Suitcases

New Digs in Siem Reap

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Well, I’m just over a week back in Cambodia and getting settled back into JWOC and the general rhythm of things. It has been really great to see everyone and be back with old friends here again!

As I did last year, on 4th of July, I headed over to Belmiro’s Pizza. It’s owned by Tyler, a great guy from Boston and big Red Sox fan 🙂 ⚾️. They were serving red/white/blue shots and playing a lot of America-themed music for the occasion. (Sorry – I’m out of practice and forgot to take pictures!  I’ll get better.)

This year I’m renting an apartment instead of staying at the guesthouse. I toyed with doing “before”, “during” and “after” move-in pictures like I did when I moved into the Cambridge apartment last fall. But then I realized you might have a hard time telling the difference!!

Anyway, these are my digs. The apartment came with the furniture. Victoria, my friend from JWOC, helped out with sheets, and the suitcases are doing duty as extra storage space. I’ve bought a handful of other things this week and am still just looking for a mirror besides the tiny one in the bathroom. (Fortunately, I’m not looking to be a fashion plate while I’m here and my hair is back in a ponytail every day anyway!!) It’s quite comfortable with fan and open windows and A/C when I need it.

The study
The bathroom
The bedroom
Extra clothing storage
The parking lot
The kitchen
My street
Other extra stuff storage
The courtyard
The kitchen close-up
The closet

Just like last year, I am totally loving the simplicity – everything I need and almost nothing to take care of!!

For those of you who might want to send me some mail…. yeah, you might want to just forget it! Mail delivery to Siem Reap is pretty sketchy even when you have a postbox. I don’t have a postbox and my address here is below. Yes, that is literally my address. I even put it on my health insurance application for Aetna and they accepted it 😉

Big Red House

Intersection of Irina and La Pax Road

Wat Polanka, Siem Reap

Kingdom of Cambodia

Here We Go Again!

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The movers have cleared everything out and it’s down to me, two suitcases and a backpack once again… 🙂

As most of you know, I will be returning to Mexico to work in programs that provide low-income, at-risk youth with the education and other support they need to make a successful transition to adulthood and a higher quality of life for themselves, their families and their communities. That’s still the plan(!!) but I will be delaying my move to the south a bit to head back to Cambodia to help out at Journeys Within Our Community (JWOC) for a couple/three months. Our Managing Director at JWOC took ill and had to return to the U.S., so I’ll be filling in for a bit, hiring a new MD, and working to ensure a smooth transition.

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I expect to return to the U.S. in September when my first grandchild arrives…

Baby Shoes

… and then be on my way to Mexico in October!

Mexico

Note:  My cell phone won’t be connected while I’m in Cambodia, but I will be reachable by all channels WiFi: email, iMessages, FaceTime, Facebook, Skype, WhatsApp…. :-). Please stay in touch!

Next Up – Mexico

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Toasty warm in the Denver airport after the drive from Fort Carson/Colorado Springs – through another snowstorm! This time I got to my destination just as the snow started to stick and the plows started to emerge in force — whew!

I think the suitcases are as happy as I am this last week to be on the go again. Shots here of them finally escaping the back of the closet after 5 months, packed and ready to go, and chilling in the snow!  And, by the way, anyone who is laughing at me for bringing 2 full-size suitcases for the trip, YOU try packing everything for a trip to sub-zero Denver weather and 3 weeks working and playing in sunny Mexico.  The shoes and boots alone took up nearly a full bag!

We’re freeee! It sure was dark in there….
On the move again…
OK, about this cold white stuff…

I’ll arrive in Mexico City tonight to start a 3-week internship with the Venture Institute.  Not sure exactly what projects I’ll be working on, but VI’s focus is on helping entrepreneurs create, incubate and grow high impact businesses — many with a social impact component — across Mexico.  One of their current programs is targeted at increasing access to financial services for the poor.  They have already completed a call for ideas across Mexico. selected a small group of the most promising entrepreneurs, and started working with them on refining their value propositions, business plans, economic models and pitches for investors. Really cool stuff!

I am being generously hosted by a woman in Mexico City,  We have already discovered via email that we have a lot in common with economics degrees, business backgrounds, a preference for living in the middles of cities… and no cats. Really looking forward to meeting her!

New Digs in Cambridge

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Per the promise of the blog subtitle, we are now on to the Cambridge phase of the journey!

Thanks to a tremendous amount of help from my mom — including numerous trips to Target, Best Buy and the hardware store, along with unpacking something like 100 boxes — I’ve gotten completely settled into the new apartment (box-free!) in just a week 🙂  “Before, During and After” pictures of the process are below.  I still have plenty of room for visitors, so I expect to see some of you here this year!

LIVING ROOM 

KITCHEN 

BEDROOM (And no, those aren’t really boxes — that’s my new avant-garde decor approach… at least until the dresser I ordered arrives next week!!)

GUEST ROOM/STUDY 

And the suitcases will be going into temporary retirement 🙂

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Home & Family

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I made it back to the U.S. with no issues — and have spent a very enjoyable several days catching up with family, friends and the JWOC Board!

Soon after arrival on Tuesday, I was sitting at a sidewalk cafe up the street from my brother Erik’s house in Rockridge (Oakland, CA) enjoying lunch, some great weather and great company:

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Later, we went for a run (yes, I actually did that on first day back!), had a terrific dinner out — and watched the recording of Matt’s All-Star Game that Erik made for me (more to come on that in a separate post).  I spent the next couple days catching up with friends in SF and Oakland, getting my hair cut, my toenails done, and generally relaxing.  And had a wonderful evening in Walnut Creek with my dad and stepmom, Lewis.  We decided to take advantage of us all being together to celebrate Dad’s birthday a week early:

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From there, I headed up to Truckee and finally got to meet all of the JWOC Board members in person.  We had quite a productive meeting along with some really good socializing time — hosted by Philippa and Dudley at their beautiful, comfortable, welcoming home, nestled in the mountains around Lake Tahoe.  I’ll let you all decide what was more remarkable: the JWOC Board or the surroundings!

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After a spectacular drive from there to Ashland, Oregon — I had another incredible meal with my mom and stepdad, Bob.  You’ll note that I seem to be enjoying a LOT of good eating and drinking along the way here…!  In fact, tonight, I will be enjoying a made-to-order rhubarb pie from my mom 🙂  Yummm!

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The trip itself was pretty smooth.  One of the cool things was that since I had a 9-hour layover in Seoul, I was able to leave the airport for a bus tour and got to see downtown Seoul, a temple and a palace.  Also got to eat a delicious Korean lunch and wander around the shops.  We made it back in plenty of time for the flight, but not with time to spare to enjoy some of the other amenities of the Incheon International Airport, which include a full-on movie theater, free showers, a spa and sauna, several cultural programs and lots of great restaurants and shops.  Apparently, you could live for at least a week there without getting bored!  Beats the heck out of JFK…

Jet lag hasn’t been much of a problem — as was the case when I flew to Siem Reap.  I think that having a full 24+ hours to travel is helpful since it gives you time to make yourself stay up all night and then force yourself to sleep in what would have been your day.  By the time you arrive, you’ve already gotten through a full cycle on the new time so a bit of a head start!  I know you’ll be surprised that before I left in each direction, I scribbled out the itinerary in every relevant time zone…. and (knowing I was going to be a bit groggy!) noted exactly where I should try to sleep.  Seems to have worked!

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I realize that there are a few of you who are only following the blog to keep up with the various exploits of my  suitcases… Nothing interesting to report this time.  Came through without a hitch and I immediately tucked them in the trunk of the rental car and headed on my way!  But, here’s a picture anyway!

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Last Day

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Well, I’ve got all my worldly goods (and a few presents 🙂 ) back into the two suitcases and a backpack as I get ready to head home later tonight….

…with the exception of a few things I’ll be leaving behind with my friends at JWOC who will be able to make much better use of them than I from here on out!

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…and, of course, my bicycle

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Looking forward to seeing everyone in California and Oregon next week, and on to Boston on July 30th!

A Suitcase and a Bicycle

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Well, the very existence of this blog posting is testament to the return of the prodigal suitcase: IMG_1121  As promised, it came on the next flight and was promptly delivered to the guesthouse, including the electric current transformers which allowed me to revive my dead Macbook, iPhone and iPad by morning!

As it was being delivered, I was out finally having the chance to spend some time in-person with the JWOC crew rather than coping with Skype conversations!   Sarah Crowley (Education & Volunteer Programs), Tom McLean (Fundraising & Communications), Alex Plummer (Executive Director) and Brandon Ross (Co-Founder): photo  We ate at a terrific restaurant called Haven that’s a training restaurant for at-risk young adults from orphanages, safe shelters, and poor rural areas. At Haven they learn quality work skills and life skills, getting support in their transition from institution to real world as well as giving them a chance to step out of the poverty cycle. IMG_1064

After a great night’s sleep, I got up and set off on my day’s mission to acquire a bicycle.  I’m not sure if I just wasn’t paying attention on the tuk-tuk rides yesterday, but from my seat in the back, I watched and learned today how to merge into traffic…  photo copy 2  This came in very handy later when I was on the bike by myself… just kidding!!

We reached the Phsa Leu Market intact and my driver kindly dropped me off right in front of one of the many used bike emporia.  IMG_1085  Prior to leaving, I had gotten great guidance from Voleak, my hostess at the guesthouse, as to my criteria (including axle type, automatic light, bell, basket, lock, handlebar and seat style).  After a bit of searching and discussion with the shop owner, the winning cycle was culled from the herd IMG_1104  And then it was assembled.  Kind of cool actually.  They have shelves full of pedals, baskets, locks, lights, bells, etc. and put all the pieces on after you pick.  IMG_1107  It took a little while, but that was ok.  The shop is a full-on family affair and I spent the time chatting with the owners’ wife (who thankfully spoke pretty good English since I haven’t gotten past “thank you” and “can I have my bill please” in Khmer so far).  I also got to meet their two adorable kids — a 2-1/2 year old boy (Chiang) and an 11-month old girl (Miriel).  It was bath time, so they were in silly kid moods and once they were (partially!) dressed, they were deposited in a couple of hammocks that hang in the workshop area for some serious spinning and tickling. I think that was supposed to become nap time next, but they were pretty chipper and wound up when I left!  IMG_1105

 

If I have enough energy left (both mine and the juice in my MacBook) before bedtime, I’ll add another couple of posts on fun things from the day.  Hopefully that’ll give me some room to slack off a bit on the blog as JWOC is open again tomorrow and I’ll be heading over there to start learning and working on the (many!) projects we’ve mapped out for the coming weeks.  Really looking forward to it!

 

Day 1 — I Think!

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I’m here!  The actual travel, though long, was pretty uneventful (excluding the suitcase incident described below!).  I’m not really sure whether to count this as Day 1, 2 or 3 since I left New York on Sunday, traveled for a bit over 25 hours, “lost” a bunch of time on the way as we flew against the sun — and now it’s Tuesday afternoon in Siem Reap.  Anyway, I’m here!

My sleep strategy on the flights seemed to work ok, and I was reasonably coherent when Alex and Sarah from JWOC picked me up from the airport for a ride to the V&A Villa guesthouse in the most common form of transportation, the tuk-tuk (photo below of the very one in which we rode!): Image

 

Now, about the suitcase!   It really made me smile the other day when I left my now-empty NY apartment with what would be my life for the next 6 weeks in just 2 suitcases and a backpack: Image   So, fast forward to now… see anything missing?  Image   Yes, apparently, I really only needed 1 suitcase and a backpack — at least for the next few hours!  Fortunately, it’s the one with the clothes and the chocolate in it.  I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the rest of my toiletries, hair dryer, and particularly my electric current transformers get here as promised by later this evening so I don’t run out of juice to finish the blog post!!  (Now that I’ve felt the heat and humidity a bit, it’s ok if they keep the running shoes…)  And those of you who travel in the U.S. are SO not going to believe this, but SilkAir actually insisted on compensating me for my trouble and handed me a fresh, crisp $100 bill as I left the luggage office — and, boy, does $100 go a long way in Siem Reap!   I’m fervently hoping that wasn’t just their nice way of saying I’m never going to see my stuff again.   Will keep ya posted 🙂

Speaking of how much value you get for your money here, my new digs at V&A Villa are pretty darn nice!  The webpage pictures are a bit glossier than reality, but not much.  For those of you new to my plans, the boys and others and taken to calling this next chapter my “mud hut fantasy”… Clearly, (despite being ridiculously reasonable at just $15/night), this is many steps above that, including air conditioning, private bath and breakfast.  But have faith, I promise to have a future chapter where I get closer to the mud hut!!

Next order of business was to get a local phone for calls while I’m here.  Wherever there’s WiFi, I’ll still have my iPhone and iPad so I’ll get iMessages, email, Skype, WhatsApp, etc.   So I got a “not-smart” phone to be able to call and text with folks locally without ringing up crazy data charges with AT&T.  For those of you over the age of 15, this should bring back memories:IMG_1062  I have no idea if I even remember HOW to answer a phone call on this, let alone text!!

I’ll be meeting up with a few of the folks from JWOC for my dinner tonight, which should be fun.  Everyone says there are great restaurants in town and I’m looking forward to lots of dining adventures while I’m here.

Tomorrow is the regular weekly day off for JWOC since many of the classes are taught on the weekends.  My first order of business will be to head into town to buy a bike at the Phsa Leu Market.  There are a ton of different Markets in town, a lot of which are focused on tourists.  But apparently, this is one the locals frequent, so it should be a fun place to start.  Then I can pedal down into the central areas and check out some of the others….

For now, while I’m waiting to head out for dinner, I’m going to study my Khmer phrase book which is making me feel like perhaps I’m jet-lagged after all!  Even when it’s written in Roman letters, I’m having a heck of a time at this point figuring out the pronunciations just from reading… I will do my very best not to insult anyone and I hope I don’t order anything too weird by accident!!!