Today is Vanessa's birthday. I was thinking back the other day to the first birthday I spent with her. It was on our DTS outeach, and it is memorable because it was not a good day. We spent that day in Cambodia traveling by boat from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. It would have been uncomfortable enough given that the boat had rickety seats, but the boat broke down along the way. This led to hours spent stuck in the middle of the river being, not so gently, rocked by the waves. After finally reaching our destination, our group discovered the only restaurant open served only fried rice, if it could truly be called that. All in all it was not a very good day.
Why do I share this story? It's because one of the things I really treasure about our outreach experience was the opportunity to experience the highs and lows of cross-cultural work and see each other at our best and worst moments while we were getting to know one another. In the days that followed this disappointment, I was able to see how quickly Vanessa rebounded, and seeing her reaction was part of what drew me to her. So, I guess this "bad" birthday was part of setting the foundation for the journey we've been on for the past 12 years.
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