Day 2 Part 2: Bayon, Angkor Tom, and Ta Nei

After you pass through the South Gate you enter what once was another city like Angkor Wat. The temple in Angkor Tom is called Bayon. The main drawing point for this temple is all the stone faces. All the towers or spires have 4 faces looking each direction. The temple is being restored in some parts but we were able to climb up to the top and take some fun pictures. Like most of the Temples they still are active and there is a small shrine usually somewhere in the building, it can be found by following the strong smell of incense that permeates the air. I should also mention that I have never been solicited as much as what I encountered while in Angkor Wat. Everywhere you go you can see people with bags, scarf’s, books, food, and other items. They are also smart sellers because they can offer you’re their goods in a couple different languages besides English such as French. Here are pictures of Bayon:





After Bayon we walked over to see the Elephant Terrace which has carvings of elephants on it and is a wall/walkway that surrounds the entrance to the royal palace. The palace is now gone as it would have been built from perishable material but there is a temple in the Royal court yard and we climbed the steep stairs to the top. As we left the Royal palace area we watched kids swimming in one of the ponds and bought banana’s from an adorable old woman.



After walking all over for a couple hours we were tired and very thirsty. So we went and found our Tuk Tuk driver and got rehydrated as we traveled to the next temple. We decide to see a temple one of my other friends here told me about. She said it was a ways back in the jungle but worth the walk. Our Tuk Tuk driver tried to drive us back but there was deep sand in parts of the road and it prevented him from going very far. So we got out and started walking. We laughed and talked about feeling like true explorers and hoping we wouldn’t get lost. It was amazing to turn a corner and see a temple caught in nature. Trees and other plants were slowly reclaiming Ta Nei.


It was also cool because no one else was there! We walked around and slowly kept hearing voices getting louder which was strange because we couldn’t see people. As we walked around the last side of the temple we encountered a HUGE group of guys from a type of Engineering School who were coming to tour the Temple. We seemed to have this kind of luck all day, we would see something and as we left a tour bus or large group would descend on the temple. We left and headed back down our sandy path back to our Tuk Tuk driver.

Day 2, part 1

The second morning we got up and left at 5:30 to watch the sunrise over Angkor (anchor) Wat. There were TONS of people and I am the type of person who would rather see everyone disappear so I could enjoy my time there with out the crowds. But I am sure everyone feels that way :) We were waiting and waiting for the sun to rise so we decided to head into the temple and start looking around. It was amazing as we walked through the hall ways, courtyard type area's and followed the steps higher inside. At the top of the temple in the main courtyard we got to see the sun rise and hardly anyone was there! Here are some of the pictures I took:





The second place we went was to Angkor Tom which is set up similar to Angkor Wat with an outer wall that surrounds the temples inside. These area's were cities where the people lived and worshiped. In Angkor Tom they also had the Royal Palace and some other buildings. As we approached from the South I got pictures of the South Gate. On the sides of the bridge are "gods" on one side and "demons" on the other with a multiple headed snake at the end. Heather and I had fun with the statues on the bridge before we headed inside the city wall.





My next post will be of the rest of Angkor Tom and my favorite Temple!!!

Work and the Weekend

Today I filed paper work. As I filed away precious pictures drawn by little girls I felt caught in their life. I put in pictures of sunsets, people dressed up, and people being beaten. The picture that grabbed my heart was one drawn with such clarity I didn't feel surprised when I read her story. Her pictures were amazingly drawn and I hoped in my heart that she is using her artistic ability somewhere out there. It is strange to think that an event in your life can be compiled and filed away in an office. I felt honored to see the pictures and read their stories, to feel my heart break at the pain and brokenness they have had to endure at such young ages. It was a reminder of the Truth of why I am here and why others are here too. I don't know what has happened to those girls and I may never know. But my heart was touched. This past weekend I was able to go up to Siem Reap with a friend. The purpose of the trip was two fold. 1) visit the city I have heard about and 2) reconnaissance for the team that is coming up in August. It was nice having a friend with me and we had a great time. There is a lot I have to post as well as pictures and videos! Be ready...but this means there will be several posts over the next week. Day One: Getting there was via bus. We even got water, a snack, and watched GI Joe and Live Free or Die Hard. I was surprised because they love watching their Khmer Karaoke video's. We stopped once and here are some of the food you can buy to eat as a snack :) and here is what I bought. I love they way they cut the Pineapple! Siem Reap is a much slower city then Phnom Penh and it was a very nice change. There is not as much traffic and no one honks their horns all the time. The street we stayed on was close to all the main things in the city such as great food and a couple markets. We arrived a little after lunch and found an Irish Pub to eat at. They even had a sign for The Fighting Irish! Who knew you could find that in Cambodia! We then got to see the new office and center that World Hope is opening there, which were also great. We then headed out to Angkor Wat to watch the Sunset. The way we traveled by by Tuk Tuk and we had a great driver who spoke excellent English. Here are pictures from the Sunset: One of the cool things on that first night was seeing Elephants!You can take a ride up to the top of the hill where the temple Bekheng is. This is one of the popular places to watch the sunset and I have to say it was really cool. Here is a video:

We returned to the city to eat dinner and then went through their night market which was really nice and fun to see.

Conversations

Conversation with a guy I work with at lunch (we were waiting for someone)...

I had asked him how he met his wife...

Guy: Are you getting married?
Me: (laughing) I would like to but I have not met him yet

Chewing of food

Guy: Do you like Asian Guys?

I laughed about this one...Thank you for asking.

My new Bike

On Saturday (March 6th) I bought a new bike. This was something I wasn’t 100% positive I wanted to do, but Friday as I was walking back to my house it dawned on me that I no longer cringe as I walk through the traffic. A bike means more freedom, faster from point A to point B….humm maybe it is time. So I went to the street that sells bikes found one I liked (see picture) and was off riding it home. You can imagine the thrill in my heart this morning(Tuesday 9th) as I prepared for work. I packed my bag and made sure the straps were looped around the handle bar so it won’t get stolen (yes, that happened to someone in my house). I jumped on my bike and then realized I was not going to make it to work biking in my cute skirt. Don’t worry the people on my street got to watch me attempt to bike in a skirt before I went back inside.
I quickly changed into nice pants and was ready. I should mention that I do not have a biking helmet…just my moto helmet. Again I feel that only seeing a picture of my previously mentioned helmet can only make this all come together in your mind.

Now with my Moto helmet on I started my ride to work. I was excited and found that it really isn’t that bad biking along. I was enjoying the breeze in my face and the speed at which I was going to work. I was thinking about how this is great because I can get to work twice as fast as walking. As I made my way through a light my right foot felt air and I heard a clunk…my peddle fell off! On the side of the road I had to stop, turn around and fetch the peddle which, thankfully, was lying on the side of the road. Once I retrieved it I put it in my basket, took off my helmet and walked the rest of the way to work.

For the ride home I had secured my peddle on hoping it would make it. Alas I did not make it far from the office, but this time my peddle fell off in the middle of traffic and the Cars and Moto’s were all swerving around it. So there I was with my Moto helmet turning my bike around to get my peddle, praying no one would run over it! (if you aren’t laughing at me right now I don’t think you have the right picture in your head…I looked REDICULOUS!!!). I kept thinking that it would only happen here…and I will always remember this bike. It also reminded me of the guy one of my friends tutored our Junior year of college…he rode a bike with only one peddle, oh John…I became John-o today!

International Women's Day

March 8th is International Women's Day...for those who don't know. This being the first time I have celebrated this holiday I wasn't sure what to expect or plan. One of the ladies I worked with invited 8 of us over to her house this morning and her husband made us breakfast. It was a lovely time of good food, fellowship, and delightful conversation. It felt good to laugh with other women and be a part of good fellowship. The other ladies were from India, Scotland, South Africa, UK, USA, and another South Asian country (I didn't have a chance to find out). I learned a few things this morning too. One of them being that I have been spending too much time with Australians and New Zealanders...someone asked me about one of the pastries and I said it was very nice (not that it was good or delicious...nice). Second I learned that some people think Americans ask too many questions. We are on a hunt for information, which I realized is true.

When asked about this (to the person who said it) they said they didn't want to feel as though they were being grilled for information...and they don't want to be asked personal questions right away, save those for the second or third time you spend time together. I also learned Brit's don't like having conversations early in the morning or to be asked questions early. I feel that this explains why I don't mind a lack of conversation in the morning...my British roots are coming out! Before we left we each were given an Orchid ( I was quite delighted). They only cost about 1.50-2.00 here which is crazy! So now I have to learn how to take care of my plant!! I have included a couple pictures...


The rest of the day was spent looking at plants with Kristin (my boss) who wanted some for her house. I enjoyed every moment being surrounded by life! I also had to laugh because there are no Greenhouses here...it is a natural Greenhouse here! I then went and picked up the pants I was having made in the market, bought a movie ( Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief), bought some fresh Mango Cheese cake and headed home. I sat and ate my wonderful Cheesecake while I watched my movie. I don't think holiday's can get much better then this. I found myself enjoying my time here and was glad I could be with the ladies this morning and even in my house later today.

Speaking and Friends

Learning a language is like eating something new. I find these strange words in my mouth and I am not sure how they taste. Some of it is smooth and sweet on my lips, others are harder to swallow. My mind isn’t sure what to do with some of the rough edges as I try to chew on it…thinking through every bite. Yet when I do eat some of this new cuisine I find that it fills me with confidence and independence. True some of the things others try to feed me fall out of their mouth and never reach me; like watching food fall out of someone’s mouth. Sorry, I don’t have any idea what you are talking about…at all, but if you would like to keep repeating it to me that is up to you. (knowing they might not understand my English if I said this to them).

In the complexities of learning a language and not being able to communicate I have found that we do find a way to be heard with each other. If it is pulling out money so I know how much they are asking, waving your hand or arms to indicate going forward (it is rude to point with one finger)…thank the good Lord for non-verbal. Well I am off to eat more alphabet soup so I can try using these strange new words when I meet with people. Part of what keeps me going in all of this is the hope of knowing that I do know sentences, can ask simple questions, and express myself…just slowly :)

Also last week I had a friend here! She was passing through on her way to a conference and we were able to meet up for lunch! It was very random but so great to see her. I was worried it might make me more homesick but I found it very encouraging and great to be able to see her and spend a few short hours together. Here is a picture of us at the restaurant.

Walking down the stairs...

Let me share a little bit about living in my house. My room is nice, though when I come in from outside I feel that I am entering a cave due to lack of sufficient light. It is nice for when I sleep because it is nice and dark :)plus if I keep my door closed my room stays nice and cool after I turn my Air Con off. Air Con is what they say here for Air Conditioner and I like the shortened version better.

To get to my room I have to go up stairs, which isn’t something new. I grew up in a house with more stairs but there is one small difference…no carpet and the steps are taller/steeper. Thus as I start to bound up the stairs, as I would at my parents, I have visions of my foot slipping and face planting into the concrete. I imagine trying to put my hands out to stop my face, my knee coming down hard and having to limp around for a couple days.

Now take all of that and let me share about the lights in the house. You turn on the switch, nothing, oh wait it flickers on and then back off. Nothing, oh…second time flickering, a bit more on and off like a strobe light…and then success!! The light is now on. Great process when you turn on the light to walk down the stairs...Never mind that I feel I am in a cheap horror film and close my eyes so I don’t feel ill from the strobe light effect. With each step I pray that I don't face plant and fall down the stairs. I think a video is appropriate for this post :)

Teams, Moto's, and T-shirts

I survived the Cholera outbreak of 2010. But maybe I should wait a few more days to say that. The team kept having people sick, start to dehydrate, go to the clinic for fluids and antibiotics, and then someone else would come down with it. Today as I was with the two members of the team who couldn’t fly out (one was sick and the other was taking care of her) we learned that their symptoms are those of Cholera. Don’t worry I have my fingers crossed that I won’t get it  Sadly with the team gone this means no more Banana Grams, begging Erica to do her Hip Hop moves, or calling Nia Nina. I had so much fun with these women and am sad they have to leave. I told them that they have set the bar high for the next team that will come.

On a lighter note I found a T-shirt and helmet I should buy (note my sarcasm). These things made me laugh…The T-shirt said “I’m the single Friend” and the helmet had a picture of a person and it says “Don’t kiss me.” Also I got in a small fender bender but thankfully the fender was not bend and no one was hurt. My Moto driver re-ended someone else, which seemed a common occurrence as we did not stop and the girl he hit did not seem too concerned. Mind you he did ask me if I was ok a couple minutes later…I should have asked if the ride was free.

No pictures this time around...not sure what else to post. Any suggestions?

Joy

Things that have brought me joy in the last week...
1. Woman sitting on four bags of rice on a Moto...she was the passenger
2. Hearing words in Kymer and understanding them!
3. Sitting and watching The Office with one of my new friends
4. Getting on a Moto and telling him where I needed to go, thinking to myself...I am getting on a Moto with a guy I don't know, this goes against everything my mother taught me!
5. Playing basketball with woman from different countries, laughing while playing and enjoying the fact that these women are serious about this game even if they aren’t that good. (I'm a bit rusty but only one of 3 Americans that are currently playing...but my 3 point shot is still money!)
6. Learning that in every moment that I choose to trust God and let go He is waiting for me to find rest.
7. Learning that all children collect bugs and are fascinated by fireflies.
8. Praise and worship at Bible Study
9. Finding that in the moments I need God the most He is here.
10. Realizing that I feel confident in this new city.

Here are pictures of the market near my house, a view of my street from our balcony, and people setting up for a wedding...tis the season here.





I don't know if I already talked about weddings but here is some information. Weddings here usually last for a couple days and they will set the tent up in the middle of the street, no permit needed. They also do this for funerals. You can tell the difference by the colors on the tent. They also hang silver spray painted banana's at the entrance to the tent. People here also get very dressed up and look so pretty for these parties. They have singing and dancing which sometimes can last for days. Thankfully they tone it down in the city and stop the music at night...even though it starts up again at 6am.

Night Market

Sunday night (Sunday Morning for you)I went to the Night Market here in Phnom Penh. The night market is down by the river front and is exactly what it sounds like, a market at night :) There is a city square which people set up their booths all around the inside. The booths run mostly along the edge of the square and a few rows in. At the center of the square is a stage set up with singing and some comedy/acting which Kunthea (pronounced koon te-a...who is a Cambodian, said was not funny). At the front or start of the market is a big area where food is set up. These booths also run along the outer rim of the square and make up the food court for the market (or P'za in Khmer for market). Here is the parking area and a picture of some of the booths. You go to the different food booths and pick which one you want to eat from one of them (they all have about the same food). After selecting what you want ayou go to the eating area for that booth. The eating area is all woven mats on the ground and you take your shoes off to sit on the ground. They bring your food out and a drink lady comes over to see what you want. They have different kinds of juice such as soy and sugar cane. The Sugar cane juice is pretty good and fun to watch them make. They take and crush the whole stalk through a machine a couple of times and as it goes through the juice gets pressed out. I was quite fascinated as I watched :)Here is some of the food and where we sat to eat. The food was very good! I am eating some deep fried shrimp. Once we finished eating we walked through the market, listened to the music (which the people were lip syncing to) and then headed to an ice cream (ca-reme) place for desert. It was a lot of fun being out in the city and just being with the Cambodia's. Ra and Kunthea explained things to me and Cath (who is from New Zealand)as we had questions. It was a very cool experience. Tons of people were out and as I was told most people are out on the weekend nights down by the river walking around or sitting in small groups chatting. There were even guys going around selling light up toys and other paraphernalia that you would see at a fair in the evenings. Here is a video of some of the singing...

Learning a new language

What should I be doing right now? I should be writing down my sentences for Ra in Khmer, but I am not. I am pretty sure my brain is going to explode. It seems to be a steady increase in cranial pressure as I sit and feel like the dumbest person. I don’t understand what they are saying…they speak to me only in Khmer. Sure I recognize the words (well some of them). But then after hearing them I need to translate them into English and I have a list of over 50 words and phrases at this point. Then I look at my teacher and see they are waiting for me to respond but I have forgotten everything…there seems to be a small leak in my brain. Which might mean my head won’t explode but I should maybe get the leak checked out.

To make matters worse I feel like all my Spanish keeps sneaking up on me…and I don’t know that much! I want to pronounce things using Spanish inflections and Khmer is not even close! I know that over time it will get better and I remember the phrases I have to use…but at 4 in the afternoon I just can’t seem to wrap my head around this stuff. Two more days at this time and then I think I am going to switch to an earlier time. I am hoping to post more tomorrow about my Night Market experience and other things I have done this week.

weekend adventures

The good news is that even though I am missing home I still have been making myself go out and do things. I really want to enjoy my time here. Even with going out I am still taking time to be by myself and last night I even wrote, colored, and typed out my thoughts :)I felt much better getting my thoughts and emotions out! Part of the fun of living in a house with people is having a whole house full of people to do things with. In the morning Ra took me to get my new helmet so I don't have to worry about my head should I fall off a moto. Though with the way people drive around here I might want to wear it when I walk ;)

We decided to go out for pizza last night, all 6 of us. So 3 people offered to drive their moto's and we were off. I should say that as much as I enjoy riding on a Moto, riding at night is a whole different animal. I feared for my life most of the ride, not because of my driver but because of everyone else. I thought maybe if I didn't look it would be better. If I don't see someone coming to hit my legs or arms it will hurt less right? Yet the longer I rode I did have a chance to relax a bit (and when we were at stop lights, which count down how long you have to wait). At the stop lights I felt a rush of excitement as more Moto's would join the group of us (after weaving through the cars and other transportation). To hear the hum of the engine waiting, rumbling, gearing up as the number count down, and the rush of pulling forward with the wave of noise. To be part of a pack of crazy drivers but knowing that in that moment we are all going to move in the same direction and we are going to make it. I decided that is what it feels like to be part of a Motorcycle ride and can see why people enjoy doing it.



Pizza here was good, not like in the states, but good. We had Canadian Bacon and Barbecue Chicken with cheese crust. It is a thinner crust and tastes almost like a croissant in some ways but isn't flaky. No tomato sauce for these pizza's but still very tasty. Today I had breakfast (Banana Pancakes, which made me think of Jack Johnson and they were soooo good) with my supervisor Kristin. After breakfast she was sweet enough to take me to a few stores for things I needed, which ended in the Market where I am having sheets made for my bed. It is crazy to me and also very cool. You go and pick out your fabric and then go to a Taylor and explain what you want. We took a fitted sheet with us so they know how we wanted it made and what size it needed to be. I also got a DVD for 1.50, which is also crazy to me. It is a pirated copy but that is the only kind I can get here. They even sell entire seasons for shows and you still only pay 1.50 per DVD and can sometimes bargain with them on that(Lost, House, Band of Brothers, 30 Rock, you name it they have it). What DVD did I get? Bride Wars :) I was watching my copy of The Princess Diaries 2 yesterday ( you can judge me all you want, the movie is funny and very good. It makes me think of Marion and living with Aletheia) and realized I really like Anne Hathaway and thought it might be a fun movie to watch as I am thinking about home.

After eating some lunch...fresh papaya and mango as a side :) I went to another work out place and think that if I can I would like to get a membership. I ran for 30 mins and then took a dip in the pool before sitting out and reading a book, it was such good medicine for my heart and soul. I felt that I could relax and find comfort even in this new city. The adventure was riding a Tuk-tuk home! I was excited about this because it was my first time and I even used my Khmer words to give directions on how to find my house! I know you are all so proud :) Tonight is dinner at the house and playing games, it really does help to have things to do. Tomorrow I will check out another church and be picking up my new sheets at the market.

Home

Well I was going to give myself a couple weeks but it hit me pretty hard this morning. I miss home...home being the people I love, the places I am use to going, and the things I could count on. Thankfully I am not seeing this as Cambodia's fault or am upset with anything here. I am just sad. I have cried many tears, some which my parents saw on Skype this morning, and I'm sure more to come. I just keep hoping no one asks how I am doing because that seems to be when the flood gates open. It doesn't help that I have not been getting good sleep as I am still adjusting or that my body has decided to feel sick the last few days (crazy body, all my past traveling and yet it NOW decides to act up). It really does help to know people are praying for me but I just want someone I know to show up and give me a big hug. But I don't think that will be happening today.

So I accept that I am sad. Nothing more and nothing less. If I cry more today I will cry more. I know it will pass but in the mean time I am trying to occupy my time as I am still being shown the ropes and do not yet have any type of responsibilities or much to do. I am doing my language study but that is only about an hour a day plus the time I spend going over it. I am at my office now to start getting in the habit of coming here but who knows...maybe that won't even be everyday :) Which is fine, I just wish I had a bit more of the details at the moment...but maybe that is what I am suppose to be looking at in my life. How comfortable am I with just "being"? Why does my comfort level have to be based on what I am accomplishing or doing? Why is purpose defined by actions? or lack of actions? Well I have plenty of time to think about them...but I should be looking over my language study:)I have a whole new level of respect for people who learn languages...so many high hopes and yet so much vocabulary and grammar to learn!!

My new house

I thought I would take some time to describe my new home. The set up of the house is similar to a townhouse, tall and skinny (three to one building)but deep. All the houses have a fence gate.

Once inside the gate there is a small court yard type place where people park their moto's, bikes, or cars. You take your shoes off as you enter the doors and all the doors and windows have metal bars covering them (which you will see from the pictures). I am trying not to think I am in prison but at times I wish they didn't cover everything. On the first floor is a living room, kitchen table with chairs, a bedroom and the kitchen.





Before the Kitchen are the stairs, narrow and very unforgiving if you miss a step (not that I have but I really hope I never do) Everything is cement, tile, metal, and glass. The furniture is mostly wicker (which I can't say I really enjoy sitting in for long periods of time) but I know I will adjust. This seems to be the land of the Papasan. Here are some pictures of my Bedroom. My room has a large window but it overlooks the first living room and the side window has a nice view of the house next door. I am hoping to get some better lighting to help brighten the place up.



The floor my room is on is called the mezzanine floor and another woman has a room across the stairs from me. On the second floor is the next living room, another bedroom, and an office type area. This is also where we go to hang out laundry outside to dry, and were we sit to use the Internet. In the picture of the living room look at the back right corner...that is where I sit when I am on-line.


The third floor is a copy of my floor with just two bedrooms and then the stairs lead to the roof. Ra showed me how to get up there and he has a chair up there to sit in sometimes. It gives a lovely view of the area and a wonderful breeze :)Our street is kind of noisy because it goes through to a main road and has become much busier, I have been told, in the last few months. I am only 7 blocks from my Office, 2 blocks from the market, and about 5 blocks from my language school. So I walk everywhere (yes alone :) it is safe during the day). But here the size of your mode of transportation is what matters so I have to watch all the time as I walk around. The Cambodians also keep coming up and saying, "tuk tuk?" or "Moto?" They don't walk anywhere and can't imagine that I would want to walk either :) This makes me smile as I walk knowing I seem like an odd duck to them.

Markets and Stores

Today has been quite the day. I was feeling kind of down today, it seems overwhelming to have to start all over with building relationships here. I am optimistic but my little Introvert needed some time to process this. I also realized I want to get started and jump into things and right now I have to wait. So I did my own thing most of the morning and had a chance to chat with one of the people living in my house. His name is Ra and he teaches English and is going to school. It was nice to have a chance to chat a little bit. After lunch Judith was around and she took me to a mall where they have a grocery store.

The choice to go to the store was made after Judith listened to my list and told me what things are cheaper at the market and they usually just go and buy it the same day when they need it (the market is 2 blocks from my house, very easy to walk to). Now, how does one get around in Cambodia? Good question! They have bikes called Moto's, cars, and regular bikes. Judith had a Moto so after donning our helmets we were off. Thanks to my brother-in-law I have ridden a motorcycle so I was familiar with sitting on the back of a bike and not having to hold on. Granted some of the streets were missing sections or had big pot holes, but I'm proud to say I didn't scream and grab onto Judith but simple put my hand up on her shoulder for a moment of security. The street laws are a little bit different here. With the "street rules" as I will call them it is very simple: you go until you can't go anymore...meaning if you are turning left and that means crossing traffic you turn and drive in the wrong lane facing oncoming traffic until you get over. This also means "Michigan Stops" at most every corner, pulling out in front of people to cross a street, etc. This might seem unsafe, and I won't want to drive anything motorized here, but no one is really driving over 30 I would guess. Judith also said you are good to pull out etc. as long as you make eye contact. It is when the person coming at you isn't looking that you need to watch out :)

After the store we had some ice cream, a waffle cone with 2 scoops for .90 cents. We arrived home, which meant me holding onto my two bags of food in front of me, and then headed to our market. I was able to buy fresh Gala Apples!! (kind of expensive but I love them), carrots, potatoes, zucchini, oranges, and some of their native fruit. Oh...and for my brother...the fruit you asked about Dariun I think, yeah I had it last time. You can't even open in the house it smells so bad because it smells like rotten eggs. I tried some and it was the consistency of custard, and not very good.

In the market I was looking for skirts that I can wear here. I didn't think my wool lined skirt or thick denim would make the cut in this heat. I found a dress ($5) two skirts ($10) and a little thin jacket to go over my dress to cover my shoulders ($2.50). The tag on one of my skirts shows retail price of $40. The one skirt had to be shortened (it went past my feet) and the thin jacket was long sleeve and I wanted short sleeves. So for $1.50 I had my skirt and jacket done...and in less then 10 Min's mind you. As we were leaving I heard a Michael Buble song playing and smiled to myself. That guy does get around :)

Tonight will be dinner at another girls place who I met today. Tomorrow is the first day of checking out some of the different churches. But it was good to get out of the house and start getting around to get the things I needed. Oh...at the grocery story it was over $7 for a box of Special K fruit and yogurt cereal, yeah I passed on that one. But I did buy fabric softener in a bag...which also made me smile :)

New Year

2010 has begun...nothing about this really jumped out at me. And then I heard people talking about the beginning of a new decade. How strange to think about ten years ago...I was 17 and entering my second semester of being a Junior in High School. That is weird to me. If you had told me that ten years later I would have two degree(neither of which were on my radar at the time), traveled Europe, Africa, and Asia. Taken a trip to Hawaii with college friends, and lived in a slightly larger city with a roommate...I'm not sure I would have believed you.

I think back to that time in my life and I imagined going to college and getting married, with a possible chance of living on my own for a while. So I guess part of what I have done I would have foreseen. But I never would have guessed the rest. How small my view of life was ten years ago. How much importance I put on silly things. Yet at the time they did not seem so silly. Ten years ago I was planning for Prom...Ten years later I am planning for Cambodia.

I love seeing God's plan unfold for my life. To know that in the middle of what I thought was important God was at working doing bigger things. Things not really about me but things for me to do for His plan. Events, people, and places have all come together to teach me, help me, and grow with in me the person He has called me to be. I love sitting and reading my journals from High School and even College. I laugh at my concern over boys and the things that crowded my heart. I feel triumph in seeing concerns and prayers that God has answered. Ten years...that is a lot of time and yet it doesn't feel like enough. I am excited to see what God has in story for me ten years from now.

Boxes

On Thursday I packed up my belongings. I packed them in boxes, put them in suitcases, and crammed as much as I could into my car. My life is reduced to boxes. I drove to my parents house in Michigan and began unpacking my carefully packed car. As I walked up the stairs in their house and opened my bedroom door I was greeted by more boxes. I keep thinking, "what are in these boxes?" I haven't really missed much in the last few months. Can I really have this much stuff?

I feel a little better realizing my room here is pretty small which creates the feeling of being packed with my belongings. How did I get so much stuff? I have a strong urge to just take boxes and get rid of it all, but I know there are treasured things in my boxes. Yet I won't use any of my things for a year if not longer.

These boxes also mean it is final. I have moved back in with my parents (which wasn't really part of my long term plan), I am unemployed, and I am right where I am suppose to be. I feel that sometimes God hands me a box of my life. It is full of things for me to go through and process, to laugh about, to feel my heart break with, and to be able to use. Boxes, so many boxes..I'm just glad I don't always have to move the boxes God gives me.

December already?

Time seems to be slipping by. This is sad and encouraging to my heart. It is sad because I will be leaving my life here in Marion soon, which I will miss. It is encouraging because it means a new chapter in my life is going to start. It is also sad because during moments with my friends I don't want the time to end. I want to freeze the moment and remember the conversations we had and the knowledge of knowing we are together in this moment.

I freeze moments in my mind that I love returning to and want to keep up my recollections. I know there will be days in Cambodia when I need to remember my ARD who put a orange cone in his parking spot to save it and my other ARD who moved it to take the spot. I want to remember the night I stayed up with 3 other friends playing Speed Scrabble till 3 in the morning. I never want to forget singing "Your too good to be true" at the top of my lungs with my roommate in Evans as we sang our hearts out to the empty hall way.

The encouragement I have in the middle of feeling sad is know that I have time stretching out in front of me next year. I get to be stretched and challenged in ways I can't even imagine; this is building excitement in my little adventurous heart. I want to embrace this next year because I know that time will keep moving and it will be over sooner then I can even know, which feels sad.

Fall

Fall is the best time of the year...I enjoy summer, but fall seems to steal my heart. I love the leaves and colors that are everywhere! I keep taking mental pictures for myself because for the first time in my life, I will miss fall. I won't get to see the leaves change or smell them being burned. No crisp fall air as I run, or smile as the sun come out from behind the big fall clouds.

I can't say I will miss winter here in the states...but fall I will. Time seems to be going so very fast. I find myself unable to believe that October is half over. I keep seeing God work in and around me and I love living with my roommate...it is like college, but even better. All these things I have to trust to God, He knows what my life will look like when I come back. I am excited about leaving and reaching out for what God is putting before me, but right now I'm kind of sad to be leaving.

Adventures in Renting

I have moved into my new apartment and have already had some adventures in my new apartment...

1. Setting up furniture...I had to move my pie safe to a different location because the floor is slanted and the doors to the pie safe wouldn't stay closed.

2. No air conditioning...trying to keep a good balance of air flow even when it is raining and forgot to close one of the windows and got the floor all wet.

3. Parking on the street...having to take my heels off to cross the small river that had formed between me and the sidewalk to my door.

4. No hot water...I had to heat water to take a shower yesterday. Can't say I ever thought I would have to do that.

....I'm sure there will be more to come later.

What has been going on...

Time seems to have slipped past me. The last few months have been crazy. The end of April was filled with saying good bye and transition from Spring to May term housing. During May I had almost a full area of students as well as finishing up reports, saying good bye to the life I have lived the last 4 years, saying good bye to people I have lived and worked with, packing up my apartment, and preparing for Cambodia. Now it is the beginning of June. I leave in 5 days to fly around the world, I will be starting a new part time job when I get back, and I will be moving completely out of my current apartment to some place new.

It all seems to roll on top of each other. It all feel lined up ready to go. This happens first, and then that next, followed by that, and lastly this. Where is there time to breath and think? I just want a few moments of stability and normalcy but I don't think I will have them until I find a place to live and am settled into it. When I no longer walk into my house and see nothing hanging on my walls and when I can't find something I wonder what box I put it in. (then I think about how I have too much stuff and should throw it all away).

That is what my life has been these last few months and the journey keeps going. Who knows what I will have to write about after Cambodia and a summer full of weddings, moving, and starting a new job...we will have to wait and see.