One week away

Today marks one week until my departure. I'm think I'm about set; I have all my vaccinations, reading materials, Lonely Planet guidebooks and toys/books for the kids. I'm not looking forward to packing, however. I'm one of those people who is content with leaving the house with keys and a few dollars, so the thought of carrying around three months worth of clothes and toiletries troubles me. But I'll deal.

To prepare for my trip, I've been reading a number of blogs about current events in Cambodia. I must mention them, as they've been a valuable resource, and they would be for anyone else interested in the country. Andy Brouwer's blog, Andy's Cambodia, has been incredibly helpful. Also, I've been reading Details Are Sketchy, which tracks news in Cambodia, especially about the political climate and the EEEC proceedings.

Yesterday was the Jeannette K. Watson Launch, which is a "graduation" of sorts for the 2008 Class of Fellows. This year, Fellows will be in five continents, including countries such as Guatemala, China, Hungary, South Africa, Tunisia and India. This will be the first time a Fellow works in Cambodia, as I initiated this internship myself. If all goes well, hopefully it'll be a site for future Fellows to consider. Another fellow and I were voted to represent the third year fellows and speak at this event, which was really very nice. We got a standing ovation afterwards, but it may have been because I cried a bit. In any case, here's the lovely Class of 2008, looking in varied directions:


So, from now until next week, I'll be tying up loose ends and getting everything in order for my trip. I'm trying to learn some basic Khmer so that I don't seem completely disrespectful to their culture. This site has mp3s of Khmer pronunciation, so I'm considering putting some onto my iPod and learning fundamental phrases on the 17 hour flight there. I figure if I can get the hang of hello, goodbye, please, thank you and so on, it may make things easier. Maybe I'll add in "I don't want to eat that" too. I'm also going to make CDs for the children of some American songs, and I'm bringing DVDs so maybe we can do a movie or dance night. I hope they like Spongebob, because I've got the box set!

Until next time...