My day-to-day scene

Today was a rather exciting day. Instead of meandering around the city in endless cycles of sweat, food, more sweat, language faux pas, and more sweat, you get the picture... Instead of all of that, my two team mates and I moved the first bunch of our stuff out to where we will live and teach. I'm now considering how best to communicate the significance of this event. Oh, wait, first let me say the picture above is the main highway out of the city, towards the airport, that takes us to our school. This is the last vestige of anything urban before we hit the real Cambodia.

Ok, now on to why this first move was so significant. Let me start by saying I've been living out of suitcases for about a month-and-a-half now. No large sacrifice, I know. It's not like I was climbing a mountain barefoot in zero degree temps. But...such things get old. It would be different if there was a really good reason, but as of now a really good reason eludes me.

Why can't I move in yet? Many factors come into play. First you have to consider that I'm going to a new school with a team that is the first foreign-teacher team at the place. The school administration has been doing the best they can with the information they were given by my organization. Something got lost in translation... At any rate, our apartments on campus weren't ready today, so we had to come back to the city.

Two good things came from the quasi-move today: 1) We learned what we'll need to really settle in and make it home, which is great because it will be home for a long time to come. 2) A small attraction for the place was kindled inside my, as-of-late, indifferent heart.


The scene to the left here is what I see from my balcony, only imagine a small mountain off to the left. Seriously, how many people get to see something like this every day? Ok...so...100 million Southeast Asians get to... I guess I should say, "How many guys from Alabama get to see something like this every day?"


Most of you are probably thinking, "Hmmm... I'll take suburbia any day." Granted, rural Cambodia isn't for everyone, but I can't help admire the beauty and simplicity of it all. It rains, people plant rice, they till, uproot, replant, harvest... It's hard work, but the cycle continues and something about it makes me envious.


Until I have more stories and pictures, I will say adios. Or, as they say here in Cambodia, "Lia sin hauy!"


~ Bryant