Departure day

I am learning that it's critical to mentally process important events in your life, to stop the mind becoming a confused morass of thoughts. Easier written than done.

About Cambodia I know that I feel more enlightened and enriched than when I moved here on secondment 2+ years ago. I've worked hard and when work was less crazy done relatively well (more so recently) at establishing a decent work/life balance. Cambodia has also put me in the paths of great, interesting people who provide further inspiration and wider perspective, and these people have made the whole experience as valuable as it has been.

It's hard to summarise the Cambodia 'experience' or life here without sounding glib and too generalistic. Challenging, exciting and frustrating in equal measure. Some Cambodian traits that I would like more of, such as calmness and resilience. A surprisingly good lifestyle but a risk of insulation from the 'real' Cambodia. A country that has so many gems all over the place that I've been lucky to explore.

Professionally it's tough in a sector where there is relatively little government will to support the cause. Personal experiences and enrichment are what resonate most as I write this. Through the ups and downs of doing stressful work in an unfamiliar location, I feel I have become more adaptable and confident yet more hardened and confrontational. This may be the Phnom Penh bubble effect which isolates you from your cultural norms and allows certain characteristics to become more prominent, in a more unchecked way than if you were in your home country. It won't necessarily be a problem unless I start sparring with strangers on trains in the UK over the immigration debate...

For whatever reason I have probably missed out on about a third of the required sleep since living here, and it's been getting progressively worse. It feels I'm leaving on a high and I wonder how much better that would feel if fully rested.

Blip will be a good place to post some reintegration chronicles. As I sit in Doha contemplating the crazy adventure that Cambodia has been, what I am primarily looking forward to is a deep sleep in the cool autumnal air in my old bed in Blighty (although in general the plunging into winter petrifies me to my core).

Moving countries is less difficult than you would think. Everyone should do it at least once as the benefits are innumerable. I will definitely be doing it again.