Joom reap soo-a!

Posted by Inga Taube on January 15th, 2012

Hello from Cambodia! I’ve been here almost two weeks now! I’m starting to get into the swing of things in Phnom Penh and in my position at IIC University. The main focus of my position is to edit and update the university’s current handbook. IIC is expanding and developing – it’s an exciting time to be here! – so there are a lot of new sections that need to be written as well. I’m looking forward to seeing the finished product!
Phnom Penh is great! The university is just outside of the main hub; I make sure to always carry a map around with me so I can show tuk tuk drivers where I need to go. It’s currently the dry and cool season here, which actually means it’s about 30 degrees, so I’m still getting used to the heat. It can be fairly cloudy but it’s always warm. I love being able to sit outside in the evenings.
The language barrier isn’t as difficult as I thought it would be (I think mostly I’m just lucky that so many Cambodians speak a bit of English!). The people here are so friendly though that even when we can’t understand each other, a smile goes a long way. I’ve taken a few Khmer lessons with a (very!) patient teacher here at IIC, but the pronunciation can be tricky. There are thirty-three consonants, twenty-four dependent vowels, twelve dependent vowels, AND diacritic symbols in the Khmer script! I’m going to keep at it though!
I’m really looking forward to the next few weeks. Korean exchange students are coming to IIC at the end of January. I’ll be tagging along while they check out the sights in Phnom Penh, Angkor Wat and Sihanoukville.
Until next time!

Posted in SWB