The week that had to happen... (Part 1)

Somewhere between grading papers and teaching five different verb tenses in 95-degree heat and sleeping every night on a hard bunk in dorms three shades removed from a Soviet insane asylum, I had to get away...

Cambodia is moving into a time of New Year celebration. "You fool! New Years was three months ago!" Yes, touche, but in Southeast Asia there are three New Years celebrations. "World New Years," as it's called here, is just as big as New Years numero dos, which would be the Chinese New Year (also the same in Vietnam). Chinese New Year occurs around the end of January. It's pretty cool - dancing dragons, beating drums, fireworks.

Then, oh but then, Khmer (Cambodian) New Year happens. We're talking a month of slacking, merriment, and general celebratory revelry. Technically, the Cambodian New Year is something like April 13 or 14 depending on the lunar calendar. What I love about this culture is they know how to make something last. The school vacation is technically only ten days, taking place between the first and second semester. Here's the magic: days before, students and teachers and administration just kinda stop coming to school. In fact, last week my boss came up to me and said, "Bryant, I want to inform you that this week we will finish English classes. The final exam will be on the 31st."

Uhhhhh....... Cool? No, wait.....yeah......that's very cool. Ok, see ya on the 31st. A whole extra week off work BEFORE the vacation starts. Amazing.

It didn't take me five seconds thought as to what I'd be doing with all this downtime: beach.

Being from the Gulf Coast, I have this thing about the water. When I'm not around it I really miss it, and something about blue/green saltwater and white sand makes me really happy. The combination of sun, wind, and salt spray are intoxicating. Combine that with the cheap accomodation and tropical setting of the Cambodian coast.......viva el mar. The only thing that can ruin it is sharing skin with a large jelly fish, or a category 5 hurricane, or perhaps a fat man in a speedo. In Alabama the latter is a rare encounter, but I've discovered the rest of the world's beaches aren't so fortunate. Once in Pensacola, a five-year-old boy was in three feet of water and had his arm bit off by a bull shark. His uncle, a firefighter, grabbed the shark, threw it on the beach, got the boy's arm out, and they were able to stitch it back on. That story has never ceased to amaze me (or allowed me to swim in the Gulf without looking behind me every 20 seconds). I digress....

Three days later, $5 bus ticket in hand, I headed for the coast. My boss and some other Khmer friends were surprised I was going by myself. Truthfully, like most people, I'd love to be there with good friends and family, but I every now and again need solo time. I was telling a friend recently, "It's like I need to allow myself time to think through all the things that pile up." Think of it as the defrag option in your Windows system tools, only for the brain.

The past year - leaving home, another dead-end relationship, the election of Che Guevara Obama, inter-team conflict and disappointment from the administration, Grandma passing away barely two weeks ago - I've got plenty to ponder and sort out, "process" as the shrinks tell us. Those things are balanced by positives like good friends back home, my awesome family, wonderful Cambodian friends, and great times teaching and getting to know my students, not to mention the relief work I get to witness in the countryside. It all stacks up and each needs to be picked up, analyzed a bit, and then put on the shelf in its proper place. If this makes no sense just roll your eyes and move on. I won't hold it against you.

And so......... The math is simple. Private bungalow + beautiful beach = amazingly better option than staying in the Soviet dorms all week. I'll leave you with a preview from part two: Paratroopers, kayaking, noodle soup, and a Scandanavian bartender...