The Prey Veng Trip

So I’ve been in Cambodia for 3 1/2 weeks now.  Sometimes it feels like it has been a lot longer than that, and other times it feels like just yesterday I was back at home picking saskatoons, and filling out a zillion forms for this trip.  I’ve slowly come accustom to my surroundings and though I won’t go as far as saying that I feel at home, I definitely feel more comfortable than when I first got here.

                         

So a quick update on the Prey Veng trip.  We left last Thursday and stayed until Monday.  It was nice to get away from the big city and get out to the country.  Thursday and Friday we visited a number of MCC’s partners, most of them to do with Agriculture sustainability.  On Saturday we got up at 7 and went for a 3 hour bike ride through the different small towns around Prey Veng.  There really isn’t a lot of sleeping in here in Cambodia, which is something I am slowly getting used to.  It does help that I’m in bed most nights between 9 and 10.  The rest of the day involved some motto driving, which was a lot of fun.  Almost ran into the ditch as I was leaving the MCC offices but after that I regained my composure and kept the motto in the upright position.  We had a lot of fun just cruising around the countryside and exploring the area.

Quick list of firsts

-          hand fed bananas to monkeys

-          drove a motto through rice paddies

-          drove a motto in Phnom Penh

-          rode a bicycle past a herd of water buffalo

-          ate some kind of intestine, or so they tell me

-          had my first staff meeting as a professor

-          attended my first Khmer church service

The rest of the weekend in Prey Veng we had the chance to just relax and get to know each other a little bit more.  We played some games (of course dutch blitz) and watched a number of movies, all in all it was a great time.

This past Sunday I went to church with my host family.  It was my second adventure in a Khmer church and it was not quite what I was expecting.  Most Khmers are generally reserved and quite.  This church service was quite the opposite.  It was loud, it was charismatic, and it was long, at least long for me.  It will take some time to get used to the service, especially the length and really not understanding much of it.  I am also going to try to see if there is an English service that I can attend.    

We have a few MCC guests in Cambodia at the moment, 3 from Akron and one from Manitoba.  Actually mom and dad Brad Reimer is out here and he said to say hi.  He said that he went to foothills for awhile and actually started the early service with Uncle Darryl and Aunt Gladys.  So Hi from Brad!

Looking into the future now it is only 5 days until my teaching career begins.  At times I feel like I am ready, and at times I ask myself what did I get into here.  I could be working at home with people I know.  Instead I am teaching for the first time, at a university no less, with people I hardly know.  It’s tough, but I am looking forward to the challenge and luckily I have a lot of support at the university and MCC.  God Bless!