Happy almost-Thanksgiving, everyone! I suppose that is the theme of this entry...
It’s been a bit of time since my last update; these things just aren’t coming as easily as they once did. It’s hard to write about what you cannot accurately explain, even to yourself. And that is my life in Cambodia… hard to explain even to myself. The best way I am able to understand it right now is… I love Phnom Penh, somehow. Somehow I am able to love everything about this place. There is just something about this city and I grow to love it more and more each day. Each second, actually. Each day here seems to be better than the last. So I guess I can write about that, but that just seems like some sort of sickening exploration of personal joy, and who the hells wants to read a long blog entry about someone’s happiness?! It’s so much more interesting when things go wrong, isn’t it? Well, as I sit here and write that, I have to realize that nearly EVERYTHING goes wrong all the time here! It’s difficult and hilarious to complete even the simplest tasks, like visiting an ATM or getting a cup of coffee. But the weirdest situations slowly become… normal. Life in Cambodia is just Life now. So that might be why it’s hard to write about it. I am reluctant to simply share my life via my blog when, to me, things are routine here.
That being said, I suppose I can update a little bit on the actual goings on around here. The Water Festival has come and passed. I didn’t catch much of it as I was sick with a nasty cold in bed most of the week, but what I did see was a scaled down version of what was once the second-most exciting time of the year in Cambodia (the first being Khmer New Year in April). Last year at the Water Festival (held every year in November), several hundred people died in a stampede. Add that element in with the highest waters Cambodia has seen in ten years, and the Prime Minister had due cause to cancel the boat races down the Mekong this year. So, because of the cancelation of the races, and because of the tragedy of last year, far less people descended unto Phnom Penh than in normal years.
School is going better, which I suppose is relative given how bad it really was in the beginning. My boss said, point-blank, she was “surprised I hadn’t quit yet,” given I am a new teacher and have the “worst class she’s ever seen in seven years teaching in Cambodia.” The principal of the school refers to my students as the “insane asylum children.” I wish I were making this up. But after a month of absolute hell, my kids are slowly realizing I am NOT someone to be messed with or ignored. They are coming around, beginning to listen in class, and are even… sort of… growing on me. ☺
My work with the theater group the Phnom Penh Players is going well. Our Christmas pantomime family show, which I co-directed, is going up at a local venue in a few weeks. It is weird to be a bit less involved in production, namely, working as solely co-director, not writer, director, producer, promoter, actor, etc, etc, of a work. I can’t complain too much, it is a fun show and I’m looking forward to the week of production. Hopefully I can get my own work up through the Phnom Penh Players later this year. We shall see where this road takes me!
I have mentioned before in this blog that I had been going out at least once a week to an orphanage in the city to volunteer. Well my roommate, Shae, who introduced me to SFODA (Sacrifice Families and Orphan Development Association), has been going out there to volunteer for over a year, and because of her long hours and our collective interest in the organization, the Chief of Child Care offered us last week a voluntary position of the board of directors for the orphanage! We are officially going to be helping the orphans find sponsors to provide medical care (many of the children are HIV positive), school supplies, and adequate food. We will also attend board meetings to make sure we feel SFODA’s (and the children’s) needs are met. I am so honored to be a part of this organization. I am so happy to be actively helping something, someone, a whole group of people! It isn’t often we can ACTUALLY be helping people directly, is it? Or maybe it is, or it should be, I’ve just never experienced it so directly before. The eight-year-old girl I’m closest with, Sabath, officially has a sponsor as of today… ME! She is an angel with the curliest hair I’ve ever seen on an Asian person! I am so humbled and excited to be able to help her on her journey… And, as I said earlier, who knows where this road can take me? I know that I will be involved with SFODA for the rest of my life now. It is a beautiful thing to commit to something like that. I realize I’ve never committed to something for essentially my whole life… WOW….
As I bask in this thought, I’ll sign off with thoughts and wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in America. I’ll be doing it Phnom Penh style. I pray I can find some decent pumpkin pie in this crazy city. I certainly have a great deal to be thankful for. I am thankful every time I dodge a near-moto accident. I am thankful every time I am able to play with the children at SFODA, and, although my students are in a completely different world than the orphans at SFODA, I am, in turn, thankful to spend time with them as well. I am thankful to have graduated from one of the best universities in the world. I am thankful to be American and to be a native English speaker. I am thankful for my family and friends, here and abroad. And I’m so thankful that I get to travel! And to do, right now, exactly, literally, completely what I want to be doing. Without doubt or hesitation.
I’ll be back with more, probably after another stint in Siem Reap for the annual Angkor Marathon. No, don’t worry, I will NOT be running, I’ll be cheering on the sidelines, sitting in the shade, with a cold beer in hand. And I’ll be avoiding the temples and the markets and simply basking in this glorious country I am so fortunate to live in. A few more weeks until Mom joins me! Really, seriously, so many things to be thankful for and to look forward to! Until then… ☺
Monday, November 21, 2011
Friday, November 4, 2011
Siem Reap
Hello everyone!
Latest update will be about my trip to Siem Reap and Angkor Wat. I decided to do this entry in the form of a "Best Of" List. Hope you enjoy!
Best Of: Siem Reap/Angkor Wat Edition.
Best Market: Night Market!!! OMG! The markets there are sooo much nicer than the markets here in Phnom Penh. The aisles are wider, there are fans and ventilation, and the markets are way cleaner. Siem Reap is set up for tourists there in a way Phnom Penh has yet to figure out. The Old Market was fun but I really like the Night Market because it had a cool vibe--like it was a place to hang out or something (unlike the Russian Market here where you want to leave as soon as possible...) Needless to say, serious shopping was had!
Best Sunrise: Angkor Wat, duh! It was amazing. I am continually surprised by my ability to be continually surprised in this country. Things have happened here that make me think, "Well, now NOTHING will surprise me after that." But then, always, things STILL manage to make my jaw drop and take my breath away. Watching the sun peak behind the clouds over the largest religious monument in the entire world was for sure a take-your-breath-away type moment. Even though you go into something like that thinking you know it will be amazing, it is always even better than your mind can possibly imagine.
Best Wat: My favorite was Bantry Srei. It was way off the beaten path, but we made sure to get out to see the "Temple of Women." It is a super small temple that is known for it's detail. The entire wat, which is literally a miniature wat, was covered completely in scenes and stories, figures and gods. I have never seen something so complex and wonderful.
Best Tuk Tuk: Any tuk tuk that wasn't the one we were riding in around the temples! It was literally the smallest tuk tuk I have ever been in, and with four people who are large by Asian standards (read: Western), we were so cramped! Our knees were touching when we were all sitting.
Best Elephant: The one we rode up to the top of a mountain to watch the sunset over all the temples! What a ride! The beast was precariously close to the trail's edge and I was terrified the entire time, but it was sooo fun and surreal to be atop an elephant! One of the things on my list was to ride an elephant--another activity to cross of my list as accomplished! :)
Best Guesthouse: Angkor Friendship Inn was where we stayed and I highly recommend it. It was clean and friendly and even had a pool! It was cheap too for what it offered (breakfast included, internet, swimming pool).
Best Nightlife: Pub Street!!!!! So much fun. It was like Del Playa in IV or something like it... I wish 51 in Phnom Penh was even half of the scene in Siem Reap. But, it's just another excuse to visit I suppose! I was happy to see people dressed up on Pub Street for Halloween. Made me a little homesick for IV Halloween.....
Best Trip: This one of course! It feels amazing to go somewhere that you have only seen in pictures. To imagine what it will be like to go somewhere and then ACTUALLY GO THERE. To live one of your dreams. It's surreal and I feel so blessed to be able to have access to such beauty in the country I live. And to be living here. Things are changing in Angkor Wat; there are signs labeled "Do Not Touch," ropes, and even guard rails on some of the stairs. I can't even imagine how much this country will change in the next 5, 10, 15, 50 years. I am proud to be here on the cusp, in the middle, of change and modernization. I am just so happy to be here, even though America is always in the back of my mind.
Best Ending to a Trip: It was King Sihanouk's 90th birthday the day we got back into the city, and as we ate at one of my favorite restaurants, fireworks went off over the river. What a place to be, Cambodia.
I'll update soon. The Water Festival holiday is coming up, but I plan to stay in the Penh and actually have a holiday where I relax and explore this city a bit more. And the next holiday after that: Bangkok with Mom and Shae! I cannot even wait!!!!!!!
Latest update will be about my trip to Siem Reap and Angkor Wat. I decided to do this entry in the form of a "Best Of" List. Hope you enjoy!
Best Of: Siem Reap/Angkor Wat Edition.
Best Market: Night Market!!! OMG! The markets there are sooo much nicer than the markets here in Phnom Penh. The aisles are wider, there are fans and ventilation, and the markets are way cleaner. Siem Reap is set up for tourists there in a way Phnom Penh has yet to figure out. The Old Market was fun but I really like the Night Market because it had a cool vibe--like it was a place to hang out or something (unlike the Russian Market here where you want to leave as soon as possible...) Needless to say, serious shopping was had!
Best Sunrise: Angkor Wat, duh! It was amazing. I am continually surprised by my ability to be continually surprised in this country. Things have happened here that make me think, "Well, now NOTHING will surprise me after that." But then, always, things STILL manage to make my jaw drop and take my breath away. Watching the sun peak behind the clouds over the largest religious monument in the entire world was for sure a take-your-breath-away type moment. Even though you go into something like that thinking you know it will be amazing, it is always even better than your mind can possibly imagine.
Best Wat: My favorite was Bantry Srei. It was way off the beaten path, but we made sure to get out to see the "Temple of Women." It is a super small temple that is known for it's detail. The entire wat, which is literally a miniature wat, was covered completely in scenes and stories, figures and gods. I have never seen something so complex and wonderful.
Best Tuk Tuk: Any tuk tuk that wasn't the one we were riding in around the temples! It was literally the smallest tuk tuk I have ever been in, and with four people who are large by Asian standards (read: Western), we were so cramped! Our knees were touching when we were all sitting.
Best Elephant: The one we rode up to the top of a mountain to watch the sunset over all the temples! What a ride! The beast was precariously close to the trail's edge and I was terrified the entire time, but it was sooo fun and surreal to be atop an elephant! One of the things on my list was to ride an elephant--another activity to cross of my list as accomplished! :)
Best Guesthouse: Angkor Friendship Inn was where we stayed and I highly recommend it. It was clean and friendly and even had a pool! It was cheap too for what it offered (breakfast included, internet, swimming pool).
Best Nightlife: Pub Street!!!!! So much fun. It was like Del Playa in IV or something like it... I wish 51 in Phnom Penh was even half of the scene in Siem Reap. But, it's just another excuse to visit I suppose! I was happy to see people dressed up on Pub Street for Halloween. Made me a little homesick for IV Halloween.....
Best Trip: This one of course! It feels amazing to go somewhere that you have only seen in pictures. To imagine what it will be like to go somewhere and then ACTUALLY GO THERE. To live one of your dreams. It's surreal and I feel so blessed to be able to have access to such beauty in the country I live. And to be living here. Things are changing in Angkor Wat; there are signs labeled "Do Not Touch," ropes, and even guard rails on some of the stairs. I can't even imagine how much this country will change in the next 5, 10, 15, 50 years. I am proud to be here on the cusp, in the middle, of change and modernization. I am just so happy to be here, even though America is always in the back of my mind.
Best Ending to a Trip: It was King Sihanouk's 90th birthday the day we got back into the city, and as we ate at one of my favorite restaurants, fireworks went off over the river. What a place to be, Cambodia.
I'll update soon. The Water Festival holiday is coming up, but I plan to stay in the Penh and actually have a holiday where I relax and explore this city a bit more. And the next holiday after that: Bangkok with Mom and Shae! I cannot even wait!!!!!!!
Saturday, October 15, 2011
On the road again... or more like, down the street.
Hey all! So to give a quick update....
This week I am moving apartments! I really like the apartment I live in now, but the rent is pretty high and the location isn't very good. I live too far away from my work and every place I go to. It's the kind of thing you wouldn't know when you're apartment hunting, but after two months living here (OMG I just realized it's been 2 months from yesterday!!!), I know I'm not happy with the location I'm living. So I will be paying less than half the rent I am now and moving in with my good friend from work! It is a real house and not an apartment so that will be a nice change. I'm so happy and relieved to be saving money on rent and moto rides to school.
The most amazing thing about this whole experience, aside from the final result of moving into a better place, is just how easy this is all turning out to be. I just broke my lease, and the family who owns my apartment complex didn't even say anything. I mean, I'll lose my security deposit, but still you think they would have at least forced me to uphold the month advance notice to move out. But, nope, she didn't even blink an eye! I've never had so little hassles with a landlord in my life! Plus, the people I'm going to be living with have already been so chill and welcoming.
I think the biggest shock of this whole experiences' ease has been my own internal thoughts. I'm already packing and it seems incredibly easy to just pack up and move everything I own. Completely the opposite of the stress I felt packing to move here two months ago. Somehow it seems as though I have less stuff now than what I came with, but I know that can't be possible! It's just a mental thing, I think. I can already see how much I've changed and relaxed. I decided to move on Saturday, began packing Sunday and told my landlord the same day. I'll be sleeping in my new place by Thursday. The person I was even a few months ago would have been an anxious mess at all this sudden and drastic change. But the vibe of this country--extremely mellow, relaxed, "no problem"--is rubbing off on me more than I thought. It's a really new and really amazing feeling for me.
Anyway, off to pack some more. Will update more soon! :)
This week I am moving apartments! I really like the apartment I live in now, but the rent is pretty high and the location isn't very good. I live too far away from my work and every place I go to. It's the kind of thing you wouldn't know when you're apartment hunting, but after two months living here (OMG I just realized it's been 2 months from yesterday!!!), I know I'm not happy with the location I'm living. So I will be paying less than half the rent I am now and moving in with my good friend from work! It is a real house and not an apartment so that will be a nice change. I'm so happy and relieved to be saving money on rent and moto rides to school.
The most amazing thing about this whole experience, aside from the final result of moving into a better place, is just how easy this is all turning out to be. I just broke my lease, and the family who owns my apartment complex didn't even say anything. I mean, I'll lose my security deposit, but still you think they would have at least forced me to uphold the month advance notice to move out. But, nope, she didn't even blink an eye! I've never had so little hassles with a landlord in my life! Plus, the people I'm going to be living with have already been so chill and welcoming.
I think the biggest shock of this whole experiences' ease has been my own internal thoughts. I'm already packing and it seems incredibly easy to just pack up and move everything I own. Completely the opposite of the stress I felt packing to move here two months ago. Somehow it seems as though I have less stuff now than what I came with, but I know that can't be possible! It's just a mental thing, I think. I can already see how much I've changed and relaxed. I decided to move on Saturday, began packing Sunday and told my landlord the same day. I'll be sleeping in my new place by Thursday. The person I was even a few months ago would have been an anxious mess at all this sudden and drastic change. But the vibe of this country--extremely mellow, relaxed, "no problem"--is rubbing off on me more than I thought. It's a really new and really amazing feeling for me.
Anyway, off to pack some more. Will update more soon! :)
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Laos Adventuring!
Hello everyone! Long time no see! Well, I'm pretty sure it's only been about a week, but it really feels like so much longer. A week in Laos kind of makes time stand still. I forgot what day it was, never knew the time, barely made it to any planned destinations... but in the best way because Laos was so relaxing and absorbing. I went with my friend from work and her two friends from back in Australia. I'm still a little bummed I wasn't able to make it Siem Reap due to massive flooding, but I'm so thankful I made the choice to go to Laos. All in the pursuit of crossing destinations off of my bucket list! Officially have been to Don Det/4000 Islands, Vientiane, and Vang Vieng. And who knows where else on the way. There are so many more places I have to see in Laos. I'm hooked!
Let me break it down since, as I think I sort of explained, time just ran together on this trip!
Day 1: Spent traveling by bus from Phnom Penh, Cambodia to Don Det, Laos. It was a 12-hour bus ride made 14+ due to the heavy rain and lack of roads. There were so many times the bus just had to stop to find a route around the mud, puddles, cows, and mud. It was sort of the bus ride from hell... although, in retrospect, it wasn't the worst bus ride to come! Eventually, we made it to some sort of city in Southern Laos and got off the bus. Then we took a mini-van and then a ferry to Don Det, which is an island among the 4000 Islands of Laos. Oh, I didn't mention stopping at the border between Cambodia and Laos. It was a sort of shack and we were in pitch black. It took about an hour but I guess, for a border crossing, passed without much incident. I only mention it because I still don't understand why the Australians I was with had to pay $40 for their Laos visas and I, as well as the other Americans on the bus, had to pay $41!!! It shouldn't surprise me, really. I shouldn't even use that word anymore because nothing should ever surprise me, living in Asia.
Day 2: Finally in Don Det, we rented bicycles and decided it would be such fun to bike around the island and to the next island to see some sort of waterfall and some sort of dolphin beach. Well, I guess it WAS fun, but it was mostly just muddy. The roads (why do they bother calling them roads?! They are NOT roads, they are dirt piles that are sort of smoothed out!) were pretty muddy and getting a really crappy, rusty rented bike through super deep puddles was quite the task. My chain kept popping off even when we were on relatively solid ground! It was ridiculous! We did make it to the waterfall and it was beautiful. Well, it wasn't really a waterfall because the river was so high. It was more like a rapid river. But beautiful and "danger-rious" (as the signs read) all the same. After that excursion we laid around a nice restaurant, got massages, and relaxed. It is so absolutely wonderful to do nothing for hours on end! It would take me a long time to get sick of it.
Day 3: This was the day of all days. We hit the road (or more like hitched a ferry, then the road) to Pakse, a city a bit farther north. After about 4 hours of a drive, we made it there and spent the day in the markets. Then we joyous embarked on a VIP sleeper bus to Vientiane. The bus was confusing at first. We kept walking farther and farther back wondering when we would see our double beds. We could only see single beds. When we reached the back of the bus, we realized the beds we had been passing were, in fact, "double" "VIP" beds. I think I could just barely lay flat on my back without my arm hanging off the side of the bed for lack of space. Which I could have dealt with for one night. Except that the "double" "VIP" beds were for two people. So Shae and I climbed the "ladder" and got into our "bed" for arguably the worst night of my life. I couldn't lie on my side because we were on the second level and there was no railing, so every bump (do I need to mention this was the bumpiest ride I've ever been on?) I almost fell off and down from the top bunk. It was almost funny.
Day 4: When we woke up from our "night of sleep," we were in Vientiane, the capital of Laos, located in the northern part of the country. We quickly boarded into a car to be driven to Vang Vieng, which was our final destination. So approximately 28 hours from the time we left Don Det, we were in Vang Vieng! We met some really cool people along the way and ended up staying in a lovely guesthouse with them. We hit the town, which is a big backpacker stub in Southeast Asia. It was so weird seeing so many white people! It was so amazing to eat a hamburger that tasted almost Western! It was so confusing that despite the tourist draw, hardly any Lao people in said tourist industry in the town spoke English!
Day 5: Today was the big day to go tubing. Look up tubing in Laos on youtube for videos that give you the idea. It was sort of like Floatopia but even crazier! We rented tubes, hopped on the Mekong and floated from bar to bar all day. It was so much fun meeting all these interesting backpackers, drinking from ridiculously large buckets, and soaring through the air on swings and slides. Every time I found myself climbing a platform to get to a jumping point, destined for the rocky and dirty Mekong waters strong with the wet season's current, I thought to myself, why are you doing this? One wrong move and you could be destined for the jagged rocks! But I had to jump, of course! Needless to say I am bruised and scratched like I've never been before from exclusively awkward landings. Thank goodness for the men at each bar that stand at the water's edge with intertubes tied to ropes to pull in us crazy people who plunge into the rapid waters! A couple of times I missed the bar I was aiming for and the current pulled me down all the way to the next bar! I wish I had more pictures from tubing, but I wasn't about to bring my camera since I was soaking wet and muddy all day. You buy this little bags to keep your belongings dry in the water, but since you're in Laos you can't be surprised when they don't work at all and your Kip is soaked. I think tubing would illegal in anywhere but Asia (you know, in places with laws!), but I also think it was one of the most fun and crazy things I've ever done! I loved meeting other backpackers since, as an expat, I usually stick with other expats. I am definitely not a backpacker, but it was fun to live like them for a few days. I also ran into someone that I knew from Semester at Sea! He was on my voyage and recognized me! I love that I haven't seen someone in over 2 years and I can run into them in Vang Vieng, Laos. The world is a pretty cool place.
Day 6: Another day of tubing, although a little less insane since we drank a few less buckets and sort of knew the lay of the land. This time I tried to jump off as many swings and slides as I could! This one really long tile water slide about destroyed my body and that's when I called it a day. Tubing and being out in the sun all day just wears you down. I haven't been this physically drained, even now, days later, in forever.
Day 7: We decided to sign up for a tour and went kayaking. I realized as I was handed the paddle that I, in fact, had never been kayaking before, and began to freak out when I saw the current speed and the rapids of the river I was supposed to plunge in to. Luckily, Shae had experience and steered our kayak to safety (most of the time) in between rapids. We went tubing through a cave and also hiked to a cave where there were Buddhist statues. It was a really famous cave (called Elephant Cave) because it is a site of religious significance. In the cave there is a natural rock that really resembles an elephant. The whole area is called the Elephant Village and one finds elephants on nearly every imaginable object. It was cool to see, although by this point in the tour, we were all so tired from kayaking, paddling a tube through a pitch black cave, and hiking to said Elephant cave. After the cave, we kayaked to one of the tubing bars, had a beer and rest, and kayaked for what seemed like years to the stopping point of the trip. Kayaking in the pouring rain? I don't recommend it. But, I can now say I am a fully experienced kayak-er, right? That night we had a blast in the little town on our last night in Vang Vieng.
Day 8: The next morning we left in a van, back to Vientiane where we would fly home to Phnom Penh. No more buses for us! I had been looking forward to exploring Vientiane for a night, but when we got there it was not only deserted, but somehow completely full. It was a while before we found a guest house with vacancies, and when we did we paid more for the night then we had for all our accommodation COMBINED for the entirety of the trip! It was the most expensive city (waaaay more expensive than Phnom Penh), but for what reason I'm not sure since as I said it seemed completely deserted. Things sort of picked up after a pedicure and a trip to the night market. But the people weren't interested in bargaining and seemed annoyed at yet another Westerner's presence. It's confusing as to why this place draws so many tourists when, to me, it was like a smaller, less interesting, more expensive version of Phnom Penh. Maybe other travelers like that it is less developed than our cities in Cambodia, but, personally, if I'm going less developed, less English, please give me lower prices! I think I'll have to do more research to figure out the place. It was truly beautiful, though, and was more French than Cambodia. The baguettes were to die for! But overall I just found it puzzling....
Day 9: Which is today. Wow. Weird! Today we flew home on a lovely Vietnam Airways flight. I highly recommend them, it was one of the most pleasant flights I've ever had! It feels so good to be back home in Phnom Penh and in my apartment. I think I was at a turning point, going on two months living here, and I was hitting a slump. But the second I entered Laos, I missed Cambodia. I really love it here. I love being an expat and hated being a tourist. I love Khmer food! And Khmer people! And my apartment and my space! It isn't until you leave a place and come back that you can know what it means to you. And a place isn't home until it's home in your mind. When I was in Laos, I kept thinking, "I can't wait to get home." So, I guess I can officially call this home now. I loved Laos and want to go back and explore more cities, but I appreciate Cambodia and it's technologies, roads, infrastructures, food and people all the more for visiting it's neighbor.
Pictures from the trip are on facebook! There aren't many since I was in the water most of the time, but the ones I did take I am pretty proud of. It really is a beautiful part of the world, where I live. :)
Let me break it down since, as I think I sort of explained, time just ran together on this trip!
Day 1: Spent traveling by bus from Phnom Penh, Cambodia to Don Det, Laos. It was a 12-hour bus ride made 14+ due to the heavy rain and lack of roads. There were so many times the bus just had to stop to find a route around the mud, puddles, cows, and mud. It was sort of the bus ride from hell... although, in retrospect, it wasn't the worst bus ride to come! Eventually, we made it to some sort of city in Southern Laos and got off the bus. Then we took a mini-van and then a ferry to Don Det, which is an island among the 4000 Islands of Laos. Oh, I didn't mention stopping at the border between Cambodia and Laos. It was a sort of shack and we were in pitch black. It took about an hour but I guess, for a border crossing, passed without much incident. I only mention it because I still don't understand why the Australians I was with had to pay $40 for their Laos visas and I, as well as the other Americans on the bus, had to pay $41!!! It shouldn't surprise me, really. I shouldn't even use that word anymore because nothing should ever surprise me, living in Asia.
Day 2: Finally in Don Det, we rented bicycles and decided it would be such fun to bike around the island and to the next island to see some sort of waterfall and some sort of dolphin beach. Well, I guess it WAS fun, but it was mostly just muddy. The roads (why do they bother calling them roads?! They are NOT roads, they are dirt piles that are sort of smoothed out!) were pretty muddy and getting a really crappy, rusty rented bike through super deep puddles was quite the task. My chain kept popping off even when we were on relatively solid ground! It was ridiculous! We did make it to the waterfall and it was beautiful. Well, it wasn't really a waterfall because the river was so high. It was more like a rapid river. But beautiful and "danger-rious" (as the signs read) all the same. After that excursion we laid around a nice restaurant, got massages, and relaxed. It is so absolutely wonderful to do nothing for hours on end! It would take me a long time to get sick of it.
Day 3: This was the day of all days. We hit the road (or more like hitched a ferry, then the road) to Pakse, a city a bit farther north. After about 4 hours of a drive, we made it there and spent the day in the markets. Then we joyous embarked on a VIP sleeper bus to Vientiane. The bus was confusing at first. We kept walking farther and farther back wondering when we would see our double beds. We could only see single beds. When we reached the back of the bus, we realized the beds we had been passing were, in fact, "double" "VIP" beds. I think I could just barely lay flat on my back without my arm hanging off the side of the bed for lack of space. Which I could have dealt with for one night. Except that the "double" "VIP" beds were for two people. So Shae and I climbed the "ladder" and got into our "bed" for arguably the worst night of my life. I couldn't lie on my side because we were on the second level and there was no railing, so every bump (do I need to mention this was the bumpiest ride I've ever been on?) I almost fell off and down from the top bunk. It was almost funny.
Day 4: When we woke up from our "night of sleep," we were in Vientiane, the capital of Laos, located in the northern part of the country. We quickly boarded into a car to be driven to Vang Vieng, which was our final destination. So approximately 28 hours from the time we left Don Det, we were in Vang Vieng! We met some really cool people along the way and ended up staying in a lovely guesthouse with them. We hit the town, which is a big backpacker stub in Southeast Asia. It was so weird seeing so many white people! It was so amazing to eat a hamburger that tasted almost Western! It was so confusing that despite the tourist draw, hardly any Lao people in said tourist industry in the town spoke English!
Day 5: Today was the big day to go tubing. Look up tubing in Laos on youtube for videos that give you the idea. It was sort of like Floatopia but even crazier! We rented tubes, hopped on the Mekong and floated from bar to bar all day. It was so much fun meeting all these interesting backpackers, drinking from ridiculously large buckets, and soaring through the air on swings and slides. Every time I found myself climbing a platform to get to a jumping point, destined for the rocky and dirty Mekong waters strong with the wet season's current, I thought to myself, why are you doing this? One wrong move and you could be destined for the jagged rocks! But I had to jump, of course! Needless to say I am bruised and scratched like I've never been before from exclusively awkward landings. Thank goodness for the men at each bar that stand at the water's edge with intertubes tied to ropes to pull in us crazy people who plunge into the rapid waters! A couple of times I missed the bar I was aiming for and the current pulled me down all the way to the next bar! I wish I had more pictures from tubing, but I wasn't about to bring my camera since I was soaking wet and muddy all day. You buy this little bags to keep your belongings dry in the water, but since you're in Laos you can't be surprised when they don't work at all and your Kip is soaked. I think tubing would illegal in anywhere but Asia (you know, in places with laws!), but I also think it was one of the most fun and crazy things I've ever done! I loved meeting other backpackers since, as an expat, I usually stick with other expats. I am definitely not a backpacker, but it was fun to live like them for a few days. I also ran into someone that I knew from Semester at Sea! He was on my voyage and recognized me! I love that I haven't seen someone in over 2 years and I can run into them in Vang Vieng, Laos. The world is a pretty cool place.
Day 6: Another day of tubing, although a little less insane since we drank a few less buckets and sort of knew the lay of the land. This time I tried to jump off as many swings and slides as I could! This one really long tile water slide about destroyed my body and that's when I called it a day. Tubing and being out in the sun all day just wears you down. I haven't been this physically drained, even now, days later, in forever.
Day 7: We decided to sign up for a tour and went kayaking. I realized as I was handed the paddle that I, in fact, had never been kayaking before, and began to freak out when I saw the current speed and the rapids of the river I was supposed to plunge in to. Luckily, Shae had experience and steered our kayak to safety (most of the time) in between rapids. We went tubing through a cave and also hiked to a cave where there were Buddhist statues. It was a really famous cave (called Elephant Cave) because it is a site of religious significance. In the cave there is a natural rock that really resembles an elephant. The whole area is called the Elephant Village and one finds elephants on nearly every imaginable object. It was cool to see, although by this point in the tour, we were all so tired from kayaking, paddling a tube through a pitch black cave, and hiking to said Elephant cave. After the cave, we kayaked to one of the tubing bars, had a beer and rest, and kayaked for what seemed like years to the stopping point of the trip. Kayaking in the pouring rain? I don't recommend it. But, I can now say I am a fully experienced kayak-er, right? That night we had a blast in the little town on our last night in Vang Vieng.
Day 8: The next morning we left in a van, back to Vientiane where we would fly home to Phnom Penh. No more buses for us! I had been looking forward to exploring Vientiane for a night, but when we got there it was not only deserted, but somehow completely full. It was a while before we found a guest house with vacancies, and when we did we paid more for the night then we had for all our accommodation COMBINED for the entirety of the trip! It was the most expensive city (waaaay more expensive than Phnom Penh), but for what reason I'm not sure since as I said it seemed completely deserted. Things sort of picked up after a pedicure and a trip to the night market. But the people weren't interested in bargaining and seemed annoyed at yet another Westerner's presence. It's confusing as to why this place draws so many tourists when, to me, it was like a smaller, less interesting, more expensive version of Phnom Penh. Maybe other travelers like that it is less developed than our cities in Cambodia, but, personally, if I'm going less developed, less English, please give me lower prices! I think I'll have to do more research to figure out the place. It was truly beautiful, though, and was more French than Cambodia. The baguettes were to die for! But overall I just found it puzzling....
Day 9: Which is today. Wow. Weird! Today we flew home on a lovely Vietnam Airways flight. I highly recommend them, it was one of the most pleasant flights I've ever had! It feels so good to be back home in Phnom Penh and in my apartment. I think I was at a turning point, going on two months living here, and I was hitting a slump. But the second I entered Laos, I missed Cambodia. I really love it here. I love being an expat and hated being a tourist. I love Khmer food! And Khmer people! And my apartment and my space! It isn't until you leave a place and come back that you can know what it means to you. And a place isn't home until it's home in your mind. When I was in Laos, I kept thinking, "I can't wait to get home." So, I guess I can officially call this home now. I loved Laos and want to go back and explore more cities, but I appreciate Cambodia and it's technologies, roads, infrastructures, food and people all the more for visiting it's neighbor.
Pictures from the trip are on facebook! There aren't many since I was in the water most of the time, but the ones I did take I am pretty proud of. It really is a beautiful part of the world, where I live. :)
Friday, September 23, 2011
Holiday!
So, off on holiday now thank goodness! I was supposed to go to Siem Reap to visit Angkor Wat, but because of intense rain storms, the roads are flooded and my trip was canceled! After being devastated for a few hours, I decided to hitch on to my co-worker's trip to Laos. So, only a day later, I find myself having just packed for a backpacking trip through Laos (4000 Islands and Vientiane, etc.)!!!! I'll have limited internet during the trip, so check back in a week or so for a grand tale of my adventures in beautiful Laos! :)
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Attempted Insights
So Blogger just told me that my page has 605 views which kind of made my day! 605 times someone has come here to read what I wrote... wow. It is encouraging because I haven't really wanted to sit down and write even though I need to. I want to update and I need to write down everything that's happening.
Anyway... I'll start somewhere...Well, it's officially been over a month living here. Which is so surreal to me because I feel like it's been SOOOO much longer than one month. It's good to remind myself that I've only been here a month so I can't expect to be completely set up yet! It just feels like so much longer. It's hard to picture the life I had for my previous 21 years. When I think of a memory or event from the past, even the recent past, it seems like a dream. To be in America seems like a dream. I suppose in a way it is, because, now, Cambodia is reality. As I live and work through the "honeymoon" phase, I'm slowly learning where things are and how I will need to budget myself. It's way easier than I thought it would be to spend a lot of money here. The little things add up quickly and everything's so cheap you end up living extravagantly because you can! Massages, getting my nails and hair done, it's all wonderful but I'm going to have to slow down if I want to be saving money while I'm here. I have to remind myself, you don't need all this, you live here, it's NOT a vacation! It's real life! Eventually I won't need to remind myself, but right now I still do.
Let's see. I can talk about work. It's weird to blog about daily life. Not like blogging about an exciting vacation. I want to think of witty and interesting things to put in my entries, but mostly it's just life. Well, actually, I probably COULD blog about everything here, because "life" is not at all simple or uneventful here. EVER. Just completing simple tasks is always a challenge. For example, laundry. My power and/or water seems to go out every Sunday (and only on Sundays), right when I always do laundry. Buying a water bottle is a challenging task sometimes, too. UGH I don't even want to go into the little irritations of daily life somewhere outside America. We really have it lucky. God, I miss Starbucks. Well, yeah, so just going to work can be quite the adventure. My tuk-tuk driver is awesome and speaks great English, but, because of that, he is really busy. Sometimes he sends his friends in his place to pick me up. I find this incredibly annoying and have to call him and get firm with him. We'll see how he does this week. Last week we got into a heated argument! All the guards at my school laughed at me and told me I should get a new driver. But I really like this guy I have for some reason. He's so flaky but he just makes me feel really safe. So, I guess I'll keep him. For now.
Anyway, I guess talking about driving to school can lead me to talking about school. I can't believe I've only worked 2 full weeks in my classroom with my students. It seems like time is moving at the most glacial of paces! I am more tired than I've ever been just trying to keep up with my crazy five year olds! SOME of them are really sweet. There's a few that haven't quite grown on me yet, or, rather, they haven't shown me their sweet sides AT ALL. But most of them are really great. They are affectionate and react so powerfully to positive reinforcement. I really tried to give them a lot of freedom in the first week or so, but they are a rambunctious group to say the least so I've had to really enforce some strict rules with them. My training at the children's center in Santa Barbara would probably not approve, but I can't have them screaming all day and biting each other, can I?! Well the new, stricter rules have had an amazing effect. These kids are going to be whipped into shape when I'm done with 'em! They really respond to clear cut rules with consequences. And they are so happy when they do well because I really tell them how proud I am of them. Positive reinforcement is potentially new to many of the kids as this is a culture where the kids will surely be punished for doing wrong, but won't always be praised for doing well. I give them a lot of love and they really return it! My favorite little story so far is of Pangnavorn, a naughty boy who just needed me to sit with him and ask him, does he want to be a good boy or a bad boy? He said he wanted to be a good boy. I told him, then show me how you can be a good boy today. He went from night to day! Now he draws hearts with my name in them in his journal! He told me he wants to be a police officer and insists I call him "Officer Pangavorn!" He melts my heart! So even though I have some really, really bad hours during the work day, if I have one little moment where they are sweet to me, it usually makes it all better. I just hope I can really help these guys! I think I can... :)
Anyway, that's a super glossed over, positive reenactment of my work life. In terms of free time, I'm usually soooo tired, but I force myself to go out and meet friends and see new places in the city! I am so blessed to be making good friends quickly here. I love the night life here, even though it is still really new to me. It is an uncomfortable reality to see "sex-pats" and prostitutes out and about at night. It's so weird to just be sitting with your friends and see things like that, but it's something that I notice less and less. I don't know if it's good that I notice it less. But I have to accept what's happening here at all levels, even if I don't really like it all. If I tried to fight everything--the limbless beggars, the children selling bracelets, the students at my school that drive up in Mercedes, the prostitutes, everything--well, I'd be fighting my whole time here. And I'm not here to fight the culture or the way things are. I'm here to help, to work, to enjoy myself, and to witness this country's growth and rebuilding. Hmmm... okay I guess I am getting some insights out of this blog entry! And I'd been fighting trying to write it! I guess I listen to myself, you can't fight it in Cambodia, whatever "it" is!
In a last bit of potentially exciting news, I'm planning on working with the expat theater troupe the Phnom Penh Players! I went to their first meeting and will be helping with the group's Christmas Panto show. The goal is to help and work with the group, figure things out, and hopefully produce my own plays within the group in the next year or so. The group is wonderful because all their shows' proceeds always go to a Cambodian Arts fund of some sort. So hopefully I can not only officially call myself an "international playwright," but I can also help raise money for the arts! It doesn't get better than that, does it?! I'll keep you all posted on that business as it arrives!
It's another lazy Sunday in these parts. I've lived through another birthday. My twenties are looking pretty cool... turned 20 in Morocco. Turned 21 in Santa Barbara (with a trip to Las Vegas two days later!). Turned 22 in Phnom Penh. My official goal for this decade: be somewhere amazing every birthday in my twenties. Who knows where I'll be on my 23rd birthday?!
Anyway... I'll start somewhere...Well, it's officially been over a month living here. Which is so surreal to me because I feel like it's been SOOOO much longer than one month. It's good to remind myself that I've only been here a month so I can't expect to be completely set up yet! It just feels like so much longer. It's hard to picture the life I had for my previous 21 years. When I think of a memory or event from the past, even the recent past, it seems like a dream. To be in America seems like a dream. I suppose in a way it is, because, now, Cambodia is reality. As I live and work through the "honeymoon" phase, I'm slowly learning where things are and how I will need to budget myself. It's way easier than I thought it would be to spend a lot of money here. The little things add up quickly and everything's so cheap you end up living extravagantly because you can! Massages, getting my nails and hair done, it's all wonderful but I'm going to have to slow down if I want to be saving money while I'm here. I have to remind myself, you don't need all this, you live here, it's NOT a vacation! It's real life! Eventually I won't need to remind myself, but right now I still do.
Let's see. I can talk about work. It's weird to blog about daily life. Not like blogging about an exciting vacation. I want to think of witty and interesting things to put in my entries, but mostly it's just life. Well, actually, I probably COULD blog about everything here, because "life" is not at all simple or uneventful here. EVER. Just completing simple tasks is always a challenge. For example, laundry. My power and/or water seems to go out every Sunday (and only on Sundays), right when I always do laundry. Buying a water bottle is a challenging task sometimes, too. UGH I don't even want to go into the little irritations of daily life somewhere outside America. We really have it lucky. God, I miss Starbucks. Well, yeah, so just going to work can be quite the adventure. My tuk-tuk driver is awesome and speaks great English, but, because of that, he is really busy. Sometimes he sends his friends in his place to pick me up. I find this incredibly annoying and have to call him and get firm with him. We'll see how he does this week. Last week we got into a heated argument! All the guards at my school laughed at me and told me I should get a new driver. But I really like this guy I have for some reason. He's so flaky but he just makes me feel really safe. So, I guess I'll keep him. For now.
Anyway, I guess talking about driving to school can lead me to talking about school. I can't believe I've only worked 2 full weeks in my classroom with my students. It seems like time is moving at the most glacial of paces! I am more tired than I've ever been just trying to keep up with my crazy five year olds! SOME of them are really sweet. There's a few that haven't quite grown on me yet, or, rather, they haven't shown me their sweet sides AT ALL. But most of them are really great. They are affectionate and react so powerfully to positive reinforcement. I really tried to give them a lot of freedom in the first week or so, but they are a rambunctious group to say the least so I've had to really enforce some strict rules with them. My training at the children's center in Santa Barbara would probably not approve, but I can't have them screaming all day and biting each other, can I?! Well the new, stricter rules have had an amazing effect. These kids are going to be whipped into shape when I'm done with 'em! They really respond to clear cut rules with consequences. And they are so happy when they do well because I really tell them how proud I am of them. Positive reinforcement is potentially new to many of the kids as this is a culture where the kids will surely be punished for doing wrong, but won't always be praised for doing well. I give them a lot of love and they really return it! My favorite little story so far is of Pangnavorn, a naughty boy who just needed me to sit with him and ask him, does he want to be a good boy or a bad boy? He said he wanted to be a good boy. I told him, then show me how you can be a good boy today. He went from night to day! Now he draws hearts with my name in them in his journal! He told me he wants to be a police officer and insists I call him "Officer Pangavorn!" He melts my heart! So even though I have some really, really bad hours during the work day, if I have one little moment where they are sweet to me, it usually makes it all better. I just hope I can really help these guys! I think I can... :)
Anyway, that's a super glossed over, positive reenactment of my work life. In terms of free time, I'm usually soooo tired, but I force myself to go out and meet friends and see new places in the city! I am so blessed to be making good friends quickly here. I love the night life here, even though it is still really new to me. It is an uncomfortable reality to see "sex-pats" and prostitutes out and about at night. It's so weird to just be sitting with your friends and see things like that, but it's something that I notice less and less. I don't know if it's good that I notice it less. But I have to accept what's happening here at all levels, even if I don't really like it all. If I tried to fight everything--the limbless beggars, the children selling bracelets, the students at my school that drive up in Mercedes, the prostitutes, everything--well, I'd be fighting my whole time here. And I'm not here to fight the culture or the way things are. I'm here to help, to work, to enjoy myself, and to witness this country's growth and rebuilding. Hmmm... okay I guess I am getting some insights out of this blog entry! And I'd been fighting trying to write it! I guess I listen to myself, you can't fight it in Cambodia, whatever "it" is!
In a last bit of potentially exciting news, I'm planning on working with the expat theater troupe the Phnom Penh Players! I went to their first meeting and will be helping with the group's Christmas Panto show. The goal is to help and work with the group, figure things out, and hopefully produce my own plays within the group in the next year or so. The group is wonderful because all their shows' proceeds always go to a Cambodian Arts fund of some sort. So hopefully I can not only officially call myself an "international playwright," but I can also help raise money for the arts! It doesn't get better than that, does it?! I'll keep you all posted on that business as it arrives!
It's another lazy Sunday in these parts. I've lived through another birthday. My twenties are looking pretty cool... turned 20 in Morocco. Turned 21 in Santa Barbara (with a trip to Las Vegas two days later!). Turned 22 in Phnom Penh. My official goal for this decade: be somewhere amazing every birthday in my twenties. Who knows where I'll be on my 23rd birthday?!
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Teeeeeacherrrr
Hello everyone! Greetings from the happiest, most relaxing place on earth, Cambodia! Well, sometimes Phnom Penh isn't so relaxing, but I'm relaxed and so is everyone else. I think it's impossible to be truly unhappy here!
Anyway, I'm officially a kindergarten teacher now! The first days of school and over and now it's time to get moving with lessons, songs, games and all that "fun" stuff! My kids are very... "sweet" haha! I have 24 kids, most of them Khmer and mostly boys. Some of the boys are troublemakers but they are all so cute and sweet in their own ways! It's always funny for them to hear me try to say their Khmer names but I'm slowly remembering how to pronounce them correctly. It's never how you'd think it would sound. So I just have to listen to "Teeeeacherrr, that's not how you say my name!" I'm looking forward to seeing them slowly grasp reading this year! That being said, it sure feels like it's going to be a looong year. I don't know yet if it's in a good way or a bad way!
This weekend was the first chance I've really had to sleep in and it's been marvelous. I finally feel like I'm over the jetlag and myself again! That being said it's killer to wake up so early for school. I haven't done that since high school, really and it's a brutal battle every morning. But, with a little coffee, I'm ready for the screaming and running and jumping at 7:45am.
I'm still trying to figure out the best tuk-tuk driver to take me to and from work each day. I thought I had someone I really liked, but he is kind of flaky so we'll see where it goes. I miss biking every where in Santa Barbara! (Although many people ride bicycles here, I'm not super interested in A) Working up a sweat before I get to work and B) Being hit by speeding SUVs on these crazy, law-less streets!) I do sometimes wish I lived a little closer to work, though, so that I could walk. That being said, it's always a great feeling to be riding in a tuk-tuk, the wind blowing dirt all over you, the blaring BEEPS from honking passerbys. It really is wonderful although it sounds like a sarcastic remark!
I love meeting so many new people everyday. I also really like all the people I work with. The teaching assistants and guards in front of the school are really nice, and all the other teachers at my building are super friendly! Oh, and speaking of guards, my apartment building has a guard in front which is really nice of course, but it's so funny because he has taken it upon himself to be super protective of me! He does not speak much English but he glares at anyone I'm with as if to say "Don't mess with her!" He also seems to get frustrated and worried if I come home too late! He gives me a look like, "Where have you been?!" He also often walks me across the street (I live on a busy street) even though I have become pretty adept at crossing. It's really sweet how much he seems to take his job seriously! I feel safer coming home though, so it's very nice.
Anyway, I'm just enjoying a lazy Sunday now and going to spend some time researching more games and songs to play with the kids. They just stare up at you waiting for you to entertain them, so I better be prepared!
Until next time! :)
Anyway, I'm officially a kindergarten teacher now! The first days of school and over and now it's time to get moving with lessons, songs, games and all that "fun" stuff! My kids are very... "sweet" haha! I have 24 kids, most of them Khmer and mostly boys. Some of the boys are troublemakers but they are all so cute and sweet in their own ways! It's always funny for them to hear me try to say their Khmer names but I'm slowly remembering how to pronounce them correctly. It's never how you'd think it would sound. So I just have to listen to "Teeeeacherrr, that's not how you say my name!" I'm looking forward to seeing them slowly grasp reading this year! That being said, it sure feels like it's going to be a looong year. I don't know yet if it's in a good way or a bad way!
This weekend was the first chance I've really had to sleep in and it's been marvelous. I finally feel like I'm over the jetlag and myself again! That being said it's killer to wake up so early for school. I haven't done that since high school, really and it's a brutal battle every morning. But, with a little coffee, I'm ready for the screaming and running and jumping at 7:45am.
I'm still trying to figure out the best tuk-tuk driver to take me to and from work each day. I thought I had someone I really liked, but he is kind of flaky so we'll see where it goes. I miss biking every where in Santa Barbara! (Although many people ride bicycles here, I'm not super interested in A) Working up a sweat before I get to work and B) Being hit by speeding SUVs on these crazy, law-less streets!) I do sometimes wish I lived a little closer to work, though, so that I could walk. That being said, it's always a great feeling to be riding in a tuk-tuk, the wind blowing dirt all over you, the blaring BEEPS from honking passerbys. It really is wonderful although it sounds like a sarcastic remark!
I love meeting so many new people everyday. I also really like all the people I work with. The teaching assistants and guards in front of the school are really nice, and all the other teachers at my building are super friendly! Oh, and speaking of guards, my apartment building has a guard in front which is really nice of course, but it's so funny because he has taken it upon himself to be super protective of me! He does not speak much English but he glares at anyone I'm with as if to say "Don't mess with her!" He also seems to get frustrated and worried if I come home too late! He gives me a look like, "Where have you been?!" He also often walks me across the street (I live on a busy street) even though I have become pretty adept at crossing. It's really sweet how much he seems to take his job seriously! I feel safer coming home though, so it's very nice.
Anyway, I'm just enjoying a lazy Sunday now and going to spend some time researching more games and songs to play with the kids. They just stare up at you waiting for you to entertain them, so I better be prepared!
Until next time! :)
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