Catching up

I know I’ve only been in Cambodia for 11 days but it feels like I’ve been here for months! The past 11 days have already far exceeded my expectations. My days have been filled with tuk tuks, trainings, temples, rice, anchor beer, more rice and many awkward, funny and amazing experiences. Here are just a few of the highlights to date:

New Friends: I feel very fortunate to have met such great people here already. There are 27 of us volunteers who started with Volunteer Services Organization (VSO) and I’ve grown particularly close with three of them already. Here is a brief introduction to the cast of characters:

Katie: We call each other our UK/American doppelganger. (For those of you who don’t know – a doppelganger is a double or identical replica of a person). Katie is from the UK and we were randomly assigned as roommates during our first week in Phnom Penh and instantly hit it off. Katie will be based in Phnom Penh as well so stay tuned for many more stories to come that involve the two of us!



Samira: Samira is from Sweden but has called several places home, including Florida. Somehow despite the extreme heat and humidity Samira always manages to look absolutely posh (as Katie would say). Not to mention, she’s also one of the most easy going individual’s you will meet. Samira will be based in Kampong Thom but we expect her to visit us in PP often!



Paul: Paul is our token guy and definitely takes great care of us girls! Paul is a nurse from Toronto and is hilarious to have around. Somehow he’s managed to put up with our endless girl talk and still chooses to hang out with us! Paul will be based in Battambang which is about a six hour bus ride from PP but he’s already promised to visit us often.


Sights: I haven’t been able to do much sightseeing yet, but we did spend a day on a cyclo tour around Phnom Pehn and this past weekend I caught a bus to the Kampong Cham province to visit my fellow volunteers. (Everyone left PP a few days ago to attend language classes but sadly I had to stay behind to start work). (My work here deserves a post of its own and I promise to share more information on what exactly I’m doing in Cambodia soon). For now, here are just a few pictures of my adventures around Phnom Penh and Kampong Cham:

Part of the Palace grounds in Phnom Penh


Independence Monument in Phnom Penh


Katie and Samira along the river front in PP


The bamboo bridge in Kampong Cham...built each year prior to rainy season to keep the main land connected to a remote island that contains a small village. On Saturday afternoon, Katie, Paul, Samira and I rode bikes over the bridge and visited the local village.





On Sunday a group of us chartered a boat to take us up the Mekong river to visit Wat Hanchey and another island village. It was a great day filled with many surprises...starting with my surprise birthday breakfast pulled together by Katie, Paul and Samira of course! They truly went above and beyond and made my big 3-0 an unforgettable day. In addition to the banner and balloons...the day was filled with cake, candles and amazing gifts including a traditional cambodian scarf which I love (it's pink which just happens to be my favorite color) and a bicycle basket cover to keep those pesky bag snatchers at bay.

Suprise bday breakfast


In the boat on the Mekong river


Wat Hanchey









Island village



The little boy I was obsessed with from the village. He was absolutely precious.