Cambodia: Blown-up temples, motorcycle cargo and fashion shoots

Having come to the two-and-a-half month mark in Cambodia, I find it’s time to reflect on my experiences here. Some things in Cambodia were as I expected them to be. The heat, the great food, the politeness and sense of adventure. Some things were not as I expected them to be, but such is life.

 

The most shocking food I decided not to try: this has to be a tie between crickets, roasted chicken fetus and puppy

The most startling site: motorcycle shipments of pigs, chickens and people

The most startling experience: dodging the Darwinian traffic on route 6, trying to hold my skirt down over my knees as I pass the cheeky tuk-tuk drivers at the end of my street, coming out of the dance club at 2 a.m. to have the orphans clamber onto my bicycle with me and hang off of my arms, telling me in perfect English “You give me money NOW!”

The craziest story I’ve heard and believe: how the last security guard at the NGO where I work accidentally ate their puppy, how a friend’s roommate saw a man shot in broad daylight (by government officials), how my co-worker had a rocket blown through his roof when he was 6 by Khmer Rouge (he explained this story by saying, and I quote: "Fifty cent got shot 9 time, but I had a rocket through my roof. Fifty cent is big! I was only 6.")

The most endearing behavior exhibited by a local: my students, hands-down, who smile, ask me questions, try very hard and don’t worry about looking like little dorks… I’m spoiled

The biggest accomplishment: juggling a 45-hour a week volunteer position with a 15-20 hour a week paid teaching gig for Cambodians and a few hours planning and teaching wild little French-Cambodian children of expats

Most trying experience while teaching: the day cute little French-Cambodian Leah stood on top of the table in the middle of the table, started screaming at the top of her lungs and refused to get down

Second most trying experience while teaching: the day cute little Sophe joined cute little Leah atop the table screaming in the middle of class

The most embarrassing moment: close tie between running my bicycle into the back of a parked tuk-tuk and having my skirt blow up over my face in front of the tuk-tuk drivers at the end of my street… the latter of which I will never EVER live down I am the Marilyn Monroe of my commune

And so, with three and a half weeks to go and counting, it’s time to look ahead to a visa run to Thailand, final exams for my 35 Cambodian students, 4^th of July in Phnom Penh (hopefully finagling my friend Emily and I into the U.S. Embassy party), and saying goodbye to some great people. 

Over the next 3 months there is more Thailand for visa stuff, then Nepal, India, Italy and settling in to Istanbul, Turkey to make my home for a year in August. 

One of the most intriguing experiences I’ve had in the last few weeks was wandering around in Bengmelea temple, a temple a bit farther out from town that was closed off to tourists due to landmines for many years. The temple itself is being eaten by nature. The ruins of the temple, which lie strewn about due to bombs exploded during the reign of the Khmer Rouge, are becoming more and more overgrown with vines, roots and soft moss. Amazing site. A study in buddhist impermanence.

The other most intriguing experience happened this weekend, when 4 of my girlfriends and I headed into a photo/hair/costume studio to have our portraits taken Cambodian style! SO MUCH FUN! We just keep laughing and laughing at ourselves in the photographs, but our Cambodian friends think that we look lovely. 

Cultural filters. Darwinian traffic. Sweating buckets. I sign out for now.