So we are just starting Day 3 in coutry, and so far things are pretty great. We have been in Phnom Penh for the past 48 hours and have gotten a taste of both the Cambodian and, via two straight days of informational sessions and orientation fairs, Peace Corps life (though we are constantly told that Phnom Penh is not the “real Cambodia”).
Today we are heading out to the countryside to a smaller grouping of villages where we will begin our nine weeks of language, technical, cultural, health and security training. All of the training is hands on and immersion based – if anyone has ever learned a language, you will know how easy it is to switch back and forth from English and your new language rather easily. That is somewhat of a hindrance to the learning process since once we learn a new word, if we don’t constantly use it and ingrain it in our minds, it is easily lost or at least difficult to recall in normal speech. So it is sink or swim time – or as one of our PC leaders told us – we will be trying to take a drink from a fire hose of information.
Already we have been told loads of information, keeping up is the only hard part. After our first week of training I am sure we will really begin to feel overwhelmed.
Its hard to pick out any tidbits to really illustrate this place right now – Phnom Penh is similar to some Asia cities I have visited – Hanoi, Beijing – but completely different otherwise. On one hand you have the chaos that is transportation, almost literally the lifeblood of the city. There is a constant pumping of motor scooters (motos), three-wheeled taxis (tuk tuks), cars, and human traffic through all streets virtually at all hours. Honking is done not as a way to make yourself visible or vent your frustration as is the case back home on the 495 Beltway, rather from my estimations, it seems that honking is a kind of game: once one person honks for some indiscriminate reason, others view it as a challenge and then try to “keep the honk alive” for as long as possible. This results in a kind of “sonor honk” that allows one to be aware of all of the passing traffic and simultaneously be confused as to why your sense of hearing is totally blinded.
Crossing the street in places like this can be fun, but ultimately dangerous. It is better to wade into the busy streets slowly, like going into a cold river. You need to let the people on vehicles know your intent soon enough for them to react. Darting is not advised, as it catches everyone off guard. If you go slowly enough, everyone usually just goes around the pedestrian without incident. It takes balls though…
Add to this, if you will, a variable smorgasbord of smells – some truly tantalizing and some absolutely frightening. Cambodia is currently in the wet/rainy season now, so rain every day is not uncommon. Not all day mind you, it still gets warm (read: sweltering, hot, sticky mess) throughout the day, but in the later afternoon and evening, showers have passed through to cool things down. The smell of that first few minutes of rain makes me miss everything good and comforting in the world – it makes you feel like the dirt and sweat from the day is being washed away clean and that anything could happen. Add to this the smells of grilled meats and freshly cooking rice for evening meals and you really feel like you are in a place that feels like home, or at least homey, amidst the chaos.
With the good comes the bad, and especially in the constant heat here comes smells of spoiling food, endless clouds of vehicle exhaust, the constant reminder of inadequate bathroom facilities and dishes cooking that, right now, smell so foreign to us they are repulsive. All of this probably paints a picture to those back home of a place so bizarre and different that it is difficult to comprehend. I assure you though, in the end, a city is a city is a city. People still live here, they take their kids to school (though they may be balanced five wide on a single motorcycle), they eat their daily meals and they go to work. It is so easy to get caught up in the differences of a new place that they overshadow the similarities, which are always and inevitably stronger. Perhaps this is a good place to stop rambling as I think it is the similarities between people and places that has made us all want to come here (maybe not here exactly, but abroad) to serve our fellow man.
