Home is where the heart is. (Can it be in two places at once?)

     Oh, my poor neglected blog! I haven't written a thing for over a month, possibly because it was one of the busiest months of my entire life. And possibly because being in Vermont meant that most of the people who read this blog would only be reading about themselves and the various things we were doing together, and what fun would that be?

     But heartfelt thanks are due to many people who made our trip what it was. We can't possibly thank everyone by name (because I would feel awful if we forgot anyone, and because this isn't meant to read like an Academy Award acceptance speech) but we'd like to acknowledge how grateful we are to so many. Thank you to those who picked us up and dropped us off at airports, those who let us sleep in their spare rooms, who let us borrow their cars, who bought us breakfast and lunch and dinner (and coffee and beer and wine), and who cooked delicious meals for us. Thank you to those who arranged parties of all size so we could see lots of people at one time, and those who put money or toys or other things in our hands and said "Take it to Cambodia and do something good with it." Thank you to everyone who took time out of your own busy schedules to squeeze in a visit or two with us while we were in town, and to those who understood when our schedule was tight and we couldn't be as flexible as we wanted.

Our calendar -
the only way we could keep track of all our social events in Vermont!

     Special thanks to my parents, who hosted us the longest, let us put the greatest number of miles on their car, and generally put up with our invasion of their space with piles of our stuff as we sorted out things from our Jericho basement and new acquisitions while we were in reach of unlimited retail opportunities.

     And we certainly took advantage of the opportunity to acquire stuff! We came armed with a list, and  were able to check off almost everything. The list included everything from vitamins and prescription refills to Scotch tape and razor blades. We hit tag sales and bought children's books and toys for Steve's kids. We re-stocked Jaz with contact lenses and oatmeal and textbooks. We bought printer ink, and sugar-free iced tea mix, and a dish rack. We took our bread knife and favorite small cutting board from what is now my brother's kitchen in Jericho (and forgot to tell him for a few days - oops!) I bought fabric, and renewed my driver's license, and watched an entire season of The Amazing Race.

     We also ate cheese and ice cream (and many maple creemees), and drank microbrews and good wine. Thanks to the generosity of friends, we ate at some old favorite restaurants and tried a couple of new ones. We flinched constantly at the price of things and almost cried at the price of gasoline. We spent far too much time in cars and decided we don't miss driving one bit. We spent as much time as we could with family and friends and still felt like we couldn't see enough of everyone.

     And in the middle of it all, we went to the Bahamas for a few days for Dylan and Alanna's wedding, which was beautiful. White sand, blue water, and a gorgeous bride and groom made for a lovely way to spend a day. The wedding was held at Sandals, which provided about as stark a contrast to our everyday life in Cambodia as you could imagine, so I embraced it as a cross-cultural experience.We would have loved it if Jaz and Marissa had been able to be there; they were missed. I look forward to the next time all six of us will be together in the same place at the same time again, but as scattered as we are all, I don't know when that will be.

Skyler, Alanna, Dylan, and Jenny -
two lovely couples.

     What makes a place "home"? We went home to Vermont for a visit, and now we're home again in Cambodia. For me, home is the place that brings out the best in me, the place I want to be when I need to feel comfortable. Home is where there are people I love, who love me back. What I miss about Vermont is people who have known me for a long time, with whom I can have conversations without explaining how my own history fits into the story I'm telling. What I missed about Cambodia when I was gone was the simplicity of just being able to be in someone's presence without needing to tell a story or explain its context, but just to smile and share the present moment.

     On our first day back in Siem Reap, I took an early morning walk to take in the sights and smells and sounds. Later in the day, I rode my motorbike around town and enjoyed the wind in my face and the sun on my arms. I fell asleep that night to the sound of dogs barking. I felt like I was home again.

     How lucky, to have two homes. If only I could gather all the people I love and miss in one place or the other.