Kampot: comfortably outside the comfort zone

I'm 1.5 weeks into my month stay here in Kampot, Cambodia, where I have come to teach dance as a volunteer to kids in schools. 

This place is amazing. There's resorts, rivers, bars, cafes, yoga, great street food and wonderful people. It's pretty comfortable to be honest, still, it's not Kansas/ Melbourne/ Wellington.

It's rainy season, mosquitos, hot, challenging and the pace is completely different. 

So whilst I can be comfortable, I'm trying to be outside my comfort zone.

Like the other night, where I played guitar and sang at an open mic.....I've been teaching myself guitar for 4 months and it was the first time I played in front of anyone who wasn't my cat or a few friends. Man, I sucked. I wanted to run away, far far away. The last time I had that feeling what when I was teaching a pump class still drunk from the night before (long ago; for that story, you need to come to my show!)

The work I'm doing teaching dancing is same same but very different to anything I've done before. Simply getting the students into groups takes 5 minutes. As cliche as it sounds, it's very rewarding. When they get it, they clap and say thank you and I just want to take them all home. 

The pace and way about doing things has been a test to my patience, I'm not normally someone who is comfortable with disorganisation or breakdown in communication. I'm learning that just like the dogs that run the streets here, there's some things you can't control.

I often talk about bravery and leaning into discomfort- basically trying to get comfortable being outside the comfort zone. The more we do this; the bigger our zones become, and things that seemed scary or things we would never do before we learn to cope with, manage, and perhaps even enjoy. It won't happen though if you don't try. With my sad state of strumming at open mic, I know that next week won't be so bad, and if it is, I'll just tell a knock knock joke which will either be better or worse than my playing depending on the crowd. 

For now, I'm going to focus on what I can control, which is enjoying this pourover coffee and planning the up coming classes.

Jj