See you later Cambodia!
I end this blog where I started it: in the airport. I left Banlung on Sunday then spent some time in the IBJ Phnom Penh office on Monday. The head of the Cambodian IBJ program took all of the interns to lunch to say goodbye. He also asked me to translate his goodbye speech…My embarrassing attempt created lots of laughter for everyone.
Monday night I took the night bus to Bangkok, spent the day exploring Bangkok and now it’s Wednesday morning. I am sitting in the airport from where I will soon fly to Singapore. I have a 12 hour layover in Singapore, which will be a great opportunity to explore the country, then to Frankfurt, NYC, Cincinnati, Salt Lake City, then finally home for a few days before I return to law school. Two bus rides (27 hours) and six flights (55 hours) to get from rural Cambodia to my family’s home in rural Idaho.
All of my experiences, which you’ve read a bit about in my previous entries, equated to an excellent 1L summer. My time here has rekindled my fascination for Cambodia and strengthened my passion for indigent criminal defense. I am very grateful to IBJ, the professor that helped set up this internship, and the donors that made this opportunity possible. I hope be in another airport someday soon, waiting to commence a new Kampuchean adventure. See you soon, America! See you later, Cambodia.