After Hong Kong...

I got a pretty good night's sleep in Hong Kong to fight off the jet lag, but it didn't defend me enough against the draining first day in Phnom Penh. The humidity hits hard and fast and when we got off the plane we were given fans and bottles of water to keep ourselves cool and to rehydrate ourselves. We were only allowed to pack enough to last us through Sunday (today being Thursday) when we would be reunited with our luggage, so we all found ourselves rummaging through our large suitcases to find our essentials to stuff in our backpacks to enable us to live like nomads for a few days. Our group was then swiftly taken by bus to the Peace Corps office in the city, where we were fed and introduced to the staff. I actually really enjoyed the food thus far- it's mostly curry dishes or ginger-flavored pork, beef, fish or chicken (still with the bones), but fairly spicy with bold flavors, and ALWAYS with rice. I think I could get used to that.
After our instructions on our medical and safety (I'll be getting about 5 shots tomorrow to fight off Hep A, Rabies, Meningitis, Typhod and some Japanese virus that's similar to elephantitis), we were allowed to explore the city. My group leader was a K2, meaning she was from the first Peace Corps group to visit Cambodia, and is leaving in just a few days as she's already completed her stay. There are also some K3s that we met today as well who still have a year left. I wasn't expecting the overlap of the groups but am glad that we have some sort of reference to turn to while we are about to figure out our own positions. As K4s, Peace Corps has told us that we are also legacies: the Health Education program in which about 20 of us are involved are the first to be approved for the position by the Cambodian government. We will be the first to our posts in Cambodia (the specifics of which I'm still unsure).
From what I've seen of the city so far, Phnom Penh is both beautiful and crazy. So far I've seen babies on motorcycles, gasoline sold in 2 Liter bottles, and on-coming traffic that decides to go the opposite way on one-way streets. But the beauty is found in the ornate golden temples to Buddha found around every corner, the king and queen's palace and the over-abundance of color and energy that captivates the hyper-sensitive vister's eye.
I think we have all had moments today, even when squeling while we landed in the country, where we have asked ourselves and one another, "What have we got ourselves into"? But even with swollen, blistered feet and jet-lag- induced insomnia, we were able to answer that, in some way, this experience will inevitably have a lasting impression on our lives. In seeing the K2 Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) and K3s interact and exchange dialogue with the locals with ease, we had a glimpse of our future. I can't wait to finally start learning Khmer! (pronounced Khmai, as I learned today)...and to interact with my host family, forming relationships with my new community of 2 years!
P.S. Dad, there is beer in Cambodia. Imports and domestics, and I plan to try a few :)