On living in Phnom Penh, the true meaning of "tennis and dancing", and longing for a place to call home

Well, it has been just over a week since we arrived in Phnom Penh. It was difficult at first to adjust to a new language teacher, but we are getting used to it and making progress. What we have learned has been put to good use in the city giving directions to moto drivers (taxis, but on a motorcycle) and buying things at the market. However, I must say that after a week of living in the city, I really miss the country.

That being said, we have done some interesting stuff this week. We visited the Royal Palace, Tuol Slang museum, national museum, and a couple of different markets so far. Have I mentioned that Cambodians uses two currencies interchangeably? The US dollar and the Riel. It is confusing to keep track of spending when you give money and get change back in both currencies! Not to mention that the exchange rate is not always consistent. We've also visited another one of MCC's partners called Building Community Voices. They give communities tools to be able to connect with other communities, receive and share information, and give voice to their concerns about land rights issues. Warren, one of the other SALT'ers, will be working this passionate group of people in Phnom Penh this year.

Coronation hall

At the Royal Palace

During our stay in Phnom Penh, Galuh and I are living at the dorm for female students that is connected with the Mennonite Church in Phnom Penh. The girls living there are great- they help us learn Khmer (and we are helping them to learn english), we joined them in Bible study, and they teach us how to cook Khmer food. Yesterday evening, we went with some of the girls down to the riverside. They said we were going to play tennis and then dance. Though I thought that was a strange combination, and wasn't really sure I was confident in doing either, I was game to come along. It turns out we played badminton in the park for a while, and then joined an "aerobics" dance class in the park after the sunset. We then went to a diner and had burgers and smoothies (at least, the Cambodian version of burgers and smoothies). I had a fantastic evening!!

Though some aspects of Phnom Penh aren't so bad, I am really looking forward to going back to Prey Veng province, getting out of the traffic, and staying in one place for more than 2 weeks at a time. It has really been exhausting moving around so much... one night here, two weeks there, two nights somewhere else... Though I appreciate greatly the chance to see so many things and learn about the history, culture, language, and work of MCC and partners, I will be glad to settle in MeSang in 2 weeks time.

Yours,
Rebecca

 

Left to right: Humberto, Me, Galuh, and Warren- the SALT and YAMEN participants in Cambodia this year, in front of the Silver Pagoda. Photo credit: Humberto.