I hope this cambodes well: nothing says gastrointestinal fun like construction

Independence Monument, Phnom Penh

One of my two routes to PP goes through Nek Luong which has a big ferry line up for a 5 minute trip; here are sellers who swarm with all sorts of goodies - sandwiches, drinks, grasshoppers, larger beetles, etc.

Mekong boat cruise to celebrate PCVs with January birthdays

After a fun filled weekend in PP, I come back to the street being completely torn up. That means it's quite loud all day as they dig new holes, add lots of dirt, roll over the dirt to make sure it's smooth and repeat. At night, it's a fun playground for my sisters and all the cousins in the neighborhood. I also happen to have some "chuu bpoowah" which means "stomachache" or more generally interpreted as diarrhea. This means when I tell coworkers, supervisor, community members what kind of sick I am, my whole social circle tends to share the news that I have "rrhea" as they call it in Khmer. So when my stomach is cramping, I hear the soothing sounds of the work happening right outside my house. By the way, the stomach issues are quite the norm for the Peace Corps Volunteer. I'm just hoping mine will pass in the next few days (don't worry Mom). They say you don't truly become a volunteer until you poop your pants, so I still have my fingers crossed.

PS - Sorry if that was more information about bodily functions than you're accustomed to, but it's a hot topic of conversations among PCVs in any country and is totally normal to discuss in the Khmer culture as well. Meaning, it's a big part of my life, so it had to enter the blog at some point...