Great Expectations

While we were recently visiting the US, a lot of friends asked us what we expect life to be like in Cambodia. We hadn’t actually given it much thought, besides very basic generalities such as climate and cost of living. So, during our many hours of travel across the Pacific, we chewed on it a bit more and came up with the following:

• Jeremy will have to expand his heat tolerance for a climate where the “cold season” is 80 degrees.
• The Cambodian people will be friendly, yet reserved.
• The capital city of Phnom Penh will be pretty, and green with lots of trees and vegetation.
• We will feel safe despite the level of crime in Phnom Penh.
• Phnom Penh will not be an exciting city with lots to do, but we will make our own fun and have a good time.
• We will enjoy good food that is different from any other Asian cuisine we have eaten in the US.
• We will have several bouts of tummy trouble in our first few months. We’ve been warned that everyone goes through this as they adjust to the food.
• One of us will have to go to Bangkok for medical treatment at least once. The healthcare system in Cambodia is extremely basic and unable to handle anything beyond very routine medical needs. For more complicated concerns, we would need to go to Bangkok.
• Jeremy will have a difficult time with the language barrier. Jeremy believes he isn’t good with languages.
• The Embassy community will be more tight-knit than in Nairobi.
• The Embassy workload will be more relaxed than in Nairobi.
• Clothing and custom-made tailoring will be inexpensive.
• We will learn more about Buddhism.
• Our previously indoor/outdoor cats will not enjoy living in an apartment with no yard.
• Jeremy will learn to drive a motorbike.
• We will sing lots of karaoke.

Stay tuned to our blog as we find out how many of these expectations come true over the next two years!