Cleveland On My Mind

Tremont, Cleveland, Ohio

While there are many similarities between Washington DC, where I last lived in the US, and Phnom Penh (big money, big government, bad traffic, lots of police), there isn't much of Cleveland here. Although perhaps the New York Times sees it differently, as it reports on both my adopted home and my hometown with more frequency than their relative clouts might merit. Perhaps both are ideal examples of two very different, but interconnected, global narratives. A recent op-ed underscores the challenges Cleveland faces, as well as some of its zaniness. Perhaps the two cities share that quality as well.

I often tell people that I'm happy to be abroad right now, missing the barrage of political ads and the inevitable fights with friends and family. That being said, it is impossible to overstate how much easier it is to live abroad now, thanks to the internet. While I'm happy to avoid the JAWS-esque super-PAC ads, I am extremely grateful that I can still access the news, contact my family, and check my bank account with relative ease. I can only imagine the headache of trying to keep in contact via Cambodia's postal system.