March 31, 1998

15 years ago today…I was nine years old.

15 years ago today…I first arrived in Phnom Penh.

15 years ago today…my eyes hurt from crying, after having to say goodbye to my sisters in Australia.

15 years ago today…my mum gave me a hug to make me feel better – and it did.

15 years ago today…my dad picked me and my mum up from a run-down Pochentong Airport.

15 years ago today…my dad bought me a dog to help me adjust to my new life in a new place.

15 years ago today…that dog meant the world to me – you did good with that one dad.

15 years ago today…my dad let me choose where we would eat our first meal in Cambodia.

15 years ago today…I chose Lucky Burger on Sihanouk.

15 years ago today…we stayed our first night in Cambodia in a guest house – this was definitely not Australia anymore.

15 years ago today…the roads were dusty, like really dusty.

15 years ago today…come to think of it, the roads were pretty quiet back then – it was nice.

15 years ago today…I was both scared and fascinated by this new land I had arrived in.

15 years ago today…I may have genuinely believed strangers were going to try and kidnap me.

15 years ago today…my life forever changed.

15 years ago today…I never knew that Cambodia would come to be one of my heart’s homes.

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15 years later…I find myself back in Cambodia, working with TCK’s, just like myself.

15 years later…Cambodia still holds a special piece of my heart.

15 years later…as other TCK’s like me arrive and stumble their way through adjusting to this new land,

and as they cry for the loved ones they’ve left behind,

and as they adapt and grow,

it is my heart for them to know that it’s ok and that they are not alone,

that it’s alright to be scared, curious, sad, and excited all at the same time,

that their feelings and emotions towards the transitions they face are not only valid, but also normal,

and that when they look back in 15 years, Cambodia can also be one of their heart’s homes.

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Photo source: http://www.panoramio.com/photo/82670002