It's time to move to the second part of the trip: the village homestay and service project. Leaving the city today I realised how different life in the village will be compared to what I just experienced over the last few days. Certain aspects of Phnom Penh left more of an impression on me than others.
As I said in one of my first blog entries, the things that I noticed first when I got here was the traffic, the greenery and the (for the most part) blue skies with actual white clouds (what a shock). Then, something else I found interesting were all the cables over the city that connect each building to each other. I was also shocked by the extremities present. How there would be a really run down road with small little shacks on either side then, right in the middle of that, there would be a big luxurious house. That one sign of wealth surrounded by poverty on every side. So of course, I also noticed how all these nice houses would also have barbed wire and shards of glass on the wall... for security reasons. Destitution and affluence are not separated into different parts of town like in many other countries; they are crowded together and rubbed up against each other.
In addition, I also loved the diversity of NGO's and how each of them are so different from the other. There are SO many... something I never would have expected. The weather and food also took a bit of time to adapt to (the latter more than the former). I also noticed, and greatly appreciate, how some foreigners have come and completely submerged themselves into the country, as if they themselves are Cambodian. Something else that was a part of daily life here was seeing Spirit Houses everyday, everywhere. But I imagine that might also be the case in the village.
I do like Phnom Penh, a lot actually, and as much as I want to stay here, it's time to move on to the next part. The village will be new and exciting, I imagine, and will also be a lot more different than what we are used to. I'm interested to see how that will turn out.
As I said in one of my first blog entries, the things that I noticed first when I got here was the traffic, the greenery and the (for the most part) blue skies with actual white clouds (what a shock). Then, something else I found interesting were all the cables over the city that connect each building to each other. I was also shocked by the extremities present. How there would be a really run down road with small little shacks on either side then, right in the middle of that, there would be a big luxurious house. That one sign of wealth surrounded by poverty on every side. So of course, I also noticed how all these nice houses would also have barbed wire and shards of glass on the wall... for security reasons. Destitution and affluence are not separated into different parts of town like in many other countries; they are crowded together and rubbed up against each other.
In addition, I also loved the diversity of NGO's and how each of them are so different from the other. There are SO many... something I never would have expected. The weather and food also took a bit of time to adapt to (the latter more than the former). I also noticed, and greatly appreciate, how some foreigners have come and completely submerged themselves into the country, as if they themselves are Cambodian. Something else that was a part of daily life here was seeing Spirit Houses everyday, everywhere. But I imagine that might also be the case in the village.
I do like Phnom Penh, a lot actually, and as much as I want to stay here, it's time to move on to the next part. The village will be new and exciting, I imagine, and will also be a lot more different than what we are used to. I'm interested to see how that will turn out.
One of the many many many spirit houses around Cambodia
LM
