Back in Business!

Sorry for the long lapse in blogging...

Sophal and I had an absolutely amazing trip to the States. It was exciting to be able to introduce him to my family and life on the other side of the world. We stayed very busy helping with my sister's wedding and trying to see as many things and people as possible while we were there. Sophal was able to travel on to Colorado and visit some of his family members that live there. We met up back in Cambodia a few weeks later.

Things have been a whirlwind since I arrived. When the plane landed, I knew immediately that hot season had come to Cambodia while I was enjoying winter weather in Tennessee. My plane landed at 10:00 pm and the capitain announced it was a blamy 88 degrees....again...at 10pm! It took a few to adjust back to the heat, but not as long as I thought it would be. The jet lag didn't last too long as I didn't have time to let it control me!

I arrived back in my village on a Monday morning and Tuesday afternoon I left again for 2 days of a friend's wedding. The sleeping at 10pm and waking up at 2am was a little killer, but my host sister and I had a great time there with teachers from my school and other friends.

The following Sunday, I left for Phnom Penh for a week for an HIV/AIDS conference and also our Peace Corps mid-service conference. The HIV conference was quite a big event and an exciting one for most of our Cambodian counterparts that attended. They learned a lot of new information and hopefully will be better equipped for work in the villages. Our mid-service conference took place at a nice resort for 3 days. We celebrated our achievements over the last year and also took the time to share our frustrations and difficulties with the people who understand the most - other volunteers. We also said goodbye to our Peace Corps director, Mr. Van Nelson, as he will be returning to the states at the end of this month and our new director arriving fresh from PC China! The most exciting event of our conference was a special audience with the King of Cambodia - King Sihamoni! Audiences with the king are rare and were all excited about that opportunity. We were each given a gold pin with the king's picture and a very nice book. That was a crazy day!

After the conference, another volunteer and I traveled to Rattinikiri province in the more rural NE of Cambodia. We spent a week exploring waterfalls, crater lakes, and tribal/minority people villages. We had a fun-filled but relaxing week full of adventures! Just getting there was a chore as it was a 12 hour bus ride down one of the most horrible roads you could ever imagine complete with a fallen tree we had to cut down and two blown tires. But we thankfully made it there and back in one piece. :)

This month has definitely become a month of reflection for me as it officially marks half of our service finished. I've been thinking a lot about the things I've accomplished, the things I want to do, and things that just haven't gone so well. I've learned a lot, done a little (it seems) and have a lot of hope for the coming year. Already myself and the other volunteers are beginning to feel the pressures of planning for life after Cambodia. The GRE is looming in front of me as are grad school decisions, travel plans and so many other unknowns. It's almost time to "grow up" and move on with my life....but I kind of like being stuck in limbo.