Greetings from a skyscraper less city

Today, if all goes well, I move out of the Golden Gate Hotel and into my home in Phnom Penh. Hopefully, but doubtful, the rain will be merciful and light while I move.

I know the observations (and generalizations) I will make have been made by many before me. Though my impressions may be unoriginal, I remember all the people I met in churches who said they wished they could see it here and wanted to know what it’s like, what people eat, how they travel. So I will share what I see, recognizing that my view is tinted by my biases, upbringing, education and countless other factors. This is my disclaimer.

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Phnom Penh is a world apart from my fuzzy memories of my visit three years ago. The streets are choked with glossy new cars wearing large stickers proclaiming, “Land Cruiser” or “Lexus” lumbering along side motorbikes and tuk tusk. Huge mansions sit behind high walls and coils of razor wire. A handful of supermarkets and western style grocery stores have sprung up, though only the rich and the expat can afford to frequent them. A new gym opens up near Independence Monument and charges over a hundred dollars a month. A skyscraper less city will soon be home to “Golden Tower 42,” a high rise boasting a mall, pool, gym and apartments built by a Korean firm.

Amongst all the building and money, many struggle. Inflation and low wages has driven thousands women to seek jobs outside the garment industry. Street children run together in the rain without shoes, pulling their paper thin shirts over their heads, exposing paper thin bodies. A development firm purchased Boeung Kak, the largest lake in Phnom Penh, and is filling it with sand, driving hundreds of people from their homes and livelihoods. Profit and investment have not flowed equal in the city or out into the country side.

This is what I observe from the surface of the city, from the newspapers and the sights. For now I can only imagine the hundreds of stories, influences and players beneath it.

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As I mentioned before, I am in a period of constant readjustment. After ten days in the “safety” of an air conditioned, internet and cable supplied hotel, it is time to really move to Phnom Penh. My new home is at traditional wooden house located in a Khmer neighborhood. Carrie, my fabulous roommate, is a Mennonite volunteer handicraft designer and business advisor who has lived in Phnom Penh for a year. Carrie is my favorite part of this new living arrangement, followed by the lovely apartment itself and the two fluffy, wiggling puppies of the landlords. The hole in the ceiling and the lack of screens in the windows are less than exciting, but as my new friend Chris assured me today, there isn’t a house here without something quirky to it.

The first week here was the hardest of my life for sure. However, the Lutheran World Federation Office here is full of wonderful people I look forward to knowing better as the year progresses. The world of the expatriate is alien and amazing to this woman from Idaho Falls. I am endlessly grateful for all the support and advice I have been blessed with from family, friends and strangers. Until next time, you are all in my heart and prayers.