Cu Chi Tunnels and Museum

While in Vietnam Heather and I went to the Cu Chi Tunnels. This is the Tunnel system in Cu Chi that the Viet Cong used during the war to get away from the enemy...wait, that was us(my constant thoughts while there).Our fearless leader for this trip was John Wayne...well ok that's what he said to call him because we couldn't pronounce his name. John was a great tour guide! He had us laughing most of the trip with his simple humor which made the bus ride go fast. He even mentioned we were stopping at a factory to see workers who had been effected by all the Agent Orange we dropped on them. While there we could use the bathroom to go number 1 or number 2. Which in Vietnam when you go number 2 you say you are going to the happy room because you feel happy after you leave. I think they are on to something with that :)

The factory was very cool. They use egg shells, sea shells, and etching to create some beautiful works of art. Here are some pictures:



Then we were off to the tunnels. He showed us different traps they would create for soldiers to fall into and an original entrance to some of the tunnels. They had built a 3 layer system to use for escape. They also had a break during the middle when we could shoot a gun if we wanted. We saw them making rice paper, shoes out of tires, and ate what they ate during the war (tapioca root with peanuts..interesting). Then we watched a video from their perspective of the war. During this time I realized a bit why it would be hard for our soldiers who fought to talk about there time here. I was having a hard time just seeing all the ways the Viet Cong fought back. I can only imagine the horror and struggle to be at war during that time. After we left we were dropped off at their War Remnants museum were the facts and pictures were laid out. Quite frankly I am not sure why our Government got involved and I was angry to read how much poison we dropped which didn't just affect these people but also our soldiers.
Original Entrance to Tunnel
Inside
Sitting on the American Tank

Coming out from a 20 meter walk through the tunnels
Tire Shoes
Video from the tour:


There reached a point when I could no longer look at the pictures or see the rest of the displays, it all felt too hard and heart breaking. So we left and headed else where in the city to allow our brains time to process everything. I was glad Heather was there so we could talk through things as we went.

Ho Chi Mein City

At the beginning of April I had to leave the country. It wasn't anything personal against Cambodia...or maybe it was :) I had to renew my visa. Which meant leaving and re-applying when I came back in. So with Heather my fearless travel companion we bought our international bus tickets and headed to Vietnam. I will say this was great timing and a great break from the work here. I find at times that it is hard to constantly have the issues on my mind. Every week we meet to talk about when and were the girls will be going next and I hear their stories...it starts to wear down your heart.

So off to a bigger city! On the trip we got to cross a river on a ferry. They drove the bus right on. Once we arrived we found our Hostel which was down a lovely little alley behind the main buildings along the street. I loved seeing all the little bird cages with song birds hung along the walk ways. We had to do a money exchange and then headed out to explore this new area. The food places were great, we were close to a nice park, and found a great ice cream store. We had been on a bus for about 6 hours so we went down to see the local market.
Here is the awesome ice cream fondue Heather and I split. My 7 flavors of ice cream were: mint chocolate chip, mango, banana, strawberry, Cinnamon, vanilla macadamia, and Coconut.

The market was similar but they use beads to decorate tons of stuff. They also have fun tea sets, chopsticks, and purses. It was fun walking through and spending time out of a chair :) We also found some fun things to take pictures of...
It would be ironic if the Hotel ever lost power.

For my BMW Friends:)

Can you find the guy sleeping? Why wouldn't you take a nap there?

Wait Notre Dame?...am I in Paris? Nope, the French Build one here too!! (even named the same)

American does not hold the Monopoly on Circle K!!

On Saturday we went to the Chu Chi Tunnels and War Remnants Museum. We enjoyed a nice dinner of ice cream (no really...did you not see the picture?).

It really is the simple things in life. I cannot explain the joy that filled my heart as we asked for direction, realizing we could stay out past 9pm in this city without considering the risk factors. We hailed a cab and waited as it drove through the crowded streets, we were struck by the silence inside the car and how rare it was to ride in a car. He dropped us off and we checked the mall map, floor 13. We pushed the buttons inside the elevator unsure of what we would find once we got there. Would they have anything in English? How much did we care if it would be or not? At the desk we saw they did have American ones and quickly bought our tickets…we were going to see a movie!!! We giggled like little school girls grasping our treasured entrance stub which cost us $3.70. We looked at the concession counter and knew that we wanted share popcorn ( $1.60, I think I can handle splitting that)…we were informed they only had the sweet kind. Besides the kettle corn I have had in Shipshewana, Indiana this blessed popcorn was pure pleasure in my mouth. So Heather and I enjoyed watching the new Alice in Wonderland movie that Disney just put out. So really it is the simple things in life

Honesty

Honestly... I feel that I try to be an honest person. Who you see is who I am. But here I find that I am not sure who I am. Back home I know what roles I have and have worked hard to accomplish things at work, be a good friend, and kick back and have fun. But here I have walked into a world that I don't understand at times and become frustrated with. I live with people I don't really know and I accept that relationships take time to build, but sometimes I am not sure they even really care about getting to know who I am. I have moved from a transient College community to a transient International community.

I find myself exhausted from constantly meeting people, being introduced, and starting over. I can't say I have ever been a huge fan of networking. In my last job when others (mainly my bosses) would get excited about going to a conference and interacting with people I cringed inside. I even had a pact with some of the other's I worked with to hang out because none of us enjoyed it. It feels awkward and I didn't really want to stay in Student Development that long anyways. But here networking is everything..lucky me :)

Honestly this transition has been hard on my heart. I miss my family and friends, I miss eating Mexican food ;), and I miss walking into a place and feeling that I have come home and can now rest. I feel that some days I keep looking for a safe, quiet place to escape too, and come up empty. I didn't realize how much this was affecting me until this past week. I guess the happy and crappy (as a former staff member would say)of this is the peeling back of layers.

I keep feeling God pressing deeper and pushing harder. I know He is helping to pull out things from my heart that need to be ripped away. I am seeing things I don't like and willingly give Him but other times I find myself puzzled and trying to figure out what this new layer is all about. I know that God is working to change me and that what He wants me to become is ten times better then were I am now. I am being stripped of everything I have ever known, roles, relationships, work, culture, food, and language. But I can tell that it is good. Even in the moments I am grumpy and frustrated I never doubt being here...I tolerate it :) But then God always surprises me and after a bad day I find my eyes turning to find the little treasures He has given me during the day.

Today was meeting friends in the market and being able to introduce them to my favorite Silk and Silver Jewelry seller. My Jewelry seller even offered me food, which I would like to think means we have moved to a new place in our friendship :)It is in those moments I find something in my heart moving. I honestly told some friends that I don't want a reason to stay here past my 11 months. One of them wisely said it sounds like an issue with Surrender. I think she is right, because God has never asked me to stay here longer. And if He does it will be in His time and in His way. I have to think...Surrender...again! I thought I covered this one. But it is not deep enough yet, it has to be worked through again. Honestly I have days when I struggle and honestly I have days when my heart feels full.

Things to see on the road

In living here I find that you never know what you might encounter on the road. I still find myself suprised at time with what drives past me. So here are some pictures I have been able to take (NEVER under estimate what your car, truck, or van can carry)

Need a tire?

I think you can fit a few more things in

This is one of my favorites! Usually it is chickens...and yes the birds are alive.

Baby ducks anyone?

Not sure about sitting on the top...

Day 2 Part 6 Dancing

The final part of the evening was cultural dancing. We went to a restaurant that has daily evening shows. We ate Khmer food and then settled back for the show. It was amazing to see their ornate costumes and the slow precise way they worked to move their feet. It was different then the African dances I have seen and enjoyed the evening. I was going to post a video but due to technical problems that won't be happening today.

It was hard to get pictures as they were dancing so some of the images might be a little blurry... Peacock Dance Apsara Dance Blessing Dance After the night of dance we headed to bed...it had been a long day :) We slept in the next morning and walked around their market for a bit before eating at a little shop where I dined on sweet potatoes and pumpkin chips...so good! Then we were off to the bus station and back to Phnom Penh.

Day 2 Part 5 Flesh eating what?

Ok...as you can see this is turning into a long day. And I still have the last part to post after this one. But the nice thing is that even with everything we did we didn't rush. But I guess you get more time in a day when in starts at 5 am to watch a sunrise :) So after our fishing village we ate ice cream at the Blue Pumpkin, having scoped out the flavors at lunch time. I got three scoops, Dark Chocolate, Coconut, and Strawberry. I just have to say it was pure heaven in my mouth, especially the Dk Chocolate and Coconut. I love all the fresh fruit and fun flavors they offer here. We left the restaurant to seek out our next objective...Dr. Fish. I think the video kind of speaks for its self. You can hear my friend Heather faintly before I chime in. Let's just say all the dead skin was gone and my feet felt nice and smooth...
You sit on a ledge that goes around a tank of water filled with fish. And yes the fish are so tiny that I as was sitting there I saw their little poo floating by and thought, "wow, that's me". There goes my dead skin in the form of poop. Here also is a picture of my feet in the water. You can see my stellar nails from one of the training centers here in the city. They take girls who were either trafficked/abused or are at risk of that happening and give them some options for learning a skill. I don't think they did a bad job for $2.00 :) I should mention that putting my feet in with the fish was very strange. Heather and I both wanted to pull our feet out as soon as we put them in. I could feel their little teeth grazing my flesh but it didn't hurt...though I am not sure if I will do it again. Dr. Fish it seems has made his way to Phnom Penh as I have seen these little tanks set up around the city now.

Day 2 Part 4 Fishing village

Our driver took us out to get a boat and take a short tour of a fishing village not far from the city. It was fun to take a boat ride as well as learn about these people who live on floating houses. Here is a short video from the ride:



The trip took us to a restaurant/shop/educational center on fishing/gator farm. It was fun to learn about how they fish and how the village moves depending on the water level of the lake. It was crazy seeing everyone on a boat and knowing they live on water for most of the year. They even have a floating gym where they can go to play sports. When we arrived at the multipurpose shop there were little boys in wash basins with snakes around their neck. If I had paid them a dollar I could have draped the reptile around my shoulders and taken a picture...no thank you. I already have a picture with a much bigger snake around my shoulders thanks to my brother. I am also sure my brother-in-law would have LOVED getting his picture taken with a snake too ;)


It was tempting to buy but I had to hold myself back. Who doesn't want medicine with a large creature inside?


It was funny because the whole day we were solicited by sellers and Heather and I kept saying, "awe-te a-coon" (no thanks) or "mien howie" ( I have already). The boat ride was no different. They were sitting in boats waiting for our boat, quite persistent!