To My Very Good Friends, Jim and Eveline

Eva, Ev, and Jim...

Have you ever put yourself in a situation then asked the proverbial question, "Oh my what have I done?" I have. I mean, I did. I said "Yes" when Jim asked me to take the job in Cambodia, and subsequently I asked myself that question more than once. I asked it often in the days and weeks prior to leaving the United States. I asked it several times during the 20-some hours of airtime getting to Cambodia. And, I asked it nice and loud the night I spent driving the porcelain bus after I ate tainted mango.

...ride in a tuk-tuk with me and Sophie on my first day in Cambodia

At times, being away from home was difficult. I missed my wife. I missed the lifestyle to which I had grown quite accustomed in North Carolina. I missed my grandchildren. Knowing that this evening I'll be on a plane destined for home, all those feelings don't seem quite so critical.

Before I left for Cambodia, I worried about plenty of things. I worried about food and lodging. I worried about transportation and street crime. I worried about money exchange. I worried that I forgot how to teach. I worried that I would be miserable in Cambodia.

My home away from home

Well, let me tell you. Thanks to Savi's cooking and more exotic restaurants than I can remember, I managed to gain weight. My accommodations at Jim and Eveline's house were about as comfortable as humanly possible. Thanks to Savon and countless tuk-tuk drivers throughout the city, transportation could not have been easier or more convenient. Being here feels safer than it seems like it should. As far as money goes, in Cambodia, people prefer American currency. And, about my teaching, well let's just say, I remembered how.

Caught in a torrential downpour

I said to Jim many months ago that I did not want to be an imposition on his family. I even thought about renting an apartment for the duration of my stay in Phnom Penh. He encouraged me to check out the living quarters at his house first. I'm glad I did. Jim and Ev treated me like one of the family. They included me in their plans. They helped me get to the places I wanted to go. They even went with me a time or two.


Debbie and I first met Eveline 20 years ago soon after she came to the United States. It's impolite to tell a ladies age, so let's just say that she was young. Her English was rudimentary. I imagine she felt about like I did as I prepared for my trip to Asia. It has been my privilege to experience the Canavan household, witnessing first-hand Eveline's gentle nature as she rears her girls, Sophie, the equestrian violinist, and Eva, the blossoming artist.

Shopping at the Russian Market

I first met Jim more than two decades ago when he was the student-teacher in the classroom next to mine at Sparrows Point Middle School. Subsequently he was hired full-time, and we worked together there and at Catonsville High School for a total of six years. I was there when his career began, I watched from a distance as he and his family moved from continent to continent as his career progressed, and I am witness to the outstanding work he is doing at the International School of Phnom Penh. He done good.

Last week Jim told me about a long-term position at ISPP that starts next January. I wished him well in his effort to fill it.