Week One (and a little bit over...)

Greetings from Cambodia! We've been here just over a week, so figured it was time to send out an update. We've been busy, getting acclimatised, getting over jet-lag, teaching etc. Here's what our first week (and a little bit over) has looked like:


Friday 14th June: Arrive in Phnom Penh, come to Rescue.
Saturday 15th June: Driven around Phnom Penh with Marie, buying a few food items etc. The other English teacher, Allyn arrived.
Sunday 16th June: Attend an International English speaking church in Phnom Penh. Lunch at a Canadian-owned pizza place.
Monday 17th June: Meet with the local English teachers and helpers here, begin lesson planning.
Tuesday 18th June: Public holiday here in Cambodia, so we went with Marie to Phnom Penh. Visited the Tuol Sleng Genocide museum.
Wednesday 19th June: Teaching officially begins. We each teach a different class from 12-1pm, 3-4pm and 6-7pm.

Saturday 22nd June: Allyn, Mum and I venture into Phnom Penh for the day on a Tuk-Tuk. The three of us girls had a blast! From Rescue to Phnom Penh on a Tuk-tuk takes about an hour. We walked along the Mekong River, had lunch at a place called The Blue Pumpkin and enjoyed some ice cream at a sweet little ice-cream shop called Toto. They had some very interesting flavours, including durian and dragonfruit.



Sunday 23rd June: Attended a different English speaking church in Phnom Penh. Had lunch out, did a few errands. Tried a piece of a durian fruit for the first time.
Monday 24th June: Back to school!

Things We've Learned So Far:
Currency: Riel. 4,000 riel = $1US. The US dollar is used throughout the country, with riel used when purchasing anything that costs less than $1 US.
Language: Khmae
Moto: scooter for getting around town on


Tuk-Tuk: a moto with a two wheeled carriage on the back, to seat 4-6 people.

A Tuk-Tuk (pronounced like "took")

Some rambutans at the local market. 

Rambutan: My new favourite fruit. These are really good!