a very strange full circle: cambodia

one month ago, chris and i were tossing around the pros and cons of a new departure date.  our placement officer had informed us that the old date for the august program we'd been nominated to had been moved, and we now had the choice between a july 1 and july 19 departure.

what's funny is that, all along, over the last eight months of applying, interviewing, medical-ing, and waiting, waiting and more waiting, i had always been slightly preparing myself for the possibility that july would end up being our invitation, and thus, we'd likely be heading to cambodia.

what's amazing and wonderful to me now, just as it was when chris and i sat on the phone debating the choices we had before us, is how genuinely right going to cambodia feels.

it's as if we've come, or begun to come, full circle.  you see, each year at the university at which we met, freshman are required to read, over summer, a common book for a college writing or honors course.  the text is meant to spark discussion, fling open the eyes of the naive teenagers entering higher education, and serve as a common language as we embark on the great journey of college.

in addition, each year, the author of the chosen text is invited to a "writer as witness" symposium to speak to the freshman class.

the year that chris and i entered college, 2003, the book that was chosen for us was "first they killed my father."

the novel relates the true story of loung ung's survival of the khmer rouge occupation and destruction of the cambodian way of life from 1975-1979 (and beyond, but that's a topic for another day.)  loung was just five when the khmer rouge's "year zero" began, and the text, told from the perspective of a child, is remarkable.

source

when i was just seventeen, entering college, i was enthralled by this woman's harrowing journey that brought her to our little stage at our university.  i soaked up her every word, and believed myself changed in world view.

i am not sure if i truly understood, at the time, what changing my worldview would mean or how it would shape my future.  but it seems oddly remarkable that here i am, eight years later, about to enter the country that loung escaped in 1980, with the husband that i met in college, who also engrossed himself in loung's words and story in 2003.

i re-read "first i killed my father" over the weekend, and the story, along with a fair few others, are giving me great insight into the culture and way of life that was decimated in 1975, and the scars the likely still run deep in cambodia (though, it seems, hidden from view for many reasons.)

being given the chance to live in cambodia has a feeling of "right," as if the last eight years have been readying me for the extraordinary journey.

working with what you got

a few nights ago, chris and i were discussing the merits of trying to take as many items as possible that we already own and as little as possible in luggage we already own.

make sense?

in this quest, i think i've chosen the bags that will be accompanying me to cambodia. (it still feels so AWESOME to say that.)

first up, i'm hoping to pack thirty five pounds in this baby.

this happy kelty backpack accompanied me from beijing to paris in 2007 and i love it.

then we have this little pack:

i'm still debating on this weekend/day pack. i'm not sure where i'd stuff it and i'm not sure if it'd be worthwhile to have.

i debated buying a new rolling duffel but then figured, why should i spend another 70 to 100 bucks when i have this bag that's made it nearly eight years and is the perfect size for what i need? it's part of an eddie bauer luggage pack that i received when i graduated college in 2003, and it's dirt-showing-proof, being all grey and such.

the best part of figuring this out one random day last week was discovering that i had never fully emptied my backpack since our trip in 2007. what i found was pretty awesome.

that's a language book, really old sudafed, a paper bag that once held some chocolate from switzerland, some wet wipes, very expired sunscreen, pepto, dramamine, kleenex, and some black headbands.

after throwing away the expired medicine and useless paper bags, these are the things i'm definitely taking with me.  a happy yellow leatherman the hubs bought me, a bottle for medicine, a small box from container store perfect for holding earrings/wedding ring, inflatable neck pillow, headbands, some chapstick (not this this nasty stuff, but definitely the key chain holder for it!), and the voltage converter.

any one else nominated/invited who has thought through luggage and key tools/needs for your new home outside the U.S.?

accepting the placement offer and enjoying conflicting information

this weekend, chris and i sent in our placement acceptance emails.  it was awesome this morning to log in and see that we finally have a name of a post on our toolkit!

look at that happy little map and link to our specific post on the right! squeal!


the best part of receiving so much information is that you can find conflicting accounts.

to begin with, how you should accept your invitation varies.  one document tells us to call the education desk within seven days to accept or reject.  another says to email within ten days of receiving the invitation to accept or reject.

we went with the email option because it provided an exact statement for us to prepare, and thus seemed more official.

another wonderfully hilarious piece of conflicting information is whether or not we should bring/wear flip flops in country.  in no fewer than three places does it mention that we need sandals with a back strap (no flips flops! it says in bold letters).  in another two places, it explicitly recommends bringing 1-2 pair of flip flops.

le sigh. hilarity.