The King and I

When I woke up today, I didn't have expectations of having a remarkable day. Why would I? It seemed as though today would be business as usual; attending class at Pannasastra University, listening to lectures from my LanguageCorps teachers, and practicing their teaching methodology by performing and presenting in front of my peers. After classes, a few of the girls Susan and I have befriended went out with us for a drink. As we were sitting on the second story patio with our 4,000 riel ($1) beers, suddenly all of the staff rushed to the ledge to look out onto the street. We tried to understand what they were looking at, but the usually crowded street was empty. "The King,"said a waiter. "Here come the King." We all stood up and peered over into the street. The King of Cambodia? The most revered and respected man in the country, whose image is held in the highest regard and even ripping or stepping on a money bill with his face on it could get you time in jail? A caravan of police cars with their lights on filed past and then an SUV passed by with a bald man hanging out of the back seat window, smiling and waving. We took a clue from everyone around and on the street to clap and wave and smile back at the King of Cambodia as he drove through the city of Phnom Penh.

Pretty cool, eh?

The rest of my week has paled importance in comparison, but it has mainly included venturing out into the city and along the river. Eating out and going for drinks opened the door for exploring the city, but last night Susan and another girl Eileen and I went around on foot. Walking through the city gave a better perspective of the area geographically and a closer look at how people live and spend their time. There is a big sort of park area that attracts a lot of people that during the day, boys can be found kicking around a shuttlecock (think badminton..but with your feet), monks walking with their orange robes and yellow umbrellas, and a motley crew doing organized aerobics. At night, we found out that it attracts a big crowd of young people who blast techno and hit music and do this massive synchronized dancing.

Tomorrow we have an exam in the morning and then we are off to Angkor Wat for a weekend trip to Siem Riep. I will post pictures and video soon, as promised!

v.