My first update on arriving in Cambodia:
- The flight: My luggage is somewhere between Boston and Phnom Penh. The baby behind me grabbed tiny fistfuls of my hair throughout the 16-hour flight, but I can't blame her for taking advantage of sitting behind the lone ginger on the plane.
- The city: After being wedged between cars, motos, pedestrians, stray dogs, and carts selling smells that ranged from fried bananas to slabs of meat? Biking in Boston doesn’t seem so intimidating anymore.
- Harpswell: The warmth and enthusiasm of the Harpswell dorm feels just like the all-girls dynamic I know and love back home. When I first walked through the gate, girls were running around sticking name tags to their friend’s forehead, giving random hugs to someone mid-conversation, sharing food and shoving each other, and laughing loudly. Though the girls are overloaded with schoolwork and leadership training, their time together looks like an American summer camp. I feel welcome, and I’m anxious to learn names.
- Politics: I left America confident in the size of the button on our great president’s desk. Given the current state of Cambodia’s government, political discretion is crucial in the dorms in order for the Harpswell Foundation to keep running.
- PassApp: It's the Uber for tuk-tuks.
My fatigue and my adrenaline are complementing each other well – I feel mostly content. Or maybe I’m in some sort of traveler’s delirium. I'm using caffeine to force my body to understand what time it's supposed to feel like. (An iced coffee that would have cost six bucks at Starbucks is just one dollar here).
A more thoughtful post will come soon. Thank you for checking in!
