Winding Down in Cambodia & Surrounds

 It's hard to believe I've been in Cambodia nearly three years, but it's true! And now it's that exciting, bittersweet, lonely time, the time to say final good-byes and have farewell meals and go see those last few things. And time to look forward and wonder what life will be like in just a few short months as I settle in at my new assignment in the DC area. 

It's exciting to look both backwards - look at all that I've experienced in the past three years! - and plan for my homecoming with family and friends, a new place to live, starting a new assignment. There's a bittersweet edge as well, to consider all those things I didn't get around to, the people I didn't get to know better. And there's always the question, as a foreign service officer, will I like going domestic after nearly seven years abroad?

And it's lonely, because no matter who helps, or encourages, or advises; no matter how much support I get for my move (and it's a LOT); no matter how prepared I am... I'm doing it by myself. Well, not completely alone, because Jacques will be with me. On the plane, during the layover, upon landing - it's just me. And emotionally, too: saying good-bye is a lonely business! Every single time. 

On the other hand, once through customs, I'll pick up Jacques at baggage claim and then find my friend who is picking me up at the airport. And a whole new adventure will begin and I will not be alone, and all that the U.S. has to offer will be waiting for me. 

I can't wait! And there will always be my memories, some captured in digital photos and others in the corners of my mind and heart. 

What a life...

Saturday Grumps Reset

Today I woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Well, not really, I almost always sleep on the same side of my bed, but you know what I mean. Groggy and grumpy, even a dog-walk with friend T and dog-friend M didn't lift my spirits. After a 45-minute session with my myotherapist, however, I felt, literally, reset. 

It's a 5 block walk in 90-degree weather with 53% humidity, so one would think this would set the grumps right back on track, but it really didn't. Maybe because it's cloudy so the heat didn't feel like laser beams on my skin? In any case, I felt a bit lighter on the walk home, which let me see some fun street scenes. I didn't take pictures, but here's what I saw, and enjoyed seeing: 

Two shirtless Cambodia men, older with slight paunches, sitting on small plastic chairs under an umbrella, playing chess with pieces that were quite tall. 

A coffee stand surrounded by and filled with plants, giving a very verdant vibe, with a sign next to the cash register that said “Life won’t sparkle until you do" among other motivational posters. 

A Cambodian woman, covered from head to toe with floppy hat, long sleeves, gloves, pants, socks, and shoes, sitting on her parked moto with three similarly dressed little girls behind her, all intently watching a shirtless Cambodian man water plants with a hose. 

Two hopeful tuk-tuk drivers leaning towards me as they were driving past, asking, "Tuk-tuk madame?" without slowing their speed, smiling slightly when I shook my head. 

It's funny how just observing the world around me in the moment can be so pleasing. It's easy to forget to get out of my own head, out of my own way, so that I can do this more.