Cambodian culture never ceases to amaze me. Every day gives me new insights into the little quirks this country has and most of the time I can't help but smile. A little while ago we visited the weekend night market here in Phnom Penh and I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a completely fun and new experience. It's pretty much a primitive outdoor mall complete with a food court and live entertainment. Have a look see.
Nothing like live Cambodian pop music and dancing.
Okay. I realize that this isn't the BEST picture, but the market is just interweaving rows of these little 'shops'.
At the food court! You just grab a basket and fill it with anything you want, and then they deep fry it all for you. It's not necessarily as scrumptious as you might think. It may or may not have wrecked my insides for a few days after.
Did I mention that some things were already fried so you could get double fried food? And can anyone find the mystery meat Angry Birds? I used my D.A.R.E skills and said no to that.
Instead of tables they have mats you sit on while you eat. It's just important you remember to take off your shoes before stepping on the mat. You get chided if you don't. Guess how I found that out!
So there's your brief look into the Phnom Penh night market. You should feel privileged. Actually you should feel jealous because I had a BOMB pineapple shake from one of the vendors. Best one I've ever had; it even had sweetened condensed milk in it. A few girls have taken it upon themselves to experience everything mango here, so I've begun retaliating by eating everything pineapple.
Rainy season is finally upon us! This is both good and... interesting. For starters, the rain makes it not so hot so I'm not "sweatin' with the oldies" as one of my friends called it so that's definitely a plus. The lighting is absolutely spectacular even if everyone in my ESL class I teach told me people die often here from lightning strike. No big deal; I'll just jump into a fruit stand or something if that ever becomes a problem.
But when it rains in Cambodia, it rains. The raindrops get so big it feels like you're getting smacked by tons of tiny water balloons. And riding a bike during a downpour is quite the adventure. You have to raise your feet in the air to avoid sketchy puddles and constantly blink water from your eyes ALL while trying to navigate crazy Cambodian traffic. To make things worse, the little bells on our bikes that we use to signal our presence become muted like sad little crickets when they get wet. So that pathetic noise becomes your only defense if tuk tuks or buses come barreling at you (one of the girls has a perma-cricket bell and tried to ring it at a bus once to get it to not hit her, I make fun of her often for it because of how ridiculous it sounded and looked). But despite all the hazards, I think biking in the rain a total blast.
Here's a view of the rain from inside a gas station. None of us had ponchos so we sought refuge inside just as a downpour began.
In other news, we said goodbye to one of the interns today and I'm not happy about it at all. One of the girls had to go home due the sudden death of her brother. I feel like there's nothing you can really say to someone who loses a loved one. I mean, we have the knowledge of the Plan of Salvation, and that is incredibly comforting, but unfortunately that doesn't completely heal the pain of the now. I've never lost anyone in my immediate family so I cannot imagine all she is going through right now. But I do know that Heavenly Father will give her and her family all the strength they will ever need to carry on. We'll all miss her dearly and we're so sad she doesn't get to stay with us for the rest of the summer. She's an incredible example to me and I'm grateful for the chance I've had to get to know her.
So this most definite unforeseen event has caused me to change work venues. Again. I am now replacing her back at NGO CEDAW and will be also trying to get some work done for CYN. I feel like this change will be a good thing. So we'll see. I was warned that Cambodia was full of surprises but I did NOT expect it to happen as often as they have been. Life can really feel like a giant bus that is coming straight at you while you're on a bike and you only have a stupid cricket bell to help you. There's absolutely nothing you can do stop it and all you can do it pedal your heart out so you don't get smooshed. But hey, at the end of they day we always make it through. And that's gotta count for something.
Until next time.
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