Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Kampuchea

Well, this blog has lain dormant for sometime. Actually, it was almost one year ago exactly that I left Nigeria, and it's been quite a year. Without going into that too much, suffice it to say that my wanderlust is back, and I'm itching to see the world again. As a cure for this persistent malady, I have signed myself up for a 7 week study program in Cambodia.

Why Cambodia, you ask? Well, to be honest, the answer comes back to, well, why not Cambodia? It's a place that I don't know much about. In fact, I don't know much about Asia at all. My high school education was ridiculously Euro-centric, and my college studies have been primarily interested in Africa. I tried to take one class on Asia, and it was pretty much a bust, so I figured, well, why not come to Asia and experience it firsthand.

Some basics, for those of you who aren't familiar with Cambodia (which includes myself):

Here is where Cambodia is situated in the world:



Here is a map of Cambodia:



The first two weeks, I'll be in Siem Reap, which is in the north-western part of the country. It's also where the famous Angkor Temples are located. For the remaining five weeks, I'll be in Phnom Penh, the capital city. For three weeks there, I'll be with a homestay family, and for the last two weeks, we'll all be back at a guesthouse here.

The language spoken in Cambodia is Khmer, which is also the name of the major ethnic group here. Most Cambodians are Khmers, but there are some smaller minority groups.

I'm currently in the process of packing, and I'm packing lots of lightweight clothes, since it seems like the weather is sort of like Nigeria, but more humid. Awesome. Why do I keep going to these tropic climates when I am so ill-equipped to cope with the heat?

Well, I'll (hopefully) keep you all posted on my various adventures and foibles in Southeast Asia. Let me know what's happening with you while I'm gone, too!!

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