A day in RDI Cambodia

We woke up at 6 a.m. and took advantage of the coolest hour of the day to go for a run. After uncountable hellos to friendly villagers, we came back to our bungalow, took a shower and headed to the local cafe to have breakfast with other 25 people, both locals and expats. I had the yummiest noodle soup and a fabulous iced coffee with condensed milk.

Arriving in the lab, I was introduced to the water monitoring program and spent a couple of hours helping to test the iron, manganese and arsenic levels of water from various sources. A run to the office closeby and I got to know my responsibility for that afternoon: draft a marketing plan for the expansion of the water purification program, a lot more in my field. After the communal lunch (this time in the NGO director's house), I dove into the plan, only being interrupted for some minutes because of the visit of the UNICEF global head of water projects.

6p.m. is dinner time, everybody together again. After that, 75 minutes of English class for the kids in the village, who were really interested in getting to know me. Back home, some meaningful conversations with my roommate, a bit o reading and bed!

I need to say I'm loving it! The community life, the shared meals and the short distances embrace us with such kindness that it's hard to describe. And working with smart, independent and idealistic people who are happy to dedicate their time for a cause and for the others is always a big pleasure. Maybe that's why all the expats are extending their stay. And perhaps that could be my life, too...