back in my net

I missed it!! My mosquito net that is. I got back to site about ten days ago after having been gone for over two weeks. It was the longest amount of time I have spent away from site and I was very ready to be back by the end of it. My host family called me three times while I was gone to make sure I was happy and healthy, asking what I was eating and more importantly, when was I coming home again?!

I had a great time traipsing around Bangkok enjoying a more westernized city and meeting up briefly with some friends from GW. Back in Phnom Penh it was time to meet the K5’s! It was surreal going to the airport, very hard to believe it was already a year ago that I was the one getting off the plane with no idea what to expect. Later in the afternoon we took smaller groups around to explore the city and it kind of hit me how little they know now but it was really exciting to think about how far they will all come in just one year. I spent a few days with them in Phnom Penh before heading down to Takeo where they will be for their two months of training. I spent a few more days there helping teach essentials (I got the bathroom station on life skills day, woo!!) and taking them to the market to buy their first sampots, sarongs and kormas.

When it was time to head home I was more than ready. I was actually missing the solitude of my mosquito net at night and the routine I have established at site, not to mention I sounded like I had a frog in my throat after spending so much time in AC.

Coming home was great, I had left a little later than usual so I got into Battambang as the market was closing. I had just enough time to buy a big stinky durian for my family and catch a ride home before it got dark.  I was greeted by squeals from my little sister and big smiles from ma and pa. We caught up on the last few weeks for a few minutes before I dropped my bag in my room. I took my sister and we went across the street to say hi to the babies. One of my friends from site went to go work in Thailand a few weeks ago and his mom was over and gave me an update so getting some news was nice. Then we went to say hi to the students that I teach each night, I knew they were nearing the end of class so I popped in for a quick minute to say hi and tell them I would be back the next day.

The next day going to work and seeing everyone again was really nice. That night we also went to a little carnival at the elementary school. I walked around with my little sister and caught up with most of the village. The rest of the week was pretty quiet. I didn’t have my computer at site last week, hence the late blog post, so I spent a lot of time reading and finished 5 books.

Rainy season has officially started and it rains hard. While I was writing this I had to turn off my music because the rain was so loud I couldn’t even hear it. I’m officially into year two of my Peace Corps service which means I should probably sit down and work out my goals for the next year, if this last one was any indication I will be home before I know it!

What’s going on at home? I think I got through most of the book recommendations from last time I asked, any new ones??

Xoxo,
B