Final Days Before I head to Wot Opot

My Khmer is gradually getting better and better. I can now reject tuk tuk drivers in their native tongue when they flock me searching for service. On Thursday, Susan and I met up with Arn, a close friend of Susan's. Living in a remote village about an hour outside of town, Arn has an incredible story. The Khmer Rouge took power when he was about 10 years old, and he only managed to survive through his impressive flute playing. After seeing friends and family die at the hands of the Khmer Rouge, he fled to the jungle, where he took refuge for an extended period of time. He survived through basic means: creating his own shelter and catching his own food (he spoke about catching monkeys, heating them up by sitting on them, then eating them). He was then found by an American, who proceeded to ädopt"him and took him to the US. Arn spent 20 years in the states, went to boarding school then Brown, and toured around the country telling his story. He even spoke at Emory in 1983, and Jimmy Carter wrote him a recommendation letter for college. Today, Arn lives in Cambodia, yet travels to the USA every few months to speak. Aside from telling his story, he writes his own music, breakdances, and creates his own music videos. He is now becoming very popular in Cambodia, and his "lady friend,"who also happens to be a famous singer, is now recognized by everyone across the country. I bought a CD of theirs ($2), so feel free to listen when I return to the states.

Yesterday, we we visited Oudong, about 2 hours outside of Phnom Penh. Oudong served as Cambodia's capitol until the mid 19th century, and today houses several temples built in the 16th and 17th centuries. With monuments placed on top of a giant hill, two young boys served as our tour guides. Aside from the intricute designs on the buildings, ornate Buddhas reside within every one. Another cool part of Oudong is the number of monkeys that have habituated themselves with humans...seeing the monkeys up close made me question whether I should have gotten that rabies shot. Regardless, after the tour we had lunch in the village. We had chicken soup (with LITERALLY every part of the chiken in the soup), morning glory (asparagus-like vegetable), rice, and a giant, non-gutted fish. I am still adjusting to this new diet, so it will only be a matter of time before I leave a traditional meal completely full. I showed our young tour guides my ipod, and soon had a giant following hovering over my mp3 player.

There are a few strange things that I have noticed about the culture here. First, the young men here have very trendy hairdos. Susan and I joke about how metro these styles are...these guys just look rediculous. It looks like a mix between AC Slater and the hairdo of a short-haired black woman. Second, many of the women wear pajamas in public. Im talking full pajamas with pajama bottoms, a button down top, and rediculous designs. We laugh at them too. Finally, more traditional women cannot be seen in public with men (like one man and one woman) unless they are dating. Kunthea, my female Khmer teacher, told Susan before I got here that she would not be able to take me around the city because it would be inappropriate. Very traditional.

Anyway, thats all for now. There is a casino here and I have already lost a little money. This is why I will never be able to live in a city with a casino (cough cough Brenton). Also, I just read that the Braves traded Kotchman for Adam LaRoche. Frank Wren should be fired and the Braves are going to miss the playoffs yet again.