Countdown To Cambodia: Part II

I’m sitting at my desk reviewing my lengthy sticky note of things I still need to get done before Saturday rolls around and I’m once more crammed into a decrepit wing seat on EVA airlines en route to Cambodia. My suitcase is actually already packed, but I am positive I am forgetting something….
Ah – that’s it. I’m forgetting to pack Theresa this trip. Much to my dismay, I must concede that my intrepid photographer actually has a life; family and her own non-profit to take care of and is unable to trek back to Cambodia for our July shoot. I feel apprehensive about this in many ways. The trip in March was an emotional roller coaster and I’m heading back into the heart of depression and destitution without the benefit of a good friend to rely on for support. This will be a tough shoot – not only with the return to the garbage dumps but the continued journey into the remote countryside where these children are being driven from in droves. It’s taken three months to clear my senses of the sights, sounds and smells of Stung Meanchy, but the images of the dump children never leave you completely. They are always lurking on the corners of your mind as you give thanks for your own children and the life of security and comfort we often take for granted.
Theresa just called: she’s bought me up a pillow for the plane. J Good thing…. I’m going to need a lot of rest to gear up for what lies ahead.