I was nervous about going on this trip. I knew I was going to have to step out of my comfort zone, that I might in fact have to make a big 'ol identity shift. I had to let go of the belief that without me there, everything at home would fall apart.

It hasn't. And I'm finding that the new identity has been there all along. I just needed to set it free.

I have a pretty good understanding of the salient aspects of Cambodian history and culture. I've eaten the food, made friends, seen a lot of countryside, and now Phnom Phen. I've collaborated with a Khmer potter and made drawings in the sand with Khmer primary school students. To say that I'm grateful is an understatement.

And now, on to Vietnam!

Visited the Killing Fields yesterday. You're seeing bones, clothes, and shoes of the victims. In back of the case is a dip in the land where bodies were buried. The Cambodians hold the past in their hearts but are hopeful about the future.

Clothes washed up and were caught in the tree. Bones, clothes, and teeth are still rising to the surface when it rains.