Because I'm lazy, I'm just going to post the e-mails I sent home to friends and family throughout my trip.
Squatty Potties are NOT my favorite.
07.22.07
Greetings from Cambodia! That's right - I made it in one piece. Despite being my typical self! The trip got off to a banging start when I waddled (heavy backpack!) up to the ticket counter and provided the attendant with my itinerary and gave him a blank stare when he asked for my passport, as well. Passport?! Yes, genius here forgot to grab her passport out of the lockbox. My amazing, wonderful, fabulous husband came to my rescue and rushed home to retrieve it. (And then offered to "keep it our little secret"- what a guy!) Since my favorite coping mechanism is denial, I just kept telling myself during the hour that it took him to go home and come back that, "I'm not going to miss my plane. I'm not going to miss my plane. I'm just simply not going to miss it." And, luckily, I didn't. Although I did get a stern lecture from the ticketing man about being so late. Jerkface. Anyway, after running through LAX, I made it to my gate on time and settled in to my coach seat next to two boys from Peru on their way to Bali for a month of surfing. Rough life, right? The rest of the trip went really smoothly considering I've never traveled so far on my own, had to make a connecting flight in Tai Pei, and had only this description by which to identify the girl who was supposed to pick me up at the airport: small, dark hair, and dark eyes. Let me tell you - that does NOT narrow things down in Cambodia. But, by the grace of God, Theara and I found each other and I've been in good hands ever since.
The first night I met two other ladies who were joining me on the trip and we went to Theara's kids' club and practiced the great spiritual gift of play. I got some great pictures and realized the kids could not grasp the concept of red light, green light. After traveling around the city, however, I found out why. NO ONE grasps that concept here. I will never complain about L.A. traffic again!
The following day we met up with the rest of the group and took a four hour bus ride to Battenbang, where Rapha House is. It was quite an eye-opening experience. For one, I've never seen green so vibrant. Or such poverty. Even still, I felt so much more at home in the countryside than I did in the city, per usual. It's really amazingly beautiful here. And hot, but I was mentally prepared for that. After awhile, you just get used to wearing a wet shirt.
Today we went to church and Rapha House and I experienced my first "moto" ride with my father-in-law. All the other passengers ride side-saddle, but when have I ever cared about looking ladylike?! I had my first real Cambodian food for lunch - yellow noodles and veggies. Very good. But since I'm grossed out by most meat in the U.S., I've pretty much decided I'm not going to sample any meat here. That's why my bag is full of powerbars, jerky, and nuts. I may have only ended up with two pairs of pants, but at least I've got food! Yes, you could say I forgot about half the clothes that I intended to take, but whatever. It's all good. And it's not because I didn't pack until the last minute, Dad! It's because I did a mid-term, book review, online post and journal for classes on the same day that I left - I was a bit distracted.
Anyway, that's enough for now. The language barrier here might be the worst I've ever experienced, but the internet sure is cheap! I hope you are all doing well and that this e-mail finds you happy and blessed. Thanks for the prayers - I know they're the only reason I made it here without more mishaps!
The first night I met two other ladies who were joining me on the trip and we went to Theara's kids' club and practiced the great spiritual gift of play. I got some great pictures and realized the kids could not grasp the concept of red light, green light. After traveling around the city, however, I found out why. NO ONE grasps that concept here. I will never complain about L.A. traffic again!
The following day we met up with the rest of the group and took a four hour bus ride to Battenbang, where Rapha House is. It was quite an eye-opening experience. For one, I've never seen green so vibrant. Or such poverty. Even still, I felt so much more at home in the countryside than I did in the city, per usual. It's really amazingly beautiful here. And hot, but I was mentally prepared for that. After awhile, you just get used to wearing a wet shirt.
Today we went to church and Rapha House and I experienced my first "moto" ride with my father-in-law. All the other passengers ride side-saddle, but when have I ever cared about looking ladylike?! I had my first real Cambodian food for lunch - yellow noodles and veggies. Very good. But since I'm grossed out by most meat in the U.S., I've pretty much decided I'm not going to sample any meat here. That's why my bag is full of powerbars, jerky, and nuts. I may have only ended up with two pairs of pants, but at least I've got food! Yes, you could say I forgot about half the clothes that I intended to take, but whatever. It's all good. And it's not because I didn't pack until the last minute, Dad! It's because I did a mid-term, book review, online post and journal for classes on the same day that I left - I was a bit distracted.
Anyway, that's enough for now. The language barrier here might be the worst I've ever experienced, but the internet sure is cheap! I hope you are all doing well and that this e-mail finds you happy and blessed. Thanks for the prayers - I know they're the only reason I made it here without more mishaps!
1 comments:
The adventures of Robin! I love them! Thanks for sharing! Thanks for the details! AND Thanks for the answer to my myspace question! Love ya!
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