Week One

Greetings from Cambodia!

It’s a long way from home and communication can be tough when we’re on the road and our phones service is shut off, so I’m hoping this blog will keep everyone back home updated with our journey for the next 2 months. For everyone who doesn’t know, Pun and I have been given the opportunity to take part in the Davis Cup, representing Cambodia. Some of our competition will be Iran, Iraq, Myanmar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar, and United Emirates.

The flight from Seattle to Seoul, Korea was a grueling 12 hours. I had bought the Hunger Games in Portland because I was told it was an easy read and read a good 10 pages before my attention was drawn to the miniature tv screen in front of me. I watched The Warrior, Despicable Me, Iron Man 2, Captain America, and two other movies I can't remember. This left about 5 hours of sleeping time the rest of the way. When we arrived in Seoul it was a relief to stretch our legs for short period of time, having to board a 5 hour plane trip less than an hour later. We got to Phnom Penh a couples minutes past 11pm, greeted by the Secretary General himself and his assistant.

My first couple of days here has been amazing so far because of how nice the weather is. I love the sun!  Just from what I’ve seen from the car ride from the airport to our place of stay, I knew that this trip is going to be a great chapter in my life. The Secretary General got both of us rooms on site at the Tennis of Federation of Cambodia training facility, which is at the Cambodian Country Club. So far I’ve seen toads and lizards roaming around! This country club has got it all from a horse ring, gym, pool, sand volleyball courts, tennis courts, etc. We are sharing a room which is pretty nice, just took awhile to get the A/C going. Plug-ins is different here! Good thing mom and pops packed the converter set.

We haven’t officially started training because our coach is currently in Japan coaching a Japanese player that is really good. So official training should start next week when he comes in. I heard he is a great coach, but this just reassures me of his reputation because he is in such high demand and has also played tennis in the states too. He also turned down a higher paying offer for another job, but was dedicated to the cause of putting Cambodian tennis back on the map. Can’t wait to meet this guy! We met the #1 player for Cambodia, Kenny Bun. Real nice kid and rising star from France. We hit a little bit today for the Secretary General to get a feel of what we are bringing to the ream and after about 45 minutes I was soaked with sweat. 91 degrees doesn’t sound too hot, but if you come from Oregon this time of year then you’re in for a surprise! Later today we are doing a press conference for the Cambodian media about the exciting events to come.

It was only 5 months ago when my father e-mailed the Tennis Federation of Cambodia and now we’re actually here. I would have never guessed they would be as interested in us as they are and give us a chance to represent Cambodia in one of the most prideful event tennis has to offer. Everything is happening so fast! Both Pun and I feel really blessed to be able to have this opportunity that many don’t have a chance to experience and we want to share it with family and friends in the states. Not much has happened so far but I will try to keep blogging every week to keep friends and family updated back home.  Hope all is well, miss you guys in Oregon!

Vetu