2011 Mission Trip to Cambodia
from Diana Perricone, Senior Nursing Student
We landed in Phnom Penh at about 10:30 AM on Tuesday, May 17th. It was very weird to realize that we left on Sunday, and just completely skipped Monday altogether. I could tell by looking out of the window of the plane while we were landing that this is certainly not like any place i have ever been. From the plane you could tell that about 90% of the roads here are dirt roads. We got to the hotel by two vans which was only about 10 minutes away.
Driving through Phnom Penh was very surreal (and terrifying considering traffic laws appear to be completely non-existent). I have never seen so many abandon buildings in one area in my life. Then, I realized that they aren’t abandoned at all…they are fully occupied homes, businesses, doctor’s offices, etc! So many of these buildings look like something that would be deemed unsafe, and condemned in the US. Some of the names are pretty funny. For example.. I’d probably avoid the “Sour Dentist.”. Although so obviously impoverished, Phnom Penh is beautiful. There are many stunning buildings that look like stereotypical Asian palaces and temples (and for all I know at this point they are!).

We got to our hotel, and began to divide into groups of roommates. There was one girls room that would occupy 3, which Abby, Suzanne and I wanted, but the pharmacy girls insisted on having it, so Suzanne is rooming with Rachel P and Abby and I stayed together. We walked upstairs to our third floor room (which is actually the 4th floor) and it proved to be a little bit of a hike. Its not that I’m out of shape, but we were already so hot, that any amount of exercise was killing us, and also, the stairs are uneven, which just really throws most of us off. We spend some time unpacking and showering (which we all desperately needed after traveling for 36 hours) and headed downstairs for a quick tour of our area. It was at this time that I realized that my wallet was missing! I went back upstairs to look for it, and it was not there. We have searched the van from the airport as well as contacted the airline, but I have a strong feeling it’s never coming back. That being said, I am now completely broke in Cambodia. A little scary, but I am oddly at ease with the situation, and I just know that my parents and teachers and I will work something out. In the meantime, the gracious people on our trip lent me some money to use so I won’t be missing out on anything!
We had our first meal at a beautiful restaurant around the corner from our hotel. I had pineapple fried rice (delicious) and tasted some of my friends more adventurous choices and everything was SO good. The kids in Cambodia are ADORABLE. I’m going to be fighting to not return to the US with 8 of them. Since we obviously look like tourists here (I mean, we’re white for one, and for two, several of us are blondes, which may as well be a sign stapled to our head that says “TOURIST”) the kids get excited and say (sometimes yell across the street) “HELLO!” My mother and father would melt. It is so humid here, that although it’s only in the mid 80s (considered a chilly day) I can honestly say that I don’t think I have ever sweated so much in my life.
When we got back to the hotel, most (if not all) of us went to the grocery store. I was surprised to see that they have many of the same brands as we have in America such as McCormick spices. We bought mostly bottled water for the trip (trying to avoid parasites!). Then some of the girls went to have massages ($9 for a 1hr massage!!) and the rest of the evening was spent relaxing with each other before all going to bed. It is now 5:20AM in Cambodia (just cant sleep anymore) and were looking forward to getting to go to the hospital today.