Cambodian IVEPers from previous years at Kirirom.
This weekend I was invited to go and a camping trip with a small group of IVEPers from previous years (they came to North America with MCC years prior). We traveled about 3/4 hours from Phnom Penh to a site in Kirirom, which is an ideal place for camping. The idea of camping isn't very popular in Cambodia, in fact most people who go to Kirirom only do day trips or stay at the hotel resort (tourists), but that's not to say that they don't allow you to pitch up a tent and spend the night in the woods - which is exactly what we did.
It was an incredible trip, exactly the kind of thing I've been needing. I was more than surprised upon arriving to find Kirirom to be nested in the thick of the forest where trees are everywhere and a stream runs free; it was a beautiful place. I spend most of my time in Phnom Penh trying not to think of how much I miss either greenery, fresh air, or open space - Kirirom had it all! It was actually rather surreal how much the experience felt like something I would do back in the States. We were free to do what we wanted; we played card games, set up a tent, built a bonfire and cooked marshmallows - it was amazing. The only real difference was that I got to see a monkey (again, I know right!?) and instead of worrying about bears, we had to worry about tigers.
The group was a nice small size: 4 MCCers and 5 IVEPers (all whom spoke great english, and were easy to speak to in Khmer - we had great Khmenglish all weekend long). It was really nice getting to know the IVEPers and seeing what they've done after their year in North America, as well as just the chance to be with Cambodians who know exactly what it's like to be living in another culture for a year. I don't know if I'll get to go to Kirirom again, but I highly recommend it to anyone in Cambodia who needs to retouch with nature.
