Back to Sen Menorom and Decidedly Not Bored

     It was time for us to give our best wishes to the bride and groom and the other guests and head into Sen Menorom.  Megan, Becca, and I got dropped off at the same nice hotel we'd stayed in the previous week, and we all took luxurious showers and returned to the Green House, where, again, I was greeted like a long lost relative.  Again, I cannot over-emphasize the generous friendliness of these people.  Thea was there and told me about his worries over his dad being in a motorbike accident and getting quite badly hurt but not seeing a doctor.   Drinks were quickly served, and the computer quickly put to use to get back in touch with home.
     We all decided to take Jemma out for a nice meal, since it was time to say good-bye to her as well, and so we went to the Khmer Kitchen Restaurant, where we had a most eclectic dinner.  I had Khmer burritos (international enough for you?) and we shared lots of laughs.
     I didn't find saying good bye to Jemma laughable though.  I felt like we'd become good friends in a short time.  I had so much respect for her too.  It amazed me that she was confident enough to wade into the Project with an 18-month commitment.  She is doing a graduate degree in something like tourist management and had been a tourist at the Project a couple of times.  She loves it there, so she applied for a grant from her native Australia to do a graduate project there, focusing on the tourist aspect of the Project, and got it.  What a win-win situation that was! 
      After my two weeks at the Project, I simply cannot imagine how Jack ever managed it without Jemma's help.  He clearly had NO free time and more than enough responsibility to wear anybody down.  And Jemma is clearly in her element, cheerful and energetic, warm and friendly, and consistently exemplifying an over-riding concern for the elephants' AND the local people's well-being.
And she was great company--fabulous sense of humor and lots of reliable commonsense.  NOTHING seemed to shake her, not even the prospect of running the place on her own for more than two weeks while Jack and Brigitte went back to Europe.
       If you've been following this blog, you've heard Jemma's 'Stralian voice frequently and seen her often.  Here she is talking about Bob and Onion's travails.  I think you'll see why I will miss her. 

And if you would like to hear more from her, she too is keeping a blog, In the Footsteps of Elephants (jemmabullock.wordpress.com)