The Caterpillar stage

Setting the scene

It was the calm before the storm and holy crap, my bones knew it was going to be the storm of my life.- Tijan

After our return from Kratié, we experienced what I would refer to as 'the calm before the storm'. Things were building up behind the curtain, and we could feel a change coming.

I was busy with my online business, focusing on online classes and creating an online course. I sold my first pdf file, a big win in the early stages. Mathieu was here, exploring Siem Reap and Cambodia mostly by himself, with regular lunches and dinners during which we reconnected. Sometimes we'd work together in the same cafe.

Summer was volunteering at Kulen Outreach. An enthusiastic and very open-minded, fun woman from the States. We became great friends in no time! We would hang out during lunch and go on adventures in Siem Reap together. She arrived before we went to Kratié and was in the middle of her stay in Cambodia. She felt right at home in the school environment and expressed multiple times that she would love to come back - before she even left.

Gordon and Claire, our friends for nearly 3 years now, were also in Siem Reap during this time. Kiki met them in Islay at a kind of friends and family gathering. Kiki was invited by our mutual friend Dagny who we met in Norway. Since then we've been in contact on and off - especially when Kiki started working as an English teacher at Kulen Outreach. They play a major role in the school as founders and board members. It was so fun to see them and their two sons.

The stage is set with all the pieces in place.

The week in between

On March 20th, Kiki and I celebrated our 2nd anniversary by going to eat at the restaurant at Wild. We ate some delicious spring rolls both fresh and fried. Well, truth be said, I mainly ate the fried spring rolls and Kiki the fresh.

We had a couple of get-togethers with Gordon and Claire, but life mainly ran its course. We had some lovely meals with Summer, tried out a daiquiri at a Greek restaurant in the city center, ate smoothie bowls with Ro and Summer, and - very important - the cat of our landlord Vuth, had a litter. 5 adorable kittens started to explore our terras every morning. Watching them play was a great way to wake up and come home too.

Mathieu was in contact with a school in Battambang. He is applying to volunteer there as an English teacher. He was looking forward to it and preparing himself to be the best teacher he could be. He asked me questions about lesson plans and preparations, looked into the books, and researched the topics he was going to teach. His second week in Siem Reap was coming to an end. He was going to stay one more week in Siem Reap, and one week volunteering in Battambang before continuing his travels.