An attempt at a new start.

Hello friends and family,

I've been at utter failure at blogging recently, but I'm going to make a last ditch attempt at reviving this in my last month here. After not writing anything for the past seven months, I am almost too embarrassed to start again. But as I have been doing so much and learning a lot about Cambodia, I would like to share some of it with you all and also use this blog to save some of these thoughts for myself to look at in the future (since, no surprise here, I also stink at journaling).

Needless to say, I have nearly fully adjusted to life in Phnom Penh after all this time. My moto driving skills are better than ever, my Khmer is improving all the time, I know my way around the city really well, I've learned to cook lots of Cambodian food, attended several weddings and I've even bought some traditional Khmer clothes. At the same time, I've been able to see a lot of the country beyond Phnom Penh: I've travelled through and stayed in the countryside in various fishing villages, I saw Irrawaddy dolphins in Kratie, rode an elephant in Mondolkiri, enjoyed incredible seafood in Kep, spent Khmer New Year in Takeo province, and visited the temples in Siem Reap. Life here has become so normal to me--it seems strange that in just a few months I'll be back in a place where I could actually get a ticket from driving the wrong way down the road and where I won't be able to barter for a good price on nearly everything I buy.

So in the next few weeks as I finish up my time here, I'll try to work backwards a bit, and fill you all in on what I've been up to here in Cambodia. Wish me luck!