My first week

My first ride on a tuk tuk!
The driving gets even more chaotic in the rain- which happens almost each afternoon! everyone dons ponchos and carries on their way!


A cute kitty for connie- my lunch kitty - there was another one too that looked just like it too!
This was my very first lunch here in Cambodia -my lunch kitty accompanied me for this very first meal! It was noodles with chicken and some salad greens mixed in. It would have been nicer if it was hot but it was still tasty. I am slowly mastering the art of eating with chopsticks

This week has been a rollercoaster. I was pretty terrified showing up but everyone I have met has made me feel really welcome. The office is nice and my work there is slowly taking shape. Mostly I have been doing a lot of reading to inform me about the culture and the topic that I will be working on- which is related to gender and agricultural entrepreneurship. The whole office shuts now each day for a really long lunch break which may very well be my favorite part of the day. The food here is pretty good. I have been given some suggestions on where to eat and it is just a matter of time before I am able to try them all. I am surprised at the familiarity of some of the food, I have had pancakes with bacon, and a to die for brownie, as well as some decent pizza and some pretty tasty eggs benedict here!

I have just started to explore in the last day or two because most days I have just come home after work and fallen asleep. I think I am finally getting a handle on the jet lag. I did have a few unpleasant mornings when I woke quite early and couldnt fall back asleep.

I have taken the tuk tuk- a little asian taxi a couple of time which has been kind of fun and better than walking around in the heat and getting lost.

Getting around in this city is always an adventure. My work- IDE has been nice enough to come pick me up and drop me off each day, until I can figure things out here. Being a passenger in a car is always a spectacle. The driving patterns are much different here. One one waits for an opening in traffic or you would be there all day! You just ease out into the madness and cars and motos, tuk tuks and bikers make way. I would describe is as a chaotic ballet. The same goes for crossing the street!

I had breakfast with a new friend I met thru an expat site this morning and then wandered around and went to a Buddhist temple. It was so beautiful it brought me to tears. I had a pretty emotional afternoon becasue I still feel really unfamiliar in this city and it made me miss home and all of my family and friends soo much! But then I wandered around and went to the Central market which was a bit underwhelming. But at least I saw it and know what is there.Which is a lot of household good, clothes, books, jewelery, watches and sunglasses- and a bunch of stuff I just dont need! I may go back to purchase some silver jewelery but first I will need to find out what a fair price is for silver so I dont get ripped off. I will look in some of the other markets for some Cambodian souvenirs and some wonderfully baggy and flowy asian pants I have seen so many people wearing!

I have spent the majority of the afternoon hanging out in one of the neighborhood coffee houses which has been nice and relaxing. Lucking there are many places you can duck into that are air-conditioned and block out the noisy outdoors.