Shoppers

Talk about busy. From 6 in the morning to 6 at night, I’m on the go! It’s hot and humid, but manageable. I have been spending a lot of time with Aurora. She lives here, so she knows her way around really well.

Today she took me to the Central Market. We walked through the branched market, getting lost numerous times. She, herself, even though she lives there, still gets lost in the huge market. When we walked in, all I could see were shimmering “diamonds” in large cases all around a large hall. I’m assuming little to none of them were real. As we passed through the “diamond hall” we were given the option of many different paths through different clothing, shoes, electronics, bag, and fabric stalls. We wandered through looking and purchasing. There are many clothes from sweatshops in there. I was walking around seeing name brand clothing, being sold for less than five dollars. Aurora told me that every month, the sweatshops give about 1% of the clothes or bags being made to be sold on the streets…and I saw a LOT of clothes. Lacoste, American Eagle, Coach, Louie and Vuiton, etc. TOO MANY.

After we looked around a bit, and even purchased a couple items I noticed the market was transitioning from materials to food. She explained the live market and how fresh all the food was. She didn’t have to prove anything. I was awed walking through. Fresh fish and crustations of every kind. I’m talking salmon, squid, stingray, lobster, crab, mussels, oysters, YOU NAME IT, it was there, it was fresh, and it was HUGE. A lot of the seafood was kept alive in big tubs with filtering water systems. Others were already dead, on ice, ready to be bought. There were some already cooked, seasoned and ready to eat! We passed through fruit and vegetable markets. I bought a bag of fruit (I have no idea what it is) I cannot explain how good it was. There was so much fruit there, most of it nothing I had ever seen before, and almost ALL delicious. There was a meat “department” that stunned me! We walked through looking at all the different selections of meat, so fresh! Right past the food market there were little booths all around where venders not only had the fresh produce, but also had cooking supplies and tools, to make food dishes to sell. There were plates of meals, soups, shakes, and more. It smelled divine, and I’m sure it tasted better than it smelled.

After visiting the market, and being thoroughly impressed, I made my way back to the church office. I visited two schools with Mrs. Lo and Aurora. ABC School and Wisdom School. These are the two schools I will be working at for the next two weeks. I will be working with the kids doing a variety of things. I am beyond excited to spend time there.

I miss my friends! And I really miss my family! I think I miss them all so much because I wish they were here with me, experiencing all of this with me step by step. I am learning so much about the country and the people. I am learning what it means to have no expectations and to forget how I lived and to live in a new way. It’s exciting and hard. I am so blessed to have this opportunity, and I cannot wait to utilize every second I have here to the best of my ability.

Go Phnom Penh!!!