So, here are my posts from several days ago!
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October 2. 8:23 PM
I got in late on October 1st, so this was the first full day. I woke up around 7 AM- honestly, that's pretty early for me, even though being on any sort of consistent sleep schedule is pretty rare for me. I was very tired, and my dad's snoring didn't wake me up too often. I'm sleeping on the sofa (it's stiff) in his room while my room had to be rebuilt. I am not really sure why, since it doesn't seem like much changed. My dad said what they had been doing took longer than planned because they discovered that one of the support beams was no longer very stable and they had to replace it. They've also had to redo my father's bathroom because the wall they redid was part of the bathroom. Hopefully I should be able to get into that room in a few days- maybe Monday. Monday we will also be getting internet- my dad had disconnected his internet because he didn't use it at home that often but I will (and this new service is supposed to be better than his old one- it is fiber-optics). Then, just a few hours ago, my dad had an idea to put up a wall and a door to close off my room and the adjoining bathroom, and take out the existing door (it would also change the look of the staircase a little). That way I don't have to feel like I'm walking 'outside' to use the bathroom. More importantly, I can turn on the air-con in my room and it will help the bathroom feel cool. There's no window and the fan is only a tiny weak little thing, so they bathroom stays humid (common in Cambodia). This reconfiguration will take a few more days but I should still be able to get into my room. Tomorrow I can possibly move stuff into the wardrobes (which are in the hall right now) so I am not so awkwardly living out of my suitcases.
Today we went to Brown coffee shop twice; my dad really likes the place and thinks it may be the best in Phnom Penh. It's a very modern looking shop and I think it's got a great floor plan; the area is somewhat divided so you don't feel crowded, but you don't feel like everyone is watching you either. The last time I was there was in November and I think I might have ordered the same thing (an iced green tea latte). In the morning my dad didn't have enough one dollar bills (here almost everyone uses a combination of Cambodian riel and American dollars, but no coins) and I had left my wallet at home, so he ended up paying his $5 bill with a hundred dollar bill. Luckily the staff was able to make change!
I seem to be allergic to my new situation; I cannot tell if it is the water or the food or what. I have gotten a terribly itchy rash in various spots all over; luckily not my face yet. The thing is, I thought I started getting so itchy and noticing this rash (with red, raised bumps, often progressing to hives) when I was on my last plane ride, from Seoul to Phnom Penh. I don't know if was terrible stress that then combined with my complete change in water/soap/humidity etc. I really hope it goes away soon, though. It's thoroughly unpleasant. When one patch stops itching, another one seems to start up. I've been trying a variety of creams and powders and taking antihistamine pills. Dad just called a friend of his who he said is often itchy as well and picked up some medicine in Thailand. It's so easy to get medicine of all sorts there (and here, I suppose) over the counter- Thailand would seem to be a nation of hypochondriacs. Or perhaps they just think they can keep taking medications like vitamins to make them the best and healthiest person they can be. This friend of Dad's is on his way over- or perhaps one of his servants is, if they haven't gone home for the night. It's started raining hard, and it's noisy on the sheet-metal roofs across the street.
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Oct 4 1:15 PM
Well, it turns out the internet won't be installed until tomorrow morning between 9 and 10 o'clock. Then, my dad wants me to look up something he's considering in biofuels- Giant King Grass, which is supposed to have a much higher yield than corn or switchgrass. Dad gave me a blackberry to use, although when the Samsung Galaxy Tab comes out here in a few weeks he thinks I ought to upgrade to that. It's supposed to be like an iPad, but you can actually make phone calls with it. I tried emailing from the Blackberry, but I think I was doing it wrong (the user manual isn't that helpful though). My dad said I can't get emails sent straight to the Blackberry, and that I have to use the browser, but I can't seem to get online. There is no 'Browser' application icon, but I have managed to set up what looks like the way my dad gets emails (straight to his Blackberry).
I also tried posting to Twitter but I realized it was connected to my old phone. I opened my old phone today and a flood of direct messages came in- all from Dan. We had been 'talking' the day before when I was in Brown coffee and he was playing DnD with his friends. He couldn't get online- because he was with his friends, of course, but also his roommate had let the bill go a little late and their internet had been suspended. It should be back up soon. They have divided the bills between them. When I lived with Matt over the summer, I simply let everything be put in his name since I knew I'd be leaving in a few months. He's done an okay job playing landlord, although things got a little hectic last month.
When I turned on my old phone I also got a message saying the international rate was something like $19.95 per MB (or GB?) so I didn't send anything back, not even to Twitter. My mother paid my phone bill in the States; she'll end the account in November before she comes here with my brother in December.
My dad just said we're going to go see the progress on the Siri Tower; I'll have to pick this up again later.
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Well, I didn't pick it back up then but I am now!
Claudia
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