Dear friends,

I decided I would make posts here to keep you in the loop in “real time” about my work in Cambodia. I just arrived in Siem Reap a few hours ago. After a more than 24 hour journey, I am, of course, beat. So at the moment I’m just relaxing for a bit and trying to adjust to the new time, new place, new… everything! But I’ve got to break through the jet lag so while I may have a brief nap, I have to make myself stay awake until a reasonable hour. You fellow travelers know what that’s like!

In the meantime, I’ve already connected with one of the monks with whom I am working. I’m heading over to Wat Preah Prom Rath to meet him and to chant with the monks. I did this a couple of times when I was here last year, and it was one of the most meaningful parts of my trip. I’ll let you know how it goes!

Then tomorrow the plan is to visit Cambodian Children’s Destiny, the school many of you helped me support. It’s about an hour ride out of Siem Reap via tuk-tuk. I am excited to go and meet the children.

I have also brought some old laptops that I am donating to the school. I didn’t talk about that as part of my original fundraising campaign because I wasn’t sure how/if the logistics were going to work out. But I did figure it out, and I hauled four laptops all the way from NYC to Siem Reap. These machines will be useful for students, teachers, and monks. I am leaving it to the monks, of course, to decide how best to use them. It’s just a small thing, but it’s one unique way I could help make a difference. You and I take having laptops for granted. People in Cambodia don’t have that luxury.

I’ll do my best to keep you posted about my visit to the school. Thanks for your support for helping make this happen. Having you at my back helps keep me going. Together we can make a difference in the world!

Love,
l.k.

p.s. Follow me at @lukekurtis over on Instagram if you’re not already. I’ve already started posting photo updates there as well as “story” updates, which I will continue to do as I travel