Cambodia2 CSC: 4/8 Easter Sunday- A farewell to Cambodia

Final Reflections: A Farewell to Cambodia

4/8/12 Easter Sunday- On a plane flying back from Phnom Penh

Well, I’m writing the last entry as I did the first blog entry- on the airplane! As I look at the map and follow our route across Japan, the Pacific Ocean, and the continental US, I think what a long way it is to Cambodia from Texas- it will take me 32 total hrs of travel to reach home! Even though it is such a long way geographically, all the wonderful people I’ve met in Cambodia will remain close to my heart.

When I started out on this journey, I remember feeling excited, scared, and a bit overwhelmed. On the way home I’m feeling very fortunate to have had this wonderful opportunity! Oh, there were a few “bumpy” times and it took me a lot of adjustment just to get used to crossing the street in the crazy traffic! (ie- you are like the frog in the game Frogger) and overcoming the “digestive challenges” had its moments, but I’ve learned so much and met so many wonderful people, that all the challenges have been worth it!

Thinking about all the things we did in our CSC assignment, and traveling around Cambodia learning about the life and culture, the thing that comes back to me the most is how wonderful the people are! From our Clients, to the Staff at the Bohhdi Tree, to our Drivers (car and Tuk Tuk), to the children we saw as we were biking, everyone was open and friendly and so much fun to get to get to know! Cambodia went through some terrible times in the 70’s and 80’s, but the people are resilient and are looking to the future with hope. One person told me, the worst times are behind them now and they are optimistic about the future, and he was very happy that we had the chance to experience Cambodia as it is today and not only hear just about the bad times. Even the Cambodian person I met on the plane ride home invited me to come back and visit again!

I’ve also made some great new friends from IBM! It was fantastic to be able to work with a team from so many countries and cultures. I hope that I will be able to visit all of them in their home country at some point and I’d love to see them all in Austin if they can come! When we started, we had talked to each other on the phone a couple of times and knew a little about each other’s background, but in a very short time as we shared adventures, challenges, and good times together in Cambodia, we became friends and trusted colleagues! Thank-you Elke, Diego, Rolland, Harinder, Daniel, Sonia, Fernanda, Niraj, and Christian for all your help and support and for making this assignment such a wonderful experience!

Here are some more of my favorite pictures!