So, where do we go from here? We've passed "survival" phase, and "coping" phase, so I guess we're now onto "enjoyment" phase. I've started to be a bit more outgoing recently (instead of living in front of a screen), spending time after school playing soccer with students (do your homework) and going to the gym (which Ruth semi-hates, because I'm not with her :( ), although socially, I'm still a bit of a recluse (baby-steps). We've also started to have a regular date night (does it count as being social if you're hanging out with your wife?) on Friday evenings which has been surprisingly awesome - not that I didn't expect dating my wife to be awesome, but I had forgotten how nice it is to get out of the house and do something nice. Ruth and I always reminisce about taking the train into Perth on a Friday night in winter, with the cool rain and beautiful night sky, and now we have something like that over here (except the rain is sometimes warm, and the pollution dulls the view of the sky a little).
The guard is still up, though - living here will bite you in the backside if you become complacent, but for now, I'm enjoying it. Stay tuned for Ruth's post where she mentions all the things I forgot! (No new photos, so have these from our previous trip to Siem Reap)
Ruth: Aww, yes dating one's wife counts. What a sweetie. I am currently in Indonesia having been sent by Hope school for some PD training. It is both amazing and terrifying haha- I'm learning SO much about my new position and future possibilities, but travelling in another country alone again is very weird. I'd forgotten what it was like to be ripped off by taxis, hollered at by hawkers and lost in the maths conversions of millions (literally, millions) of foreign currency. However, my eyes have been wide open since I've landed. This part of Jakarta is such a contrast to what I've heard. It is so green and SO developed; there are trees everywhere, 5 lane highways and toll booths just for cars, chain stores and fast food, ginormous shopping centres, neon lights everywhere, sky-high apartments and even an IKEA! (and this is the suburbs!) Phnom Penh looks so dusty and small and chaotic and poor in comparison. And yes I've accidentally spoken to local Jakartians in Khmer, how embarrassing. But hey, we haven't left Cambodia since we first arrived, and this last 9 months has been the longest I have stayed in 1 country for 5 years so everything seems bigger and brighter and better. Anyway, this little trip has just reminded me that, despite Ben's ever-positive spin on how ok things are, when things are bad, they will not always be this way. There is life after this and there is still a world outside of Phnom Penh. Whether it be 2 or 10 years from now, we can leave when we like. And when we save up some money, we can travel! It no longer has to feel like the permanent 'this is it, this is our life now' like it has before. Hopefully that thought will invigorate me a little more when even just that 10% of problems gets me down.
One big tear-jerker up and coming is a visit from my parents, of who I am so desperate to see that I am already upset at the thought of them leaving before they've arrived! It'll be so lovely when they visit, but very, very hard to see them go. Having the support of family nearby is a luxury we haven't had for a while now, but it doesn't get easier. We love our parents! While I've been away Ben "rowul menten, koat riepchom phteah" has been very busy preparing the house, cooking and cleaning so they can stay with us in our little place for a week or two. What a seriously great guy! :D Really saves me having to do much when I come back (especially since i'm working the end of the holiday and over the weekend!). Yes, the holiday. Just before I left we had a few days off for Pchum Ben, a Khmer festival where people go home to the provinces and visit the 'Wat' (Pagodas), where they make offerings and ask blessings of the monks for the spirits of their deceased ancestors who are said to be 'released from the gates of hell' for 15 days. It's quite a dark tradition really, based on fear of being cursed by spirit-relatives if they are not prayed for their release from hell. Shudder. Anyway, as this time is a massive exodus of citizens from the city, Ben and I had a quiet 'staycation'. We did spoil ourselves to 1 night at an odd little getaway out of town, and spent the other 3 days relaxing at home, making our garden space more lovely, doing some art and catching up with some video-game fun ;)
Hopefully with a visit from my folks we can get out of the city once more and just have a lovely time with them while they're here. I wonder what they'll think of PP now, 12 years from when we first moved here....
Ps, The BB gun kid got you too Ben? (Ben: No, I was referring to the incident you describe)Whilst I was painting our gate, he would sneak his pistol through the gaps, fire at me, then ask in Khmer "Did I hurt you?" and if I said no, he'd shoot again and again until I said yes, you got me, to which he laughed maniacally. Sigh, little boys, it doesn't matter where they're from...
