![]() I never stopped sweating since walking off the jet bridge on arrival. High of 90 degrees Fahrenheit, 90% humidity, torrential downpour every 2-3 days. The weather in Phnom Penh is the same every week. But I only know this because I SPENT HOURS WORKING IN ALL OF THEM. ![]() On the positive side, I can tell you Cambodia has a surprising variety of high quality cafes. It didn’t help that my volunteer assignment at a local microfinance involved a few days a week of me working alone, at the coffee shop of my choosing. By the third weekend I’d been to every museum, walked every riverfront, and shopped at what feels like every market and shopping mall in town. My first few weekends in Phnom Penh, I purposefully stayed in town so I could get to know the city. It’s one thing if you live and work here, but as a visitor, volunteer, and part time tourist, there is simply not a whole lot going on. Seven weeks is also a very long time to spend in a city like Phnom Penh. ![]() Take the time to stop and smell the local roses. Volunteering in Phnom Penh for seven weeks gave me the chance to slow down and really get to know a place. I was frequenting a new city and sometimes a new country every few weeks. When I arrived here I had been traveling non-stop for eight months at a thrilling but often dizzying pace. The truth of its sad and often violent history, its resilient but reserved people, and constant, almost forceful push forward to catch up with it’s more economically advanced neighbors. It’s only after staying for awhile that I got a real appreciation for the qualities below the surface. Like meeting a new friend, there is so much more to the country than what meets the eye. It is designed to make its own people comfortable.” – Clifton Fadiman Staying AwhileĬambodia holds a soft spot in my heart. “When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable.
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