2012: June, July, August and September

June. And then it was June! We had long awaited June because it meant the arrival of my parents and school break time!

My mother and father met my host mother and I spent the evening translating back and forth between my two mothers. 

We visited our favorite place together, Kampot, and headed to the beach at Kep for the last few days of their visit. Prior to that, we all ventured to Thailand for the first time, passed through Siem Reap and Phnom Penh.

And it included our first visit to Angkor Wat!

(I'm so hot.)

July.

July marked the arrival of Hillary Clinton to our little corner of the world and we were lucky enough to get to go hear her speak!  It also meant the addition of Dairy Queen and we've had lots of delicious soft serve since then.

 It was a bit of shenanigans too that month, as Chris got coined to cure him of his cold, and Khmer biked on my bike, with my purse, with Jill. We also celebrated a year in Cambodia, and I shared how we get around here in the 'bode.  I discussed my desire to give our future children a second, literary middle name.  

For the record, this dude, still not on board.

 We spent many an evenings eating at the 'riverside' in our town.  Cheap corn on the cob, fried meat on sticks and fruit smoothies. Yum.

 July was also the arrival of the new group of Volunteers, and I played an active role in their training.  That pretty much encompassed my entire July and a large part of our August as well.  It was one of the most personally and professionally fulfilling times of my service so far.

August.

August meant the Fillingames! When Paige and Michael told me that they were going to celebrate Paige's competing law school and taking the bar by traveling to Cambodia, I was ecstatic.

  We even made them try Khmer coffee. It is super sweet which is why I love it!  At first taste, it can be a bit... cloying.  We did a lot of amazing things with Paige and Michael, though some of the funniest times came when we got our fish foot massage.

 

And when we got back to site, we had a surprise: a western restaurant to call our own. Cheeseburgers whenever we wanted, money permitting.

In August, I also wrote myself a letter to try to stay in the moment, and I shared how I've been dealing, or not, with a stroke that my grandmother had last year after I arrived in Cambodia.  I also got a bit silly, or funny, depending on your take.

September.

By September, it hit me that much of the year had sped by.  We welcomed six new Volunteers to our province and attended the new group's Swearing In, where I posed for a picture for a camera that apparently only I was aware.

Though I didn't share it, I spent an entire weekend alone in Phnom Penh while Chris ventured to see some dolphins.  We both had successful weekends.

In September, I shared the major differences in cultures of privacy, as well as how I started myself on a path that would lead to running a 10k in Cambodia.  We also biked to Kampot, and spent a lovely weekend taking in sights like above.

.....

A lovely conclusion to come!