Phnom Penh

It's monday here in Cambodia, and that means our first day of TESOL classes. Yesterday was a tour of Phnom Penh, the capital city. 1.5 million people live here and they live very close together. Everytime we venture out to find breakfast, or take a tuk tuk ride through the city, I am astounded just watching the people. Old ladies pulling huge carts full of food. Giant pigs roasting on the side of the road to be purchased fresh and eaten on the street. Whole streets where all they sell is tires. Huge mansions right next to abandoned lots. But the most overwhelming thing here is the traffic. Mostly everyone drives motos (small motorcyles or scooters), either alone or pulling a tuktuk. There are a few cars scattered throughout, mostly Lexus and Landrovers (which seemed odd to me until someone pointed out that they were owned by NGO workers who live in Cambodia). What's important, though, is there are absolutely no traffic laws. None. At all. Even when we see a traffic light (which is rare), people just run right through it. If theres traffic, motos drive on the sidewalk or the other side of the road. Most of the time there arent even lines and its a free for all where youre not sure whether youre on the left or the right side. It's absolute chaos, and both a thrill and extremely scary.

We visited a few ancient temples, and important parts of Cambodian history yesterday. I learned a bit about Buddhism, and even had the chance to talk a Buddhist monk. We were wandering the Royal Palace, when he came up to me and asked me where I was from. We small talked about the USA, and then Cambodia. He was probably in his 30s, and spoke very eloquently. You can feel the kindness from the monks. If ever you make eye contact with them, they instantly smile at you. I like them very much. Also at the Royal Palace, I wandered up a porch where there were a few men playing instruments, like a xylophone (more rustic and made from wood) and some drums. They asked me if I wanted to play with them, so I sat down, he showed me a few notes to play, and I played music with them! It was a lot of fun, and Val has a video so I'll post it when I can.

We're leaving for school in 30 minutes, and I'm sure that will be a task in itself, so I will let you know how it turns out!