August is rainy season in Cambodia. There was rain most days, some thunderstorms and flooding. I love it here. It is, the perfect blend of familiar and foreign. I speak survival Khmer – enough to get around, not enough to converse.
In Perth with my sister I took a ferry to Fremantle – complete with dolphins, watched State of Origin, went shopping, visited a Beijing friend at a cidery in the hills, and saw a play. It was a great time, with clear air and cider. Then I went home.
Broome is a town of about 15,000 people on the northwest coast of Australia, in the Kimberley region. I enjoyed both expaneses of blue – sky and sea – plus Cable Beach, Gantheaume Point Beach, Courthouse markets, and stargazing.
I made the mistake of going to a shopping centre by myself. I was overwhelmed by everything! Strangers speaking English to me, English all around me, new products, familiar stuff repackaged, self-service checkouts – and SO many choices.
A fun thing about my trips to Cambodia is relationships with the TCKs there. A highlight of the trip was when two students made comments about “saying goodbye to Tanya is easy – I know she’ll be back”. In TCK world, that’s a big deal.
I enjoy chatting with Xiao Chen while he drives me home. We have real back and forth, and both learn from each other. He asks questions and is happy to answer mine, and he follows up my comments with questions and genuine interest.
My church expects to lose 30% of the total congregation every year. Last year the youth group lost 50% of our regulars. Cleaning out phone contacts I removed 39 people without deleting recent graduates – from a phone only 9 months old.
As my cab pulled up to the train station I suddenly realised I didn’t have my passport with me. Tianjin is so close to Beijing it didn’t feel like travel and it hadn’t occurred to me to bring it, but as I arrived I realised I would need it. Problem.
The travertinepools, waterfalls, and wide swaths of limestone bumps, stretch up to 70m across (230 ft) across the valley. The mix of greens – dark pines, bright deciduous – fascinated me. Equally stunning were pools of clear bright aqua water.
The highest point of the pass was 4,000m (13,000 ft) above sea level; the sky was a stunningly deep blue and we saw yaks grazing. The base of the mountain was 3,200m (10,500 ft); ten minutes in a cable car later we were at 3,500m (11,500 ft).
One class chose a unit on death/grief, and I was invited to speak to them! I am in no way an expert on death, but I have experience walking with TCKs through grief experiences. Loss is a constant, an ongoing part of international life.
Many times in taxis I have heard Australia praised on the radio as a travel destination. These days when someone discovers I’m from Australia, the instant reaction is not kangaroos or our Prime Minister, but how beautiful my country is.
Stories From Tanya 