Val and I spent the weekend in Bangkok. We took a bus from Pattaya to Bangkok on Friday afternoon, which only took us about 2 hours, so it was pretty painless. However, navigating through Bangkok was not so painless. Bangkok has 11 million people, and seems infinitely large. There are many different neighborhoods, and no easy public transportation system. Luckily, taxis aren't too expensive (the most we paid was 8$... typically it is 3$), but they're stressful in their own way. Since they don't speak english, it's hard to tell them where you want to go. On top of that, it seems like they're always trying to get a little more money from you... taking wrong turns, bargaining a price that differs from the meter, trying to get you to stop at a market so they can get a 'coupon' from their friends.... overall incredibly stressful. We didn't get into any trouble, but we did stay pretty suspicious of everyone. I'm happy to be back in a city where I can walk places and the motos and baht buses are pretty reliable.
Bangkok is also crowded. So ridiculously crowded. Stand still traffic at all times of the day. Sidewalks so full of people that you have to walk on the road. Not at all pleasant.
It's not all bad news, though... you get the feeling that Bangkok has a lot of interesting places, surprises around each corner, interesting people to look at, and other unique findings. We spent a lot of time just looking around at everything. It was overly stimulating.
Friday night we met up with my friend Molly who is living in Kanchanaburi teaching english. We went to Kao San Road, which is a famous tourist road filled with many bars, and people... plus little shops and carts selling cool looking souvenirs and clothes. Val and I bought a few things and practiced our bargaining skills, which I'm not so great at. We met up with a few other American English teachers living in bangkok, and it was fun to hear their stories and get some more info about life in bangkok.
Saturday morning we did the tourist thing... We visited the Grand Palace and the Emerald Buddha. Very beautiful architecture and detail. After, we took a water taxi up to a different neighborhood in Bangkok, where we visited the biggest market in Thailand. It was sensory overload as well, and who knew there was so much "stuff" for sale. Anything you could imagine... clothes, trinkets, toys, paintings, dishware, food... all laid out in stalls, some surprisingly close together. It was fun to explore, and we definitely got lost in the maze of things and were lucky to find our way out.
Saturday night we went out again. I'm not even sure what neighborhood we were in... but it had bright lights, many bars, and stuff for sale. Which describes many many streets in bangkok. Molly was great at showing us new things we could eat... chicken on a stick, sticky rice, papaya salad (my favorite), fried spicy fish (we think it was fish....), roasted nuts, and more... I want to try more street food because its cheap and delicious, but there aren't menus, i don't speak thai, and sometimes I'm not quite sure what it is that is for sale.
For the future... Val and I have decided to return to Cambodia to teach English. While thailand is interesting, the timing and job market in Phnom Penh is much much better. Also, some of our friends from the languagecorps program stayed there and it is a good community of people. Val left today to finish her student teaching there. I will finish my student teaching in Pattaya, travel for ten days in Thailand, and then go back to Cambodia too. For anyone that was dying to visit me in Thailand, you should reconsider Cambodia! It's cheap, and its more rustic... its like Thailand 20 years ago.
That's all for now... I'd love to hear from everyone else, so send me an email when you have time!!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
Holy crap
Holy crap... That's the phrase of the day. It was a crazy, crazy day. I'll start at the beginning. My moto driver picks me up at 8 am (like he will everyday for the next two weeks). I sit on the back of his moto (side saddle, wearing a helmet) and cling on for dear life. It's actually a fun ride speeding through town on the back of a moto... but it does feel a bit life threatening (don't worry mom, its safe).
I'm student teaching at a school called the Railway school. It is a public school, but most of the teachers and students are muslim. A lot of the girls and all of the teachers wear scarves that cover their head. It's a nice school, although no air conditioning... I hope the kids don't judge me as a sweaty teacher. I'm teaching kids ages 6-13, randomly throughout the week. I don't repeat with the same kids again until next week, which means lots of lesson planning.
After today, with 6 year olds, I don't mind one bit that I won't see them again. It was C H A O S. They were actually quite bright. They understood a few commands, and we worked on numbers and animals. However, it is incredibly difficult to discipline, or even give detailed directions, to someone who speak limited english. Explaining games, organizing into teams, making sure the five boys in the class are sitting in their seats and not running around... very very difficult. So far I've learned one very important thing... i like older kids.
It's not all bad though. A lot of the kids were very sweet, quick to please me, and very competitive when the games did succeed. I do it all over again tomorrow. Teaching is exhausting.
I rode back on my moto, had lunch, and then we started thai class. The language of thai is hard to pronounce, but not very complicated. It's fun to learn and practice with the other newbie english teachers in the class. Val and I make fun of each other a lot.
After class, Val and I ventured down to the beach (we're about a 15 minute walk), into the crazy INSANE, scary, overwhelming, stimulating, surreal town of Pattaya. I could come up with many more adjectives. This town is weird. We took a baht bus (a funny taxi truck where you hop in and out of the back cab of a truck and pay 10 baht or 40 cents) to the mall there. The mall is HUGE. six floors. Escalators going in every direction. Designer shops, book stores, boutiques, fancy restaurants. Fancier than anything i've ever seen in colorado. a huge movie complex. A video arcade. A ridiculously large foodcourt serving dairy queen, burger king, KFC, and many more. Val and I were shocked, and spent a good hour just gawking at everyone and everything. Afterwards, we walked down to the beach and walked along beach road. It's along the beach but I did not see one pretty view. Mostly because it's blocked by the crowds of prostitutes and dirty old men flocking to them. Pattaya... where dirty old men go to indulge themselves. At least it's international... I saw men from all over the world taking part. Not so fun.
In spite of everything today was a great day. Val and I made a lot of jokes about the craziness of what we saw around us and experienced today. And it's all about the experience, right?
I'm student teaching at a school called the Railway school. It is a public school, but most of the teachers and students are muslim. A lot of the girls and all of the teachers wear scarves that cover their head. It's a nice school, although no air conditioning... I hope the kids don't judge me as a sweaty teacher. I'm teaching kids ages 6-13, randomly throughout the week. I don't repeat with the same kids again until next week, which means lots of lesson planning.
After today, with 6 year olds, I don't mind one bit that I won't see them again. It was C H A O S. They were actually quite bright. They understood a few commands, and we worked on numbers and animals. However, it is incredibly difficult to discipline, or even give detailed directions, to someone who speak limited english. Explaining games, organizing into teams, making sure the five boys in the class are sitting in their seats and not running around... very very difficult. So far I've learned one very important thing... i like older kids.
It's not all bad though. A lot of the kids were very sweet, quick to please me, and very competitive when the games did succeed. I do it all over again tomorrow. Teaching is exhausting.
I rode back on my moto, had lunch, and then we started thai class. The language of thai is hard to pronounce, but not very complicated. It's fun to learn and practice with the other newbie english teachers in the class. Val and I make fun of each other a lot.
After class, Val and I ventured down to the beach (we're about a 15 minute walk), into the crazy INSANE, scary, overwhelming, stimulating, surreal town of Pattaya. I could come up with many more adjectives. This town is weird. We took a baht bus (a funny taxi truck where you hop in and out of the back cab of a truck and pay 10 baht or 40 cents) to the mall there. The mall is HUGE. six floors. Escalators going in every direction. Designer shops, book stores, boutiques, fancy restaurants. Fancier than anything i've ever seen in colorado. a huge movie complex. A video arcade. A ridiculously large foodcourt serving dairy queen, burger king, KFC, and many more. Val and I were shocked, and spent a good hour just gawking at everyone and everything. Afterwards, we walked down to the beach and walked along beach road. It's along the beach but I did not see one pretty view. Mostly because it's blocked by the crowds of prostitutes and dirty old men flocking to them. Pattaya... where dirty old men go to indulge themselves. At least it's international... I saw men from all over the world taking part. Not so fun.
In spite of everything today was a great day. Val and I made a lot of jokes about the craziness of what we saw around us and experienced today. And it's all about the experience, right?
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Well I made it to Thailand, and it feels like a world away from Cambodia. It's been a crazy few days.
Friday morning we left at the crack of dawn in a tuktuk to the bus station. We had a 6 hour trip to the thai border, which was an adventure in itself. It was a double decker bus, that blasted (very very loudly) Cambodian music videos the whole time. We had a few rest stops that offered sites to see... people push starting vans filled with way too many passengers... vans that are overflowing with luggage and live chickens hanging out the back... It was an amusing trip. When we reached the Thai border, they unloaded all of our bags and left us standing on the side of the road. We walked up to a window, got our passports stamped, and then walked 200 feet across the border. It's a funny thing to walk across the border... they don't let cars drive across, so everyone just walks over. Rick, our teacher, was there to meet us on the other side. We loaded up and drove another 2 hours to catch the ferry over to Koh Chang, the island we were staying at for the weekend. We arrived on the ferry at sunset, and watching the mountainous island draw closer it looked like paradise.
Our weekend at Koh Chang was a little like paradise. We sunbathed on the beach for 7 hours on saturday, drinking 50 cent coconut smoothies and reading. It was beautiful weather and the beach is white sand, blue/green water, and surprisingly uncrowded. Saturday night we went to a restaurant on a pier that floats on the ocean. We watched the sunset, and it was incredibly picturesque with fishing boats and palm trees. On sunday morning we drove into to the national park, which makes up 90% of the island. We went for a short 15 minute walk, to a beautiful 50 ft waterfall, which we went swimming it. After we ate sticky rise and spiced chicken... thai food is incredible.
We spent 3 more hours in the car, and arrived in Pattaya tonight (Sunday). Val and I are sharing a small apartment above the languagecorps classroom. It's very modern here, and seems a million times different than cambodia. There are real roads (they drive on the left), legit traffic laws, and we even went to a supermarket that was better than walmart. It feels more like America than anywhere we've been, and its nice to have some comforts from home.
Tomorrow I start student teaching, which I'm very excited for and a little nervous about. Every day something new!
Friday morning we left at the crack of dawn in a tuktuk to the bus station. We had a 6 hour trip to the thai border, which was an adventure in itself. It was a double decker bus, that blasted (very very loudly) Cambodian music videos the whole time. We had a few rest stops that offered sites to see... people push starting vans filled with way too many passengers... vans that are overflowing with luggage and live chickens hanging out the back... It was an amusing trip. When we reached the Thai border, they unloaded all of our bags and left us standing on the side of the road. We walked up to a window, got our passports stamped, and then walked 200 feet across the border. It's a funny thing to walk across the border... they don't let cars drive across, so everyone just walks over. Rick, our teacher, was there to meet us on the other side. We loaded up and drove another 2 hours to catch the ferry over to Koh Chang, the island we were staying at for the weekend. We arrived on the ferry at sunset, and watching the mountainous island draw closer it looked like paradise.
Our weekend at Koh Chang was a little like paradise. We sunbathed on the beach for 7 hours on saturday, drinking 50 cent coconut smoothies and reading. It was beautiful weather and the beach is white sand, blue/green water, and surprisingly uncrowded. Saturday night we went to a restaurant on a pier that floats on the ocean. We watched the sunset, and it was incredibly picturesque with fishing boats and palm trees. On sunday morning we drove into to the national park, which makes up 90% of the island. We went for a short 15 minute walk, to a beautiful 50 ft waterfall, which we went swimming it. After we ate sticky rise and spiced chicken... thai food is incredible.
We spent 3 more hours in the car, and arrived in Pattaya tonight (Sunday). Val and I are sharing a small apartment above the languagecorps classroom. It's very modern here, and seems a million times different than cambodia. There are real roads (they drive on the left), legit traffic laws, and we even went to a supermarket that was better than walmart. It feels more like America than anywhere we've been, and its nice to have some comforts from home.
Tomorrow I start student teaching, which I'm very excited for and a little nervous about. Every day something new!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Quirky Cambodia
Sometimes it feels we're living not only in a different country, but a different era. Everything feels like its 30 years behind the times, which can be quite frustrating. For example, the internet? sucks. If you've noticed, I havent uploaded many pictures. It takes FOREVER. And surfing the web? painfully slow. It's quite frustrating, but I have to remind myself that I'm in a third world country and I can't expect the comforts of home.
Some other Cambodian Odities:
- They have their own monetary system here, which is called Riels. It's about 4000 Riels to 1 dollar. HOWEVER, every person and store in Pnom Penh not only takes dollars, but has change for dollars. When I go to an ATM, i pull out dollars. I tell my tuktuk driver I will pay him 3$ (Not 12000 reil, but 3$)
- The city (like many SE Asian cities) is swarming with dogs. I used to be a dog lover, but now I can hear dogs barking at 6 am, and see mangy dogs digging through trash in the street. They seem to belong to no one, and I definitely have no urge whatsoever to pet them.
- I can't get over how friendly people are. Even if theyre begging you for money, and you say no, they still smile at you. Or if they ask you if you want a tuktuk ride and you say no, they'll still give you directions to where you're going. People are so overwhelmingly friendly, its made me more friendly. I love exchanging smiles with Cambodians. (It's pretty easy to do too, because as a white person it feels like you are ALWAYS being stared at.)
- I've seen more naked kids than I've ever thought was possible. I'd say I see on average 7 naked children every day. On top of that, at least 2 or 3 times a day, I see men peeing in the street.
- Maybe they pee in the streets, because even if youre using a public bathroom, theres no toilet paper anyway. There are hoses to rinse off with (which is weird) but never toilet paper.
- Locally grown fruits and vegetables are cheap cheap cheap (we're talking 50 cents...), whereas processed, mainstream food we typically eat at home is RIDICULOUSLY expensive. M&Ms = 5.00. Pringles = 4.50, etc etc. At least we're eating well.
- Also, there seems to be no such thing as credit cards. There are a few ATMs scattered randomly throughout, but if you don't have cash on you... you're screwed.
- I feel like every day I'm doing a double take... an old lady carrying a basket of fruit on her head. An old man pushing a cart full of loaves of bread. Kids walking naked in the streets by themselves (WHERE ARE THEIR PARENTS!??!).
Life is strange here but its never boring!!
Some other Cambodian Odities:
- They have their own monetary system here, which is called Riels. It's about 4000 Riels to 1 dollar. HOWEVER, every person and store in Pnom Penh not only takes dollars, but has change for dollars. When I go to an ATM, i pull out dollars. I tell my tuktuk driver I will pay him 3$ (Not 12000 reil, but 3$)
- The city (like many SE Asian cities) is swarming with dogs. I used to be a dog lover, but now I can hear dogs barking at 6 am, and see mangy dogs digging through trash in the street. They seem to belong to no one, and I definitely have no urge whatsoever to pet them.
- I can't get over how friendly people are. Even if theyre begging you for money, and you say no, they still smile at you. Or if they ask you if you want a tuktuk ride and you say no, they'll still give you directions to where you're going. People are so overwhelmingly friendly, its made me more friendly. I love exchanging smiles with Cambodians. (It's pretty easy to do too, because as a white person it feels like you are ALWAYS being stared at.)
- I've seen more naked kids than I've ever thought was possible. I'd say I see on average 7 naked children every day. On top of that, at least 2 or 3 times a day, I see men peeing in the street.
- Maybe they pee in the streets, because even if youre using a public bathroom, theres no toilet paper anyway. There are hoses to rinse off with (which is weird) but never toilet paper.
- Locally grown fruits and vegetables are cheap cheap cheap (we're talking 50 cents...), whereas processed, mainstream food we typically eat at home is RIDICULOUSLY expensive. M&Ms = 5.00. Pringles = 4.50, etc etc. At least we're eating well.
- Also, there seems to be no such thing as credit cards. There are a few ATMs scattered randomly throughout, but if you don't have cash on you... you're screwed.
- I feel like every day I'm doing a double take... an old lady carrying a basket of fruit on her head. An old man pushing a cart full of loaves of bread. Kids walking naked in the streets by themselves (WHERE ARE THEIR PARENTS!??!).
Life is strange here but its never boring!!
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Ancient Ruins.
We spent the last 3 days in Siem Reap, in the north of Cambodia. Although its largely consumed by tourism and feels a little bit like an amusement park at times, theres not denying the history and grandeur of the 1,000 year old temples. Cambodia has fluctuated between buddhism and hinduism for the last millenium, so some temples were built for one religion, and then finished in the style of another. The most interesting thing, to me, was that these temples were deserted in the 14 or 1500s when Cambodia was at war with Vietnam. Khmers knew of the existence of these temples, but they didnt gain atetntion until the late 1800s. Because they were neglected for a few centuries, they fell apart and are slowly being retaken over by nature. One of the temples was where Angelina Jolie filmed tomb raider, and it has an eerie feel to it. There are ruins everywhere and trees growing amongst all of the ruins.
Angkor wat is so overrun by tourists, and while it takes away a bit of the charm, it is amazing how unregulated the tourism seems. They make sure that you pay for your admission, but then its a free for all within the temple--you can climb all over the ancient ruins, up sketchy and decomposing stairways, etc etc. It was fun to be able to experience it unregulated, even if you felt like every other tourist there.
The touristy feel of Siem Reap isn't my favorite experience about Cambodia, but it was nice having some modern comforts. We stayed in a nice hotel (with a pool!) for only 7 bucks a person, free breakfast and everything. There was TV with HBO (!) and hot showers. We ate mexican food for dinner one night (at least a mexican food attempt), and went to a bar overflowing with english speaking tourists. It definitely didn't have an authentic feel, but it was nice to feel at home for a weekend.
We're back in Phnom Penh for the 2nd week of training. Tomorrow I will go to the Thai Embassy to get my visa. We leave for Thailand on friday, which I'm looking forward to. That's all for now, enjoy the pictures!! (both from Phnom Penh. The monks in the truck are in front of the school where we go to school. I don't think i'll ever get sick of seeing them around.)
Thursday, January 14, 2010
week 1 in cambodia
It's thursday night here in Phnom Penh (thursday morning in America), and the first week of classes is winding down. Routine is setting in, but I'll start you off with a few more of the interesting and exciting things that have happened this week.
First, and most importantly, today we saw the king! Apparently thats a rare occurence, and it was quite special for us to see him. We were sitting enjoying a beer after class, and suddenly the roads got eerily quiet (which in phnom penh is odd because every street is always swarming with activity). Suddenly a motorcade comes through, with the king in a black SUV, sticking his head out the window, waving and smiling. I think we made eye contact. (he's about 30 years old and single... maybe I could be the next queen of cambodia?)
Today we also got a massage for 6$. An hour long massage... six dollars. It was wonderful, and if we can find cheap ones in Thailand for this price, I will make it a weekly occurence. SIX DOLLARS!
Yesterday we walked all around Phnom Penh. Pretty much the entire length. The city is always bustling and I feel like there are always a million things to look at. We walked for about 4 hours, stopping along the way for beer or dinner. At a park in the heart of downtown, there are often many young people about, playing soccer or badmington, or just hanging out. Typically there is music playing and aerobics happening. We happened to see this yesterday, with a big dance sequence. It was so fun to watch, and I'm working up the nerve to join next time.
Every day I'm here I love this country more and more. I love how friendly people are, how relatively untouched it is from tourism, and its history. This is where the ancient khmer empire started, where the roots of Buddhism began, and where the deadly khmer rouge happened. The country has been in such turmoil for the last 30 years, and is just now beginning to gain its feet again. They are desperate for english teachers here, and there are multiple volunteer opportunities for everything else. Its a beautiful story, in my opinion, and it's really neat to witness it and even be a part of it, if only briefly.
It feels like long days in class, but after class it's been all fun. It is nice to be in the schedule and routine of classes every day. The school we take it at is a major language school right in the downtown of the city, with many khmer's (the word for cambodian natives) taking classes in rooms right next to us. I especially love it when I see monks walking around in classes all around me.
Tomorrow we leave for Ankor Wat and Siem Reap. I'm anxious to see the country side. Don't worry, I'll be posting pictures soon.
First, and most importantly, today we saw the king! Apparently thats a rare occurence, and it was quite special for us to see him. We were sitting enjoying a beer after class, and suddenly the roads got eerily quiet (which in phnom penh is odd because every street is always swarming with activity). Suddenly a motorcade comes through, with the king in a black SUV, sticking his head out the window, waving and smiling. I think we made eye contact. (he's about 30 years old and single... maybe I could be the next queen of cambodia?)
Today we also got a massage for 6$. An hour long massage... six dollars. It was wonderful, and if we can find cheap ones in Thailand for this price, I will make it a weekly occurence. SIX DOLLARS!
Yesterday we walked all around Phnom Penh. Pretty much the entire length. The city is always bustling and I feel like there are always a million things to look at. We walked for about 4 hours, stopping along the way for beer or dinner. At a park in the heart of downtown, there are often many young people about, playing soccer or badmington, or just hanging out. Typically there is music playing and aerobics happening. We happened to see this yesterday, with a big dance sequence. It was so fun to watch, and I'm working up the nerve to join next time.
Every day I'm here I love this country more and more. I love how friendly people are, how relatively untouched it is from tourism, and its history. This is where the ancient khmer empire started, where the roots of Buddhism began, and where the deadly khmer rouge happened. The country has been in such turmoil for the last 30 years, and is just now beginning to gain its feet again. They are desperate for english teachers here, and there are multiple volunteer opportunities for everything else. Its a beautiful story, in my opinion, and it's really neat to witness it and even be a part of it, if only briefly.
It feels like long days in class, but after class it's been all fun. It is nice to be in the schedule and routine of classes every day. The school we take it at is a major language school right in the downtown of the city, with many khmer's (the word for cambodian natives) taking classes in rooms right next to us. I especially love it when I see monks walking around in classes all around me.
Tomorrow we leave for Ankor Wat and Siem Reap. I'm anxious to see the country side. Don't worry, I'll be posting pictures soon.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Phnom Penh
It's monday here in Cambodia, and that means our first day of TESOL classes. Yesterday was a tour of Phnom Penh, the capital city. 1.5 million people live here and they live very close together. Everytime we venture out to find breakfast, or take a tuk tuk ride through the city, I am astounded just watching the people. Old ladies pulling huge carts full of food. Giant pigs roasting on the side of the road to be purchased fresh and eaten on the street. Whole streets where all they sell is tires. Huge mansions right next to abandoned lots. But the most overwhelming thing here is the traffic. Mostly everyone drives motos (small motorcyles or scooters), either alone or pulling a tuktuk. There are a few cars scattered throughout, mostly Lexus and Landrovers (which seemed odd to me until someone pointed out that they were owned by NGO workers who live in Cambodia). What's important, though, is there are absolutely no traffic laws. None. At all. Even when we see a traffic light (which is rare), people just run right through it. If theres traffic, motos drive on the sidewalk or the other side of the road. Most of the time there arent even lines and its a free for all where youre not sure whether youre on the left or the right side. It's absolute chaos, and both a thrill and extremely scary.
We visited a few ancient temples, and important parts of Cambodian history yesterday. I learned a bit about Buddhism, and even had the chance to talk a Buddhist monk. We were wandering the Royal Palace, when he came up to me and asked me where I was from. We small talked about the USA, and then Cambodia. He was probably in his 30s, and spoke very eloquently. You can feel the kindness from the monks. If ever you make eye contact with them, they instantly smile at you. I like them very much. Also at the Royal Palace, I wandered up a porch where there were a few men playing instruments, like a xylophone (more rustic and made from wood) and some drums. They asked me if I wanted to play with them, so I sat down, he showed me a few notes to play, and I played music with them! It was a lot of fun, and Val has a video so I'll post it when I can.
We're leaving for school in 30 minutes, and I'm sure that will be a task in itself, so I will let you know how it turns out!
We visited a few ancient temples, and important parts of Cambodian history yesterday. I learned a bit about Buddhism, and even had the chance to talk a Buddhist monk. We were wandering the Royal Palace, when he came up to me and asked me where I was from. We small talked about the USA, and then Cambodia. He was probably in his 30s, and spoke very eloquently. You can feel the kindness from the monks. If ever you make eye contact with them, they instantly smile at you. I like them very much. Also at the Royal Palace, I wandered up a porch where there were a few men playing instruments, like a xylophone (more rustic and made from wood) and some drums. They asked me if I wanted to play with them, so I sat down, he showed me a few notes to play, and I played music with them! It was a lot of fun, and Val has a video so I'll post it when I can.
We're leaving for school in 30 minutes, and I'm sure that will be a task in itself, so I will let you know how it turns out!
Friday, January 8, 2010
arrived
So, I finally made it to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. It's 7:30 in the morning, I've been here for 10 hours, and this is what I've learned so far from my midnight tuk tuk ride, and peering out the windows of the villa I'm staying in.
First, there are no windows, just screens to keep the air flowing. And the heat is heavy. It's not overwhelming, but the air is thick. Very very thick. I have moist skin again and it feels good wearing shorts and a tank top. Everyone leaves their shoes outside. The city itself is interesting... its a strange mix between rural and big city, with small rundown buildings built next to more modern looking ones. I think I'll better be able to describe it once I see it in the daylight.
Val should be here in 4 hours or so. Maybe when we see eachother, music will play and the camera will spin circles around us. hmm. Anyways, I'm just excited to see her.
just wanted to let you know i'm here!
First, there are no windows, just screens to keep the air flowing. And the heat is heavy. It's not overwhelming, but the air is thick. Very very thick. I have moist skin again and it feels good wearing shorts and a tank top. Everyone leaves their shoes outside. The city itself is interesting... its a strange mix between rural and big city, with small rundown buildings built next to more modern looking ones. I think I'll better be able to describe it once I see it in the daylight.
Val should be here in 4 hours or so. Maybe when we see eachother, music will play and the camera will spin circles around us. hmm. Anyways, I'm just excited to see her.
just wanted to let you know i'm here!
Thursday, January 7, 2010
on the way
I'm finally on the way there, after preparing and preparing and packing and repacking. Although the flight is delayed 20 minutes... I can't really prepare for that. I'm flying out of seattle, after spending 5 days here lounging around, sleeping, eating good food, seeing movies. Basically, getting my America fill. I hope it hasnt made me soft. I have a connecting flight in South Korea, but the layover is only an hour, so I hope this delay doesn't affect it too much. No matter what, I have a 17 hour flight ahead of me.
Already I'm in the international world. Everything is being said in 2 languages, and the people sitting around me are speaking something I don't understand. I'm more and more excited the closer I get. I have no idea what to expect.
Things are starting to move.... see you in Cambodia.
Already I'm in the international world. Everything is being said in 2 languages, and the people sitting around me are speaking something I don't understand. I'm more and more excited the closer I get. I have no idea what to expect.
Things are starting to move.... see you in Cambodia.
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