Moving Day in Phnom Penh

1 October 2000

Inspecting the new house John Tucker, Rachel Smith, Joli, and Cori Petro in Cori and Rachel's "new" apartment in Phnom Penh. It is a typical three-story "shop house," one room wide with two bedrooms.  Joli is one of the language teachers at the school we all attended.  His family owns this block of four apartments.
Cleaning furniture during the move We made three trips in the Land Rover to get their stuff from the Big House to their new place.  Here our guard at the Big House helps John and Cori clean some rattan furniture before moving it.  Like in a big family, Maryknoll furniture gets passed from apartment to apartment as people move.
Locating the electricity meter Here Rachel is shown the location of the electricty meter. Any flat where foreigners live is automatically charged much higher rates for electricity and other utilities.
Signing the lease for the apartment Here Maryknollers Fran Kemmerer and John Tucker look on as Rachel and the landlord (Joli's father) discuss the rental agreement.  In Cambodia, such contracts are signed with the thumbprints of all parties in addition to the names on the contract.  In a shop house, the ground-floor front doors open wide enough for a car to be driven into what Cori and Rachel will use for a living room.

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