On a rainy Saturday afternoon, I was on a determined walk to the English language bookstore (!!!) down the street when I realized I’d forgotten to eat lunch. I looked up under the umbrella, looked around and noticed the man, encased in a lightweight yellow plastic bag with sleeves that are the standard raincoat here, come up the street. His foot cart had a row of banana leaf wrapped treats roasting over a small wood fire.

Life in Phnom Penh is incredibly easy. Within days after my arrival, I’d made a new friend at my hostel, secured an apartment with all the amenities to live, gotten oriented on the basic ways around, formed an acquaintance with Bonar, an entrepreneurial, young, moderately good English speaking Tuk Tuk Guy (TTG) and started to pick up a few words of Khmer. Life feels familiar here, but with subtle changes from a distinct cultural character. I feel like I’ve gone to visit a close relative in a big city. Giddy with things to do and places to explore, I’m thrilled to be in the beginning of a new life stage swollen with hopes and potential discoveries.
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Naga is a prominent Buddhist deity, but in Cambodia there are seven heads. |
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www.parishwithoutborders.net |
Cambodians want to keep moving. To do this, they will drive the wrong way on a street, do a U-turn across 4 lanes of traffic, make a turn directly into incoming traffic, attempt to pass a traffic jam by hauling their SUV up and over the curb and talk on their cell phone while the three year old child is perched on the motorbike driver’s lap.
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This was inside the menu of the guesthouse. |
Last Friday was an epic day and I planned for it. I hired Bonar for a half day. He picked me up from the guesthouse where I had a sad goodbye to the resident pug, got the keys, dropped the bags, picked up a USB modem for internet and then off to Ourasey Market, where the prices are cheap and all the locals go. The market is two floors high, crowded with vendors in small stalls offering everything from motorcycle parts to housewares, produce and bras, fabrics and dried meat. The place has a legendary reputation (a fire would be catastrophic for all who work there, simply because there are so few exits) but upon entering I was struck by the familiarity of the smells of spices, the brilliant orange and gold decorations for upcoming Pchum Ben festival, and the nonchalance of the vendors.
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Orasey Market
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The view isn't much, but it gets great light and is within blocks of lots of great stuff. A school is across the street, and the riverside is just on the other side of the royal palace. |
I am so grateful to have my own quiet space, with a balcony, families below, good walking nearby and close to a couple of supermarkets and work. The apartment, with gleaming tile to about one and a half meters up the walls, exudes a sense of clean austerity and functionality. With a three month lease at $200 a month, I’m set. 

The hallway with which I was instantly enamored.
PP has a vibrant network of information sources for expats: a facebook group, a yahoo list serv, classifieds and forums. I discovered a house sale on Saturday; she advertised a reading lamp and free pillows. The entry gate, beautiful beveled French doors, teak flooring, the French accents of the residents and highly priced really nice stuff showed a different class of expat than me, but I scored some helpful items and a well-worn Khmer phrase book. Last year taught me that bringing out the book is the best prop for generating conversations and discussions. ![]() |
The slum just behind my office building. If you look closely, you can see a very large dragon fruit tree cascading off the balcony in the upper right. I couldn't believe it. |
While folks in my new office have been on leave or preoccupied with upcoming deadlines, I am starting to dive into projects for my three month commitment with Cord (http://www.cord.org.uk). Cord builds the capacity of local, grassroots organizations to generate peace.
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Across the Tonle Sap river, new developments are in process. |
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Lucky the puppy |
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