Fun Day

Earlier this week the organization was closed and one of my friends from work invited me along to celebrate her birthday. I'm continually humbled by the sweet local friends I've made here. My Khmer is still lacking a lot, but they are usually more than willing to help me out with their excellent English skills.

This birthday afternoon adventure occurred at the newest place in town: "Kid City." It is hard to believe that Cambodia even has a place like this that offers rock climbing, ice skating, a giant playground, a science discovery area, and even a coffee shop. We headed there this past week for their half-price special to try out the rock climbing.

My friends had never been rock climbing so it was an interesting experience indeed! It took everyone a little getting used to at first, but by the end everybody was climbing like a pro. Most of the other people there were actually foreign children with their Khmer nannies or with their parents. It was interesting to hear the children cheering on my friends and building up their courage. We were definitely the biggest kids there that day, but that's perfectly fine when you're having fun together.

 That's me!

 Coming down from here is a little scary: you have to jump and let your harness hold you until you reach the ground.

 No person to belay necessary! The rope was completely controlled by a machine in the ceiling. You could even hook and unhook yourself without an attendant. There are so many times here when I think, "Wow, this is not like America," where you have to sign a waver first and they don't just let you take off on your own due to liability.

 We went upstairs just to watch the ice skating! It's the first-ever real ice skating rink in the country. And yes, my friends were cold.

A view of the city from the top level of Kid City.

It was such a fun and refreshing day for everybody!

-Melissa