like inside and out.

Not going to lie I practiced with inserting this, tried all the ways the pamphlet suggested, found what worked for me and was confident in taking it out.

The first night I used my cup I was super paranoid about toxic shock syndrome, leaking out and how many hours it had been since I put it in. I am sad to say I gave up and took it out at 1am as I was getting no sleep from worry. The next morning I started again, it went great but I was still paranoid and used a small panty liner. I had no leaking or concerns that first period but I did have some teething problems, which I can go in to. It truly is finding out what works best for you, how you find it easiest to empty, clean, getting it out and back in.

Traveling with the menstrual cup has been perfect!! I did not have to worry about my rubbish, we love to travel and its great not having to worry about this in remote places where you have to take you rubbish outside to burn etc.

It took up less space in my toilet bag.

It was easy to clean everywhere and simple to flush or wash away pure blood in every type of toilet I used.

Other positives include not buying any tampons or pads since starting with my cup, I have brought a packet of panty liners but still have the same packet today and used them on my first day/night but mostly never need them and end up wasting them. I cannot believe how much money I have saved in the almost 2.5years I have had it. Also when you have a ‘normal’ flow you can truly leave it in for 12 hours and have no problems. I love this.

So quick(ish) fire questions:

What does it look like? A small shot glass with a stem comes to mind.

What is it made of? Medical grade Silicone, free from most if not all chemicals, it will depend on which brand you choose.

How dose it work? Just like a tampon. If you don’t like tampons it is a small soft cup, which holds you blood instead of soaking it up.

What do I do? Just like a tampon again, insert and pull out depending on your flow.

Do you have to touch your blood? Yes. This question is huge to some girls but we need to discuss this because it should be normal- This western world has made things like our blood a weird thing we shouldn’t like, STUPID if you ask me. Get to know yourself ladies. Yes it involves looking at your blood when you clean it, but if you look at your faeces, urine and vomit I personally don’t see blood being different. There is such a thing as SOAP to wash your hands with.

How do you empty it? Hold the stem and tip into the toilet, shower, hole in the ground, wherever you poo is going, your blood can go to.

Do you clean it every time? Yes for hygiene reasons its best to give it a wipe or clean before reinserting it.

How do you clean it? Water, toilet paper, flushable biodegradable wipe are my favourite.

Should you sterilise it? Yes at the beginning and end of each period I always put boiling/hot water on it or scrub it in the shower with me. At the end I usually soak it in boiling water with a tablespoon of baking soda to help clean it. Make sue it is completely dry before storing it.The options are endless regarding cleaning/soaking; basically it is with what ever you would want up your vagina.

How do you store it when not using? It should come with its own carry pouch which is perfect for storage.

Where do I buy one? Online is the best, you can search different brands and see what looks more like you. Be wise in the website you use. Find a trustworthy brand so you know the quality of the silicon cup is what they say, See some of the links at the top for some great brands.

So go on, take the steep, be brave, be different, make a change, be sneaky if you find it weird to talk about. Try it anyway because no one will know unless you tell them it honestly is so easy.

Be better to yourself by avoiding a chemical product so close to your skin. The positives outweigh the negatives when comparing it to standard sanitary products chemical list. If you are not game then try out some of the organic sanitary products which min impact to the environment.

Just a little extra other simple sustainable thing’s

Traveling has taught me that reusing and recycling is a huge aspect of the circle of life. This topic is huge and I could go on about small and large things, ending with making plastic bags into cinder blocks for affordable housing in developing nations…but that’s another post for future times.

Bags, always always reuse bags, so many things come in bags. For a while I reused plastic bags but now have many non plastic bags which hold way more than the standard plastic bag.

Plastic Containers and glass jars, riggers.

Reusable coffee cups and smoothie cups, Keep Cups are a great brand!

Toothbrush’s made with bamboo, which can decompose when recycled or put into your compost bin. Some even the bristles are decomposable.

Deodorant- homemade or buy a locally made one which comes in cardboard or a jar that can be refilled or recycled.

Nitting needles can be plastic free.

Really the possibilities are endless

Peace, Kirsty.

About a month ago now we did a mission to reinstate a cross on the side of the road on ‘Ian’s Corner’. Levi, Sam, Rattana and I got on the road early, drove for over two hours, where after one hour I realised I hadn’t brought enough money for fuel, so we gathered up Sam and Rattana’s contents of their wallets to add to our minimal cash and thank the good Lord we made it there and back! Once in the Preah Vihear province and past Kuleaen we found the closest village to the accident site and found the village chief. Rattana used all of his skills to ask permission for us to put the cross up, explaining how it is common to do in New Zealand even if you are not a Christian but to remember the person and to remind people to keep safe on the road. The chief was happy as long as we asked the land owner, people own land right up to road over here which could be why our last cross was taken down, that or it is a strong Buddhist area and they don’t like the symbol of a cross. We then found and talked to a ‘Jungle policeman’ who made a million phone calls and asked the land owner who said Yes! I am so happy and thankful to everyone who helped that day. Its so satisfying to put a cross up again and I hope it lasts longer or forever (if it doesn’t ill just try again next time we are here). I also got Samai to write in Khmer (said Khmai) that it is in memory of Ian so hopefully this helps.

Now it is closing time of this chapter for us here in Cambodia.

We are both approaching this time with a realisation that we are going to miss the people we have been working with, and Cambodia itself more then we have in the past trips. Its like a black hole, Stung Treng drew us in, once we arrived here we quickly began to understand the reasons why Dad loved it here.

I don’t know if we will leave much of an impression on everyone here, nor have we changed this town for the greater good, not that we were trying to do either of these things. We feel a sort of accomplishment of why we felt to come here in the first place, which was to volunteer some of our time to build relationships and help keep a project going that was close to Dad’s heart. The training centre has been our thing at the AOC farm, as well as hosting teams and helping out everywhere we can but painting the exterior of the building has definitely been my thang (say that with a twang it sounds kooler). We have become close and I will miss that giant structure.

Painting, engineering, masonry, agriculture, pig vet nurse, semi project manager, volleyball and avid table tennis enthusiast are a few of our highlight jobs since coming here. The things we wish we could bring home include Fried Ginger with pork- Levi’s all time favourite from the market, cooking with cassava four- I just love the consistency it gives bread, Coconut Lassi’s from Ponika’s Palace, the rest are of course people. If we named them one by one it would take all day but lets just say the team at AOC ST!!

What was your best part you may ask, well there are a million physical reasons to love Cambodia but what I can also share with you is my new way to look at relationships.

Relationships, such an easy word to throw around but such an enormous part of why we will miss this place. At the start it feels like its going to be hard to be part of the Khmai team with the language barriers being the largest obstacle, but it hasn’t stopped either of us from forming relationships with people here. Whether we get to know someone for an afternoon or the entire time we have been here, ALWAYS everyone is so easy to form a bond with. With limited English we feel like we have made relationships with people closer and faster then we are able to in the western world. You do not even need to talk a lot or about deep and meaningful subjects just asking after their health family and ‘nice hat’ goes such a long way. Now I know Levi and I are quite the friendly Kiwi type who love meeting new people, which could have influenced this ‘closer and faster’ business, but it is crazy to think it has only been three month. It is magnificent to feel like we are welcomed so warmly into this team at AOST.

Why it sometimes feels harder to connect with people in the western world rather then here is not something I have thought about long, but maybe it’s a trust thing or a personal preference of privacy that people have, I don’t know. I have indeed become inspired though, inspired to trust my gut, to talk to more people more often, to build relationships faster to enjoy relationships longer. I know, I know, I already talk SO much how could I possibly talk more?! Well what I really mean is when making the polite ‘chit chat’ I plan to stop and take a few minutes more and genuinely ask and listen to everyone. Importantly asking without making one feel like I am just asking for the hell of it cause that’s what we do in western society. I love people and supporting people faster through relationship is totally a lifetime goal for me. Why else would God have given me this ‘gift of talking’. Sooo yeah that’s something I have picked up here in Cambodia.

Lastly I have to say that being here hasn’t always been bright fun times, see my previous post, but a problem arose a few weeks ago and would have made our time here unbearable if it was not for the support from a few certain friends and family members back home (you know who you are!!). We just feel so loved and want to say THANK YOU FOR YOUR LOVE!!