Mountain bikes
The past weeks have been full. Days blurred together, and sometimes I had to stop and ask myself what day it even was.
The past weeks have been full. Days blurred together, and sometimes I had to stop and ask myself what day it even was.
From meetings with the architect to shape the future of the school, to long sessions training teachers on Project-Based Learning. Breaking down the curriculum, explaining the worksheets, the rubrics, and the mindset behind it all. I started creating online instruction videos too. Step-by-step explanations with visuals and audio, hoping it would save me from repeating the same explanations over and over. Late evenings behind laptops, but knowing it would be worth it.
At the same time, things were shifting physically at the school. The old chef had finally moved out, leaving behind an empty space. Ill kept and maintained, Kiki and I stood there, looking around, already imagining what it could become, without the stained walls and rusty doors. Our future office.
While that was taking shape, I was deep into reorganizing the computer lab. What started as a messy room with “broken” computers turned into something entirely different. Dusty shelves cleared, and vanished altogether, cables untangled, forgotten machines brought back to life. Slowly, it transformed into a hybrid space, part computer lab, part library, part flexible classroom for PBL. It took hours. Days, really. But seeing it come together… that felt good. Seeing the students and teachers using it as it was intended felt even better.
In the middle of all that, we were preparing something big: the opening of the Learning Centre on Kulen Mountain. Meetings with the teachers there, going over every detail. Everything was ready. Now came the long, slow process of getting approval from local authorities. Paperwork, stamps, signatures. Meanwhile, a truck loaded with school supplies was making its way up the mountain. How exciting!
That same week, our very first exchange students arrived.
We invited them for lunch at New Leaf Eatery.
Nora and Tille, from our partner university, Vives Kortrijk. First impressions matter, and they made a good one. Easy smiles, curious, open. Over lunch, conversations flowed naturally. By the end of it, I had a good feeling. They’d fit right in.
We showed them around the school after, introducing them to the team, their mentors, walking them through the Code of Conduct, and safety procedures.
And then, finally… weekend.
We sat down at Street 3 Eatery, our favorite spot.
Big coffees in front of us. Journals open. The first moment in days when everything slowed down. Tension leaving my shoulders, bit by bit.
Somewhere between sips and scribbles, we made a spontaneous decision: let’s buy mountain bikes.
Not much later, we ran into Jason and Astrid again, the South African couple we met at Namh’s house blessing. Calm, grounded, spiritual people. After a quick catch-up, we found a bike shop they recommended, picked our bikes, and, of course, immediately took them out.
GoPro mounted. Without a real plan.
We rode to Peace Café for a quick lunch, then kept going toward the Angkor Archaeological Park.
The ride there was something else. Small tracks running parallel to the main road, cutting through the forest. Sunlight filtering through the trees, patches of shadow and light flickering as we moved. Rice fields stretching out on the other side, water buffalo standing knee-deep in mud, completely still.
We made it to Ta Prohm, better known as the Tomb Raider temple. Roots crawling over ancient stone, nature and history wrapped into one. Still my favorite temple by far, seeing how nature always wins and reclaims everything, eventually.
The ride back felt lighter. Faster. Quiet happiness after a warm day out in nature.
Back home, we watched the GoPro footage. Laughing at the clips, reliving the day from a different angle.
And somewhere in between all of that, the thought slipped in again:
What an incredible place to call home.