Winners and Losers

A good buddy of mine writes me emails in the format of "winners" and "losers." I cannot take credit for the idea but I know he, thanks Gus, will allow me to borrow it to update you on our last couple of weeks in Cambodia.

Because I am an optimist, I will start with "Losers," as to end with the best parts of our last couple of weeks.

LOSERS:

1. Cream Cheese: Last week Leanne and I went to a friend's house to watch the NCAA football national championship game. It was a week old recording and we all know the score but we enjoyed it nonetheless. Anyway, Leanne wanted to make chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese, easy. After 18 hours, five grocery stores, a few minor expletives and a curdled and rotten block of Philadelphia (which was placed back in the package, resealed and put back in the refrigerator by the store owner... typical) Leanne finally found her cream cheese and made excellent cupcakes for the party. I wish I could say that this event was the first time that an ordinary product was non-existent in Phnom Penh.
   
2. Sarpino's Pizza: A new pizza place opened up in Phnom Penh so we naturally had to try it. Now, I preface this loser with the fact that Phnom Penh has an incredible number of excellent restaurants, but this one has yet to make the list. The pizza was mediocre, the wait staff was overwhelmed by the eight people inside, our friend's ticket was wrong and the place was filled with bugs. Our experience was tough, but apparently the next day they got their act together and had a great grand opening. Sorry Sarpino's, we will stick with Pizza Company. Pizza Hut, get it together and open like you are supposed to!
   
3. Illness: Leanne and I took our 6-month anti-worm pill last weekend and my stomach feels incredible. Leanne and I are constantly battling sickness. We take copious amount of Vitamin C, daily vitamins and other supplements that help us stay strong. This week I have been battling a typical cold, coupled with yelling at soccer practices and games, my voice sounded like a scratchy recording of Louis Armstrong. My students could not take me seriously in class and laughed each time I gave directions... they won't be laughing when they get their updated grades.
   
4. Working Cross-Culturally: From trying to buy cell phone credit, to ordering food to working with Cambodians, we are often frustrated with communication. We often feel like all of our plans are solid, organized and ready to go and then they will fall apart. This goes for Leanne's work especially and it has been a good lesson in patience as well as the clash that is American culture and Cambodian culture. It has been amazing to see how hyper-productive we tend to be as Americans and how much our satisfaction comes with the amount of items we can check off of our to-do list. That is not how Cambodians operate and that can often lead to immense frustration.
   

Now for the winners from the past two weeks.

1. College Sports: Leanne and I are huge sports fans and, though we have not watched many games live, we have enjoyed staying connected with our Alma Mater and other sports. As mentioned before, we watched the Auburn-Oregon game as well as the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl (both live, both awesome). Also, the CU men's basketball team is surprising many people with their play and are no longer the forgotten little-brother of the Big 12. Perfect timing Buffs, thanks for waiting until we moved to Asia to no longer be awful.
2. Phnom Penh: The longer we live here, the more we like the city. Yes, it is rough around the edges. Yes, driving around our neighborhood at night is often a lesson on injustice and inequity. However, this is a city with deep scars and one that is progressing through its recent history. Just last night, we had dinner with friends (Chicken-Fried steak, mashed potatoes and a 75 cent beer at a restaurant called Cadillac which is owned by large-portion advocate from Texas), then went and played cards at our favorite coffee shop. We sat outside, under a fan and enjoyed the tropical weather. This city is good and the longer we live here, the more places we discover that make it feel more like home.
   
3. The Weather: As mentioned above, the weather has been remarkable. Cool mornings, sunny days and perfect evenings, this has been the best 6-weeks of weather we have had. We are undoubtedly adjusted to the humidity, but even then, the weather has been excellent. We know that hot-season is on its way, but we will ignore that for now and enjoy the weather despite the impending heat.
   
4. Familiarity: We have been in Cambodia for six-plus months and we feel very much like this is home. We know some language, street names, directions, where to find the best food, where to hear live jazz, where to buy the city's best coffee and where to go when we need a break from Cambodia. We have adjusted well and feel good about the life we are making here in this country. We have friends, colleagues and relationships with students. This familiarity will make the rest of this year seem so much simpler.

There you go. A quick snap-shot at our life and the winners and losers of the past couple weeks. We hope you are well. Next time you buy cream cheese, think of us.