It has been one week since I’ve arrived in Cambodia. It is 36°C and feels like 41°C. I like to think I handle the heat really well but I feel lethargic here. It’s like someone unplugged my side and my energy is draining out. Cambodians drive by on their motos with sweaters, jeans and helmets on. How?
As many of you know I began my masters in Vancouver last fall in Human Nutrition. Many of you also know my love for adventure and the passion I have for development issues and adequate health access and food security for all. With that focus, I found myself on a project where I will conduct my research in rural Cambodia for a few months through a local NGO partnership that my university has a longstanding relationship with. In future posts, I will explain the rationale for our research and answer the classic question grad students get: “so, what exactly IS your research?” A very full explanation is to come, along with my research journey here in South East Asia, but for now, I thought I’d fill you in on the past few fun days since I’ve landed.
Upon arriving, I was immediately overwhelmed with the smells, loud honks, and sights blurring by me. As we would speed through the streets on a tuk-tuk, a sea of motos would weave through traffic. Over half a million people drive moto’s in Phnom Penh, with often more than one person on the back (2, 3, or a whole family!) Our driver was even facetiming his friends while simultaneously swerving through bumpy streets (mom, I’m fine)! Being in moto traffic can best be described as organized chaos, but its tons of fun and it defines life in Phnom Penh!
MANY of you may know of my bad jaywalking habit but it is safe to say if Phnom Penh jaywalking is level 10, I was only living level 1 difficulty in Canada. Despite the craziness of streets, if you need to cross the road you just go and vehicles will stop for you. My friend just set out across a crazy busy roundabout and told me to follow … I think a forgot to breathe for a minute. I guess I am not as traffic brave as I like to think.
This busy capital has so many beautiful temples and architecture scattered throughout the main arteries of the city or stunning monuments at the center of roundabouts. Pictured here is the Royal Palace, Tuol Tompoung Pogoda and the Independence Monument, to commemorate Cambodia’s independence from the French in 1953.
A fun observation I’ve made about this city: they have streets with every shop dedicated to selling the exact same item. This is not an exaggeration: on my drive in from the airport my friend pointed out we were driving through the fan area where every.single.shop. had the same small and large fans set up on the sidewalk and inside their open shops. My current favourite is the durian street. For those of you who don’t know, durian, known as the “King of Fruit” is yellow with a large spiky exterior. But the defining feature of durian is its unmistakable odour, that many (including myself) liken to the smell of onion and dirty gym socks. Something I will never forget, my first time on the Singapore Subway I noticed a sign saying: “No Smoking. No flammable objects. No Durian.” Enough said. Anyway, I came across “durian street” the other night, and have recently learned that the fruit is just in season. Every shop was overflowing with people putting their large fruits on scales. Quite a sight to behold.
Moving onto everyone’s favourite part: food. We’ve eaten lots of good food (no durian, yet) here – Cambodian, Western, French, Chinese and Indian. I am on the hunt for all the good vegeterian spots and have already found a couple of gems! A traditional Cambodian dish, Amok, is a slightly sweet curry, usually with fish, steam cooked and served beautifully in a banana leaf. The street food is a staple, as it is cheap ($~1 dollars for a substantial bowl of fried rice or noodle soup) and provides the authentic experience of eating cross-legged on mats in the middle of the night market. My friend took me to her favourite place, Katy Peri Pizza, which did not disappoint! Wood-fired pizza cooked on the back of a moto and a business name like that – I am sold!
I attended my first Khmer language class (pronounced: Kha-my) this morning and am excited to expand my vocabulary beyond “hello” “thank you” “good morning” and “good night”. But when a language looks like this: ជំរាបសួរពីប្រទេសកម្ពុជា it may be a long road ahead.
On a more serious note, to prepare for my travels, I began learning about Cambodia’s history and how the turmoil of recent decades has devastated all aspects of Cambodian culture and development. The Khmer Rouge was a brutal regime that controlled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, where 1.5 to 3 million people (25% of the Cambodian population) were killed. The Communist party’s goal was to create a classless state based on a rural agrarian economy, rejecting the free market and capitalism, and therefore killing off the brightest minds, such as doctors, business professionals, and others that had migrated to the city.
I visited the genocide museum, S21, a former high school used as Security Prison 21 by the regime where thousands of people (Cambodians and foreigners) were tortured and executed. I spent 2 hours wandering through the grounds, listening to an audio tour on a quiet day, experiencing most of the rooms on my own. It was raw and shocking. The audio tour held nothing back while explaining the atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge. I was brought to tears and feel it was important to gain greater insight into the events that impact modern day Cambodia.
Lastly, something that has really bothered me here is the excessive use of single-use plastic and the absence of recycling programs. Although much progress still needs to be made with regards to sustainability policies and practices, Canada has become comfortable talking about the shocking truths of our wasteful lifestyles and big changes are happening. Here, I am saddened to see most people carry their drink in a plastic cup, with a plastic straw, all in a transparent plastic bag (so unnecessary!) to sling onto the handlebars of their moto or vegetables sold wrapped in plastic wrap and placed in styrofoam containers held in place by more cling wrap. We were wandering the streets looking for a lunch spot and came across a waste-free restaurant! All their packaging materials are biodegradable and the drinking straws are made from bamboo. We were happy to give them our business and peruse their small selection of waste-free items for eating, drinking and grocery shopping.
While half my time will be spent in the metropolitan capital, the other half will be in Kampong Thom province, where I will conduct my research. From the two days we spent there this week, the city is much more rural, lacks the flushing toilets of the big city and foreigners are a rare sight there, but it was equally refreshing to get a break from the hustle and bustle. I may have gotten enough bug bites, despite my bed mosquito net, to ensure I will never forget my bug spray in Phnom Penh ever again!
I’ve been taking the time to acquaint myself with the city, get adjusted to the time change and heat as well shadow another nutrition project happening with the same NGO run by another Canadian university until ours becomes underway. Thanks for reading all the way through this long thing and I look forward to sharing about the beginning stages of our study and life here in Cambodia! លាហើយ “Lee hi !”