2012

Hellllooo all!

Just realized it's been almost a month since my last post... I have no idea where the time's gone. On that note, happy 2012! I know it is going to be a great year.

Right now I am just enjoying having my Mom visit me in Phnom Penh. She came mid-December and got to see my classroom, spend time at SFODA Orphanage, and see my house and every day life here. It is always incredible to see your life anew, from an outsider's point of view. It has only furthered my feelings of complete awe and confusion as to my life here in Phnom Penh. It's easy to become immune, to see extraordinary things as normal, here, but having a visitor reminds me to appreciate the bizarre aspects of life in Cambodia. I'm reading a great book, "Off The Rails in Phnom Penh," which was written back in 1998, but so far is an accurate portrayal of the normalcy of the abnormal of life in Cambodia.

But, ANYWAY, the Christmas party at Sacrifice Families and Orphan Development Association (SFODA), went amazingly well. We raised enough money to support a fantastic party. All the children had the best time! It was so wonderful to see them all so happy. Mom also brought a whole suitcase of clothing donations from various sources in Long Beach, so those items were also appreciated. SFODA has a facebook page which we are operating, so if you want to see photos from the Christmas party or any of our other events, check out the facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001951694077

Right after the party at SFODA, and numerous celebrations in my classroom, Mom, Shae and I jetted off to Bangkok, Thailand for our Christmas holidays! It was soooo amazing!!! The first thing I did when we landed in the Bangkok airport was, obviously, eat a Subway sandwich. It tasted exactly the same, in case you were wondering. Bangkok is everything Asia but with things like flush toilets, Subway, Starbucks, McDonalds, English speakers, and prices to boot. As much as it is crazy, overcrowded, and has traffic that makes LA traffic seem minor, I really enjoyed my time in Bangkok. I felt inspired to see busy, city people in their fashion and quick step. I really realized how much I miss that fast-paced, excited, inspiring albeit stressful, lifestyle. I also saw how much Phnom Penh, the capital, differs from Bangkok, Thailand's capital. How can two neighbors, of deeply similar cultures, differ so much? Well, I know the reasons, namely the country's respective histories, governments and leaders. But that is a whole other story.

After a Christmas filled with shopping, Tom Yum Kung (a spicy, sour shrimp soup that I ate literally every meal), and a movie (THE MOVIE THEATER IN THE MALL IN BANGKOK IS CINEMA HEAVEN OMG), we headed off to Chang Mai. Wait, let me go back and give the Pargaon Cineplex the praise and devotion it deserves... my goodness it is an entire floor of the mall! It has an IMAX screen! A "Popcorn Bar!" Everything is electronic, even the standees advertising movies! There is a convention center area inside the movie theater, which on Christmas hosted a dog show. And, the most interesting part, before every film, the National Anthem (along with highly-produced video clips) plays to honor the King. It was an experience that makes even a movie at the Arclight in Hollywood seem dull.

Anyway, we were off to Chang Mai in the North of Thailand. It was actually pretty cold and we got to see some other aspects of the culture, including exposure to different ethnic groups, a lot of the same groups who inhabit Laos and Burma as well. We, of course, shopped and ate our way through Chang Mai in the same manner we did in Bangkok! In Chang Mai we booked an elephant trek that took us to this elephant camp that rescues, cares for, and even trains elephants! It was surreal and beautiful. The elephants, many of whom have escaped elephant-work-factories or other mistreatments including drug-addiction, have been trained to perform in a wonderful show! They all smile wildly as they show their fans how they can dance, lie down, play musical instruments, shoot basketballs, kick soccer balls, and, most impressively PAINT! Suda, the elephant artiste, literally understands color and paints by her own free will, without vocal commands from her Thai trainer. She holds the paint brush in her trunk and paints what she feels. One of the volunteers at the camp told us that the other day she worked on a mural for four nights straight without any trainers guiding her. They knew she wasn't finished because she hadn't curtseyed, expecting her applause (she's quite the diva artist), but on the fourth day she finished her mural and curtseyed. It was astonishing and powerful and beautiful--an animal can express something through painting just the way a person can. I have pictures on my facebook of Suda's masterpiece. It was a wonderful day.

The next day we went zip-lining through the forest! It was so scary and fun! The forests are so green and the air was so clean--a far departure from Phnom Penh.... The rest of our time in Chang Mai was devoted to sleeping, resting, shopping, drinking and eating! The trip of a lifetime.

And who could forget a New Year's Eve spent on Koh San Road in Bangkok?! 2011 saw me graduate college after completing a senior thesis honors project. This year also brought me advancement in my writing, including the completion and even production of several plays. I visited Las Vegas multiple times and also went to London and all over Greece. Then, of course, I moved to Cambodia, where I've become a kindergarten teacher, directed a play, visited Laos and Angkor Wat and now Thailand. And I also turned 22. And then watched thousands of people scream and throw streamers in the air as we rolled in 2012. Not a bad year in the least. But, based on my New Year's Eve, and based on the way things went in 2011, 2012 will only be better. Sounds good.