Cheers!

Last night I was treated to an invitation to a cocktail party where I met the who’s who of Phnom Penh.  With a very gracious host who introduced me around, I met an engaging young woman who has published a very successful book:  Shattered Glass.  She is Cambodian and studied for her master's degree at Williams College.  She told me she spoke at the Northshire Bookstore last year in Manchester Vermont!  And then another man, of Cambodian decent but raised in Boston told me his sister lives in St. Johnsbury. VT.  He even called it St. J.!  So crazy to be this far from home and yet find people familiar with Vermont.  I made it clear that I want to be back here in some capacity so…the head of the only life insurance company here now knows, the head of Coca Cola now knows, the president of one of their Universities know knows and the head of Microsoft here know knows…..hmmmmm wonder if anything will come from cocktails!

I  was struggling with ideas to engage the students in these last few weeks.   Thanks to Heidi Scheuermann (my partner in crime in Montpelier) who was a Peace Corp volunteer, I introduced music to my classes.  So.  Much.  Fun.  Here is a group getting together to sing “My Heart Will Go On” .  My absolute favorite it the rendition they all sing of “Hey Soul Sistah”.  I'm humming that ALL the time:)))

The more I get to know these kids the more of their history I learn.  Each one has a truly Dickensian tale and now they are working to overcome their past and create a better future. But all continue to talk about how much they want to help their families.  

When they begin to tell a bit about their past I have to block out any emotion because it is beyond anything we can imagine.  One of these girls told the story of how, before coming here, she worked for a Vietnamese family and had to cook, clean and take care of their children.  She had no time to study and was tired all the time.  She said she needed to work to help support her family.  She was thirteen.  

And look at them now:)))

Tomorrow morning my oldest son Kyle and his girlfriend, Herrie arrive.  I am beside myself with excitement to share this wild, most wonderful place and people with them.  But first I thought it right and significant to end up pretty much where I started off on this journey of self.  At a bar… okay…a very nice bar:  The Elephant Bar at the Raffles Hotel.   

The adventure isn’t over but this little repose allows me to think how much I’ve learned in this last month.  I’ve picked up some Khmer, definitely picked up some weird broken English accent, learned to cross the street, balance on a motor scooter taxi with arms’ full of grocery bags.  Learned when my tuk tuk driver lost and how to direct him to my coffee shop or the market.  Learned to be comfortable in my own company for long stretches of time and I learned that we can all keep on learning…But most of all I've learned about the resilience of the human spirit through the greatest teachers I have ever met.  My students.  

So cheers to self-discovery, cheers to health (which enabled the trip) and cheers to you for continuing to keep me company.  Salut!!!