What progress has deprived us of!

It is less then 48 hours until I leave Cambodia, and I would be lying if I did not say that I am very excited to get back to the States. I am thrilled to meet the new babies that have entered our circle of friends, and I am delighted to have more than three outfits to select from. The pressure to come back with enough information to write an acceptable thesis paper and the physical heat has made for a rather exasperating visit.

There is one aspect about Cambodia and most of Asia that I wish I could bottle-up and bring back home. It is the interplay of people. As America has become more developed and progressed to an elite nation...more and more people have been able to afford air-conditioning and demand controlled environments. With these changes, the great American front porch and the neighborhood supermarkets are being abandoned for large homes with large backyards that generally are not taken advantage of and large super-centers that allow us to go in and out with little interaction with anyone. I was reminded of this tonight as I rode my bike home from a site visit and watched hundreds of people fill the parks and markets to mingle, dance, play various games (soccer, hacky sack, and netball) and haggle for the best deal. Yes, we clearly are an amazing nation, but with all of our success have we cut out cultural elements that make for a lively and connected community?