Orientation

Hi friends,

Highlights from the first half of orientation in Akron, PA:

• Awesome facility, wonderful people from 30 countries, private bathrooms, great roommate who is going to Cambodia with me (Liz)
• Discovering a new trading card game called Bohnanza. You literally trade bean crops. How awesome is that?
• Making friends with a ton of Canadians. Relearning Canadian geography. In Saskatchewan they call hoodies "bunny hugs." Watching youtube clips of silly Canadian children's shows like Mr. Dressup (who has a tickle trunk full of costumes, don't ask lol)
• Learning more about the Mennonite Central Committee. Their main focuses are peacebuilding, relief, and development. Also, they seem to be better at long term work than most organizations. They stay places long after the world has forgotten about the war or the hurricane or the earthquake that caused the problems to begin with. The staff are all wonderful and interesting. Two of them have lived long term in Cambodia.
• There are 4 people from Cambodia here. I am living with one of their families, the girl, Sodaleap. Its been great to talk to her about her sisters. (I will be living with 3 sisters and one brother in law of hers, ranging in age from 34 to 17) Also, all of the Cambodians have heard of Peace Bridges, the place I will be working, and think it's great. So far I've learned how to say how are you? I am fine. and Where is the bathroom? in Khmer. Well, it's a start!
• The three other people who are going to Cambodia (Liz, Lynanne, and Michael) all seem awesome. We definitely have a lot in common. I've also befriended two girls going to Laos, a guy going to Vietnam, and several people going to Indonesia. We will all be on the same flights to LA and then Hong Kong. And we already have potential plans to go to Hanoi, Vietnam in October for the 1,000 year anniversary of Vietnam's existence.

So basically I love Akron, MCC, Canadians, Cambodians, and traveling thus far. : )