I’ve now been in Phnom Penh for a little over 24 hours, and I’ve decided that I need to start blogging since my thoughts and impressions are changing on an hourly basis at this point. What I write now is totally different than what I would have written this morning, and it seems like the learning curve at this stage is incredibly steep.
Before arriving in Cambodia, I stopped through Hong Kong for a couple of days as a way to break up the trip and to ease the transition. It was great being there, as it was surprisingly and refreshingly familiar after being there for only about three days at the end of last summer. I was surprised at how much I remembered about the city and felt very comfortable making my way around. It was also great to be met by a familiar face, since I met up with Betty on her way back from another two months of Summer of Service in China.
In fact, for me, Hong Kong provided a link between the last time I was doing PiA and was in Asia, when I went through the city on my way back from a summer in China and this time, when I started my trip to Asia by going through Hong Kong. Weirdly, though, I realized that I had somewhat come to associate Hong Kong with a gateway out of Asia and back home rather than as an entrance in, so it took some effort to realize that I was really going to be gone for a year rather than taking a long flight home from Hong Kong’s sparkling airport. In addition to going to the Hong Kong Museum of Art, walking the waterfront, catching up with Betty, and getting some Cantonese food, I also checked in on the tram and Victoria Peak just to make sure they’re still there. Don’t worry, they are. It was something that I really wanted to do, especially since I had to turn back part of the way to the start of the tram last time I was in Hong Kong since I needed to make it in time to a dinner reservation. I remember specifically saying to Lisa, who was my partner in crime attempting to make it to the peak, that each of us would just have to come back to Hong Kong at some point in the future to make it to the overlook. I never thought that I’d be returning almost exactly a year later.
As much as I loved being in Hong Kong and as much as I felt very comfortable there, by the end of my three days, I was ready to go, even if I was incredibly nervous to head to Cambodia. Luckily, so much of what I saw and did brought back great memories of last summer and being there with the other SOSers, but it also made it difficult since I felt a little bit like I was trying to relive what I had already done, making constant comparisons with last year, or imagining what I would do if everyone else was there with me again. So I was satisfied to move on to something completely new and to a place where I would be treading on new ground.
My flight to Phnom Penh went smoothly, and, although I was ready to go, I had myself so nervous about going that I think I was just relieved that the plane functioned like any other plane and that the universe did not instantly destruct as soon as I got to the gate that said “To: Phnom Penh.” Additionally, I was also happy to see that there were other expats on the flight and that I was not completely crazy for going. It was nice to leave the smoggy air of Hong Kong and actually see sky for the first time in a few days. By the way, it’s sunny here. Really sunny. And really hot. Did I mention that it’s really sunny and hot?
Also, I have to admit that it kind of looked like Florida as I flew in: marshy flat land, palm trees, red tiled roofs. Plus the occasional Ankor-stye monument with its gold, intricately detailed, spikey roofs…so not completely Florida. On the ground, I’ve found the city to be really aesthetically very interesting. Way more interesting than generic developing country box buildings. There’s definitely a sense of architecture, and there’s a cool feel of crumbling French colonial architecture, wide boulevards, Southeast Asian-style spires and detailing, and rich foliage of palms and other tropical plants. I’m going to try to post pictures sometime soon, but for now, I’ve gone around without my camera. I’m just trying to take it in first.
In general, I’ve been surprised at the number of expats here. Most of my points of reference come from places where I’ve spent more than just a visit and where I’ve usually been more out of the way than on some of my other trips abroad. Therefore, in always comparing it to Jishou, China or Huejutla, Mexico, I have to remind myself that this still is a capital and a city of about a million people. The differences between here and those other places are interesting, though. In the area where I’m staying for now (in a guest house until I get an apartment), near Independent Monument, I’ve been surprised at the number of expats, the amount of English spoken, and the variety of options on menus. In this way, it’s been different than my experience of stir fry or stir fry in China or of speaking Spanish or Nuatl in Mexico. In other ways, though, it’s been less comfortable. The sense of crime makes it less comfortable to simply walk around exploring freely, and the lack of car taxis makes hopping on a motorbike an intimidating necessity. All things that will eventually become second nature I am sure but which feel slightly overwhelming right now.
Hang Chanthon, a professor at the university who helped me get my visa, picked me up at the airport to drive me to my guest house when I arrived. I was relieved in the car to hear that he and many other Cambodians find Chinese “toilets” (ie: squatters) to be disgusting. I still can’t remember exactly how we got talking about that within the first ten minutes of meeting each other, but it was music to my ears. And, yes, in case you were wondering, I’m also allowed to flush as much TP as I’d like down the toilet (also different from the mini garbage bins next to most of the toilets in China).
Anyway, I arrived exhausted, aimed to take an hour long refresher nap as soon as I checked in and ended up waking up at 6 in the evening in a city that I was already freaked out about being advised not to walk around too much at night. That was the first real low. And ever since, it’s been up and down every hour. I ended up meeting up with Brendan, who is staying at the same guest house and who took me to a dinner place right near by. I can’t tell you how comforting it was to have someone to go to dinner with that first night, and I certainly appreciated the company (high of the night). Of course, I woke up this morning at about 5AM, unable to fall back asleep because of jet lag, and proceeded to freak myself out again by thinking about how unsettled I felt (low).
Anyway, today was certainly…well, my first and only birthday ever in Cambodia. Although not a walk in the park, I kept having to ask myself how many other birthdays I would ride a motorbike for the first time and see a monument in Phnom Penh. Already I feel more comfortable in the city, and last night’s worries seem somewhat removed (as I’m sure today’s will feel by the end of tomorrow or the end of this week). Walking around during the day today enabled me to get a sense of where things are and gave me some confidence to actually go out and about, in contrast to the fear that I had developed of being robbed the moment I walked outside.
And the motorbike ride was definitely the high of the day. I’m a car guy, and motorcycles hold no appeal for me, so the fact that everyone gets around on motorbikes coupled with the fact that accidents are common meant that they held no appeal for me. Then I got on one and loved it. I can’t describe it, but it was the first, wow - this is why I’m here, and how cool is it that I’m doing this, that I’ve had since I’ve arrived. And, yes, I wore my helmet, which I’m already growing an attachment to.
Anyway, tomorrow’s the first staff meeting at the university. I remember getting an email about this meeting exactly a week ago and thinking how run of the mill it sounded when I wrote it down in my calendar: “staff meeting - room 302 - 8AM.” And here I am on the other side of the world getting ready to go to that meeting.
Continued updates to come.