For me

in Canada

We leave in just over two weeks, and our excitement is mounting. We divide our time between thinking about the coming four months and getting ready to leave our home and dog in Waterloo, Canada. We have rented our house to a new grad student at the university. We have not met him, and won't until the day we leave and he arrives. We've taken this as an opportunity (a requirement) to finish up some of the reno projects around the house. I freely (though not proudly) admit that there is not a room in the house that is finished. This is changing though. Closets are getting door knobs, leaky sky lights have been sealed, the plaster below them patched and painted. This will shorten the length of the house instructions we will leave for our tenant. We also have a friend down the street who will be the go to guy for house issues.

Looking east (though we will fly west) snooping around Phnom Penh on Google Earth feels a bit like cheating, but I can't help myself. Fortunately, it really is not so revealing that I am removing all the mystery.

Anna-Marie met this week with Isabelle who runs the yoga studio where we will be living. Isabelle was in Canada for a visit and they spent 5-6 hours in Toronto doing a q + a.

Our new home has two buildings, a (very) small jungle complete with mango trees, and courtyard. The upper floor of one building houses the yoga studio. Below this is the kitchen. Before Anna-Marie's meeting with Isabelle I didn't even know if we would have a kitchen. I consider this very good news as I have already sourced out a Khmer cooking class I am going to take.

The other building has living quarters. Anna-Marie is vying for the room with the terrace. But already meals under a mango tree and a little walled privacy from the city look very welcoming. It has been years since either of us have lived in a big, noisy, stinky city (our frequent stays in Holguin come closest) and I confess, the thought of never a moment of quiet is a little concerning.