This afternoon I hopped onto the back of my friend and fellow staff member’s moto. We were headed to the large- incredibly large, “Psaa Oressy!” (Oressy Market!) We needed to buy things for the kids. I had never been to this particular market before so she acted as my guide as we wiggled our way through rows and rows of venders. As I was climbing the dirty stairs into the dank, densely populated maze, taking in my surroundings- the sheer number of people, the musty conditions, venders selling everything from doilies to auto parts- it dawned on me how there are probably so many things in my life that have just become “normal,” that I tend to overlook or brush off as insignificant, that people back home would probably think is KUH-RAY-ZEE!!!
So today I am kicking off a blog series called a Day in the Life. I will try to post at least one blog every two weeks so you all can have a taste of what it is kinda like living in, but not only that, integrating into a culture not your own on the other side of the world!! . . . literally. okay, back to the story.
After being in the market for probably an hour rain began pelting the tin roof!! It is official, the rainy season has begun! We tried to wait it out, but when it became apparent that it wasn’t going to stop, we suited up. Luckily, I had my Columbia jacket that my two awesome sisters bought me before the World Race. My top half was warm and cozy unfortunately my bottom half didn’t fare as well. There is really no such thing as a drainage system here in PP and so by the time we hopped back on the moto, the street had become a wide, steady-moving river of mucky, shin-deep water. There wasn’t much I could do for my poor drenched-to-the-bone bottom half with SUVs quickly overtaking us and spraying waterfall after waterfall over our moto! I couldn’t help it I just started laughing! When we turned into our neighborhood the water in places was deeper than before and motos dotted the sidewalks and driveways as their drivers dragged their water-logged machines to higher ground. The water rose up around my knees as we drove, and I couldn’t help but laugh even harder. And that’s when it happened, SMACK!!! As we tried turning onto your street, we hit the steep ledge of the sidewalk because we couldn’t see where it ended and the road began! The moto jolted forward and fell and my friend went tumbling after! Now I was really laughing! The whole scene was just so comical really. The thunder, the lightening, my soaked pants, us trying to ride a moto through the river that had taken over our street, hitting the curb, then Sopheary falling off; and then having to push the thing the rest of the way home in knee-deep mirky waters! As we pushed I was still laughing. Sopheary turned and looked at me, chastising me with her eyes, as we pushed. I couldn’t stop. I couldn’t help it. Loud guffaws rolled up from the depths of my belly and off my tongue. All I could manage to say was,
“Dtae nuh knong srok Khmer.”
“Only in Cambodia.”
She finally started laughing too! 🙂
