Up

When things start to come together, everything becomes clear. I feel that I am finally settling in here, that I’m finding my niche and starting to catch the pace of the culture. I’m starting to make friends, I’m ready to start learning the language seriously, and I finally have a place to live.

The hospital is getting ready for its 10-year anniversary celebration, which will feature both the King of Cambodia as well as Prime Minister (in separate events, on the same day). Many international officials from the parent company of the hospital are here and coming this weekend, so yesterday I helped deliver some “welcome baskets” to their hotels. As a byproduct, I went to dinner with two Filipina women I work with here at the hospital – one is an administrator and the other is a doctor. They took me to a Filipino restaurant for dinner, and we had a really good time. It was my first time eating Filipino food, and it was pretty good (nothing spectacular, nothing horrendous, and nothing exceptionally unique). Then we went back to our respective homes (or the guesthouse, in my case) to get ready to go out a little later.

Around 8:30, they came back and picked me up. We were going to the Intercontinental Hotel, a really nice 4-star hotel where we had delivered some of the gifts. There was a karaoke/cover band there, and my two hosts (named Joy and Gerlinda) were friends with the two singers. The music was amazing – they were such talented musicians and had beautiful voices. We sat in the lounge sipping drinks and singing along with favorites. Quite an evening.

Today, Pa picked me up from the hospital for lunch and to show me an apartment. The apartment is amazing: it’s huge, for one thing. It is a newly renovated floor of a building and has a kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, large living area, balcony, and roof access. For $100/month. It’s 10 minutes away from work and within walking distance of a large market. I have complete privacy (an isolated entrance), and it faces a small street in a nice area. The neighborhood is quiet but there’s quick access to moto drivers and taxis. What more could I want? It looks perfect.

I should be moving in there by Sunday, so this I’m finally starting to feel settled and comfortable. I should be starting to learn Khmer next week (I’ve talked to a teacher here at the hospital about an hour of classes each day). So things are finally starting to come together and look up.

Pictures!

Here's a quick post. Here are some pictures I've taken. More to come, so take note of the address.

http://picasaweb.google.com/dkemp85/AWriterSEye

Unsettled

I am a bit unsettled. Although I am quite happy in the room I currently have, I feel it is only an interim solution to a long-term stay. This week I will be looking at other options and figuring out what to do for permanent quarters. I am unsettled in other respects, too. Before I left, I thought it would be beneficial to be Khmer, especially for learning the language. I’ve discovered, though, at least initially, that it is a setback. The foreigners here, with whom I would like to interact, assume that I’m a local, so they don’t really go out of their way to talk to me. The locals are put off somewhat when I don’t speak Khmer, so I sort of don’t easily fit into either group. When I was in Europe, I was very outgoing and went out of my way to interact with people. Here, though, I am not. I’m not sure what the difference is – maybe I just need some time. I’m sure that once I’m more confident with my Khmer and more settled into living here, I will be able to reach out into both groups and embrace the advantages that come with being a Cambodian-American. For now, though, Cambodia is a lonely place.