America The Beautiful!

I guess I've done my last two posts a bit out of order--to clarify, Thailand came first and then my last week in Cambodia. I was running out of free time when I could blog from Cambodia, so I wrote about my second to last day, and then since being home I've written about Thailand. Get it? So, this one will be about my last day in Cambodia: My last morning, afternoon, and the ride to the airport for my flight around 11pm.

I arrived back in Cambodia from Thailand with one week left of my trip--and it was the fastest week of my life.

At the beginning of my trip I would think fo myself "God I have 3 months here..." but by the end all I wanted was more time.

That last week, I went out for dinner most nights..I miss my 62 cent dinners and the to-go Ramen noodle stands. I came up with some extra fun CLFCA lesson plans that involved sports, music, and LOTS of picture-taking!

When it finally came down to second to last day, I was super busy running around saying goodbye to friends, coworkers, teachers, students--everyone. (I think I wrote a little about this in a previous post). I had bit a not-tearful farewell to CLFCA, and as I was leaving they asked if we could have class one more time the next day. It was kinda inconvenient to spend 2 hours of my last day at school when I needed to pack and run errands (to buy stuff for you guys who're reading this!!) But, how could I say no!? and of course, I wanted to go!

So, my very last day:




It was all very surreal. A place that had been such a huge part of my life..my home..where I met millions of new friends and had been completely immersed in a culture that's nothing like anything else I've experienced. Wow now I have to remember back...what did I do?? I woke up in the morning and ate my last dinner with Ta and Sa...and we had a photoshoot :)



After packing a bit in the morning and writing a letter for Bunleap, Thea, Ta, Kanara, and burning a CD for Sophannara, I went to an early lunch with Mr Pali at a delicious traditional resturaunt. yummm. After lunch we went back to KHK so I could write something on the front wall that the students are decorating. AND luckily Thea was around on his moto so I got to say a final goodbye to him. We still e-mail almost every day :)















Then, bicycled over to CLFCA for a final goodbye..the day before had been stressful and rushed. We had ice cream and I gave them all my books and studying materials, but it wasn't very emotional. WELL. this time was different. We sang "You Are Not Alone" without any music, several students gave me sweets and presents, and took more pictures together (I even took one with the always camera shy Heng! The whole afternoon....man... it was sad, trust me. So, teary eyed, I rushed home to pick up my toys and left over reading books to take to the orphanage (rushing because I had stayed WAAYYY later at CLFCA than I had planned).














Thank you for teaching me as much (if not more) than I taught you. I can never express how much you've given me. I think about you all every day and please keep e-mailing! I love each of you.






As always, the orphanage was incredible...they colored pictures for me and wrote me goodbye notes. I have no idea how they all know english so well...but they do! Better than most of my students who've been going to school for years!!

I miss and love you all. Good luck to all of you and remember that you can do anything your heart wants!

I stayed at the orphanage until about 8.......and Meng was picking me up for the airport at 9.............and I hadn't packed. but I made the most of my day and god to say goodbye to everyone important to me. I packed for a little while, cleaned out my closet, folded clothes, did all your basic packing stuff...until I suddenly felt really nostalgic and miserable about leaving. SO with 30 minutes to spare I got on my bike and went searching desperately for one last roadside noodle dinner. and wouldn't you know I couldn't find one of those stupid stands (when you're not hungry they're everywhere and as soon as you want them they all disappear..of course) until I had biked all the way back to Pub Street. But, the ride was enjoyable..it was well dark by then and while I had already said goodbye to my friends, I hadn't yet said goodbye to Siem Reap. That all sounds really cheesy but...I felt really connected with my home. It was so safe..I can't remember one situation where I felt even in the slightest bit of danger. I mean, there were probably times when I should have been more on my guard, but what can I say? I never ever felt like I needed to. Everyone and everything in Siem Reap was perfect, and I needed that last bike ride to complete my trip.

Noodles in hand, I hurried back to the hotel and relinquished my bicycle lock keys (hah but i kept one key as a keepsake!!!), smooshed everything into my suitcases, zipped and locked them, ate my delicious noodle dinner, said teary goodbyes to Ta, Soda, and Mr Eeing, and took my last tuktuk ride to the airport with Meng. He talked pretty much the whole 30 minute tuktuk to the airport...none of which I remember...I stared at the hotels and home shops, at the people in cars and the people pushing seafood carts saying mental goodbyes to everything we passed.

The airport was no problem..it's about the size of Augusta's airport, so really easy to navigate and basically no lines. After I hugged I checked my bags, paid my departure fee, went through security, spoke khmer in the giftshop with one of the sales clerks, sat in a seat at my gate, and cried until my plane came.

I must have looked like a basket case to everyone around. But ya know, you can think something's getting old after you've had it for a while, but once you realize that it's gone -- WOAH. Emotions hit you like a train. I spent the next 24ish hours waiting in airports, riding on airplanes, and eating delicious airplane food. When I finally set food on American ground, I was beaming ear to ear. lol and I was also being really stupid and ridiculous...I hadn't slept well on the flights and had had time to add up that I'd been awake for about 36 hours.
Disheveled, I walked up to the first American airline worker I could find to ask where baggage claim was. I walked up to her and asked, "Excuse me, do you speak English?" and lol she said "Baby! Of course I speak English! You're in America now!" and later when I stopped in the bathroom to wash my face, I took a sip of water and said to the lady mopping the floors, "Excuse me, I just drank water out of a tap." She was like "ummmmm....cooooooolllll" haha it was really funny. I smiled at everyone and struck up a million awkward smalltalk type conversations 1) because I was so enthralled to be back and 2) because that's how I had been in Asia. Everyone I passed wanted to speak English with me, and I spoke back! One night a guy on a motobike (his basket was full of diapers and milk formula so I figured it was safe lol) stopped to ask about me and why I was in Cambodia. We sat on the curb outside my hotel for a half hour speaking English.
It sounds all so surreal...Americans are really friendly...but I can't imagine doing that IN America. In Bangkok, I stayed out my last night sitting in the middle of the downtown road until 7AM talking with expats and other travelers, sharing stories, speaking different languages! It was all so magical...weird, though, i know...but incredible. I think Americans are really obsessed with my stuff and my space and my feelings. We didn't set off fireworks on January 2nd because it would annoy neighbors....wtf? They're fireworks....they make noise for about half a second. Is that really such an inconvenience? And we care a lot about what people think about us..I'm not saying that I don't cause I still do...but the way we feel about ourselves seems so completely dependent on what everyone else is thinking. What about how YOU feel about YOURSELF? Isn't that the most important?

It's nearly 1:30 AM now as I'm finishing up this post...lol I can tell because I'm starting to ramble on about nothing inparticular. Cambodia was the best decision I've ever made. I feel like such a new person. People say that you're changed but "same at heart"..but I feel different at heart, too. I can barely remember things before...of course I do stuff the same, talk the same, blahblah and all that. But the important things. Opinions about the world, opinions about people in the world, opinions about me in the world--they're all different. And I like my new ones much better. Thanks, Mama Hicks, for allowing this all to happen.

Now it's early morning on January 6th. On the 9th, I'll wake up early in the morning, drive to the airport with mom, and board a plane just like I did 4 months ago except that this time I'm headed for Nairobi, Kenya. I have a 28 hour flight to Nairobi (..........) and lots to say. So much, in fact, that I'll save it all for another post. I'm gonna Swahili-ify my blog soon...if you didn't catch on, Suo Sudei means hello in Khmer and I think in Swahili it's something like Huijambo (luckily Swahili has English letters---YAY!! WAAAY easier than Khmer!) so i'll be changing the title soon. Thanks for reading for the past few months...Africa here I come!

4 days until my next adventure.

Thailand 09!!

Thailand was INCREDIBLE. It was the best vacation I've ever had!

I was the only "Yank" (American) in the group--everyone was from England except for two from Columbia (who spoke mainly Spanish to each other), one from Scotland, and two from Canada who were the oldest in the group. I spent the first day and a half of the trip learning how to understand all their accents haha! The first night, I had a half hour conversation with Ian (from Scotland) and I have absolutely noooo idea what we talked about!! I would just respond, "Oh yeah!" "uh huh?" "Cool!" lol!

What was weird, too was that I kinda found myself speaking with a slight British accent by the end of the week.....I felt like they'd think I was just trying to fake my accent which, maybe I subconsciously was lol..but something about being surrounded by them for nearly a week really rubbed off on me! Also started to pick up on their sense of humor...it's pretty subtle but hilarious. It was just a great, great time being around them all! AND everyone added to the group...there were 14 of us total ranging age 18 to age 50 something. I'd say average age was around 27. IT WAS SO FUN!

So, I landed in Bangkok (one of my favorite cities in the world) and found myself a cab and took myself to Marcia's hotel. How random!?? We were both in Bangkok at the same time! So, she and I got to spend the day together (I made sure my flight arrived in the morning so we'd have all day together). We ate a delicious lunch and took a local boat ride (people in Bangkok take boats around like we take subways) to Wat Arun ("arun" in Khmer means morning, and Wat Arun was known for its great sunrise). Then we went back to her hotel, picked up my things, and I took another cab to my hotel where I met my Gap Tour group. :)

I guess I don't need to tell you that much about my trip. Basically it was just the best. Some noteable parts were:

Skipping out on more temple visiting with Pav and Rob to go BUNGY JUMPING!!! 150 feet, byiatch. Woooo!!

Our two day trek into the hilltribe villages and getting to spend time with the locals. That was fantastic.

Rafting on our homemade bamboo rafts!

Ian dropping the puppy (HAHA)

Getting my ear pierced!....and watching Leah get her neck pierced. Lord.

Good music at the Rooftop.

Delicious Thai food.

Disgusting Thai moonshine.

"This is the best train ever."

Bangkok pingpong show...not my favorite part.

Squat pots...surprisingly not bad!

The Reclining Buddha, huge and awesome.

Our pouring boat ride.

Waterfall.

That elephant song when we danced around in a circle.

Watching Johnny hit on Leah!

Elephant ride and drinking through our noses like the elephants.

Overnight trains to and from Bangkok and Chiang Mai.

Bubbles.

Frog Ladies.

I usually try to organize my pictures to match my text, but there was just SO much that we did (and it's been about 3 weeks ago now...) so here are just a bunch of pictures from it! GAP was a great organization, AND oh duh! our TOUR GUIDE! He was awesome..his name was complicated so he had us call him Thai. Thai was a really nice guy..he could talk your ear off about Thailand and its history, but especially a couple days into the tour he really loosened up and came out with us! He was lots of fun!!

These are only about 1/1000 of my Thailand pictures--it was fantastic and I miss my new friends but facebook and e-mail help! :) It's really great having friends all over the world!!

Yeah, I've been home for over a week...but I don't wanna get into that before I tell you all about my last day in Cambodia and my flights back and culture shock, etc...(it is great to be back, though)

Hope everyone's well! I've begun planning Kenya. My flight leaves January 9th...crazy. Happy holidays and I'll keep updating this over the next weeks!

I LEAVE WHEN!?!?!?

Well, surprise of my life today: I had for 3 months been under the impression that I leave Sunday November 29th when in fact I leave the 28th---TOMORROW.



Now, I had thought I was leaving on the morning of the 29th so leaving the 28th at 11pm really isnt that big of a difference. But it did change one thing: I leave tomorrow. And when tomorrow is here, I leave today.



Tomorrow will probably be one of my busiest days in Cambodia--even busier than at the VERY beginning when I was all over the place for a week. I'm going to lunch with friends, going to the orphanage, saying goodbye to students, goodbye dinner, I promised 248 people I'd "swing by" to say bye to them. But I ride a bicycle. And they don't live close to each other. So I imagine I'll be doing a lot of running around all over Siem Reap.



Saying goodbye to CLFCA today was surprisingly okay. I had thought that they would be the ones who would be really hard to say bye to. I brought my ipod with a music player I bought a couple days ago, along with a huge bag of flashcards, paper, pens, books, games, some cups, spoons, ice cream, and sprinkles the day was perfect. I got a few adorable presents--a couple new bracelets, some earrings, a basket, and some paper trinkets--but the coolest present came from Heng: he made me a statue of Buddha. I was so, so so in shock! They take forever to make. hah I was so in shock, in fact, that I lunged at him with a hug. Mid-lunge I remembered that that's totally not okay in Khmer culture but it was too late. After an awkward kinda hug/handshake/awkwardness I thanked him and we talked for a half hour about education and Cambodia and life in the United States.



Tonight after school at KHK I went to get sweets after school with Bunleap, Thea, and one of Bunleap's friends. It was, as always, very nice, but the sweet that they ordered me literally was beans, coconut milk, and ice. I had forgotten to ask for no ice. Like a good guest, I sucked it up and ate it--ice and all. So, we'll see if my stomach makes it through the night. Cross your fingers!



Bunleap insisted on paying because "You help my country, I buy you sweets." After CLFCA, before my class at KHK, Thea and I went on his moto to the nearest internet cafe where we made him an e-mail address and skype account. I gave my e-mail to a million people--Sreyneath (one of my brightest students at KHK) promise me that she'd e-mail me soon......even though she doesn't have internet or an e-mail account. She's adorable. It was really hard leaving Kanara. She and I've been teaching together for about 2 months. My first impression of her was off of her knowing very basic english..thinking to myself "why in the hell is this lady teaching these kids?" But knowing her now, she's one of the most beautiful ladies I've ever met. We became really close and were even a little teary leaving..I bought her a new eraser, some markers, and gave her the rest of my number and alphabet flash cards. Also, I ran into Sophannara (who I had sucessfully avoided since I stopped teaching with him). We awkwardly talked for a little while and set up a time to meet tomorrow. I'm gonna burn him a CD of some good songs that our kids can sing along to. I'm also gonna try to record my voice as one track saying goodbye to the class. I think they'd REALLY love that.



After going out with the guys (and awkwardly running into Li at school. haha), I went downtown to say bye to my tuktuk driver friends I play cards with every weekend and 4 or 5 friends. Gave them all my e-mail address. Stopped by the Warehouse to say bye to Sony and T..unfortunately Sony had taken the night off so I just wrote him a letter. Was super bummed he wasn't there. He's on my "I'll try to stop by tomorrow if I have time" list. On my way home I grabbed some of my favorite 62 cent noodles and a carton of "Tropical Juices". And, here I sit in my room still in shock that I'm leaving tomorrow. I don't have any "one more day"s left!!!

"Kgnom awt chong douv tror lop Amerique...chong muoy ah tet teit!"

The Countdown Begins

Well, today is Friday the 13th. I leave the 15th for Thailand. I return to Cambodia the 22nd. I leave for the USA the 29th. After today, I have 5 more days of teaching. !??!?!?!?

I can't believe that my trip is coming to an end!! I know that Thailand is gonna be a blast......but I can't believe I'm missing one of the LAST weeks I have here!!

About Thailand, I've been actually pretty nervous! It'll be the most rustic trip I've ever been on. Laos was pretty glamerous, Cambodia has been comfortable, Thailand is going to be straight up hard. Check this out:

Itinerary
Day 1-2 Bangkok
As congested, polluted and hectic as it is, Bangkok has plenty of appeal. With towering skyscrapers pressed up against Chinese shop-houses and brand-new Mercedes squeezing past vendors with pushcarts, this is a city of distinct contrasts. Culture fiends will delight in the dazzling Grand Palace and the city’s countless pagodas, while shoppers could spend weeks sifting through Bangkok’s malls and open-air markets. Entertainment ranges from highbrow (classical Thai music concerts) to low (transvestite revues) with everything in between. Dining options are equally varied. Whether you’re eating French cuisine in a plush hotel restaurant or sampling fried crickets on the side of the road, prepare to have all of your senses engaged. This is the place to eat, drink and be merry. Travellers will be arriving at all times today so there are no activities arranged. Please try to arrive by 6pm for an important group meeting where you can meet the tour leader and the other group members. You have the day free to relax and adjust to the frenetic pace and humid heat of Bangkok.

On Day 2 we can have an optional visit to Wat Po, home of the giant reclining Buddha or your tour leader can arrange a longtail boat to explore the canals of Bangkok. You have free time after until we head off to the railway station in the evening to board our sleeper train to Chiang Mai. This train journey is 13.5 hours

Day 3 Chiang Mai
We arrive in the early morning and have free time to explore for the rest of the day. In the early evening, we can arrange an optional visit to the famous temple complex of Doi Suthep, about a 45 minute drive from the center of the city. Surrounded by rolling hills, Chiang Mai offers both pretty surroundings and old style architecture. Enclosed by a moat and crumbling walls, the old city features great cafes, shops and accommodations. An important Buddhist centre since the 14th century, Chiang Mai is home to more than 300 temples. Many visitors come here to attend meditation retreats, massage classes or yoga lessons. It is also a centre of handicraft production, with a long history of silverwork, woodcarving, pottery-making and weaving. Not to be missed is the Night Bazaar, a series of covered markets, shops and stalls that offer the best selection of handicrafts in Thailand.

Day 4-6 Hilltribe Trek
From Chiang Mai, we start a 3 day hilltribe trek where we visit various hilltribe minority groups, each with their own language, clothing and religion. We will get the opportunity to ride an elephant (approx 2 hours) and test our rafting skills while bamboo rafting.We walk approximately 4-5 hours each day along sloping hills and valleys. We leave our big packs in storage and take an overnight bag. Each person is required to be able to carry their own pack as our porters will be carrying food and water supplies. Accommodation is group share, where you will be sleeping on the floor of the village huts. Toilet and washing facilities are very basic in most of the villages so be prepared to rough it for a few days. During the trek simple food is provided for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It can be cold during the evenings so make sure you have some lightweight warm clothes with you. It is possible to rent trekking gear in Chiang Mai before the trek in case you have forgotten to pack something vital. We return back to Chiang Mai in the late afternoon of Day 6.

Day 7 Chiang Mai
Free time in Chiang Mai to do any last minute shopping or sightseeing before boarding an overnight train back to Bangkok. This train journey is approximately 13.5 hours.

Day 8 Bangkok
Arrive back into Bangkok at about 8am where the trip finishes and everyone is free to depart from the train station.

"be prepared to rough it for a few days"...

But, this really is gonna be a great adventure! AND my first day in Bangkok I arrive in the morning so that Marcia and I can spend the day together visiting the sites! She'll be there just for about two days on her way back home to Saipan from Siem Reap. That's gonna be too fun!

So, I guess I am pretty stoked for the trip. And everyone who goes on these trips speaks English so I ancicipate meeting some pretty awesome people. It'll still be weirdly hard to leave Cambodia even for the week, though. But, another volunteer whose name I don't know yet arrives on the 15th (the day I leave) so my kids won't ever have a day without a teacher there..which gives me peace of mind.

My students and orphans have begun giving me extra hugs and little presents. So far, I have 3 letters, 2 little things where you fold paper and cut shapes out, then unfold it and it's a pretty pattern, 1 head covering scarf, 1 Christmas ornament, 1 pair of earrings, 1 bracelet, 2 origami hearts, and countless hearts and flowers made out of pipe cleaners. I've taped most of them up on a wall in my room--I think I'll make a bulletin board that I can take to UGA. :)

All these presents have me thinking about what I want to give them before I go. I think for CLFCA I'll print out pictures of either me and them or them with their friends. I don't think they really have pictures of themselves--I'm sure they don't have cameras. I've gotten to know each of the students well enough, too, to write them each a short letter to go along with the picture. I also hope to see something cool in Thailand that I can buy in bulk for cheap for them.

I haven't gotten to know my students at KHK as well...I've moved around classes a couple times and students are in and out constantly. So, instead of something personal, I thought I'd get them all something goofy...don't know what yet. And for the ones who I have gotten to know, maybe try to write them a message in Khmer (hah) and give them my e-mail address. Most of the kids at KHK have access to a computer with internet.

As hard as it will be to leave Cambodia, I think I will be ready. I'd love to come back sometime in the future, but for the time being I feel like I've done my part. Of course, I'm sure all this will change on my last two or three days. It will be really weird to be home.

School time!

"Kgnom douv bong reein kong kmeng robuk kgnom! Kgnom meein pram t'nigh teit bong reein!"

Beatocello

Well, back down to just one now.
Val left Saturday morning for Vietnam--good luck, Val!! Cambodia misses you!

Earlier, though, as I was on my way to breakfast Friday morning, I met an American couple, Anthony and Theresa Chang, who had just arrived to the hotel. They had been to Vietnam before during the Vietnam War, and they're back to see how SE Asia has changed and become more peaceful. They seemed super interested in my teaching so I told them that they're more than welcome at Khmer Help Khmer, and that there would even be a couple classes that they could jump in on!

We ate breakfast together the next morning (so that's Saturday morning) and these two are so inspiring!! They asked me questions about my work, Cambodia, homesickness, whether or not I think my generation is lazy, what it means to be an American--everything!

In our talking, too, I mentioned how I would give anything to bring a student home to the US with me to show him/her around the country; we'd go to DC, see some natural wonders, go to a baseball game! I would literally pay for the plane ticket, drive to any airport anywhere, spend a month with him/her! I would love soo much to show my country!

And this is where it gets crazy: Theresa and Anthony were like, "Well, let's do it! First we'd need to have someone represent the student at the US Embassy in Phnom Penh. We can write some letters..we know some influential people in the US who could contact the embassy, too. Do you have a student in mind?" and I mean, I was completly speechless--I guess I'm just a dreamer and I hadn't ever thought about this really happening!!




The student who comes to mind is, of course, Sa Vin, one of the smartest students I have at CLFCA. But it's so hard for non westerners to come to the United States. Sophannara used to tell me about the dozens of trips he's made to the Embassy trying to get a visa, but every time they just laugh at him because he's completely dirt poor. But, if you have Americans who are pushing for someone to get a visa, I think it's a whole different story.

So, Anthony, Teresa, and I are going to keep in touch about this. I really have no idea exactly how this would happen: but nothing's impossible!

After my morning conversation about Sa Vin and all of this, I was completely inspired for the rest of the day. I looked up a bunch of information about Visa requirements, fees we'd have to raise money for, there's an endless to do list!

The three of us also went to a concert in the evening. I got in the tuk tuk thinking we were going to some free concert like the one Val, Ta, and I went to. But I got there and realized---it was a classical cello concert!!





It was actually really great, though. This is the man, Beat Richner, who opened 4 Children's Hospitals in Cambodia, 3 in Phnom Penh, 1 in Siem Reap (I bicycle past it twice every day). The hospitals are completely free for children 12 and under--and they save 85,000 lives every year. Beat would play a song then talk, play then talk, and I learned some really sombering facts:


65% of Cambodians (all ages) have tuberculosis


85% of Cambodians make 50 cents a day


JEV (Japanese Encephalitus Virus) Vaccinations aren't allowed in Cambodia


Until 1992 most modern vaccines weren't brought to Cambodia because it was thought that because the people are so uneducated, they wouldn't understand how to administer medications

Beat said something, too, that I really liked: "The high mortality rate of the poor is not caused because of poverty. The mortality rate is caused by discrimination against the poor."

The hospital is not only free for all children 12 and under, but families who have to travel very far to get to the hospital are also compensated money for gasoline. The hospital delivers about 50 babies a day, performs 60 surgeries, and has lowered its mortality rate from 6% to 0.5% in just 17 years. And, no child is rejected.

Basically, I have an entirely new appreciation for the hospital. There are lines a mile long every day--families with sick children waiting for their number to be called. What an incredible thing Beat is doing.

The free cello concert is something that he started years ago in order to raise money for the hospital. 2 million dollars are donated every year by Cambodian government, 3 million by swiss government (Beat is from Switzerland), and the rest is private donations. It costs around 80 million every year. His cello concerts, alone, raise 8 million each year. I just thought his story was very incredible. And I bought his classical cello CD to study to in college. :)

It's now Monday morning. Also, my mom's cousin (making her my second cousin?), Marcia, came to Cambodia yesterday. It was so nice to spend the afternoon with family!! We went to the artisan center and hopefully the orphanage soon once the kids are back from a their Phnom Penh field trip. She's gonna join me at school one day during her stay--all the visitors I've brought to school always love it!



So, I guess one isn't the loneliest number afterall!

I have one week left before Thailand, then I'll be there from Sunday to Sunday, and then my last week in Cambodia--which totals to only 10 more days of teaching. Just crazy.

Time for lesson plans--we've been concentrating on a lot of grammar and I think today will be preposition day, describing scenes.

I can't wait to see friends and family in December!
"Lehigh!"

Good Luck To You

So, it's been a while since I've written but not because I haven't wanted to---I just haven't had time!

Last I left you, Val and I were excited for the arrival of our newest volunteer, Karly.

Karly's a 19 year olf photographer from NYC who had spent a couple weeks in Vietnam before coming to Siem Reap.



Unfortunately, though, our new posse only lasted for what, 2 nights? Karly's parents were in a bad car accident so she hurried home to be with the family. That was 2 weeks ago, I think.



The night Karly arrived, Ta, Val, and I went to a free cambodian concert! Some popular Khmer artists performed and one female artist did a cover of "I wanna make love right now na na" (or whatever that song is). Ta freaked when I knew some of the lyrics! I can totally appreciate that the concert was TONS of fun for locals........but, it was all in Khmer...which is a problem. Everyone was laughing at the skits they were doing on stage, though, so i guess it was hilarious. Makes me wish I knew Khmer better. But, I picked up some good local food, got some pictures, and it was my first time having someone ride on the back of my bicycle! I really throws off your balance trying to steer, not to mention there's twice the person to move. And theres no seat! I've since tried to ride on the back of one but yeah..noooooo way. Very uncomfortable and bumpy.

Another ritual Val and I had that definitely didn't suck was our Meridian trips. Two Saturdays in a row we paid a small amount to use the Meridian's (the biggest hotel around's) pool for the day. Those Saturdays were DEFINITELY the most glamerous I've had in 2 and a half months. We justified those days with the fact that we barely wear any makeup, never wear our hair down, bicycle everywhere in 120 degrees, and are generally covered in sweat and dirt every single day. Like you would expect from a huge, huge hotel, the pool was awesome--and sooooo relaxing!



We also went with Ratana to a local school. Not an english school, though. It's a dance school/music school teaching kids how to dance like Apsara and how to play some of the traditional instruments. It was soooo adorable. And we got to try out the instruments for a bit :)



Two Sundays ago, we also had a great day of excursions. Started the morning with the Artisan Center and the Silk Farm. Let me first say that in Cambodia, nearly EVERYTHING is made by hand. And it's hard to appreciate hand made things until you're watching people make them! The Artisan Center was great. They employ deaf kids to make silk paintings, and have a few other sections (carving, drawing, sewing, etc..) for people with other disabilities.
The Silk Farm was really cool cause we got to see the whole process---from worms to scarves! Silk worms are really rather cute and their entire purpose in life is to have babies--lots of babies. We saw them feeding the worms, collecting their silk, dividing the silk into "raw" and "fine", spinning the silk, dying the silk, all the way to weaving scarves to sell in stores all over the country. We even got to try weaving a bit! It. Is. So. Hard. Those ladies (and one guy) rock.


After picking up a few presents we took a long ride to the floating village. I had been there once before with Elderhostle, but not for sunset. And lemme tell ya, it was beautiful.




Life has gone on as normal for the past couple weeks. School has been especially fantastic, though. I did change classes, and I'm glad I did. I still talk to my kids from Sophannara's class every day, but now I get to know even more students. I now work with Bunleap (bun-lee-up) who is much more pleasant, too.

Last weekend we celebrated Halloween at the orphanage!! It was hilarious trying to explain the holiday to them....they were like "so you just dress up and get candy?" It was possibly the most fun I've ever had! ..btw caroline, they LOVE the song i got a feeling :) !! we sang it and danced constantly!



"Trick or Treat!!"

(please note the awesome Kung Fu Panda shorts)

We also did halloween masks at CLFCA...the kids were less into it (which was disappointing) but they seemed to enjoy themselves decently. For CLFCA we had some awesome prizes for scariest mask, prettiest mask, funniest mask, most creative mask, and best overall. The prizes were body jewel sticker things, a watch, fake jordan wrist bands, a miniature globe, and an english khmer dictionary. (Not bad if I do say so myself!) And then, of course, for those who didn't win a prize: candy!!


Another really incredible place that Val and I went last week was the Land Mine Museum:





A sign at the museum said that there were still somewhere between 3 and 6 million land mines hidden in Cambodia, along with "tons" of bombs dropped during the Vietnam War. The museum wasn't fun, but I was really glad we went. It was also really different from the Khmer Rouge museum. That one was actually really eerie. The land mine museum felt much more peaceful--it's in a really green area and the back half of the school has been transformed into a school/dorm room type space for children and teens who have been injured by land mines. There was a big board that had each kid's story on it. I'd never stopped to appreciate that I have hands before.


On a different note, the really big awesomely fun thing that Val and I did this past weekend was go to Laos! Experienced a different culture (although pretty similar to Cambodia) and added another country to my list.




In order to explain how cool it was, lemme just tell you what each day was like:

Woke up at 8 and took a lao tuktuk to an elephant rescue sanctuary. Maynam (our elephant), Val, Cook (our mahout), and I walked through a river, up steep hills, through a little village, down some steep hills, and all around the mountains for about an hour.




After our elephant ride, took a lao speed boat (definitely different than western speed boats...more like just, a fastboat) to a nearby waterfall (the most beautiful waterfall I've ever seen)




After climbing the rocks and playing around for a while, we fastboated back to the elephants, ate a delicious traditional lunch, and then got in our kayaks for the 3 hour trip home--I love kayaking! We went over "rapids" (like level 2 max) and it was so relaxing to kick back in my kayak and float down the Mekong, looking at the clouds. It was so perfect!





And that was just day one! The second day was relax day--got a massage, ate some delicious Lao food, climbed a mountain to watch sunset (and to see the fullest, biggest moon ever), and did a ridiculous amount of shopping.

Day 3 was hiking day. We set off around 9 AM to trek through a small village about an hour outside of Luang Prabang. We trekked for 3 hours through valleys and some jungle, constantly keeping an eye out for monkeys and tigers, until we reached another waterfall and the bear sanctuary-----and we still made it back home in time for a massage :)

(We climbed a boulder; those huts are scattered around the mountain sides for farmers to sleep in or to wait in if there's bad weather; waterfall #2 = awesome)

Also, we had the pleasure our first night in Luang Prabang to meet Tatyana who, for Halloween, was female. (It reminded me a lot of camp haha!!) He was a cute girl, though! Hanging out with these guys for the night (Tatyana was from Iowa, his buddy was from Cali) made me miss Americans quite a bit. But also, they really didn't help our stereotype: loud and obnoxious. Tatyana went up to every male who walked by and asked for a hug. Laos culture is a lot different, remember, and that sort of behavior is really looked down upon.
So, I was torn between laughing hysterically and being embarrassed for my Americanism. Either we were obnoxious or everyone else is stuck up. I think I'll go with the second!



So, we got back from Luang Prabang on Wednesday around 1 and still made it to school by 2. This was Val's last week in Cambodia, so most of our days were spent at the orphanage and saying goodbye at schools. It's kindof a mini-culture shock not having her all of a sudden. I mean, I lived here alone for a month and a half before she got here--i can do it. It's just different..less fun. Also, with her going I realized that I only have 3 weeks left!!

I remember when I first got here thinking to myself, "god i'm gonna be here for 3 MONTHS?!" and now, all i want is more time. I'll be going on one more trip outside of Cambodia, too. I signed up for a gap trip to Thailand for a week that I think is gonna be really awesome. We travel a lot, backpacking, overnight trains, staying with a mountain tribe for two nights, but I think it's gonna be tons of fun! (not to mention, everyone on the trip will speak English so I might make some cool friends) And half of me is SO excited to see another country and eat the food and live how they live......but the other half can't believe I'm leaving my kids. So, I'm gonna buy them some cool present(s)--don't know what yet. Val left CLFCA with some Red Sox stuff and a Boston calendar that they really like. They love looking at pictures of all the snow! To them, snow is magical and mysterious.

Time for bed here--and don't forget, if you were an hour ahead of me, we're now exactly 12 hours apart. If we were the same time, I'm now an hour ahead. Way to go daylight savings...

"Goodnight! Good luck to you! Happy Dreams! Safe Home! Goodbye!"
(typical parting words in Cambodia....no, really.)

"Rea Trey Suo Sudei! Chou'up kuh knee uh t'nigh s'eye!"

p.s. - stay fett, sister!