Shifts

I was on Facebook the other day and happened to spend a few minutes surfing through the pages of people from High School that I have re-connected with. Some of the faces look similar to those I remember and some of them I would pass on the street and never know we spent our entire lives going to school together. I think of them still in the photo's from 5th grade or moments we might have had at school in a class.
What makes it so hard to shift from who I remember them as to who they are now? I guess it is about community. We spend so much time not interact at school (for some of my class mates and me) that my mind has locked them in to what I have remembered. I think this is also true of College friends. The friends we carry with us who journey though life after college together see the changes and feel them when we hang out. But I still have friends who, when we sit down together, time seems to stood still.

This happened this past December with a few of my guy friends from college. I crashed their hang out time and we played games for hours just like we use to. The same person complained when he started loosing and the other kept egging it on. Time in those moments seemed to be transcended, until I looked deeper. I found that I had shifted away from them, that I no longer had the same worries and concerns as before. The attraction I might have felt at 22 now brings a smile on my lips and I can see why that part of me liked them and why who I am now is glad we are friends. I can see why I would have needed them as friends, the rich stories they have brought into my life is invaluable.

I was amazed to find through Facebook someone from High School who is now a musician and another who is sold out for God. Maybe part of looking back is remembering who I was and how I don't want to be judged based on that. The shifts feel so subtle and small but they are huge jumps, huge changes in our hearts, and I am glad they happen.
(I didn't have a digital camera in HS so you get the first picture from HS and the rest of college and post college :) )

The ups and downs

When you live in a culture different than your own there are waves of Culture Shock that people go through. Some days it can feel very intense and other days you might hardly notice. I have started to recognize in my own heart when this happens. Typically it is every 3 months and is seen as feelings of wanting to pull out of the culture you are in, you can become very critical and negative, things might start to make you annoyed or upset that didn't when you first got here, and/or you start to compare your culture with the current one. It can feel like a storm building momentum.

These ups and downs can be hard depending when they hit. I have had a few while some teams are here and I try to speak out of what I know is true instead of how I might currently be feeling. When teams come everything is amazing and wonderful. Everything is new and different, it is easy to Romanticise it. But when you live some place, just like in America, things start to get old...fast. But add on top of this that you can't speak the local language and are sitting in a city of 4 million people with a different definition of what is rude, well you can see why this would cycle around. The good news is that it is normal and that helps.

This past week I realized I was feeling "off" and just wanted to sit in my room, I was having trouble concentrating on work and on some days simply gave up trying. The amazing thing to me (still) is that once I talked to one of the other girls in my house about it, it all seemed to go away. It didn't feel as big anymore which helps take away the power it can feel it has over me. The good news is that it is easy to deal with, some self care time and talking about it with others who live here and I am feeling back in my groove.

Game Night

During the week I usually get together with some friends and we have a game night. Typically this consists of Speed Scrabble, snacks, drinks, and finishes with us ordering in for the night because delivery here in the city is free. The trick is being able to tell them how to get to your house. There are no street signs on most roads and the typical driver wouldn't know them anyways. This past week we decided to surprise one of the girls for her birthday and had a cake ordered and the food deliver right away. The cake is all edible! The tiles were made to look exactly like the Simpson set we use when we play. It felt funny as I munched on a scrabble tile, but it was very good. Peanut Butter Cake with layers of PB frosting between cake layers and topped off with Hazelnut chocolate frosting, wipe the drool off your computer keys...and yes it is as good as it sounds! For anyone coming to visit me I will take you to this place, it rocks my world :) I will never eat cake the same again! Here is a picture of our yummy food from the great Lebanese Restaurant in town. We got salad, Humus, Garlic sauce, Feta cheese deep fried, and Felafel's(deep fried chick peas). I am getting hungry just writing this all down again! If you didn't know this about me, I LOVE good food!



All of the Scrabble players:


We did play Nert's for a couple weeks but found it much more stressful then speed scrabble and so we don't play much of that anymore. But when we did play I would win :) Which was a nice change, seeing how my friends from college always beat me!

Staff Retreat 2010

Every year the staff takes a retreat, usually to the beach for 3 days. We have to split up to make sure that everything at work is still covered but everyone gets a chance to go on one of the trips. So I headed out with the first group last Thursday morning. The plan was to drive about half way to the beach (2 hours or so) and stop at a waterfall, eat some snacks, and then head the last 2 hours to our destination.


At the waterfall it began to rain, which is not unusual this time of year...but posed an issue with the roads. As we were driving back to the main road we slid off the road into a ditch. Here are some pictures that captured the experience.


We all climbed out the back window even our staff member who is 8 months pregnant :) No one was hurt but most people had to loose their shoes before climbing down so the people helping them down could hang on to them better. Thanks to my Chaco's I didn't have to and thanks to my sister who was a cheerleader I made sure to tighten my leg muscles as they helped me down as well. But the road was red clay mud so even with my shoes on I was gaining inches in height thanks to the layers of muck. As you can see on the tires of the bus.

Once we got back on the main road the rest of the trip down was uneventful. We had a team from America with us who came to do the retreat for us so after eating lunch at our hotel we had some free time before our first session with them. Kristin and I headed down the beach to sit and watch the water away from the many solicitors trying to sell you things and enjoyed a nice quite afternoon sipping cold drinks. We apparently were the only ones to venture out as we learned most everyone else took a nap :) (this is very Khmer, they always sleep after lunch for a little bit). That evening we went out to dinner at a place along the ocean and enjoyed fresh crab (Which I loved!) and other Khmer dishes. The great part was that it was only $4 a meal for what we ate. We finished up the evening with some ice cream before returning to the hotel

Some kids along the beach:


In the morning we played games on the beach which included some of us (including me) getting blind folding, carrying someone, and having to reach the other side of our little area...but I was being pushed around like I was playing football, which I didn't know was coming. I tried spin moves and all but being blindfolded and feeling as though the staff member on my back was going to fall off I admitted defeat. But we had so much fun! In the afternoon it was raining so as everyone slept Kristin and I headed into town to a small bakery and cafe we had heard about. They had an amazing courtyard, which is where I am in the picture:


Before dinner we played more games and wrote encouragement notes to each other. I have to say I have not laughed as hard as I did during games in a very long time. We played the Khmer version of duck duck goose (you aren't suppose to touch each other's heads). But they get up and each person races by going opposite ways around the circle when you meet each other en route to the spot you are suppose to formally bow with your hands in a prayer formation in front of you (typical greeting here) and then shake your butt at each other before continuing...oh my word. Don't worry I am bringing it back to America, it is a good time! Even as an adult you can have fun playing duck duck goose :)


For dinner we had a cook out on the beach as you can see from the delicious grilled squid I am eating!! They also had grilled shrimp, fish, crab, and chicken. After dinner we had a dance party on the beach. The staff is a ton of fun and they came and grabbed me while I was trying to take pictures so I could join in. Even the guys who are very formal on staff really let their hair down and were dancing. Khmer dancing is kind of like line dancing in theory as you don't really have a partner but you move in a circle kind of doing your own thing. Sorry no pictures of me dancing as I was one of the few taking pictures :)


Me and Cathy, another volunteer

I have to say this is one of the best staff retreats I have been on. Good food, great fellowship, fun games, no work (some ResLife people know what retreat I am talking about ;) ) and we ended with dinner and dancing on the beach! I didn't have to plan anything, I didn't have to approve anything, and I just got to enjoy it. I also had a great time with the staff which was very refreshing.

Fish, Earth, and Water

I smelled like fish. The path I walked on was small and looked like a single wheel mark through the thick shrubs that was wide enough for a bicycle. The path curved, rose, and fell as we climbed up a hill and descended down on the other side. The bushes and plants tried to grab at my ankles and arms as we pushed through. The rain dropped on us in a steady rhythm. We passed houses that seemed to appear out of no where and smiled at the children, water buffalo, and dogs we passed. When we reached our destination we were greeted with hospitality of coconuts and a dry place to sit after the rain. The father stood on the bank of the river to show us his boat, only to see it was gone. He did what any father would do, yell down the river asking who took his boat...I smiled as I heard the giggles of girls, his girls coming back to shore in the boat.

We sat under a tree on a wooden platform, sipping our coconuts as questions were asked, and the thunder boomed through the mountains. And then before we left they served us fresh shrimp and clams. I can't say I LOVE either but knew this poor family was offering us what they had and I respect that. So I learned how to shell shrimp and eat clams, both which I was informed by a one of my co-workers were excellent and would cost a lot to eat in the city. We left and walked back through the sandy water soaked path. I laughed as we came across ankle deep water and the only choice is to walk through it.

Our next stop was for lunch and here again we sat next to the ocean eating King Prawns ( my condolences to Pepi from the Muppet's) and listening to the water. Our final stop was to another families house. At this house as we were waiting to leave I squatted in the dirt with a little girl and watched as she used a bit of straw to create her pictures. I started looking for some straw as well and she was quick to find and break off a piece for me to use. So in the earth we began carving boxes, flowers, and other designs. The moving and sifting of dirt allowed our pictures to easily be removed if we made a mistake or something we didn't like. Then it was time to head home.

I watched the mountains pass as we drove, amazed by the beauty that these people live in. I loved seeing all the green tree's and fields from the rain. And as we were about 20 Km ( 12-13 miles from the city) our van broke down. So we sat on the side of the road waiting to get a tow home from another guy we work with. It was an eventful day and as I put my face in my hands I smiled...because I smelled like fish.

Happy BD America

So what happens in other countries on the 4th of July? There are no flag lines streets, parades, or cook outs. No one dressing in Red, White, or Blue, at least not to celebrate the 4th. But there is a little piece of America in most countries...the US Embassy. Technically when you walk through the gates you are on American soil. So for the 4th this year I bought a ticket to attend the party in "America". One of my Khmer friends drove a few of us there as anyone can buy tickets. They had the building decorated with flags and red, white, and blue lights around all the palm trees and other vegetation.

They had a stage set up with a band from the Philippines who did American songs such as the video I have added...which is a shout out to my roommate "Flea", she knows why ;)

They had food booths set up with American cuisine and a Chocolate fountain. I dined on a Philly Cheese Steak and real Ice Cream. But they had corn on the cob, brats,and ribs at the food place called "American BBQ". They had an acrobat type crew there doing different human pyramids and stacking people on each other's shoulders 3 high. I snapped a picture of a girl balancing Hula Hoops. It is too bad there isn't a Nintendo Wii here or I could totally do what she is doing in no time flat!

They also had a pie eating contest (shown below), a John Deer tractor you could sit on, and gave out door prizes...nice prizes. They had free return tickets to Phnom Penh from Bangkok (I had my fingers crossed for this one), a weekend stay at one of the really nice hotels in the city, free gym subscriptions, I did not win any.

A couple of the friends I went with are below...My friend Lisa who is quite the Nert's Player!

Me and Mary who will soon be moving into my house.

No fireworks in the evening but as things came to a close Mary and I went out with a couple of the guys she works with because one of them was celebrating his Birthday. And yes you may harass me about not wearing patriotic colors, but I just wasn't feeling the American vibe when I got dressed that morning. Besides if I was in America it is what I would have worn. It was interesting because most of the Khmer who can were all dressed up in party dresses and then us Americans wandering around in our typical 4th of July clothes :) One highlight was getting to sit on grass to eat my meal. If you come visit you will understand why this was a highlight!!