Impressions- Food, Transport and Hygiene

Now we've been here a little while, Ben and i have noticed some things that are quite... unique. There are positives and negatives to everything in this life, so here are some first basic 'impressions' that we've had about Phnom Penh life so far....

Food: Ben's favourite subject, especially here. He's completely fallen in love with exotic scents and smells of street food; ducks roasting over hot coals, un-knowns fried in batter, mangoes covered in salt and chili, coconuts being opened on the side of the road... the list goes on. On our first day, we bought ourselves a box of 2min noodles to help us get through the first few nights. One evening, we passed a little shop bbq-ing skewers of juicy meat that smelt so delicious. Unable to ask what kind of meat it was, i made charades of different animals- chicken, pig, cow, hoping it wasn't dog- until we discovered it was beef. So we bought a few kebabs and took them home to have with our noodles. They were delicious. Total cost: $2.50. A few nights later, we stopped in at a place on our street corner called "BBQ and Soup" (well, that is what the english part says) and sat down to a korean-bbq-like meal. The menu all in Khmer, we just pointed at some pictures of plates and hoped they would be edible. They delivered us some raw meat and veg which we cooked on our own little hotplate. Aware of the incredible expense that a meal like this would cost in Australia (upwards of $40) and with only a $10 in our pockets, we resided that one of us would have to go back to the house to get some more money. When the bill came, we braced. Total cost: $4.50. Ben nearly cried. He's been begging to go back to 'BBQ and Soup' ever since.

*We do have to be careful though. Street food can be a breeding ground for gastro and tummy bugs. They key is to make sure all food is cooked right in front of you. Also, do not eat any 'square' ice, only the round ones, if at all. Square ice is carried openly on the backs of motos, dragged through markets and who knows where. We at least hope that round ice is made from bottled and not tap water...

Transport: It only costs $2-3 to go anywhere! The motodups and tuk tuk's will spot you as a foreigner from miles away to offer you their ride, and all prices are negotiable. If you speak a little Khmer, they are more willing to drop the price to even $1. These motos are so easy to get around on, particularly in well known areas, and can dart in and out of traffic. Best to bring your own helmet. On the other hand, it costs $2-3 to go everywhere! Each little trips add up, and there is no other alternative ie. cars. Sometimes you are spending $10 a day just to get around, which is quite a lot in a week. I can't imagine how we will move furniture when it comes time to move. Also, if you are not going to a major landmark like a  market or temple, you have to describe the nearest thing, head in that general direction, then mumble some 'chveng' or 'sdam' (left and right) to actually get where you want to go. This can be quite tricky if you don't have a map or have only been in the city a few days and have no idea where you're going! Ben has secured himself a motodup who takes him to school and back each day, but whenever we go into town or out and about, i must try and describe where we live in a completely different language!

Hygiene: Most Khmer bathrooms consist of a toilet and a showerhead (sometimes even a sink!). Most, ours included, are also only cold water. The shower runs directly onto the toilet floor, and never drains well, so you almost always get wet feet when you want to go to the loo, wash your hands (using the shower head) or even look in the mirror! My long, blonde hair is struggling in this humid climate (and it's actually the cool, dry season at the moment -.-) so i must wash it daily. Call me posh but i like my creature comforts, and having a warm shower is one. So here, this involves boiling the kettle on a gas stove, mixing this hot water with cold into a bucket and kneeling on the bathroom floor to dip my head into said bucket. Now, i'm only 23 and reasonably flexible, but it is not the most comfortable way of getting clean. Luckily i've had lots of practice with 'bucket baths' in the past, but i cannot help but feel a connection to those of history who too were deprived of running hot water.

None of these things are new to me. I had to find my way around them years ago, and for Ben, it is not too dissimilar to India or Malaysia. But it is ever so fun and such a relief to re-explore the weird and wacky aspects of another culture and city... together.

ជំរាបសួរ ... Chomreabsuor!

Hello world! After weeks of preparation (and 5 days of flights!) we finally made it to Phnom Penh, Cambodia! We have spent the last few days recovering, meeting people, exploring the area, finding what we need and getting our heads around the fact that we live here now!

A Last Review

The night before Ben and I fly out of Australia, i'm looking back to my last memories of living in Cambodia myself. Here is us as a family with all our possessions leaving the country together for the last time.

 Although it was only 2 years, living in Cambodia from 2003-2005 changed my life (it must have if we're so keen to go back!) but it was also a rocky ride. As an 11 year old, I was pulled out of year 7 in Perth and "dragged" from my friends to a country and culture that was thousands of miles and so different from my own. The next few years got better as i made new friends at HOPE International school and was welcomed into the expat community there. I enjoyed the freedom of the Khmer lifestyle and the cheap living. There, i could go off to the markets on my bike where i'd buy $1 DVDs, drink coca cola from a plastic bag and spend the afternoon at a local internet cafe. However, each year also came with it's pain, as missionary families would come and go, meaning a constant losing of friends and teachers whom i'd become close to and knew i would never see again. I also missed Australia a great deal and remembered simple things like McDonalds, kids going to the cinema, mobile phones and living 'normal' lives. Yet despite these 'hardships' faced by a young teen, something about that place stuck in my heart. For as much as i wanted to return to Australia (and just 6 weeks later we were off to Myanmar), something, SOMETHING, led to these tears of a 13 year old and her sisters on the plane that last evening as she said goodbye to her home, Cambodia.

 That 'home' has been calling her back ever since... why? Could Phnom Penh be home once again? How much has it changed in 12 years? What will Ben think of it all? There are just 22hrs to find out...

We Have a House!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone! Ben and I are in the UK visiting family before our journey of a lifetime. Everyone is very excited about us moving and are already making sure we get an extra room in our house, where-ever that is, so that we can have lots of visitors! We'll be thrilled to have people come and stay. But first, we need a house, and amazingly we've got one! For a while at least. Ben has been in contact with an ex-teacher in Phnom Penh who, while he is in the UK, has so kindly let us rent his apartment for a month or two until we find our own place! It will be all fully furnished for us, with a complete kitchen, lounge, bedroom etc. Even a bicycle for Ben to ride to work! The rent is very affordable, in a great location near markets, a hospital and Ben's school. We are very blessed to have this space and time to settle in for a while before properly looking for our own home. We have also been approved our initial visa application papers! We've been helped with these by the school, they are long term visas that will allow Ben to work and me to seek it. We will present these papers on arrival an have our passports officially visa-rized. Ben would lastly like to report that he has transitioned from a provisional to a fully registered teacher! All his paperwork has been done so that he can maintain his Australian registration while overseas, and can go straight back to teaching in Australia when we do choose to return. So although Ben and I are currently travelling the UK with family, we are constantly thinking of, praying for and preparing for the big move to Cambodia, with good news encouraging us even more that we have made the right decision!