Battambang Adventures

I arrived in Battambang yesterday afternoon! Shannon was on an international call at the time, so I waited for her in a cafe and had a late lunch. The bus ride wasn't too bad, but the place we stopped for lunch didn't have food that looked safe to eat. It was nice to sit down for a real meal when I arrived. I met a backpacker from Australia on the bus ride, so it was fun to have someone to chat with after so much traveling the day before.  Anyway, Shannon rents a room in a yoga studio, and I'm sleeping on the floor of the studio space for the first few days here. An hour after I arrived, I took a yoga class, which was a nice way to unwind. Shannon and the SALT staff are house shopping for a rental to keep the girls in for the summer school program, and she told me I can probably rent a room in the house for a cheap rate once they find a place. If that doesn't work out soon, I'll probably stay in a house with Shannon's friend, Mel, who runs a cafe in town and has a few extra rooms.  Last night I went out to dinner with Shannon, Mel, and a couple of their friends, and this morning I explored the city a little bit. This afternoon, Shannon took me to the house where the Mighty Girls live, and I sat in on an English class with a few of the girls. We ended up just trying to have a conversation in English, so it was fun to get to know them. The Mighty Girls are the main team of 13-15 year olds, who compete internationally. Most of them live in this house and they actually coach the younger teams for SALT, which has programs all over this region for girls a few years younger than them. The summer school girls will move into the new house in July. I think most of the girls we accept into the summer school are sort of on track to be Mighty Girls in the next few years. I'm still figuring out all the details though, and I should be sitting down with Shannon this afternoon to talk about my projects this summer.  I've been riding on the back of Shannon's motorcycle for now, but this afternoon I purchased a bike! It's very similar to the one I had in Oxford, but no one wears helmets here. We tried to see if the bike salesman had any helmets, but they were all child's size. I think my only other option would be a motorcycle helmet.  So far, Cambodia has been great! I'm excited to see what adventures await. Tomorrow, I should get to meet the rest of the SALT staff.