Happy Birthday to ME!

On Monday, I turned 21! YAY! At home, this would have been a much more significant day, and would have probably included being drunk all day long. But alas, being 21 here isn't a very big deal considering the drinking age is "as soon as you can see the bar." It was a pretty normal day -- 8am class (oy vey) with Kyle and then lunch at our favorite Chinese Noodle shop for some delicious dumplings, followed by Khmer class. On the way home, I left Anna and Tim to explore a small used book store in our neighborhood. It was nice to have some good alone time and I spent about an hour looking through books before I made my final selections.

Tim, Anna and I met Maryann and Joanna at Friends, the training restaurant run by former street youth and their teachers. Friends the restaurant is just one of the organization's projects, which focus on getting kids off the street and into vocational training and education so they can have better livelihoods and return to their families with new and marketable skills. Apart from being a great cause, Friends has incredible food. I'm sure I've already drooled about it in a previous post, but seriously, this food is amazing. We got ten or so tapas dishes and drinks and Maryann even brought me a cake! This was a particularly special surprise because I wasn't expecting to blow out candles on my birthday! Thanks Maryann!

After Friends, the three of us went to a bar called Dodo, located just down the street from our hotel. It's run by a French/Khmer couple and they have a particularly adorable 5 year old daughter. Dodo is known for its homemade rum, which comes in about 20 different flavors. Our Khmer friend Wuthee met us for a drink, and we passed around three different flavors of rum (passion fruit -- my favorite! caramel, and pear). Delicious! After Dodo, Tim, Wuthee and I went to a bar on the river and played some pool. I am terrible at pool, so it was a good end to the night with lots of laughter and making a fool of myself. A perfect way to end the night!

Tuesday, the 9th, was Independence Day, so we didn't have any class! Double YAY! We slept nice and late and then Wuthee took us to the Russian Market where I bought myself a few DVD's (well, more than a few...but who's counting?) and some new materials for a friend's jewelry business. I am definitely going back to buy some gifts for y'all back home. We also ate some traditional Khmer food in a 'hang baii' at the market. It was a sort of rice pancake / crepe filled with minced meat, sprouts, mint, and other unidentifiable ingredients. It came with a whole plate of mixed green leaves; Wuthee taught us how to eat it -- take a few leaves, and break off part of the pancake. Wrap the pancake inside the leaves and dip in this chilie fish sauce. Definitely my favorite market so far :) Hopefully I'll get some pictures when I go this week!

An Australian reporter came up to us as we were wating and asked us some questions about the food. She asked us if we were concerned about the cleanliness of the leaves, as improperly washed fruits and vegetables are a huge source of food-borne illness. I told her I didn't really care because it was so damn good! Our bodies are pretty used to all the microbes at this point, and getting sick isn't a huge fear anymore. There's good medical care here! Dig in!

I wish I knew what this dish was called...

Later on Tuesday night, Kyle invited the three of us to his house for dinner. He lives a block away with his wife and daughter. His wife was out of town, so he was excited because that meant he could cook us Western food. He made us some really great bruschetta with eggplant and real mozzarella (such a luxury in this part of the world!) and spaghetti and homemade sauce. I brought a bottle of wine and we just relaxed. It was a very good second-birthday-day!

It was a little sad celebrating my birthday away from home, but exciting because I know this is one I won't forget! I have good friends here, and they helped make it a special day, despite feeling so far away from home. A good birthday, all around!