Dream Collective and Adjustment

  Dream Collective/Kathryn Bentley via Jeana Sohn Photography

Two months in.  

It turns out it is taking me just a little longer to adjust to Bangkok life.  Today, as I was walking home from work with C, a refugee lawyer who was previously based in Cairo, I confessed that it still feels a little strange to me.  She nodded, as we walked along the jagged sidewalks and maneuvered ourselves around bustling produce stands and lazy dogs.  "I get it.  It's too easy for you here, isn't it?"  I reacted instantly: "No, that's not it."  But after a few minutes of talking it through, C may have a point.  

Am I finally beginning to process the past two years in Cambodia?  And seriously, how warped is it that a life that is "too easy" could be this jarring? 

It's not that I don't enjoy Bangkok creature comforts.  I love the convenience in this city.  I love that the subway, right outside my door, can take me across this city with ease -- and I don't have to haggle with motodop drivers everyday over the cost of transport.  I love how easy it is to find certain items here - hello, rosemary and good avocados!  I love that hygiene standards are higher, that people actually have pets, and that vintage dress shops are numerous.  I love the local food in this country.  The list is long.

Still, and strangely, Cambodia has left an indelible mark, with its intensity, endless frustration and richness.  There are things I miss.  What a departure from last month.