I've Arrived!

I didn't want to commit to writing a blog before I started this trip, but I landed 3 hours ago and already have some fun and adventure to report, so I guess I'm writing a blog!

Here's my story in 61 words or less: Californian post-college girl heads to Phnom Penh to volunteer at the Children's Surgical Clinic after it was suggested to me by a family friend/mentor of mine. I am planning on staying somewhere in the neighborhood of 2 months, and perhaps tack on a week or two of exploring southeast Asia after that. I will likely be home sometime in April.

I only found out about 2 hours before starting my trip here that this weekend is going to be nuts. Cambodia's late King Norodom Sihanouk is to be cremated on Monday, the 4th. Tomorrow, funeral processions will begin through the streets and traffic will be shut down until Tuesday. Up to 3 million people are expected to flood the city, which is built to handle about 600,000, according to my remarkably generous host. Makes Super Bowl XLVII look like a middle school potluck (Don't worry. I'm still planning on getting up really early to try to stream it on my computer.)

So instead of staying at the guesthouse I booked, I am staying at my host's lovely abode. Lucky me! Great news: three dogs live here. THREE! Not a problem that wandering the city by myself is a bad idea this weekend: I have three best friends to win over.

Disclaimer: I don't foresee this being a very fancy blog. I will hopefully include some pictures in future posts, but I can't promise any frequency. The purpose of this blog is to give people who are wondering if I'm still alive a way to do so. This way, I don't forget names on a mass email, and no one has to receive unsolicited email updates from me. Deal? Deal.

Now we come to nap time so I can skip this whole jet lag drag.