Repatriation...sort of

It has now been a little over one week in my temporary repatriation to Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the city where I spent 22.95 years of my life before I moved to Cambodia. Cambodia is the country I like to refer to as the first of many this migratory bird will visit as the seasons change.

Phnom Penh is also the first city I have ever lived for a more-than-temporary length of time outside of Toronto. My total length here will be between 1.25-1.5 years. Not only is it outside Canada, but it's not even in the same hemisphere. In fact, it takes a 15 hour flight just to get from Toronto to Hong Kong and another 2 hour flight to travel from Hong Kong to Phnom Penh. In conjunction there is also an 11-12 hour time difference. So you can sort of grasp that Cambodia is a fair bit away from Canada, eh?

That said, I'm having a bit of trouble re-adjusting to life, albeit temporarily, in Canada. I continue to look back to Cambodia and cannot wait to return back to Phnom Penh. My time in Cambodia is most definitely not finished. The goals I set out to achieve are not yet accomplished, the relationships I have with the city, the country, the people and my friends are only germinating. The honeymoon with Cambodia only recently ended and I'm still figuring out where I stand with it.

I should also mention that I was in the midst of enjoying a simpler form of life in Cambodia before my seasonal migration to the west. Here is a summary compiled with a fellow expat recently repatriated from Cambodia back to the US.

1. Dinners which cost $2 vs. $40
2. The ease of getting on a moto, saying "kinyum jong dove psar toul tom pong" vs. getting on the subway, getting off the train, changing tracks, getting back on the train, taking a bus and walking for 10 minutes, or paying $30 for a cab ride of the equivalent distance
3. Wearing merely one layer of clothing vs. several layers, a scarf and the possibility of a toque
4. Going to a variation of perhaps 5 beer gardens/restaurants/clubs vs. navigating a complex social scene based on what just opened, what you're wearing and how much money you happen to have in your bank account.

But the glass is half full and some of my closest friends are based in Toronto, or Tdot as we affectionately refer to it. My life in Toronto in 2008 is just as rich and well-loved as the life I had in 2007. I know that I can return to Toronto anytime and be received with open arms. I suppose this is the knowledge that truly keeps me migrating seasonally.

...as well as the hope that one day, teleportation will be invented.