Well it’s been another great few weeks here in the Kingdom of Wonder. Starting tomorrow the gang heads out to Siem Riep to visit Cambodia’s #1 tourist attraction Angkor Wat – which I’m pretty sure was a finalist for the “New seven wonders of the world.” So it should be pretty awesome. These last few weeks have treated me particularly well and I’ve come to label my Sundays as a new favorite day.
“The seventh day was created as an awesome day and the
people are to either rest or play lots of futsol.”
-Somewhere in the Old Testament.
I want to start this section out by saying Cambodians are very friendly. I’ve been very fortunate to find myself surrounded by many Cambodians who make a very real effort to include me in their society. Even though the Christian community is small here in Phnom Penh, it is full of life and energy. It’s also very young which has been great, especially when watching Cambodians shred on the guitar during the church service, rock and roll. I’ve been a bit annoyed by the fact I understand very little of the church service but I do really enjoy the atmosphere. After church most the young adults stick around, talk, play music, play ping-pong, or other things that I naturally enjoy doing. Of course they always make an effort to include me if possible. I’m currently undefeated in ping-pong since I’m guessing most of you are curious.
So as if my time in the church isn’t already a trip to Pleasure Island, they also invite me to play in a Men’s futsol league (like indoor soccer). Basically a bunch of guys at various ages get together every Sunday and play for a few hours. I’m the youngest guy there (I think – it’s very hard to tell a Cambodians age) but I don’t mind, the skill level is right where I want it to be and everyone enjoys playing as much as I do. Nobody minds that a foreigner joined their league, in fact they told me to invite friends if I wanted to. I’ve only been there twice and already feel like part of the crew. On a scale from 1 to Awesome these guys are super awesome.
Other than having a hundred friends there isn’t much more to report. I feel like I’m getting pretty good at riding the moto. I’ve had several people tell me I drive “like a Cambodian.” Even a Cambodian told me I drive more like a Cambodian than he does. What does this mean? Well I’m pretty sure they mean that I drive aggressively – I’ve had little trouble getting rid of street “laws” and “rules” that Cambodia doesn’t have. If you want to drive on the other side of the road go ahead and do it, they’ll probably stop. I like to think this makes me a good driver – sorry Mom, but there’s no feeling like when you’re riding down the highway with the wind in your hair whilst doing an awesome wheelie.
Ok, well I’ll have lots to say when I get back from Siem Riep so I’ll leave you with some bullet points:
- Language is going well. I can complete sentences and talk to people sometimes.
- My stomach is happy. The food has been great and I haven’t had any serious problems that the butt hose can’t fix.
- I’ve seen lots of dragons.
- I have a bunch of girlfriends.
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