So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodbye...

Today is the day: Andrea, Regan, and her sister Sophie all leave for America. Yes, yes, I know; how sad, you say, that Ben will be left all alone for three and a half weeks in the simmering Cambodian heat. But, I say, rejoice (!) for Andrea and Regan will once again be among friends and family. The fearsome threesome is all packed and ready to board JET 5280 bound for Denver. Needless to say, it’s an exciting time for all; and what will Ben be doing while his right arm is in Denver? I’m glad you asked. He’ll continue his busy teaching schedule, trying to get his students up to Finals speed before he leaves; he’ll consume food, sleep, and use the restroom of course, but, and he’s most excited about this, he’ll get through the rest of his books—seventy-four books down, six to go!

~

Well, since the above a night and a day has passed, and I am now sitting at the Java Café in the heart of Phnom Penh. It’s not terribly hot, as a quite breeze is gently blowing through the balcony, but the humidity is high and my shirt is thoroughly pitted. The waitress here just approached me and asked where my baby was—we come here all the time and the waitresses regularly hold and play with Regan—and I had to tell her that Andrea and baby left at the last minute to head back to America for good. She was heartbroken. She loved Regan.

She said, “Oh, not so good. I didn’t even get to say goodbye.”

“Yes,” I responded, “not so good.”

This morning I woke up to find one of Regan’s blankets left behind, and I found myself doing the strangest thing: smelling it. Yes, Andrea and Regan, Cambodia will miss you.

Well, that’s all I have for now. I will try my best to keep an updated blog, but I fear the fates are against me. NPIC was going to put High Speed internet access in each of the teacher’s rooms, but they forgot about the American teachers and have since shut off the wireless access. It would seem that I am internetless (sp?) during the week then, but I will try my best to keep you faithful blog readers up-to-date on my exploits.
I hope to see you all soon,

Ben