My marked the beginning of my 23rd year with a few celebrations:
- Lunch out with MCC staff on my actual birthday. Delicious hamburgers. Yum.
- Birthday cake made by my coworker and friend Grace. And it was chocolate. Yum.
- Joint birthday party with my host sister Phealy who turned 20 on the 25th. We invited all our friends, foreigner and Khmer, to celebrate with cross cultural food and a boat cruise on the Mekong. It was so fun- despite weather keeping us at the dock for have the allotted time. Oh well. The party was a great meshing together of my two circles in Cambodia- MCC and my host family connections. I wanted to make an American birthday cake for the occasion and as my friend pointed out, a cake from a box is the most American cake I could make. I've never seen people be so thrilled about a cake out of box. People who first shied away from piece, ate happily after I mentioned the box. Who would have thought expats could miss packaged food so much?
- An hilarious music video posted on my facebook made by two great friends from home. It made me unstoppably happy.
- And finally, gifts and cards mailed from home in advance from my parents, grandparents, and brother and sister-in-law.
A lovely birthday indeed.
In other news, I will be leaving Cambodia in 7 weeks. Unbelievable. I think all of the SALTers have slipped into going home soon mode, buying gifts and talking about re-entry. I'm applying for jobs so keep me in your prayers. Here's to a great last few weeks!
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Nevers and Firsts
Nevers:
This year I have never:
1) Worn mascara
2) Used Pandora to listen to music (US only- boo)
3) Driven a car
4) Eaten my favorite foods that my mom cooks- macaroni salad, balsamic chicken, salmon . . .
5) Watched a movie musical - though I did see a play musical and Glee makes weekly appearances in my life
6) Sunk into a couch- you know that feeling when a couch is so comfortable. Aww. Furniture here is hard or non-existent. Even a slightly fluffy couch brings joy.
7) Been somewhere that has carpet
8) Blow dried my hair
9) Made a silly video with my friends
10) Worn a tank top outside of the house (except for a few dresses while on vacation)
Firsts:
This year, for the first time, I
1) Ate a cricket, a spider leg, lobster, egg with duck fetus inside, pizza with seafood on top, insect larvae, and eel. (okay, okay, delicious, gross, okay, gross, tastes like chicken but with bones like fish)
2) Took a bucket shower
3) Wrote a real life research proposal
4) Had a professional massage
5) Wore the traditional clothes of another culture
6) Went to an international conference about peacebuilding
7) Sang karaoke in a public place
8) Learned to like Korean pop music
9) Had whole conversations in a foreign language
10) Wore fake eyelashes
This year I have never:
1) Worn mascara
2) Used Pandora to listen to music (US only- boo)
3) Driven a car
4) Eaten my favorite foods that my mom cooks- macaroni salad, balsamic chicken, salmon . . .
5) Watched a movie musical - though I did see a play musical and Glee makes weekly appearances in my life
6) Sunk into a couch- you know that feeling when a couch is so comfortable. Aww. Furniture here is hard or non-existent. Even a slightly fluffy couch brings joy.
7) Been somewhere that has carpet
8) Blow dried my hair
9) Made a silly video with my friends
10) Worn a tank top outside of the house (except for a few dresses while on vacation)
Firsts:
This year, for the first time, I
1) Ate a cricket, a spider leg, lobster, egg with duck fetus inside, pizza with seafood on top, insect larvae, and eel. (okay, okay, delicious, gross, okay, gross, tastes like chicken but with bones like fish)
2) Took a bucket shower
3) Wrote a real life research proposal
4) Had a professional massage
5) Wore the traditional clothes of another culture
6) Went to an international conference about peacebuilding
7) Sang karaoke in a public place
8) Learned to like Korean pop music
9) Had whole conversations in a foreign language
10) Wore fake eyelashes
Monday, May 16, 2011
Lists
(Christine I promise I will try to stop stealing your blog ideas!)
Things I still need to take pictures of:
1) Tuk Tuk
2) Me wearing my helmet
3) Independence Monument/sites in Phnom Penh
4) Markets
5) Streets in Phnom Penh
6) All my friends
Things I still need to see/do:
1) Go to Brown, my expat friends favorite coffee shop
2) Visit all the NGO social enterprises selling cool gifts/souvenirs
3) Buy fabric and have professional clothes made for cheap
4) Have another cheap, amazing massage because I will never be willing to spend $100 on a massage in the States
5) Cruise the waterfront at night a few more times
6) Eat my weight in mangoes, rambutin, watermelon, papaya, and dragon fruit
7) Get a good enough tan to make people at home jealous
8) Purchase earrings for SALT earring exchange. Do not put this off til the last minute
9) Plenty of quality time with my host sisters
10) Drink many $2 fancy coffees, eat many $1.25 delicious desserts, enjoy the fact that a $5 meal out is an expensive meal
11) Participate in roadside aerobics/dance class
12) Hold MCC baby, Cedar, a lot
13) Go dancing with host sisters again
14) Figure out how to take home more than I brought but still use only one suitcase
Things to think about:
1) Going home- what does that mean? What are my expectations? (That I probably should drop. The #1 characteristic of a good overseas worker is low expectations)
2) Must find job.
3) How to I sum up this experience for others? All the difficult and wonderful things about being here. All the many sides of what Cambodia is - post-conflict, stable, poor, wealthy, urban, rural, Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, developing and underdeveloped.
4) Accept that I will be in transition for awhile. Its okay. Its not forever.
5) Will I miss rice?
Things I still need to take pictures of:
1) Tuk Tuk
2) Me wearing my helmet
3) Independence Monument/sites in Phnom Penh
4) Markets
5) Streets in Phnom Penh
6) All my friends
Things I still need to see/do:
1) Go to Brown, my expat friends favorite coffee shop
2) Visit all the NGO social enterprises selling cool gifts/souvenirs
3) Buy fabric and have professional clothes made for cheap
4) Have another cheap, amazing massage because I will never be willing to spend $100 on a massage in the States
5) Cruise the waterfront at night a few more times
6) Eat my weight in mangoes, rambutin, watermelon, papaya, and dragon fruit
7) Get a good enough tan to make people at home jealous
8) Purchase earrings for SALT earring exchange. Do not put this off til the last minute
9) Plenty of quality time with my host sisters
10) Drink many $2 fancy coffees, eat many $1.25 delicious desserts, enjoy the fact that a $5 meal out is an expensive meal
11) Participate in roadside aerobics/dance class
12) Hold MCC baby, Cedar, a lot
13) Go dancing with host sisters again
14) Figure out how to take home more than I brought but still use only one suitcase
Things to think about:
1) Going home- what does that mean? What are my expectations? (That I probably should drop. The #1 characteristic of a good overseas worker is low expectations)
2) Must find job.
3) How to I sum up this experience for others? All the difficult and wonderful things about being here. All the many sides of what Cambodia is - post-conflict, stable, poor, wealthy, urban, rural, Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, developing and underdeveloped.
4) Accept that I will be in transition for awhile. Its okay. Its not forever.
5) Will I miss rice?
Sunday, May 15, 2011
The Beginning of Thinking about Coming Home
Excerpt from The Two Gretels by Robin Morgan
The two Gretels were exploring the forest.
Hansel was home,
sending up flares.
Sometimes one Gretel got afraid.
She said to the other Gretel,
"I think I'm afraid."
"Of course we are," Gretel replied.
Sometimes the other Gretel whispered,
with a shiver,
"You think we should turn back?"
To which her sister Gretel answered,
"We can't. We forgot the breadcrumbs."
So, they went forward
because
they simply couldn't imagine the way back.
Words of Institution
On the night before he was killed,
Jesus was having dinner with his friends.
Things in Rome and Jerusalem were pretty dicey,
and his friends were afraid.
Peter said to Jesus,
"I think I'm afraid."
"Of course we are," Jesus replied.
Mary Magdalene took the bread and whispered,
with a shiver,
"Do you think we should drop the crumbs,
so we can find our way back?"
To which Jesus answered,
"We can't. We need bread for the journey forward."
With that, he took the breadcrumbs, gave thanks,
and shared them with his friends.
"These breadcrumbs will help you find your way," he said.
"Eat them, all of you. They will make you strong and wise."
Then he took the cup, gave thanks,
and shared it with his friends.
"This is the cup of life," he told them.
"Drink of it, all of you;
it will help you to go forward,
to discover who God has created you to be."
And they did.
Jesus and his friends ate and drank and went forward together,
despite their fears,
because they simply couldn't imagine the way back.
Credit goes to Christine Barker's blog for this one. I will be different. You will be different. Our relationships will be different. But I'm looking forward to reuniting and building something new.
The two Gretels were exploring the forest.
Hansel was home,
sending up flares.
Sometimes one Gretel got afraid.
She said to the other Gretel,
"I think I'm afraid."
"Of course we are," Gretel replied.
Sometimes the other Gretel whispered,
with a shiver,
"You think we should turn back?"
To which her sister Gretel answered,
"We can't. We forgot the breadcrumbs."
So, they went forward
because
they simply couldn't imagine the way back.
Words of Institution
On the night before he was killed,
Jesus was having dinner with his friends.
Things in Rome and Jerusalem were pretty dicey,
and his friends were afraid.
Peter said to Jesus,
"I think I'm afraid."
"Of course we are," Jesus replied.
Mary Magdalene took the bread and whispered,
with a shiver,
"Do you think we should drop the crumbs,
so we can find our way back?"
To which Jesus answered,
"We can't. We need bread for the journey forward."
With that, he took the breadcrumbs, gave thanks,
and shared them with his friends.
"These breadcrumbs will help you find your way," he said.
"Eat them, all of you. They will make you strong and wise."
Then he took the cup, gave thanks,
and shared it with his friends.
"This is the cup of life," he told them.
"Drink of it, all of you;
it will help you to go forward,
to discover who God has created you to be."
And they did.
Jesus and his friends ate and drank and went forward together,
despite their fears,
because they simply couldn't imagine the way back.
Credit goes to Christine Barker's blog for this one. I will be different. You will be different. Our relationships will be different. But I'm looking forward to reuniting and building something new.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
MCC Cambodia
Some of the reasons why I'm grateful for the MCC Cambodia Team:
- We have been thrown together because of work, but we get along really well.
- Long lunch time discussions about politics
- Whenever any one has an event- birthday party, baby dedication, family visiting- we turn out en mass.
- People that were here before me invited me warmly into their social circle, even offering me their friends as my friends.
- We can laugh together
- We celebrate holidays together and it is fun enough to ward of homesickness most of the time.
- We all seem to be almost always welcome at each other's houses.
- All of the moto drivers among them have given me countless rides and always make sure I get home safe if its after dark.
- Some of them have an adorable baby that I like a lot.
- We can vent together
- And finally, we are a pretty tight knit community overall. I know I can count on each of them.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Koh Kong
Two weekend ago I spent 2 nights in Koh Kong province with my host sister Phealy and her friend Mouy. We had plans to go to Kampong Som, the main beach town, but at the last minute we changed to Koh Kong, a beach town closer to Thailand. And it was
Gorgeous.
I mean green trees, rolling hills (Cambodia is very, very flat), cooler weather, pristine beaches, and red, red earth. (Pictures on Facebook!)
Here's the highlights:
Gorgeous.
I mean green trees, rolling hills (Cambodia is very, very flat), cooler weather, pristine beaches, and red, red earth. (Pictures on Facebook!)
Here's the highlights:
- Vacationing with my host sister. We have so much fun together and it was great to break up the routine.
- Visiting Safariworld- zoo meets Seaworld type shows meets the developing world. Quite impressive for Cambodia. Highlights of this include a tiger jumping through a ring of fire, Phealy going on stage and getting kissed by a dolphin, and seeing a guy put his head in a crocodile's mouth.
- Swimming in a very pretty river
- Swimming at a pristine, warm ocean beach
- Watching the TV in our hotel room catch on fire. Scary at the time, hilarious and random now
- Visiting a mangrove tree forest
- Driving around the countryside on a motorbike (only as a passenger!)
- Posing for a million pictures
- Watching 2 gorgeous sunsets
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Who I Want to Be
Sometimes I feel the need to write a damn-it-all-to-hell, I will survive poem.
These usually aren't my best days. Days spent vainly searching for inspirational quotes on the internet and wondering how much I can talk to other people without appearing too needy. Days where I feel overwhelmed by my emotions and disconnected from my real self. Days where my living-overseas-vulnerability catches up with me and blows things out of proportion.
But sometimes I need to declare I will make it- if only for me to hear.
Do you hear me World? I will make it.
I'm stronger than you think.
I'm worth more than you think. . . And more than I sometimes think.
I won't settle for less than I am worth.
I won't see my dreams forgotten or laid aside.
I refuse to leave behind my ideals.
World- I won't listen to your expectations- career, husband, house, security.
Money- I won't be deceived by your promises.
Cynicism- I won't give into your bitterness.
Cynicism, bitterness, resignation, passivity - they are the easy way out.
Its easier to give up than it is to dream.
Its easier to complain than it is to make change.
Its easier to float through life than it is to make a stand.
Its easier to resign yourself to how life beats you down than it is to have faith in the face of all odds.
No--
I choose to cling to good thoughts, to hope, to dreams.
I will surround myself with inspiring people, people who remind me to run my race with passion, not complacency.
I will live my life with purpose.
I may be fragile, I may be young, but I have strength you don't know about.
Strength that had changed lives, healed hearts, raised the dead, and saved us all.
I will stumble, but I will recover.
I will lose faith, but I will be restored in love.
I will make mistakes, but there is always grace.
I will accept the consequences of my decisions, because they are my choices to make.
I will long for security, but I will learn to find in the only place it really exists- in Christ.
And I will keep going forward, because fear will not control my life.
I am a new creation.
These usually aren't my best days. Days spent vainly searching for inspirational quotes on the internet and wondering how much I can talk to other people without appearing too needy. Days where I feel overwhelmed by my emotions and disconnected from my real self. Days where my living-overseas-vulnerability catches up with me and blows things out of proportion.
But sometimes I need to declare I will make it- if only for me to hear.
Do you hear me World? I will make it.
I'm stronger than you think.
I'm worth more than you think. . . And more than I sometimes think.
I won't settle for less than I am worth.
I won't see my dreams forgotten or laid aside.
I refuse to leave behind my ideals.
World- I won't listen to your expectations- career, husband, house, security.
Money- I won't be deceived by your promises.
Cynicism- I won't give into your bitterness.
Cynicism, bitterness, resignation, passivity - they are the easy way out.
Its easier to give up than it is to dream.
Its easier to complain than it is to make change.
Its easier to float through life than it is to make a stand.
Its easier to resign yourself to how life beats you down than it is to have faith in the face of all odds.
No--
I choose to cling to good thoughts, to hope, to dreams.
I will surround myself with inspiring people, people who remind me to run my race with passion, not complacency.
I will live my life with purpose.
I may be fragile, I may be young, but I have strength you don't know about.
Strength that had changed lives, healed hearts, raised the dead, and saved us all.
I will stumble, but I will recover.
I will lose faith, but I will be restored in love.
I will make mistakes, but there is always grace.
I will accept the consequences of my decisions, because they are my choices to make.
I will long for security, but I will learn to find in the only place it really exists- in Christ.
And I will keep going forward, because fear will not control my life.
I am a new creation.
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