tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52525804290983678482024-02-19T01:39:18.954-05:00The Joys of My LifeThe Adventures of June DuckAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08922283587244672610noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5252580429098367848.post-52130862902281284762012-09-02T00:29:00.000-04:002012-09-02T00:29:13.018-04:00Education for Evelyne's Children Hello Everyone,<br />
<br />
Ive started a new job this past week fundraising for refugee children all over the world, its been a pretty challenging job, because I have to stand outside on the sidewalk and approach strangers, tell them about my cause and ask for donations.<br />
<br />
It got me thinking that there are a lot of people in my life that could use some help and that I could use my fundraising skills to help them, Evelyne especially! I was also inspired by a new friend Gene-Manuel who needed some help, asked for it and received it! He's the one that turned me on to http://www.indiegogo.com/ to use it as a fundraising platform.<br />
<br />
I did my masters degree with Evelyne, and she is one of the sweetest and kindest souls I know. She sacrificed soo much to leave her family in Cameroon, West Africa to come study in the US for 2 years.<br />
She recently informed me that she wouldnt be able to pay her four children's school fees for this coming fall. We both graduated school in May, and she has returned to her family and has been job searching ever since, even with her new credentials she has yet to find a position. I know how much she values education and want to make sure that her children have the bright future they deserve.<br />
<br />
Please help out if you can by clicking <a href="http://igg.me/p/220226?a=1170836" target="_blank">here!!!</a><br />
<br />
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Spread the word and spread the love!!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08922283587244672610noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5252580429098367848.post-62171822364146360512012-05-25T16:33:00.004-04:002012-05-25T16:33:55.258-04:00Chocolate MacaroonsThe macaroon marathon continues... This time I am talking about Chocolate Macaroon! So far they are one of my families favorites, I've made them twice so far! The chocolate macaroon recipe is very similar to the vanilla one, with the variations of adding cocoa power to the dry mix and a chocolate filling instead of vanilla butter cream. One of my favorite parts about making macaroons is the piping! It didnt take long before I got the hang of it. I choose to use a large plastic bag with the tip cut off instead of a fancier pastry bag because I think it works just as well and has minimal clean up, because you just throw the bag away afterwards! The tricky part is that you dont want the batter to ooze out unless you are piping so you have to be ready and pipe them all at once. I have both of my baking dishes prepped with parchment paper and then I squeeze and swirl out the batter to make the macaroon. I generally use two hands. The batter is really sticky and unforgiving so its important to get it right the first time and while you practice your piping skills if they come out a little messy dont worry they will still taste good. Also make sure you have an even number since because the cookies are getting sandwiched together.<br />
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The filling for these guys is pretty easy I diverted from the recipe a bit and boiled cream and then added the chocolate in until I got a nice chocolate sauce. Once chilled a bit it spread nicely on the cookies!<br />
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The recipe for the vanilla macaroons and chocolate ones are below!<br />
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Adapted from Macaroons - The Ideal Bite-sized Treat book.<br />
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Vanilla Macaroon <br />
3/4 cup ground almond flour<br />
1 cup confectioners sugar<br />
2 extra large egg whites<br />
1/4 cup sugar<br />
1/2 tsp vanilla extract<br />
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Filling<br />
4 tbsp unsalted butter softened<br />
1/2 tsp vanilla extract<br />
1 cup confectioners sugar sifted <br />
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<br />
Sift almond flour- which tends to be a bit clumpy with confectioners sugar- I have tried both sifting and not sifting both are fine<br />
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Seperate 2 egg whites and beat with electric mixer until it holds soft peaks. Gradually add in sugar and vanilla.<br />
<br />
Using a spatula fold in the try mixture of almond flour and sugar into wet egg whites 1/3 at a time.<br />
The batter should be shiny thick and ribbon like.<br />
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Prepare 2 baking sheets with parchment paper <br />
<br />
To fill the pasty bag or large baggie I recommend propping it up in a bowl and then scooping it in with a spatula. Cut a small corner off of the baggie and work the batter down. Place your index finger and thumb together to form a circle and pipe out the batter in circles that size.<br />
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Bang the cookie sheets on the table or workspace a few time and let sit for 25-30 mins. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.<br />
<br />
Bake cookies for 10 minutes.<br />
<br />
Remove from parchment paper and let cool <br />
<br />
For the filling<br />
Make sure the butter is soft and beat until creamy, add in the vanilla and beat some more. Gradually beat in the confectioners sugar until smooth and creamy.<br />
<br />
Sandwich the cookies together once the cookies have cooled and enjoy! <br />
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<br />
For chocolate macaroons<br />
<br />Add 2 tbsp of unsweetened cocoa to the dry mix <br />
<br />
all instructions are the same <br />
<br />
Filling<br />
3 1/2 oz of semisweet chocolate chips<br />
2/3 cup heavy cream<br />
<br />
Heat the cream until it boils then pour the cream over the chocolate and stir until smooth. Chill for 10-15 mins in the fridge before filling the cookies <br />
<br />
Sandwich the cookies together once the cookies have cooled and enjoy! <br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08922283587244672610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5252580429098367848.post-71994614480583764202012-05-24T10:57:00.003-04:002012-05-24T10:57:54.013-04:00Macaroon Adventure<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I started baking macaroons with my brother about a month ago. My brother had bought a recipe book for macaroons, and then my mom got one for me too! We started at the beginning of the recipe book and have been baking our way through it! Macaroons are surprisingly easy! And once you get the knack of making the basic recipe they are really easy to modify. The main things you need are almond flour, confectioners sugar, eggs, granulated sugar, and food coloring and parchment paper. The fillings vary from jam to chocolate to butter cream - which is also really easy -as long as you follow the steps! Almond flour can be found at health food store and some grocery stores, or you can make your own, but I've been using the ready ground almond flour and its works really nicely. The most time consuming part of making macaroons are that they have to sit once you have placed them on the baking sheets for 30 minutes so they can form a dry skin which makes them smooth when you bake them. Also you can't forget to bang the cookie sheets on the counter to work out the air bubbles because you don't want them bursting and cracking the cookies. I've forgot a few times! So please enjoy the photos from Vanilla macaroons- the recipe and additional macaroon posts to come! The photo isnt the best and the cookies kinda blend into the plate but this was our first shot and the photos get better- just as the cookies have!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08922283587244672610noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5252580429098367848.post-86807343953237292092012-05-14T22:23:00.001-04:002012-05-14T22:23:11.948-04:00I'm homeIts been a whirlwind of a time coming back home, I need to get back to keeping you all updated. I am thinking of starting a blog with ty about macaroons since we have been making them practically every weekend. I just need to think of a good name for the new blog- I'm thinking of calling the food truck I'd like to eventually have called the "June Duck Truck" since names like the macarooner were already taken, and June Duck is my alias for this blog. I will post some photos and baking tale tomorrow. But for now time to sleep and dream of sweets as sugar plums dance in my head!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08922283587244672610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5252580429098367848.post-51996912301770023612012-02-24T04:07:00.001-05:002012-02-24T04:08:42.563-05:00What did you do on your lunch break?<style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"MS 明朝"; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:128; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:fixed; mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;} @font-face {font-family:"MS 明朝"; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:128; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:fixed; mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-fareast-language:JA;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --> </style> <p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal">I don’t usually have much time to read the new paper, and the time I do have during my lunch breaks, I spend reading my book, studying French, Spanish or Italian verbs or shopping at the Russian Market. But today I had time to read the Cambodia Daily and shop for winter clothes at market for my upcoming trip to Beijing. The temperature difference is going to be a real shock! It’s a real unique experience being in the poorly ventilated sauna also know as the market trying on long pants and knock off puffy North Face jackets. Sweaty doesn’t even begin to describe it. However I find that if I go in with intention its easier to find what I need, otherwise one can easily get overwhelmed with the narrow lane of stalls packed with a smorgasbord of goods. Today the intention was winter clothes. I half accomplished the mission coming out with 2 pairs of jeans and 2 new dresses. I just cant resist the dresses, and at 5 dollars a pop they are a steal. I will delve into the markets again next week to find a jacket and some warm sweaters, and try to not come out with any more dresses. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Ok back to the newspaper. I was really filled with sadness reading numerous articles about people dying. Today I read about an Argentinian train crash and the further recovery of bodies from the Italian cruise ship. It really saddens me. But there was one hopeful article about children getting free corrective cleft palate surgery from the Smile Train. Apparently its fairly common in this region with 1 in 500 Cambodians being born with a cleft palate. Reading the stories of those served really put a smile on my face. The I was drawn into another story about worms. Since I’m deeply entrenched in all things agricultural, I read about the burgeoning worm production business Cambodia. Rural farmers are starting to raise worms to help with soil fertility and to produce fertilizer. When I shared the article with my coworker she taught me the khmer word for earthworm- phonetically pronounced “Chun Lin” <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I can honestly say that it is a word I haven’t learned in any other foreign language. </p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08922283587244672610noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5252580429098367848.post-42443156219551357362012-02-12T23:13:00.002-05:002012-02-12T23:30:11.656-05:00Working in the officeThere is a cacophony of Khmer around me. Cell phones ringing and things being discussed, and now we are having a very interesting conversation about speaking with and without an accent and the cambodian and western perspectives on the matter.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08922283587244672610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5252580429098367848.post-82927497442672891762012-02-08T01:56:00.003-05:002012-02-08T02:06:12.898-05:00What I saw todayOn my bicycle ride back to work, I saw somethings that you might only see here. I feel like Phnom Penh is the only place where you would see a large pink and orange wedding tent taking up half of a major street while 4 cement trucks take up the other half, all the while cars, tuk tuks, motos and cyclists weave around these obstacles. Then there was a Lexus and a Range Rover driving down the street without license plates. In another part of town, I had to wait while a motorcade of unidentified diplomats in shiny cars passed by. Then there was the moto carrying 2 people and a handful of chicken upside down, one guy with a flat screen tv on the back of his moto a bunch of other girls on motos with their jackets on backwards to protect their hands and arms from getting tanned, all this, while its 88 degrees out with 60% humidity.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08922283587244672610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5252580429098367848.post-75293056786551379232012-01-06T05:04:00.003-05:002012-01-06T05:08:54.050-05:00Island Adventures continued<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-NeTts-TEPp0nhjcWozGBnkC1YgGpkikMXfyzMlJBPEQ0FaDQdMgnkcVucWpHqRIhlBeIxAZfedAE7CEJ-YE3i2y0BfGgjBlOtlcLvhxHOmv1YeEM_P9xLfVt3eSC8Jdgh3q56AXITD0s/s1600/L1040694.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-NeTts-TEPp0nhjcWozGBnkC1YgGpkikMXfyzMlJBPEQ0FaDQdMgnkcVucWpHqRIhlBeIxAZfedAE7CEJ-YE3i2y0BfGgjBlOtlcLvhxHOmv1YeEM_P9xLfVt3eSC8Jdgh3q56AXITD0s/s400/L1040694.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694458588520718370" border="0" /></a>Nursing monkey!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuafTYnoIuCsDoVn4arDUEhf2SvNGGJZpDFg8uJpBBriZLWVS7F_XFQvjg6_-17cBigyiou8NUmGj9TDYBT9yoZZNwHt8SpPFKJQOiQ2GbnzOcG9ky1_nbpi0UlSUOyE897roM_D6O3oN6/s1600/L1040679.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuafTYnoIuCsDoVn4arDUEhf2SvNGGJZpDFg8uJpBBriZLWVS7F_XFQvjg6_-17cBigyiou8NUmGj9TDYBT9yoZZNwHt8SpPFKJQOiQ2GbnzOcG9ky1_nbpi0UlSUOyE897roM_D6O3oN6/s400/L1040679.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694458579853233282" border="0" /></a>Me at the cliffs of Ulu Watu- Bali<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjodQ65KBUzXx4BsOmRcynEJj2Uhx59wxbx7C9B44gpyEVwhofCgIpgIP-ExNb70Jl25iKjHAfy9Rjr1jOqtPqugDpJxEw_k7qUFaaRhxkoHjUp9XVptc4SQRPP4xPnVDcHbEVf3vh6kK60/s1600/L1040629.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjodQ65KBUzXx4BsOmRcynEJj2Uhx59wxbx7C9B44gpyEVwhofCgIpgIP-ExNb70Jl25iKjHAfy9Rjr1jOqtPqugDpJxEw_k7qUFaaRhxkoHjUp9XVptc4SQRPP4xPnVDcHbEVf3vh6kK60/s400/L1040629.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694458571389482770" border="0" /></a>The towers at night!<br /><br /><br />This text was supposed to go with the previous post but here it is - more pics to come in several following posts<br /><br /> <style>@font-face { font-family: "MS 明朝"; }@font-face { font-family: "Cambria Math"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }.MsoChpDefault { font-size: 10pt; }div.WordSection1 { page: WordSection1; }</style> <p class="MsoNormal">I went on a whirlwind trip to Malaysia and Indonesia. It was fun, some times tiring, other times exciting and occasionally relaxing. Having Christmas away was hard but I did get to skype with family! I think I need to find a balance between overplanning and doing no planning at all. This trip was very last minute and I did very little planning, which is probably why some parts of it didn’t live up to my expectations. But I did see some very cool things. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Trip highlights- Seeing the Patronas Towers in day and night, from up high and below. Going to the Kuala Lumpur bird park, seeing feisty monkeys at Ulu Watu temple, seeing beautiful beaches and scenery, scuba diving and seeing sea turtles!! Meeting nice travelers, seeing a balinese cremation ceremony, hanging out with an Indonesian medicine woman, doing some shopping, seeing Indonesian traditional dances, eating lots of yummy food, sleeping in my own bed when I got home to Phnom Penh!</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08922283587244672610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5252580429098367848.post-33022820518747894032012-01-06T04:35:00.007-05:002012-01-06T05:03:42.758-05:00Malaysia and Indonesia<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJIUKvF8BdWPmFwZ6Msy4h163pEBM3555a09UhJUlZ5v5qhD88LfhacCwlRQU0uEdsU-W-kQu9M69-NREqTUSKVFkdyF7zhbmqhFw8-n5Jy3eKUCYOn9lUAjcJDSru4DUARIN1hU02OdiC/s1600/L1040567.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJIUKvF8BdWPmFwZ6Msy4h163pEBM3555a09UhJUlZ5v5qhD88LfhacCwlRQU0uEdsU-W-kQu9M69-NREqTUSKVFkdyF7zhbmqhFw8-n5Jy3eKUCYOn9lUAjcJDSru4DUARIN1hU02OdiC/s400/L1040567.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694456115524054466" border="0" /></a>Me and my towers!!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf9PwN2doneDuLEqbusmOmqYEBQBcbDfUHaSkuesVfuEJrABVos68x3WZD30-qve7hn6sLVc18WHfKVIludO2gtj0i79mCKilVP9n5GAbeARwmX5-rIhCtWYxvtww7JiOu1VXCmT1zkvt4/s1600/L1040554.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf9PwN2doneDuLEqbusmOmqYEBQBcbDfUHaSkuesVfuEJrABVos68x3WZD30-qve7hn6sLVc18WHfKVIludO2gtj0i79mCKilVP9n5GAbeARwmX5-rIhCtWYxvtww7JiOu1VXCmT1zkvt4/s400/L1040554.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694456100292449922" border="0" /></a>Me and a peacock<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGQs4eYpcQVSpr0qpRO9dCNPzrnb5wWc3OpMgb0yZhu-mZrlzemRPZKG3sraAMhx21M8uKz9bIYar5zMCPAjurMWYqV6ZMd0D1KvG7QrS6l0MQGXMEld-1fIMtmzwdwr22wXOCNXLLcozU/s1600/L1040454.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGQs4eYpcQVSpr0qpRO9dCNPzrnb5wWc3OpMgb0yZhu-mZrlzemRPZKG3sraAMhx21M8uKz9bIYar5zMCPAjurMWYqV6ZMd0D1KvG7QrS6l0MQGXMEld-1fIMtmzwdwr22wXOCNXLLcozU/s400/L1040454.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694456096145061650" border="0" /></a>Me at the Batu Caves<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSJX61BiMfu-IaGP7_lEDu_0uvqkgenJyMc1qtiq3jOou8OPod_obTn3uIBg483udC9WWaNK0-iHmNNVyiqOXQKMAaidQ7aFAw4jy0RUBdc7YfM8NnqHuGs7EoVNtEVlw6-t1t7dLxyEnM/s1600/L1040439.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSJX61BiMfu-IaGP7_lEDu_0uvqkgenJyMc1qtiq3jOou8OPod_obTn3uIBg483udC9WWaNK0-iHmNNVyiqOXQKMAaidQ7aFAw4jy0RUBdc7YfM8NnqHuGs7EoVNtEVlw6-t1t7dLxyEnM/s400/L1040439.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694454652614915970" border="0" /></a>Not so pretty, but very tasty food!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTAm2o3rh6Wt_vZQFYpndMLetV8tgDkHGX73SkTBUYEd7VxSS43B8A3ywZUxdwV0CzyefSYwmVYG08HnGVUd4tdKS-N7oeb2Wp4f3MnJtUyvO86ofyf9TSuZ97TFbiMQeL0XgI33nhGDHX/s1600/L1040436.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTAm2o3rh6Wt_vZQFYpndMLetV8tgDkHGX73SkTBUYEd7VxSS43B8A3ywZUxdwV0CzyefSYwmVYG08HnGVUd4tdKS-N7oeb2Wp4f3MnJtUyvO86ofyf9TSuZ97TFbiMQeL0XgI33nhGDHX/s400/L1040436.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694454651749273634" border="0" /></a><br />I love the fact that theres a lion in this ad in Kuala Lumpur on the phone!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinhElj3GB09zm3AcE9cd96Mh3GmovsZuOnnU8_VhE2ahOMEsDxfjdBXZntK3028rMs8cD_H-vyLdAGciG10j9t-usOATIx1CM3e6OW_gfUr_xovnKr8MnJDJ0coWcpOwM6HHQJTjwa4agK/s1600/DSCN0001.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinhElj3GB09zm3AcE9cd96Mh3GmovsZuOnnU8_VhE2ahOMEsDxfjdBXZntK3028rMs8cD_H-vyLdAGciG10j9t-usOATIx1CM3e6OW_gfUr_xovnKr8MnJDJ0coWcpOwM6HHQJTjwa4agK/s400/DSCN0001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694454060059969634" border="0" /></a>Wonderful guesthouse in KL- The explorers gueshouse<br /><br /> <style>@font-face { font-family: "MS 明朝"; }@font-face { font-family: "Cambria Math"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }.MsoChpDefault { font-size: 10pt; }div.WordSection1 { page: WordSection1; }</style>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08922283587244672610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5252580429098367848.post-12245790860596211432012-01-06T04:25:00.001-05:002012-01-06T04:25:56.283-05:00On the move again<style>@font-face { font-family: "MS 明朝"; }@font-face { font-family: "MS 明朝"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }.MsoChpDefault { font-size: 10pt; }div.WordSection1 { page: WordSection1; }</style> <p class="MsoNormal">Where to start… So I haven’t blogged in far too long. I start with the most recent, and then maybe fill in some of the past as I go along. Tonight I am taking the night bus to Siem Reap. Fingers crossed for a pleasurable bus experience! I am going to spend 3 days seeing the temples, I can’t believe that I have been living in Cambodia for 4 months now and still haven’t seen them! Then I will do 3 days of fieldwork talking with farmers about their selling techniques of seeds and fertilizer, and talking with clients about their thoughts about the farmers that sell them farm inputs. Fingers crossed again that if and when things go wrong that I am able to adapt and figure out how to roll with it and still get some good field data. When I was in the field a month ago with 4 other people, when things went wrong – meaning there were scheduling miscommunications- they were able to figure it out and I just followed along. But this time its only me and my coworker/translator Pisith. After that I am back to Phnom Penh before I am off to Kep for the weekend to celebrate a friends birthday! </p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08922283587244672610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5252580429098367848.post-2750373494177867672012-01-02T09:55:00.003-05:002012-01-02T10:01:57.022-05:00A Cambodian shopping experience<style>@font-face { font-family: "MS 明朝"; }@font-face { font-family: "MS 明朝"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }.MsoChpDefault { font-size: 10pt; }div.WordSection1 { page: WordSection1; }</style> <p class="MsoNormal">We have an Americanesque grocery store here called Lucky Supermarket. They have the widest variety of dried goods, cereals, frozen goods and snack foods around. I went there today to refill my kitchen with food since I was out of town for a few weeks. For months now, I have been meaning to get my Lucky store loyalty card, but I always forget to get one until I am at the cash register and its too late, because have to go to an office outside and around the corner from the actual grocery store to get the card. Today I FINALLY remembered before my shopping trip and went to the office to ask for the card. The lady sitting at the desk exclaimed “they’re finished come back in 20 days.” I explained that I wanted a card today tho to start earning points that are used for freebees and coupons, but she insisted that there it was not possible to get a card and I must return at the end of January. Its instances like these that make me laugh! I finally remember to get the darn card and I am denied! Wanna bet if I go back in 20 days they’ll tell me to come back again in 20 more!!<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Heres the <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=lucky+supermarket+phnom+penh&fb=1&hq=lucky+supermarket&hnear=0x3109513dc76a6be3:0x9c010ee85ab525bb,Phnom+Penh,+Cambodia&cid=0,0,17283745929290616820&ei=KMUBT5m4LImfiQfr-9D7AQ&sa=X&oi=local_result&ct=image&ved=0CAUQ_BI">link</a> to where is the where its located if your curious! I live not far from the grocery store!<br /></p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08922283587244672610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5252580429098367848.post-1899472964339915382011-11-06T00:23:00.007-04:002011-11-06T01:03:03.854-04:00Thailand<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglA8htKy4hR0QCbNT0Q0Xn_nmWhOiQ45APs2cvpUW39IHWT3-33nP3FPO_Clp93xNTgn5YLVrFvp8XuuD4GdV3I4fi1LDsBNKsnBwC7PBJJlsZ-E_IK0Pf6V2z4YebFoX6lgYhI6yCEn6N/s1600/L1030653.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglA8htKy4hR0QCbNT0Q0Xn_nmWhOiQ45APs2cvpUW39IHWT3-33nP3FPO_Clp93xNTgn5YLVrFvp8XuuD4GdV3I4fi1LDsBNKsnBwC7PBJJlsZ-E_IK0Pf6V2z4YebFoX6lgYhI6yCEn6N/s400/L1030653.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5671741368449584786" border="0" /></a>Learned about <a href="http://www.jimthompsonhouse.com/museum/index.asp">Jim Thompson</a> and his involvement in the silk trade and his mysterious disappearance!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdf17z3gwrLph6-5_eh_ST-cb8mG1tmCAJUzLSXjt2nqdhP1gHxO-mKwOwFzDIoBUdValLAgKD_Q9U2fZdpXGSJQRUeBxNZHzwLJyj-awhWm5W-czynOEZ5ejxkfQB3OBQRi48f5p9c4bt/s1600/L1030669.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdf17z3gwrLph6-5_eh_ST-cb8mG1tmCAJUzLSXjt2nqdhP1gHxO-mKwOwFzDIoBUdValLAgKD_Q9U2fZdpXGSJQRUeBxNZHzwLJyj-awhWm5W-czynOEZ5ejxkfQB3OBQRi48f5p9c4bt/s400/L1030669.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5671741360791806018" border="0" /></a>This is the living room of his house, it was soo pretty and open!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9cCJRHMxraCvvTo8acFyD-qoYWrja1Ht79kAG9160REqEMrfYcdoj_6fRezvut0Ff2a1nULPzHq1FJMCnqflv3iPTQHuo2gqNDV7GATIARjSCr1io06639hP4yn_eljkmXGSu1KnAzcjW/s1600/L1030744.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9cCJRHMxraCvvTo8acFyD-qoYWrja1Ht79kAG9160REqEMrfYcdoj_6fRezvut0Ff2a1nULPzHq1FJMCnqflv3iPTQHuo2gqNDV7GATIARjSCr1io06639hP4yn_eljkmXGSu1KnAzcjW/s400/L1030744.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5671741361451209570" border="0" /></a>Really fierce statue outside of Wat Pho<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibStctnGD_Q-V-EUwims15KiGkCZ72KIQt0bHDOi6susCmIs5lLo4owSdP-YN8LVU1MHCj2Y7eH7HoKCi3qXVFW2RHHaBbbOke02Z081MXPBzBaLdwhqstkWY0xopv78yjlARnfRHF0yjg/s1600/L1030732.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibStctnGD_Q-V-EUwims15KiGkCZ72KIQt0bHDOi6susCmIs5lLo4owSdP-YN8LVU1MHCj2Y7eH7HoKCi3qXVFW2RHHaBbbOke02Z081MXPBzBaLdwhqstkWY0xopv78yjlARnfRHF0yjg/s400/L1030732.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5671739881765755650" border="0" /></a>Beautiful gold reclining Buddha at <a href="http://www.into-asia.com/bangkok/attractions/watpho.php">Wat Pho </a>in Bangkok<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZFZki2Mq3B0NZS3oO59LLR-CeSzXvL7zsuNSL4Bh9PAQCgndqkrQI1xTjCmu4l1iTshoLBAcKRpU6kfbjGmV9ZbqlK4wSlYYiqXK7tHaUpGxLUrXuSLhFQMz4yK33mZkVdZOvhZVi_20r/s1600/L1030646.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZFZki2Mq3B0NZS3oO59LLR-CeSzXvL7zsuNSL4Bh9PAQCgndqkrQI1xTjCmu4l1iTshoLBAcKRpU6kfbjGmV9ZbqlK4wSlYYiqXK7tHaUpGxLUrXuSLhFQMz4yK33mZkVdZOvhZVi_20r/s400/L1030646.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5671739879632119778" border="0" /></a>And here is another part of Bangkok, the giant raised walkways and subway tracks dominate the skyline<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvJNU4KOD9yajGH4GkHk3T-87mMATPHd0YKrextkejZ3FCQGNOM8S0amSbe6tD-aB4cw-YDxODlj9RaWpTv6gL02ofMgQp0LWPk_13OpA-AK7UfWauEQa4c1P8fH8_GZZwP8cphxtYXLB5/s1600/L1030650.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvJNU4KOD9yajGH4GkHk3T-87mMATPHd0YKrextkejZ3FCQGNOM8S0amSbe6tD-aB4cw-YDxODlj9RaWpTv6gL02ofMgQp0LWPk_13OpA-AK7UfWauEQa4c1P8fH8_GZZwP8cphxtYXLB5/s400/L1030650.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5671738558436594018" border="0" /></a>This is Bangkok - its pretty big and busy!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOecDyDdjptpuB_Fc8oZ5YP4Xw-J_CrCnfF473-O7PTeW96fdig2QLYCd0-GdhFtB50PwL7TEj74_1_iLriGafvSB9K4ahhhE28SbRt2RLT1CC4eDMzpnDs-ymUPH2jHzc9WqQYJJJhd-X/s1600/L1030525.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOecDyDdjptpuB_Fc8oZ5YP4Xw-J_CrCnfF473-O7PTeW96fdig2QLYCd0-GdhFtB50PwL7TEj74_1_iLriGafvSB9K4ahhhE28SbRt2RLT1CC4eDMzpnDs-ymUPH2jHzc9WqQYJJJhd-X/s400/L1030525.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5671738551845242514" border="0" /></a>One of the fire throwers! They were really fun to watch<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj54R0rgOf5Ug2FCRmV6FIcTyO2DTkPq-5-E3ZFEag9aZ4ARKwd81X_mbI3nIDD2ULS0-CVuKzSefr8wTK1wpQgbsIF8PG9xWjQ39DM1LVZlxkmjVfVcCfOXSHmhI0XX0Kml3Yme7cnTt7O/s1600/L1030578.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj54R0rgOf5Ug2FCRmV6FIcTyO2DTkPq-5-E3ZFEag9aZ4ARKwd81X_mbI3nIDD2ULS0-CVuKzSefr8wTK1wpQgbsIF8PG9xWjQ39DM1LVZlxkmjVfVcCfOXSHmhI0XX0Kml3Yme7cnTt7O/s400/L1030578.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5671738545102394114" border="0" /></a>Shelley and I sending up a lit paper lantern, the heat from inside the lantern sends it floating up into the sky!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnYC1WRzbhPBbst5WkAcOEiYwP-C3Ci5v7hs2RR22YgMBJjI7BAlQK7wRNbvgXYN0-pr_tX_fPsuTe0rFYndHb2Uv1L7nyKPA2IxdHTMCQ-cNbL7Toot4sTBFy_8_TkcMXLkaX0sAr0XNP/s1600/L1030589.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnYC1WRzbhPBbst5WkAcOEiYwP-C3Ci5v7hs2RR22YgMBJjI7BAlQK7wRNbvgXYN0-pr_tX_fPsuTe0rFYndHb2Uv1L7nyKPA2IxdHTMCQ-cNbL7Toot4sTBFy_8_TkcMXLkaX0sAr0XNP/s400/L1030589.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5671735687938653186" border="0" /></a>Really nice craftsman that dives for shells and then sands them into jewelry<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX-XMGLKK3-g0ABT9xGg8Xj_HxHpN_kt9mUnkqjCAcvfBnTtqUDE3Z-gtT7eRL3rhSLVf77WcHR1FwHwdiGD84NcU6N3NmigBNj6m6xoJGTo0lKRRi2oQGZawhWUFAMWh1ifU1ThROlbyH/s1600/L1030604.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX-XMGLKK3-g0ABT9xGg8Xj_HxHpN_kt9mUnkqjCAcvfBnTtqUDE3Z-gtT7eRL3rhSLVf77WcHR1FwHwdiGD84NcU6N3NmigBNj6m6xoJGTo0lKRRi2oQGZawhWUFAMWh1ifU1ThROlbyH/s400/L1030604.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5671735680754137490" border="0" /></a>Daw, one of the ladies that gives massages on the beach with some of the island children!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRd3pQ4kO9FP4QcqzJq2CIoSNRKQpm3hxSW-HOw2ROpp3gmaNogm6lk8RfAR5dhr-YSFfbN9Ig4S1wz9QqGx44m0NvzfQTmXTl5y6zTmN9o3I-ms4Y5BU6Y4PvE1Y88rblLZaeMYitKo7j/s1600/L1030561.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRd3pQ4kO9FP4QcqzJq2CIoSNRKQpm3hxSW-HOw2ROpp3gmaNogm6lk8RfAR5dhr-YSFfbN9Ig4S1wz9QqGx44m0NvzfQTmXTl5y6zTmN9o3I-ms4Y5BU6Y4PvE1Y88rblLZaeMYitKo7j/s400/L1030561.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5671735679101490498" border="0" /></a>One of the beaches of Ko Samet<br /><br />Thailand:<br /> <style>@font-face { font-family: "MS 明朝"; }@font-face { font-family: "MS 明朝"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }.MsoChpDefault { font-size: 10pt; }div.WordSection1 { page: WordSection1; }</style> <p class="MsoNormal">It was so strange to get on a plane and jet over to Bangkok, but it was fun! Somehow Shelley and I met up at the airport, despite the fact that it is soo massive and wholly overwhelming, especially after getting used to the pace and lifestyle of Phnom Penh. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Its always funny how traveling can involve so many modes of transportation, from the subway to a bus to the back of a pickup truck to a boat to an other truck! Gezz I’m tired about just thinking about it. Now I often get frustrated when traveling to unfamiliar places and on busses for unknown periods of time, but its all a learning experience and I made it there and back in one piece! </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">I enjoyed relaxing on the beaches of Ko Samet for 3 ½ days with Shelley. I enjoyed just lounging around, reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and taking dips in the ocean. One day we took a boat to some other near by island and went snorkeling! At night time we camped out at one of the many beachside bars/restaurants and watched the local islanders put on a fire twirling show! </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">I spent one day in Bangkok at the end of my trip, and what a change of pace it is from both the island and Phnom Penh, it is such a big city! I went and saw the Jim Thompson house – which was delightful and I just wanted to move right in, and then the giant reclining Buddha at Wat Po! I also took in the spectacle of some of the massive shopping malls they have! Their food court seemed to go on for miles! </p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08922283587244672610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5252580429098367848.post-90408742675363737952011-10-15T03:25:00.007-04:002011-10-15T04:01:12.427-04:00Awesome Asian Experiences!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiIfCPkZZVD43pZHTxf6maRIhsRtb5peYpVbjT1V-owMold8l6a4LUl65_nrJnKMdmvDlNwiUpQDfsO4tZ9y1xQ8vNYFrmXWLylWSdq-KGPCqv3f1e4BriXo9T3kI_GiJLiJrOTIUF_16x/s1600/L1030215.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiIfCPkZZVD43pZHTxf6maRIhsRtb5peYpVbjT1V-owMold8l6a4LUl65_nrJnKMdmvDlNwiUpQDfsO4tZ9y1xQ8vNYFrmXWLylWSdq-KGPCqv3f1e4BriXo9T3kI_GiJLiJrOTIUF_16x/s400/L1030215.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5663623976278876018" border="0" /></a>Cambodia in the rain-when it rains here it rains hard!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6OeUMpa_R9QVhwy9XbX2138GnYSmfcHbdJrPjukVsgHMVp_oV8KYRmf8JA9BSruTXNfItzkmI7CfKLdlHUszx-l36GElDhM3FIvfm_ulB0UY_bn26AL3ESbyuAFhyviNLBUefon3ihktk/s1600/L1030210.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6OeUMpa_R9QVhwy9XbX2138GnYSmfcHbdJrPjukVsgHMVp_oV8KYRmf8JA9BSruTXNfItzkmI7CfKLdlHUszx-l36GElDhM3FIvfm_ulB0UY_bn26AL3ESbyuAFhyviNLBUefon3ihktk/s400/L1030210.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5663623957716512818" border="0" /></a>Cambodia in the sun! tho due to all of the rain there is a lot of flooding in the countryside and in some of the cities.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUbpbLlrWG_z-HY17_ibvP6FMC3wo7iAK2UkE9sgKo3yA98DnCqkw-MPkSAOfFZ1Uh0gCrrWGks9DywVxrlZXj6tAtIrFiTYSQrYWCHRS5kndYKINh1-tQnBhVqno2_JOZ4YPmHsaeaL5E/s1600/L1030327.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUbpbLlrWG_z-HY17_ibvP6FMC3wo7iAK2UkE9sgKo3yA98DnCqkw-MPkSAOfFZ1Uh0gCrrWGks9DywVxrlZXj6tAtIrFiTYSQrYWCHRS5kndYKINh1-tQnBhVqno2_JOZ4YPmHsaeaL5E/s400/L1030327.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5663623949841440690" border="0" /></a>One shot of many of really cute kids in one of the villages I visited!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUIWTJrleMhLY_-b6orVLXOQuyy5xdyYe95VHa914M0t1jly0v9svSkbxrf-yjBR3JDY0Zsysgwstxdpt7aI_MEGuopTYyom9hyphenhyphenvflcNHNr0YK9NBe8snUZGvIzoPkKV0wd-W-tubbLt86/s1600/L1030214.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUIWTJrleMhLY_-b6orVLXOQuyy5xdyYe95VHa914M0t1jly0v9svSkbxrf-yjBR3JDY0Zsysgwstxdpt7aI_MEGuopTYyom9hyphenhyphenvflcNHNr0YK9NBe8snUZGvIzoPkKV0wd-W-tubbLt86/s400/L1030214.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5663623946626777826" border="0" /></a>This is sticky rice cooked in a bamboo tube with a bit of coconut juice and beans, you literally have to rip the bamboo apart to get to the rice!! It was soo fun to eat!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqJ_ZYZi5YEC7azC8VttIW9thu1rdvsVXtnyRW4UCTZ2_XrRYNouDHumo4WyLqt8Wq3FVl4RfzqCoXevljY-YNtVRALTdvz-F8ghwEPOjJSExmYUId05G7IJMXRZe6AjMz_mavB0g0NHQo/s1600/L1030199.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqJ_ZYZi5YEC7azC8VttIW9thu1rdvsVXtnyRW4UCTZ2_XrRYNouDHumo4WyLqt8Wq3FVl4RfzqCoXevljY-YNtVRALTdvz-F8ghwEPOjJSExmYUId05G7IJMXRZe6AjMz_mavB0g0NHQo/s400/L1030199.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5663621219934836418" border="0" /></a>Met with this wonderful farmer (Middle) and one of the IDE field staff women (right)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS4t96nidD8g5ujb2qyuYnWqAnDvciX9xnd-n1jIyOvqgW5fM7nXCzjdKIwPmVBEaLuf8aExicaQ0gP_VV7YZsngyFTy9ST-59WhEp3Mglqo-LXYINmcejde-_lYfE7a_4AyIO-JM1_mI5/s1600/L1030194.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS4t96nidD8g5ujb2qyuYnWqAnDvciX9xnd-n1jIyOvqgW5fM7nXCzjdKIwPmVBEaLuf8aExicaQ0gP_VV7YZsngyFTy9ST-59WhEp3Mglqo-LXYINmcejde-_lYfE7a_4AyIO-JM1_mI5/s400/L1030194.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5663621208921290274" border="0" /></a>These are her cows!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihOdkrv84XlnHZ-k9GV7H8PC_qm711EHX61kuG-kqDLID08dC5C1qTzOcof4s74gFpfaTuJ4_iNa91YLSUP64qee4xAzxeDL8CZiIWaKa7TKdBYpNX0uu4l36SSomB-NwE2RW43DTkHbyh/s1600/L1030129.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihOdkrv84XlnHZ-k9GV7H8PC_qm711EHX61kuG-kqDLID08dC5C1qTzOcof4s74gFpfaTuJ4_iNa91YLSUP64qee4xAzxeDL8CZiIWaKa7TKdBYpNX0uu4l36SSomB-NwE2RW43DTkHbyh/s400/L1030129.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5663621202420520674" border="0" /></a>Fun masks at the market!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4aCREOooIwVP7iUKZkRUrUYvR9vKSc2wlIdvzWmeD3y60QxADRVuKBxtzSI5jOeXgDVJAHhCVP6Bb9qfdqGGKEVIdjNLXe35yE_n28F8iMxfy0NmfPfSdctQMD99VrIv6G8Y2Ko4fL0py/s1600/L1030126.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4aCREOooIwVP7iUKZkRUrUYvR9vKSc2wlIdvzWmeD3y60QxADRVuKBxtzSI5jOeXgDVJAHhCVP6Bb9qfdqGGKEVIdjNLXe35yE_n28F8iMxfy0NmfPfSdctQMD99VrIv6G8Y2Ko4fL0py/s400/L1030126.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5663617809527645058" border="0" /></a>This was the craziest thing ever! you put your feet in the water and these small fish nibble on your dead skin! and your feet actually come out better on the other end! Its more like a fish pedicure than a fish massage! but I was just walking along in the night market in Siem Reap and decided to give it a try!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM1SCwsvh8OF_5h7X3wbzPassBrdVP9SsSkCn9tMRTbAhec6SjtyyIimydLaGsd3SKy9xk7mSpeZxLZieIHbWu-Bav8e9d-76q09DXTgCgrtE44lomsDAAKEg350Idc6tQhFhedL-x4S_i/s1600/L1030124.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM1SCwsvh8OF_5h7X3wbzPassBrdVP9SsSkCn9tMRTbAhec6SjtyyIimydLaGsd3SKy9xk7mSpeZxLZieIHbWu-Bav8e9d-76q09DXTgCgrtE44lomsDAAKEg350Idc6tQhFhedL-x4S_i/s400/L1030124.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5663617799411914082" border="0" /></a>As you can see from the photo- I am not the only crazy person to do this!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2erO_H0kKCxqqRYiGR1NIsoh7dSKpWx_TogZFbY7zQIPgmty34N2vYQB5E43caAjZkBoGaSZ9vQnsF-ZNPhoI-LES1G97y2ZAHLCgPS5GU1bAU3Y15cPXoo2ul0kh1eBvTeHvpn_3HKx3/s1600/L1030127.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2erO_H0kKCxqqRYiGR1NIsoh7dSKpWx_TogZFbY7zQIPgmty34N2vYQB5E43caAjZkBoGaSZ9vQnsF-ZNPhoI-LES1G97y2ZAHLCgPS5GU1bAU3Y15cPXoo2ul0kh1eBvTeHvpn_3HKx3/s400/L1030127.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5663617790655662786" border="0" /></a>This was the guy running the fish pool, he and his other coworkers were very funny!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08922283587244672610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5252580429098367848.post-81305766665921310832011-10-15T02:27:00.007-04:002011-10-15T03:07:49.801-04:00Adventures in the Kingdom<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMoA0k0kf-VNnE__-ozzrnyMtkfHMSMAxqFWUMveEufQxXWxTf-ySG2_xbfCw97OkeDU5esrj-3kSTO-KJsn1yiVmsVI-kXfR5pnc7jQ4fTcyut6cc2li7iqVL8m1zk-wdnPxvdS8OXcDg/s1600/L1030136.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMoA0k0kf-VNnE__-ozzrnyMtkfHMSMAxqFWUMveEufQxXWxTf-ySG2_xbfCw97OkeDU5esrj-3kSTO-KJsn1yiVmsVI-kXfR5pnc7jQ4fTcyut6cc2li7iqVL8m1zk-wdnPxvdS8OXcDg/s400/L1030136.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5663609479770019778" border="0" /></a>One of the weavers at the night market that I bough some scarves from- they are so talented and weave it all strand by strand!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggGhL8u5sRgizE_08gN3ZFaygWbtBqGvvQDVpVW8ZqSwt59mGjbU42Q7uQJh7XSvBLHRw9FWTStTm_fHY4q5R3jc9YgCbAibCjDQZA_5GKLGyUpJ89SzTqzORxTAkO1v_lDD5KUJ295qi8/s1600/L1030100.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggGhL8u5sRgizE_08gN3ZFaygWbtBqGvvQDVpVW8ZqSwt59mGjbU42Q7uQJh7XSvBLHRw9FWTStTm_fHY4q5R3jc9YgCbAibCjDQZA_5GKLGyUpJ89SzTqzORxTAkO1v_lDD5KUJ295qi8/s400/L1030100.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5663609475392352706" border="0" /></a>Pretty sure those are fried bugs- might even be fried spiders- no I did not try them<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo2yLncyuvkvwbdh3rDkk-vNnRoMcFaLvlpjq1n4EwwGZNjI3zkg6SU5_i7aLzXCNEjRwDud_JUdBzcJ1oIETeWYz9RvtCsROka8q540EAv4SnR-AAHWwFWovBdOCI4DdLLXRYGViMWpcU/s1600/L1030099.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo2yLncyuvkvwbdh3rDkk-vNnRoMcFaLvlpjq1n4EwwGZNjI3zkg6SU5_i7aLzXCNEjRwDud_JUdBzcJ1oIETeWYz9RvtCsROka8q540EAv4SnR-AAHWwFWovBdOCI4DdLLXRYGViMWpcU/s400/L1030099.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5663609471981231570" border="0" /></a>Flooded road - its always an exciting drive!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxRJkeYFyiOzAb_C7hHenMjQoBwpruksOaIM-C8EMZmbj3NDrDnTet2JLuH_kSBqCLi9jJrsaJOO-yeSimskNc9T5URpdGCjrp8sDBMXRTILXT58xZM-R9-cdvfsmtqvtqlSGZF6GXKmrv/s1600/L1030088.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxRJkeYFyiOzAb_C7hHenMjQoBwpruksOaIM-C8EMZmbj3NDrDnTet2JLuH_kSBqCLi9jJrsaJOO-yeSimskNc9T5URpdGCjrp8sDBMXRTILXT58xZM-R9-cdvfsmtqvtqlSGZF6GXKmrv/s400/L1030088.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5663605222259356546" border="0" /></a>Totally want a house like this with that many ducks in the front yard!!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUQ2XZPXZNgVeLtxr-ZpvFANtQsTXaT8SLcajd5JGqj-hwVOurLQA7qn2AbAYfnbMbYMqQna9ci_oSbf3MguqY5qLBGtTwQS6WNNLx66zqorkfeDlJdyVggM3CEGtJXF8QkECGhKW8HRVd/s1600/L1030071.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUQ2XZPXZNgVeLtxr-ZpvFANtQsTXaT8SLcajd5JGqj-hwVOurLQA7qn2AbAYfnbMbYMqQna9ci_oSbf3MguqY5qLBGtTwQS6WNNLx66zqorkfeDlJdyVggM3CEGtJXF8QkECGhKW8HRVd/s400/L1030071.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5663605218815482178" border="0" /></a>This is my kitchen- I cooked myself a meal! although cooking here can be more of a hassle here and more expensive than eating out since most vegetables are imported - my meal was soo tasty I forgot to take pictures of it<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVZU6g10h5d2Wg0RGTvR7Gt6RBVE_ep-nRxyhbvDZajO-fZNfcKvEXcHjNhRusULls1U_CwrF7n-ni9nbUd-aHGpWjBLot7L7LvOLZuqkigcG880LP2OedD87r3Kfxvf_c3o6374C9jNvg/s1600/L1030066.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVZU6g10h5d2Wg0RGTvR7Gt6RBVE_ep-nRxyhbvDZajO-fZNfcKvEXcHjNhRusULls1U_CwrF7n-ni9nbUd-aHGpWjBLot7L7LvOLZuqkigcG880LP2OedD87r3Kfxvf_c3o6374C9jNvg/s400/L1030066.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5663605214549184482" border="0" /></a>Chicken Amok- a local traditional dish- normally served in a banana leaf pouch but this was in a coconut as you can see, and it was super tasty!!<br /><br />Boy is this blog in need of an update! So here it goes<br /><br /> <style>@font-face { font-family: "MS 明朝"; }@font-face { font-family: "MS 明朝"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }.MsoChpDefault { font-size: 10pt; }div.WordSection1 { page: WordSection1; }</style> <p class="MsoNormal">Adventures around the Kingdom</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">I went on a research field trip this past week. I went with two colleagues with the purpose of meeting with female farmers and asking them some questions about farming. We went to several small towns and villages and it was a great way to see the country. We started by going to Siem Reap and looped around to visit some other towns and came back into Phnom Penh Thursday night. While I didn’t have time to explore Angkor Wat or any of the other temples in Siem Reap, I did have a chance to visit the night market, which was lots of fun. I bought some pretty scarfs and a pair of flowy pants. Through out the trip we did a lot of driving. I met a lot of great people and sat through a lot of strategic breakfast lunch and dinner meetings.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">The countryside is absolutely breath taking! There is a lot of flooding going on, so our truck was driving down roads that looked more like lakes. I also had the awesome experience of sitting in a roadside shop interviewing a farmer, and having to yell over the cacophony of rain pouring down on the tin roof just so the farmer could hear me! </p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08922283587244672610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5252580429098367848.post-65729102132410117392011-10-01T06:06:00.006-04:002011-10-01T06:24:55.835-04:00Some more adventures<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5pOd7CYfLf3ExrLTa2kqKQ9GKKP5pqaasSTUu-8cnpl9v2qYTnX6TRNsazHn4aEbbhqQwNpCO0iLkackS2Kty6qgMJSJrCR9c-UdKmbkrqicRtTmOvzw3mX4ARbsv_npk5i-dB7503meg/s1600/L1030031.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5pOd7CYfLf3ExrLTa2kqKQ9GKKP5pqaasSTUu-8cnpl9v2qYTnX6TRNsazHn4aEbbhqQwNpCO0iLkackS2Kty6qgMJSJrCR9c-UdKmbkrqicRtTmOvzw3mX4ARbsv_npk5i-dB7503meg/s400/L1030031.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5658465589016827922" border="0" /></a>Kind of reminds me of the marginal way in Ogunquit, Maine- but it Sihanoukville - a small seaside town. There was only a railing on one side and you had to time your walking so you didnt get slashed or fall in- but I did end up getting splashed but I did not fall in!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDxUnHzV9CuXEn-ZVYv1NB1K8fFyVunYTFtf5OnIj-0eFB9ZeSIpUmqHfLYy7CyUkayO2btB9GXD7s60JZRI7EDe4kdwbpMYEOKrYz0AqyahrDnxiZXB7V33TMP2ns831XLBgDzT68WjyQ/s1600/L1030028.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDxUnHzV9CuXEn-ZVYv1NB1K8fFyVunYTFtf5OnIj-0eFB9ZeSIpUmqHfLYy7CyUkayO2btB9GXD7s60JZRI7EDe4kdwbpMYEOKrYz0AqyahrDnxiZXB7V33TMP2ns831XLBgDzT68WjyQ/s400/L1030028.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5658465587354785826" border="0" /></a>really pretty walkway down to the beach at a fancy hotel - where I did not stay- but it was fun to explore their grounds!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPBElMD_dPrnPU6a8qPscYMUfUx8nJbWMo8i__DM5ORNiU052VqSa6Py91LXq1VhD55raTEEKuMXK-utWEQ4AmPbnQrmVek-aYJnXNdQ2icgcRucN6820BJQixwPCpFBoeNcc6R_Mdwtaa/s1600/L1030026.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPBElMD_dPrnPU6a8qPscYMUfUx8nJbWMo8i__DM5ORNiU052VqSa6Py91LXq1VhD55raTEEKuMXK-utWEQ4AmPbnQrmVek-aYJnXNdQ2icgcRucN6820BJQixwPCpFBoeNcc6R_Mdwtaa/s400/L1030026.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5658465582164988450" border="0" /></a>Me in front of pretty carvings<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjSXAU0w0HdtPqQryFBWcowxZ14N13DQHzHg8RCQ97TVLrCgdBSL8k0oLHBZ4RuaQyp8atySFDiVzdw-l23N5Hektpt-NagvukXHvKFSz-8nDdAej_paNtQ5KbDk9-KvW9ohyphenhyphenNrwBD2q-l/s1600/L1030003.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjSXAU0w0HdtPqQryFBWcowxZ14N13DQHzHg8RCQ97TVLrCgdBSL8k0oLHBZ4RuaQyp8atySFDiVzdw-l23N5Hektpt-NagvukXHvKFSz-8nDdAej_paNtQ5KbDk9-KvW9ohyphenhyphenNrwBD2q-l/s400/L1030003.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5658465579018233586" border="0" /></a>The squid lady!! She served up baby squids on sticks! It was really cool to see! She carries around a small stove with her that's strung up on a wooden pole that goes over her shoulders. I didnt try the them- trying to play it safe with my belly but all of the kids and adults I was with scarffed them down!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSK6feYIytpG81Q3abhYnm2ygsSkvk0ZE9Ip2Pk_MfxPsjyieVueMPi4k8Ri-qKczZa9ZzyZkswkxyIsLDmidh3TjAp6num304Oot5RP5-l75yYjpe5BCCW0F3j4nxIWJjIwp4RzYcKifs/s1600/L1020996.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSK6feYIytpG81Q3abhYnm2ygsSkvk0ZE9Ip2Pk_MfxPsjyieVueMPi4k8Ri-qKczZa9ZzyZkswkxyIsLDmidh3TjAp6num304Oot5RP5-l75yYjpe5BCCW0F3j4nxIWJjIwp4RzYcKifs/s400/L1020996.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5658464173354101970" border="0" /></a>Prickly fruit lady- I've eaten this fruit before but dont remember what its called, I think thats a pretty awesome bunch of fruit to carry around on your head!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYH5jQsv9Yk-iEO68UnTIiQfDRVgPQIezZ3EXdLSWl0Z6wO2grOQqrFQxJLtzcB3B4LMyspU2rtIoWrPEVprwnlvG8Yi_3ISoCXAkYPpZVCUxO35RciKBqK-JNh_AQxf0FWjzxkjY0xYij/s1600/L1020995.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYH5jQsv9Yk-iEO68UnTIiQfDRVgPQIezZ3EXdLSWl0Z6wO2grOQqrFQxJLtzcB3B4LMyspU2rtIoWrPEVprwnlvG8Yi_3ISoCXAkYPpZVCUxO35RciKBqK-JNh_AQxf0FWjzxkjY0xYij/s400/L1020995.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5658464168947859826" border="0" /></a>Me and a Giant coconut drink!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtvprsiELbNDuvhQBmGdsA12xAdkY3GLLH8GrtWF7y6Yb6Wx38lYLv5H7BX3Zr9Fl9SCx-OoTxNgu35KzwdqBrzw26gLlakhR6DCL2IcT2dK6jL4clQ5zcM3NuR5LxNjlXVXtML2ltLwiu/s1600/L1020992.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtvprsiELbNDuvhQBmGdsA12xAdkY3GLLH8GrtWF7y6Yb6Wx38lYLv5H7BX3Zr9Fl9SCx-OoTxNgu35KzwdqBrzw26gLlakhR6DCL2IcT2dK6jL4clQ5zcM3NuR5LxNjlXVXtML2ltLwiu/s400/L1020992.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5658464165487640018" border="0" /></a>Svey Hem and the giant coconut- she is the wife of one of my bosses! She is super nice and we had a bunch of fun together!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgReHL7jF5nxhFFDMH4lFcBqRhVDDRjW43yq0TgLAcuZ5Oqf6IduZ1bfv1A83gKjhCm-0T8k9wth4-MV0YBh0QrFKEhUhY16eXOKd2PcOFw0YIAwUPJ5k5n2j9D-012Q24R92SLEjzye8-x/s1600/L1020985.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgReHL7jF5nxhFFDMH4lFcBqRhVDDRjW43yq0TgLAcuZ5Oqf6IduZ1bfv1A83gKjhCm-0T8k9wth4-MV0YBh0QrFKEhUhY16eXOKd2PcOFw0YIAwUPJ5k5n2j9D-012Q24R92SLEjzye8-x/s400/L1020985.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5658464160775251858" border="0" /></a>A shot of the rainy beach- it was still really nice despite the rain!<br /><br /><br /> <style>@font-face { font-family: "MS 明朝"; }@font-face { font-family: "MS 明朝"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }.MsoChpDefault { font-size: 10pt; }div.WordSection1 { page: WordSection1; }</style> <p class="MsoNormal">Its been a whirlwind time since I last posted. I want to keep in short and simple so people like Connie will actually read the blog! </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">I have been sick and recovered- don’t really want to relive that whole experience- tho I did contemplate having my photo taken with ice packs all over me and an IV in my arm, for the blog but glad there is no evidence of that now tho! </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">I went to the beach with so coworkers and their families. We went to Sihanoukville, it rained but I still had a good time. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Since coming back to Phnom Penh I have been settling in more, going to a mountain of emails, and I have been hanging out with some existing friends and making some new ones! </p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08922283587244672610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5252580429098367848.post-73227187688447172142011-09-22T06:18:00.003-04:002011-09-22T06:27:42.247-04:00More visual adventures<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3wk0I8Zcaz540WeSgkMNEAOyDzBzthzGIC2t0tq-eq2_3LVKJ_-eKZ3cVoplovmgDmVYc3qKJyx1pzgdZYukriYEb77G7PSSsorWprmIBUZLjOONQwkxwUB2H3KrlJwaHBT6BMBS56qS5/s1600/L1020938.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3wk0I8Zcaz540WeSgkMNEAOyDzBzthzGIC2t0tq-eq2_3LVKJ_-eKZ3cVoplovmgDmVYc3qKJyx1pzgdZYukriYEb77G7PSSsorWprmIBUZLjOONQwkxwUB2H3KrlJwaHBT6BMBS56qS5/s400/L1020938.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655128347052877202" border="0" /></a>A kitty for Connie- the resident cat at the Mad Monkey!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl_D4pKQIFzaX-o5GgPrIx6uFQFiK7YiMjuTgiDE9oH0MwbGyIxxTK3shDAlK9CBwzLggJAKNTEV55OaQ4Bxa8_nYUoXIb0Lao1p2li02PWe8v6Yc4bQLsLtzGgHhH5qiVkimPx3qcOml9/s1600/L1020933.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl_D4pKQIFzaX-o5GgPrIx6uFQFiK7YiMjuTgiDE9oH0MwbGyIxxTK3shDAlK9CBwzLggJAKNTEV55OaQ4Bxa8_nYUoXIb0Lao1p2li02PWe8v6Yc4bQLsLtzGgHhH5qiVkimPx3qcOml9/s400/L1020933.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655128334443137282" border="0" /></a>Really sad newspaper article about land evictions- there is such emotion in that woman's face<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj007XwJYqc1HWSqhzPlvyQ1SuOF_mgiXKv9HES5iPc04zVY8NhQz01JZJLHx7pBFRRwAOlJ7RCAhwtCMWhtoHHWnR5ItqRgbGlmzN6JlPhAoNHHOyL5HG4uLE1f4yhaCKtE0MaRcdA5s-C/s1600/L1020928.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj007XwJYqc1HWSqhzPlvyQ1SuOF_mgiXKv9HES5iPc04zVY8NhQz01JZJLHx7pBFRRwAOlJ7RCAhwtCMWhtoHHWnR5ItqRgbGlmzN6JlPhAoNHHOyL5HG4uLE1f4yhaCKtE0MaRcdA5s-C/s400/L1020928.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655127244351911810" border="0" /></a>Another part of the cafe!! why would you sit in a chair when you could lounge on the sofas they have?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqtaDPplTxrFd9ZDf5FQSNf4xT3HIaS6ESzq12GMQGL8RuxOUH8eLMsbHF3Lq1AC7fJy5dEFyNDqi2GQehSP2w2jJw3-w5qVvqRITL00vxkHGoJU3abP3hkBi3DeU1tgzz7q-lm40oCqmz/s1600/L1020929.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqtaDPplTxrFd9ZDf5FQSNf4xT3HIaS6ESzq12GMQGL8RuxOUH8eLMsbHF3Lq1AC7fJy5dEFyNDqi2GQehSP2w2jJw3-w5qVvqRITL00vxkHGoJU3abP3hkBi3DeU1tgzz7q-lm40oCqmz/s400/L1020929.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655127243054877442" border="0" /></a>The comfiest bed like couches that you can lounge on at the Blue Pumpkin!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFGdTEaikt5F7adFZJC4Arvs59nH29xi8_Uke3XikdbdTDszHLByP8OHYI5BBwuWdkntnFDY2osqxRKHKw9sUuSHgp0vO1JDiz_exhKa8SBjxmiqlH_JVvRnO70LQsNcenL1O4vjn5bxue/s1600/L1020931.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFGdTEaikt5F7adFZJC4Arvs59nH29xi8_Uke3XikdbdTDszHLByP8OHYI5BBwuWdkntnFDY2osqxRKHKw9sUuSHgp0vO1JDiz_exhKa8SBjxmiqlH_JVvRnO70LQsNcenL1O4vjn5bxue/s400/L1020931.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655127238387606994" border="0" /></a>Nice view from one of my favorite cafes the Blue Pumpkin overlooking the river<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJcIEOVXXS1CC2opANV9J8uxR4q1unUUVlD-FJgRGztUO3E99-EtedvU_em_20gns65tOtwGvAzcculCAQ-6PatlcX6Fz4lC-PFpr1Psl1R-Oy42Xn9uz5Y0md8jdiHA-QN8TAQdegKv_1/s1600/L1020926.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJcIEOVXXS1CC2opANV9J8uxR4q1unUUVlD-FJgRGztUO3E99-EtedvU_em_20gns65tOtwGvAzcculCAQ-6PatlcX6Fz4lC-PFpr1Psl1R-Oy42Xn9uz5Y0md8jdiHA-QN8TAQdegKv_1/s400/L1020926.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655127232958282306" border="0" /></a>Trying on helmets for riding on motos- this is the one I picked!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08922283587244672610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5252580429098367848.post-36932446325178261112011-09-22T05:58:00.005-04:002011-09-22T06:18:18.183-04:00Photos from my 2nd week here<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNlysvJlInPvwg8jQQQwLTgbIPXq6zdrQyBkyLVThgqsEESM7w8g4E5E8neT2X5vPWIdH0zwFclHHbX43DBPpefYq95YaGBsqnczLc1PmmUYkBUJ9843j8g8ep-TW0F2UiXkGM-L9jQXBq/s1600/L1020921.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNlysvJlInPvwg8jQQQwLTgbIPXq6zdrQyBkyLVThgqsEESM7w8g4E5E8neT2X5vPWIdH0zwFclHHbX43DBPpefYq95YaGBsqnczLc1PmmUYkBUJ9843j8g8ep-TW0F2UiXkGM-L9jQXBq/s400/L1020921.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655125635025091522" border="0" /></a>Breakfast with my friend Elisabeth- she has lived here for several years!! we have fun together!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilC2qsEkBRaiiNKijR1G1wJLy80ZudFe6cWe00qvRED7v1KvxjECJuIS6E9vup-ons39Nna6sR6PU5ShA-8hY4CKGZThf7QG_4H2dAN6B-PWmicQoLhSFXudnORRf1R2h_h205ecaZV-KH/s1600/L1020920.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilC2qsEkBRaiiNKijR1G1wJLy80ZudFe6cWe00qvRED7v1KvxjECJuIS6E9vup-ons39Nna6sR6PU5ShA-8hY4CKGZThf7QG_4H2dAN6B-PWmicQoLhSFXudnORRf1R2h_h205ecaZV-KH/s400/L1020920.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655125630864524370" border="0" /></a>My breakfast! Cinnamon raisin toast!! I also got a yummy fruit plate!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihb7telII165QpbmWzP7ruWzHY39GWvuwNDP07vC8zmO1jYXZwdA4Hs3Hvp5UWbdg6ljSRAbtNyFrxlbp9NpLro9EV96hs1vK13f1GU1DuThs5Bgd2EbXk0YlLnG8X5lSv12X_BSpWmiQu/s1600/L1020894.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihb7telII165QpbmWzP7ruWzHY39GWvuwNDP07vC8zmO1jYXZwdA4Hs3Hvp5UWbdg6ljSRAbtNyFrxlbp9NpLro9EV96hs1vK13f1GU1DuThs5Bgd2EbXk0YlLnG8X5lSv12X_BSpWmiQu/s400/L1020894.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655125626877540162" border="0" /></a>Fun dinner with Sophie from Australia- she was spending some time in Phnom Penh before volunteering in Siem Reap for two months!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiux1Vlet-CLuOaF2q5L0iJO0OTRkDzTVdwmaotyGURjHf6fyaQOsg0xnTaqA_L0suT9TVNhwwBtUsPxSAyCJjScQ1jsT2eBIX0kDWzerJc2iswnml409SacHlKRXCiFMYZMDG8NTL8UXXh/s1600/L1020893.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiux1Vlet-CLuOaF2q5L0iJO0OTRkDzTVdwmaotyGURjHf6fyaQOsg0xnTaqA_L0suT9TVNhwwBtUsPxSAyCJjScQ1jsT2eBIX0kDWzerJc2iswnml409SacHlKRXCiFMYZMDG8NTL8UXXh/s400/L1020893.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655124412173916178" border="0" /></a>And yet another pic of the bars cool lighting - can you tell I like this place and spent a lot of time here!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgePLlGbx216nn31j-VDMALZAomGcce4mPWKArbJUurtJUED3ZcQOMmkDie74IIVO0Gz2JGwAr2v2Ea0BAxha5QVttya7B0GkrIKQjGVO-9eYVKkqP1a9NglS2GWC4o3lPkNvwPsFOx4fQp/s1600/L1020888.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgePLlGbx216nn31j-VDMALZAomGcce4mPWKArbJUurtJUED3ZcQOMmkDie74IIVO0Gz2JGwAr2v2Ea0BAxha5QVttya7B0GkrIKQjGVO-9eYVKkqP1a9NglS2GWC4o3lPkNvwPsFOx4fQp/s400/L1020888.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655124405976319858" border="0" /></a>Set set from the rooftop bar!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6EsGqypRGhhb0KyiCia45Bes2RyZlPSoXykhSt87_gT5FzX6ESN4vfkJ8V3GlkvEV1OkKsArLFjrWIrhj9BRFgI3aRADKvaJN-NakO2CwdsRrchFE0YP84cERTzOvZTZVDT6ZMbYQ7mMB/s1600/L1020887.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6EsGqypRGhhb0KyiCia45Bes2RyZlPSoXykhSt87_gT5FzX6ESN4vfkJ8V3GlkvEV1OkKsArLFjrWIrhj9BRFgI3aRADKvaJN-NakO2CwdsRrchFE0YP84cERTzOvZTZVDT6ZMbYQ7mMB/s400/L1020887.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655124401546492850" border="0" /></a>A really bad pic of Rei, we met at the mad monkey and have been hanging out a bunch<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzvegGLofDRy7wUq4v0nPG4n-ryucqeeilSDRds1wnp9p8WoINlIHSi9I_O80CWUJUvoPjSAe2s-b8bpq-xwE_f3XkNem2YR7iO65cPOr0zCH0fjxbs9suRe9euSWBWuFIQqpMJ0Q9Pt9Z/s1600/L1020860.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzvegGLofDRy7wUq4v0nPG4n-ryucqeeilSDRds1wnp9p8WoINlIHSi9I_O80CWUJUvoPjSAe2s-b8bpq-xwE_f3XkNem2YR7iO65cPOr0zCH0fjxbs9suRe9euSWBWuFIQqpMJ0Q9Pt9Z/s400/L1020860.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655123114944054914" border="0" /></a>The rooftop lounge/bar at the mad monkey- the hotel I stayed at before I got my own place! I really enjoy lounging there because its relaxing and you can be social at the same time!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVqs4lfVurBbF6HT2NCkgKegeGRpEe8FUBB6E9v6yC1onB-ixPRt5oTAREG6CAVZAsuAi6KQn2IbJABAg8ZPpfWoEwbo7g7XRMblckr1dOvV6cgRSo9NSB_9-1uT_VvJzN0u8USkWHKavk/s1600/L1020852.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVqs4lfVurBbF6HT2NCkgKegeGRpEe8FUBB6E9v6yC1onB-ixPRt5oTAREG6CAVZAsuAi6KQn2IbJABAg8ZPpfWoEwbo7g7XRMblckr1dOvV6cgRSo9NSB_9-1uT_VvJzN0u8USkWHKavk/s400/L1020852.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655123105319602274" border="0" /></a>This is my boss Philip- hes Australian and a great guy to work with! Here we were on the ferry coming back from a meeting in the field.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWBdVlavRMygtXTbT6ABUNY6Au9kC94ZADC2BL-JVf0576nnrSyDy3iV0px2xE4Jlo9y3fLsKvqy6oel7WB3Ix98dxqa71ofBE_eMXOoq8Rty3_B2k2kBWMNJtZAWci2YlzJBhWhR0MunJ/s1600/L1020847.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWBdVlavRMygtXTbT6ABUNY6Au9kC94ZADC2BL-JVf0576nnrSyDy3iV0px2xE4Jlo9y3fLsKvqy6oel7WB3Ix98dxqa71ofBE_eMXOoq8Rty3_B2k2kBWMNJtZAWci2YlzJBhWhR0MunJ/s400/L1020847.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655123102444914114" border="0" /></a>This is the meeting I attended with a bunch of other coworkers. It was a pretty good and informational meeting!<br /><br />I have added some more pictures that I didnt have time to upload last night! I am really enjoying my new apt- pictures of that to come soon I promise! work has been really good I have been doing a lot of reading for my literature review and writing it all up. I am very excited for a 5 day trip to the beach town of Sihanoukville! We get 3 days off from work plus the weekend for Pchum Ben, the Buddhist version of the Mexican day of the dead celebrations where most Cambodians travel back to their rural villages to honor their ancestors. I have been enjoying many lunches and dinners out with some new friends here. Things are slowly falling into place! I have a tuk tuk driver that picks me up each morning and knows now where I work so I dont have to direct him -which can be tricky sometimes, and I start Khmer language lessons next week!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08922283587244672610noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5252580429098367848.post-66635200442261874882011-09-21T08:48:00.005-04:002011-09-21T09:07:11.441-04:00Getting more comfortable here<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV6kC_gRkWk_8yCwuWMauYzRDTcB3VmpWmjdAh_sqDQXv0pGjVKI40e1224zvGTNDJxYKvn9a4ByUS0znUF-zykC77bY1RHS6JzZDRP0PmDVFgOAnCrGBQ7cBhB2D8IpuXZBOv93sneKZ0/s1600/L1020856.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV6kC_gRkWk_8yCwuWMauYzRDTcB3VmpWmjdAh_sqDQXv0pGjVKI40e1224zvGTNDJxYKvn9a4ByUS0znUF-zykC77bY1RHS6JzZDRP0PmDVFgOAnCrGBQ7cBhB2D8IpuXZBOv93sneKZ0/s400/L1020856.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654797309118007682" border="0" /></a>On the ferry with Anika, shes also doing some work for IDE but sadly had to go back to the US<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUohPFX4KyZovi0DA52FBE5DQLoQDmlWQM7f9v-EPCZKVaWrU1fMtUixeaFbZ6YBZLpiynbUzGn5uePorq2N1rePpSB16hQNHaaeahEyaz8igUWaQsWjUtzXR5KxaBUxjeVmNS2ZN7Bmj_/s1600/L1020851.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUohPFX4KyZovi0DA52FBE5DQLoQDmlWQM7f9v-EPCZKVaWrU1fMtUixeaFbZ6YBZLpiynbUzGn5uePorq2N1rePpSB16hQNHaaeahEyaz8igUWaQsWjUtzXR5KxaBUxjeVmNS2ZN7Bmj_/s400/L1020851.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654797308273016930" border="0" /></a>On a ferry over the Mekong to Svey Reing<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5YACfNcI2i95gf5AzOkqU8qkwHyiaJqBkcJy04BZ3iY7C8xJRr3QEmwFvd5aEiHLUAKcjTEdG9ChqjuqSUHtsQqHSsyYH0vwVo9g5szbEVLCgeq5mem4YkuCtq0UwULq6pNIX1TmWSRTF/s1600/L1020823.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5YACfNcI2i95gf5AzOkqU8qkwHyiaJqBkcJy04BZ3iY7C8xJRr3QEmwFvd5aEiHLUAKcjTEdG9ChqjuqSUHtsQqHSsyYH0vwVo9g5szbEVLCgeq5mem4YkuCtq0UwULq6pNIX1TmWSRTF/s400/L1020823.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654796464381673122" border="0" /></a>Lunch with Tammy who I met in at the hotel in Phnom Penh<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNfCqtS6mi4il4_86B56RqOakTlxxW1fHQ96A9Wthxl8cFWdfG2uyyKZQ3dwtUF29chGMIB12XEbAN9t6gZbXcSRlJvAwd46RBYwIvoZHKfI6eNkJL8QtNBRukGWuP8lm3Q83TdW6hAOuN/s1600/L1020822.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNfCqtS6mi4il4_86B56RqOakTlxxW1fHQ96A9Wthxl8cFWdfG2uyyKZQ3dwtUF29chGMIB12XEbAN9t6gZbXcSRlJvAwd46RBYwIvoZHKfI6eNkJL8QtNBRukGWuP8lm3Q83TdW6hAOuN/s400/L1020822.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654796460458968306" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZqPcXbD7Th9KAS6TlcKVSk4CTMki37bziwBOR9Y5vIeta_AI4Khsce0JaigvJlA5egMdz7dSs4sJjbhWgFQRi-wWnE2Ifnlt5mHZX4fQykH0YCMCiv-TRcig01trQRyADxB49TzV8d_m7/s1600/L1020791.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZqPcXbD7Th9KAS6TlcKVSk4CTMki37bziwBOR9Y5vIeta_AI4Khsce0JaigvJlA5egMdz7dSs4sJjbhWgFQRi-wWnE2Ifnlt5mHZX4fQykH0YCMCiv-TRcig01trQRyADxB49TzV8d_m7/s400/L1020791.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654796446325381570" border="0" /></a>Very Random Drag show I saw with a bunch of people saturday night-yup thats a dude- bet you didnt expect that to show up on this blog, more pictures later but Im running out the door to grab some dinner!!<br /><br /><br /> <style>@font-face { font-family: "MS 明朝"; }@font-face { font-family: "MS 明朝"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }.MsoChpDefault { font-size: 10pt; }div.WordSection1 { page: WordSection1; }</style><p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">I feel a lot more comfortable in my new city this week. I can’t believe another week has passed! This week I have made some new friends, looked at lots of apartments, done some work, traveled out to Svey Rieng, worn holes in my city map and scoped out some fun places to shop! </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">I can barely remember last Monday at this point- but I did see an apartment that was about as far from what I was looking for that day, so that was a bit of a let down. But I have enjoyed many luxurious dinners al fresco in big wicker chairs with cushions. I will have to take some pictures because when I have a house with outside space, I want it to look like that. This city is a fusion of rough edges and sprawling luxury. There are places that are best not frequented like the areas near the smelly canal and tight alleyways filled with motos and mechanical shops, but there are also so many delightful places that I can stay all day in, like the fantastic cafes here and grand avenues that you could stroll down if it isn’t too hot and sunny out.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">As my second week here comes to a close, and the third one starts (because Im late posting this) I am so relieved to feel a noticeable difference in my comfort level with living in this city. I’ve done a lot this week. I have been doing a lot of reading for my literature review about Cambodian culture, and even traveled out to Svey Rieng, a town near the border of Vietnam, where my work has a lot of projects going. I did a lot more apartment searching and have even picked up on a few words of Khmer. I’ve enjoyed having a lot of great conversations with travelers and my new friends her alike! I didn’t really do anything touristy this week but I feel like I am getting to know this place a little better! </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">I’m home. I have finally moved in and am enjoying my first night in my new apartment. I didn’t spend too much time here tho because I am still getting used to having the place to myself. I sorely miss the company of other travelers at my previous home here, the mad monkey, but I like the fact that I can come back to a clean and quiet place that is all mine. I brought two stuffed animals with me on this trip, and I vowed I wouldn’t take them out of my bag until I had gotten an apartment. Well, I broke down and took Spike the porcupine out a few days ago and snuggled with him at the hotel, but I didn’t take out the other animal until today. It made me realize that home is where you lay your head. I made the Mad Monkey my home and have spent many more nights there than I have at my apartment thus far. Despite my yearning for a new place I do miss the familiarity and smiling faces that greeted me every time I walked into the hotel. The nice this is that I can go back anytime I want and grab a drink and lounge on the couches at the rooftop bar! Calling this apartment home is not to mean that my home isn’t still with my friends and family back in Boston. It is merely a way to create a bit of comfort here since I will be living here for six months. I like the feeling of living somewhere rather than the feeling of traveling through some place. I enjoy going to the same café week after week and seeing familiar faces around the neighborhood. Yet here in Cambodia I get to have both. I continue to get more and more familiar with the city and have been trying new places to eat, but also I have been going back to some of the same ones that I really like. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Tonight I tried a new place over by the riverside. It is called Le Moon, and is a rooftop café. I saw it advertised in one of the little travel guide books they have here. The atmosphere was really nice, you can easily people-watch, see all of the cars driving up and down the street and the boats floating down the Mekong. Unfortunatly the wasn’t that good and it was a bit overpriced, it also was the first place that I have found that doesn’t serve you a glass of water with your meal, as is customary here, for their largest bottle of water they were asking $6.00. To give you some perspective on how ludicrous that is, one could eat three local meals of noodles or rice for that price, take 6 moto rides across town or eat the equivalent of two large breakfasts at any other restaurant. I got a pineapple shake instead which wasn’t that overpriced and cost about $3.00. On my way home I stopped at the little market on my street and bough a 2 litre bottle of water and a 6pack of toilet paper and that cost me under two dollars, with the bottle of water costing just 50 cents.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Anyhow that place wasn’t even worth writing about. A much more worthy place is Blue Pumpkin. It is a café that serves up breakfast, lunch, and dinner and some deserts that look to die for. The nice thing about Phnom Penh is that there is no shortage of great coffee shops to sit in and there is always a tasty treat and a cup of coffee near by. Blue Pumpkin takes the cake! It is situated right on the riverside and the upstairs part of the café provides the perfect vantage point to take in the riverside views but away from the glaring sun. Their café is lined with the comfiest bed-like sofas that come complete with pillows a plenty and your own tray- like the kind you would eat breakfast in bed with!. I spent hours there on Saturday eating some lunch and reading my book. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Some cultural observations if you will: In some places instead of napkins they will give you a box of very thin and scented tissues to wipe your hand with, this usually leads to me having a rather sizable pile of them stacked on my plate by the end of the meal! Even if you have just gotten off of a tuk tuk or moto bike some one will inevitably yell towards you “Tuk Tuk, Lady?” I hear it about 20xs a day and sometimes I scowl and sometimes ignore them and sometimes I say “no thanks.”<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">One must go against everything you have been told since a little child in regards to crossing the street. You see Asian traffic patterns are much MUCH different than American ones. People cut people off here all of the time, but it doesn’t bother them one bit, they just either wait or cut around someone else. Road rage doesn’t exist here. It was explained to me that in many Asian cultures they feel that they are part of a community and don’t have the same strong sense of indidivudalism that Americans are raised to have. They don’t have the concept of its my space or its my turn, they just get from place to place how ever they can. So when crossing the street one must just stroll out into traffic at a slow and steady pace and the traffic will just flow around you, unfettered by the obstacles- being you and other people, dogs, heaps of trash, etc… in their paths. The trouble comes, when you slow down or hesitate because then it will spook the oncoming drivers and then you might get into some trouble. Another fascinating thing is to observe the driving habits of the tuk tuk driver or moto drive you are with. If they are trying to take a left, and the traffic is heavy, they will most certainly turn left into oncoming traffic until they can make their way over to the right side of the road, and this works everytime because they cars just drive around as obstacles come at them. A word on rotaries, or roundabouts as some people call them: I always thought that traffic was supposed to flow in one direction, I know that people in Massachusetts sometime have a hard time grasping the concept of merging into to rotaries in a timely fashion, but mostly everyone drives the same direction around them. Well my friends that rule does not apply here. Since Cambodia is a former French colony, there are many wide and large rotaries similar to the ones that can be found in France. If you have not visited either Cambodia or France, Imagine one 3-4 x’s as wide as an American rotary. So, if a driver doesn’t feel like driving all the way around the rotary to get to the offshoot that he needs, he will just simply drive the other way and cut directly across the rotary, once again cars just all drive around one another weaving to a fro. This strategy is in part made possible by the very wide rotaries. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">This coming week I plan to make it to and from work, on my very own. Hopefully with a little practice, some key khmer words and a map I can make it there and back! I will also continue to work on my research, hang out with new friends and settle into my new place! </p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08922283587244672610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5252580429098367848.post-33786822896376986382011-09-10T06:18:00.004-04:002011-09-10T06:29:09.765-04:00Buddhism<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLwcLWTcyA8GC2IOpGbZaluORf-WOs3f3nkY0xNuw9wRkE8bgnugefBCezRIgfoJLkm1KhF_yZb3ASo2jZL0KMjnD8i2JrV5qHmx5J-42VfLYGXBNz4fkZlai4wEB1MO4OeTlgODVEbTuM/s1600/L1020779.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLwcLWTcyA8GC2IOpGbZaluORf-WOs3f3nkY0xNuw9wRkE8bgnugefBCezRIgfoJLkm1KhF_yZb3ASo2jZL0KMjnD8i2JrV5qHmx5J-42VfLYGXBNz4fkZlai4wEB1MO4OeTlgODVEbTuM/s400/L1020779.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5650675339971575138" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNEe_D-83ufBzlGkmlcXToc23EVpAYbrqwgOm1YKJNNKRUxSeH0soNk1I1EgOctBwJEpduda5UE1i9V1Lzh1cRpT2vu-XtTQ99pRRjd62kkVqoYUpvm2hq869uFk8Df1GzRld7XHwZ6hJq/s1600/L1020723.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNEe_D-83ufBzlGkmlcXToc23EVpAYbrqwgOm1YKJNNKRUxSeH0soNk1I1EgOctBwJEpduda5UE1i9V1Lzh1cRpT2vu-XtTQ99pRRjd62kkVqoYUpvm2hq869uFk8Df1GzRld7XHwZ6hJq/s400/L1020723.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5650674404515635394" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAPvyTP5KR22bieOOwBWpWJY-lYz9673kCsBcyABgHpQA7Mi14Ly5Ol3_kmNiy7wFxtkbNNBNlZB-UJeNoqxpDwyNvn40bfylOgSYsW-vNjs4jOP7EruiiTiTWSBqAw9pL2RQCaLHM8Bz6/s1600/L1020763.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAPvyTP5KR22bieOOwBWpWJY-lYz9673kCsBcyABgHpQA7Mi14Ly5Ol3_kmNiy7wFxtkbNNBNlZB-UJeNoqxpDwyNvn40bfylOgSYsW-vNjs4jOP7EruiiTiTWSBqAw9pL2RQCaLHM8Bz6/s400/L1020763.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5650675333705393522" border="0" /></a><br />Monk Prayer time!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNEe_D-83ufBzlGkmlcXToc23EVpAYbrqwgOm1YKJNNKRUxSeH0soNk1I1EgOctBwJEpduda5UE1i9V1Lzh1cRpT2vu-XtTQ99pRRjd62kkVqoYUpvm2hq869uFk8Df1GzRld7XHwZ6hJq/s1600/L1020723.JPG"><br /></a><br />I have really enjoyed seeing monks walk by every morning and visited one temple today!<br /><br />I even prayed with one monk! I love that they wear bright orange!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08922283587244672610noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5252580429098367848.post-2535282915447834292011-09-10T06:10:00.004-04:002011-09-10T06:32:06.279-04:00My first week<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKEnsRasxWNP9bf1eCmKXM3MTsqBJsCrGinbE1Chbk0gVFPgEZiKeio6LnYKASqzCZr4u_uN2DcGnOfr0qdqbzt8V0fW7YVkAganfBef6Eb5nLltzDwCqrViDtBZyIJ3FX0lPP5eQOXshN/s1600/L1020752.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKEnsRasxWNP9bf1eCmKXM3MTsqBJsCrGinbE1Chbk0gVFPgEZiKeio6LnYKASqzCZr4u_uN2DcGnOfr0qdqbzt8V0fW7YVkAganfBef6Eb5nLltzDwCqrViDtBZyIJ3FX0lPP5eQOXshN/s400/L1020752.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5650672595220320066" border="0" /></a> <style>@font-face { font-family: "MS 明朝"; }@font-face { font-family: "Cambria Math"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }.MsoChpDefault { font-size: 10pt; }div.WordSection1 { page: WordSection1; }</style> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">My first ride on a tuk tuk!</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc8T-0kDms9boXSykVh3EzrgRQLhLyRjOnskb0knpsN6MmBwK85BZj54r_SZnOowAe-xBks49aYJdd8L63micWSGdZvSezXuhl8gm_h8qTM67VN0PQy1JpRBgeQam5ly7lX57Qp-cgHn5o/s1600/L1020735.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc8T-0kDms9boXSykVh3EzrgRQLhLyRjOnskb0knpsN6MmBwK85BZj54r_SZnOowAe-xBks49aYJdd8L63micWSGdZvSezXuhl8gm_h8qTM67VN0PQy1JpRBgeQam5ly7lX57Qp-cgHn5o/s400/L1020735.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5650672589371748306" border="0" /></a> <style>@font-face { font-family: "MS 明朝"; }@font-face { font-family: "Cambria Math"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }.MsoChpDefault { font-size: 10pt; }div.WordSection1 { page: WordSection1; }</style> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">The driving gets even more chaotic in the rain- which happens almost each afternoon! everyone dons ponchos and carries on their way!<br /> <br /> </span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAn5XFcKJ6LNdaeWCy97_aSvi1AFQ6x5_sCdSyq5Yi0kZQkkkqYMXTRm5GT_M6mCWgbibTKc2hJpA0rZu_OWb5XR3ibn9oGars-J-TvVa1swyJfUa_WtkB947ONsiwkn0UdVEWcpFcdviF/s1600/L1020711.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAn5XFcKJ6LNdaeWCy97_aSvi1AFQ6x5_sCdSyq5Yi0kZQkkkqYMXTRm5GT_M6mCWgbibTKc2hJpA0rZu_OWb5XR3ibn9oGars-J-TvVa1swyJfUa_WtkB947ONsiwkn0UdVEWcpFcdviF/s400/L1020711.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5650672585689121170" border="0" /></a> <style>@font-face { font-family: "MS 明朝"; }@font-face { font-family: "Cambria Math"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }.MsoChpDefault { font-size: 10pt; }div.WordSection1 { page: WordSection1; }</style> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">A cute kitty for connie- my lunch kitty - there was another one too that looked just like it too!</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFfbQmRPywfOuMEyqHwmzV6PSwlBAqqyB_J9iPE8sGsERKLCoSmp7WXc4UcxWTlUtAaH_fTt5Nam8Dfci2tw5pXpb5RIOA5IAXBQ5oNvPEK-Zgx2bCpxhXCJgkHG1Uutdwa07jMbnbaL9I/s1600/L1020713.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFfbQmRPywfOuMEyqHwmzV6PSwlBAqqyB_J9iPE8sGsERKLCoSmp7WXc4UcxWTlUtAaH_fTt5Nam8Dfci2tw5pXpb5RIOA5IAXBQ5oNvPEK-Zgx2bCpxhXCJgkHG1Uutdwa07jMbnbaL9I/s400/L1020713.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5650672584093408338" border="0" /> <style>@font-face { font-family: "MS 明朝"; }@font-face { font-family: "Cambria Math"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }.MsoChpDefault { font-size: 10pt; }div.WordSection1 { page: WordSection1; }</style> <span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">This was my very first lunch here in Cambodia -my lunch kitty accompanied me for this very first meal! It was noodles with chicken and some salad greens mixed in. It would have been nicer if it was hot but it was still tasty. I am slowly mastering the art of eating with chopsticks </span></span></a><br /><br /> <style>@font-face { font-family: "MS 明朝"; }@font-face { font-family: "MS 明朝"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }.MsoChpDefault { font-size: 10pt; }div.WordSection1 { page: WordSection1; }</style> <span style=";font-family:";font-size:100%;" >This week has been a rollercoaster. I was pretty terrified showing up but everyone I have met has made me feel really welcome. The office is nice and my work there is slowly taking shape. Mostly I have been doing a lot of reading to inform me about the culture and the topic that I will be working on- which is related to gender and agricultural entrepreneurship. The whole office shuts now each day for a really long lunch break which may very well be my favorite part of the day. The food here is pretty good. I have been given some suggestions on where to eat and it is just a matter of time before I am able to try them all. I am surprised at the familiarity of some of the food, I have had pancakes with bacon, and a to die for brownie, as well as some decent pizza and some pretty tasty eggs benedict here!<br /><br />I have just started to explore in the last day or two because most days I have just come home after work and fallen asleep. I think I am finally getting a handle on the jet lag. I did have a few unpleasant mornings when I woke quite early and couldnt fall back asleep.<br /><br />I have taken the tuk tuk- a little asian taxi a couple of time which has been kind of fun and better than walking around in the heat and getting lost.<br /><br />Getting around in this city is always an adventure. My work- IDE has been nice enough to come pick me up and drop me off each day, until I can figure things out here. Being a passenger in a car is always a spectacle. The driving patterns are much different here. One one waits for an opening in traffic or you would be there all day! You just ease out into the madness and cars and motos, tuk tuks and bikers make way. I would describe is as a chaotic ballet. The same goes for crossing the street!<br /><br />I had breakfast with a new friend I met thru an expat site this morning and then wandered around and went to a Buddhist temple. It was so beautiful it brought me to tears. I had a pretty emotional afternoon becasue I still feel really unfamiliar in this city and it made me miss home and all of my family and friends soo much! But then I wandered around and went to the Central market which was a bit underwhelming. But at least I saw it and know what is there.Which is a lot of household good, clothes, books, jewelery, watches and sunglasses- and a bunch of stuff I just dont need! I may go back to purchase some silver jewelery but first I will need to find out what a fair price is for silver so I dont get ripped off. I will look in some of the other markets for some Cambodian souvenirs and some wonderfully baggy and flowy asian pants I have seen so many people wearing!<br /><br />I have spent the majority of the afternoon hanging out in one of the neighborhood coffee houses which has been nice and relaxing. Lucking there are many places you can duck into that are air-conditioned and block out the noisy outdoors.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08922283587244672610noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5252580429098367848.post-14657393029355387032011-09-10T04:46:00.007-04:002011-09-10T05:04:37.618-04:00Arrival to the other side of the world<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWkQXdpGsThbr5rC7YvdpXYr7dsqgOQaTdzpSfHA1cEBNxM1ztwrwvkdc-O9wqSSIPGxuw9HYLAEMoXZ32DymbJoE5_0LRQnBywh5Ig4tUtAgGLfj_IswiPGwMzyGUcciSUoaGl89SwK7D/s1600/L1020709.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWkQXdpGsThbr5rC7YvdpXYr7dsqgOQaTdzpSfHA1cEBNxM1ztwrwvkdc-O9wqSSIPGxuw9HYLAEMoXZ32DymbJoE5_0LRQnBywh5Ig4tUtAgGLfj_IswiPGwMzyGUcciSUoaGl89SwK7D/s400/L1020709.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5650653131028155586" border="0" /></a><br />So the pictures are uploaded in reverse order so start from the bottom and scroll up - maybe Ill do it differently next time, but above is the sun set on the flight from from Seoul to Phnom Penh<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUCQ_Cr_ML_XUjJJM3k3wTugfDVdrOj6dwaS0QHnJXpJ3MPBel82AROxxGx1AZd-YWmvwptvqUVP_CIJIJAItWmcEz38EBI2LzIHyTXtX0M2O44D29H3-1mixPbyP7XyFpYbkmv_Ta5EcD/s1600/L1020705.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUCQ_Cr_ML_XUjJJM3k3wTugfDVdrOj6dwaS0QHnJXpJ3MPBel82AROxxGx1AZd-YWmvwptvqUVP_CIJIJAItWmcEz38EBI2LzIHyTXtX0M2O44D29H3-1mixPbyP7XyFpYbkmv_Ta5EcD/s400/L1020705.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5650652309504896834" border="0" /></a>I didnt take business class tho I would have been nice on such a long trip!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrm4_vfhyBztt5Y7UWduXi7WKt2_6o8o_PC5vv6Fw9RmNvX23Pc3wuwfhR3-HhOOYPhD1KwnuitdUXF-TkLMT6epgf87oR8e-DKkvvHgIG72yD8Iyh52HI1w_P51bRq0rUaXIOg5jshC7c/s1600/L1020692.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrm4_vfhyBztt5Y7UWduXi7WKt2_6o8o_PC5vv6Fw9RmNvX23Pc3wuwfhR3-HhOOYPhD1KwnuitdUXF-TkLMT6epgf87oR8e-DKkvvHgIG72yD8Iyh52HI1w_P51bRq0rUaXIOg5jshC7c/s400/L1020692.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5650652306513049858" border="0" /></a>The slippers they gave me on the 13 hr haul from LA to Seoul!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeKtwossb7FFU24A0ZgcE79G4WXX4gMuv8gim49kO7ucnr8fzzKPAUEpgT-Xhc09qOH9k5tdpgHAVHKZnx1s7CUGlPb51y9xUL1mo-n9MCQzm82FxG67KCr6L7KxuzoXWf5B9R8g9QRQ0Q/s1600/L1020697.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeKtwossb7FFU24A0ZgcE79G4WXX4gMuv8gim49kO7ucnr8fzzKPAUEpgT-Xhc09qOH9k5tdpgHAVHKZnx1s7CUGlPb51y9xUL1mo-n9MCQzm82FxG67KCr6L7KxuzoXWf5B9R8g9QRQ0Q/s400/L1020697.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5650651579594238562" border="0" /></a>Korea from the Air<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCGS0W6Kx1wP_fKHUhd_UDsZ9y1961qZF3xZijJ3hBTecnupjU05DAYkMm6Hnjcy_-41svaG-NNGNZDJEtebqtmHy554HXYAskh-ZECWVypB2DlPyqiX7ZhKIJMZ3wkLzljhIhGsJQJZ4i/s1600/L1020687.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCGS0W6Kx1wP_fKHUhd_UDsZ9y1961qZF3xZijJ3hBTecnupjU05DAYkMm6Hnjcy_-41svaG-NNGNZDJEtebqtmHy554HXYAskh-ZECWVypB2DlPyqiX7ZhKIJMZ3wkLzljhIhGsJQJZ4i/s400/L1020687.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5650651093585883330" border="0" /></a>I was however lucky enough to score a first class upgrade on the first leg of my flight on Virgin America! It was a pretty sweet way to start my trip! the seat fully reclined- perfect for napping!<br /><div><br />Well I survived the three long plane flights it took to get here but now I have to survive the jet lag! I am staying at the Mad Monkey Hotel here in Phnom Penh which is a fine place to stay until I have an apartment. I am eager to get settled and unpack my bags once I have a place to live. I met some nice people while in transit. One girl was on her way to travel around South Korea and Japan, and another has come to Phnom Penh to work in an orphanage. I was so excited/ nervous when I got off of my last plane that I forgot to take any pictures at the airport that say welcome to Cambodia! But I have taken pictures from my trip along the way and have taken a few since I have gotten here. So far things are going smoothly and better than my stint in Ghana, although I dont know if I can really compare them, but there are some similarities and differences. </div> <div> </div> <div>I have met mostly everyone here at the IDE office where I will be doing my practicum and everyone is very welcoming! I have my own desk in an air condidtioned office and am excited to start actually working once I have gotten enough sleep and can think straight. </div> <div> </div> <div>The weather is hot but not so unbearable, but then again I havent been walking around so much just yet. </div> <div> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08922283587244672610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5252580429098367848.post-88335115481529865112010-05-12T21:09:00.004-04:002010-05-12T21:13:21.689-04:00A Visit With Bryn<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal">My visit this weekend reinforced the importance of keeping in touch with close friends. I enjoyed catching up with Bryn. We both agreed it had been too long since we had seen each other. We laughed and exchanged stories, hers about medical school and mine about school children.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I summoned all of my energy to go out and celebrate Bryn’s and Ben’s birthdays at a bar in Philadelphia. I was proudly introduced as Bryn’s friend from college who had driven all the way down from Massachusetts. I stayed up late, danced to the music, talked with Bryn’s friends over the music and saw Ben burn his finger in the processes of taking a flaming shot of liquor.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">After sleeping in the next day and enjoying the breakfast that Ben made for all of us, Bryn and I headed back to Collingswood to relax for the afternoon. She showed me around a spacious park lined with mansions and filled with greenery. We walked around town and I bought a really pretty necklace and enjoyed some really tasty sushi. We shared a chicken tempura sushi that had a coconut sauce and mango on the top. We each had an additional roll. I had a shrimp tempura with tuna and mango. It was a great afternoon. We talked more about the next few years that lay ahead us. I explained that I would have the opportunity to travel abroad for six months with my graduate program in order to gain another perspective on development. We talked about long-term goals and short term and how we were both going to fit it all into our lives. Bryn explained that she will start her fourth year of medical school shortly and will have the flexibility to travel and practice medicine in various parts of the world. She mentioned going to Oregon and practicing rural medicine and then possibly going to Argentina.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I told Bryn that I was trying to learn Spanish, she has taken many years of it so he helped me practice. We discussed many words for vegetable and how to say that the cat wants melon, since we were eating melon and her cats were around.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">We also had the chance to catch up on the past few years of life. Bryn showed me photos from her month spent in Nepal. How awe inspiring it was to see life on the other side of the world. Bryn is a constant inspiration to push myself further and get the most out of life. We chatted about how our families were doing, it was nice to hear how they are doing and share stories about my family.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Saturday night Bryn, Ben and I went to the Pop Shop in town. It was such a cute little diner. I ended up getting a dish called my private Idaho. It had tons of hash browns smothered in cheese and topped with sunny side up eggs. It was tasty but Bryn shared a couple of bites of her grilled cheese and that was to die for buttery tastiness. It was really generous of her to share. After dinner we headed to Rita's and I got Swedish Fish slush with vanilla soft serve on top. It was shocking how much the slush actually tasted like the candy!</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Bryn, along with her boyfriend Ben told be about one of their female classmates that was helping out on a procedure on a male patient’s hip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The doctor in charge asked the girl if she could lift up the panis (the medical term for the fat that folds over on one’s stomach when one is overweight) The med student misheard the doctor and lifted up and held the penis up instead. I can only imagine the laughter that must have taken place that day, but did laugh myself as they told me the story.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">It was a trip I will remember for a long time to come. </p> <!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08922283587244672610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5252580429098367848.post-85509448285462062202009-09-15T19:49:00.008-04:002009-09-15T20:34:19.890-04:00Job excitement, anxiety<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8EH-kK4KV8qghN7LexofKiabYC2lSq7vIWR33Xx1nck-4fTJcFysyPkl_y1Nbp2YQebwGz8cLj4IsFbPseCP9f0h2cG25U9DcfqVokGlabQKxvcHLx5WvfcZV4Muod605iSeZymQYuniI/s1600-h/n95387110304_1483.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 195px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8EH-kK4KV8qghN7LexofKiabYC2lSq7vIWR33Xx1nck-4fTJcFysyPkl_y1Nbp2YQebwGz8cLj4IsFbPseCP9f0h2cG25U9DcfqVokGlabQKxvcHLx5WvfcZV4Muod605iSeZymQYuniI/s400/n95387110304_1483.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381856892057679634" /></a><br />It has been a pretty jam packed two days. It seems like forever ago, but yesterday afternoon I a very pleasant experience at the farmers market. I got off work early and was home in time to walk through the farmers market that happens every Monday and goes until 6 pm. I sampled some of food, had a nibble of Taza chocolate and spilled strawberry jam on my shirt. The last stall I stopped at had a lot of fish products, but also hummus. I tried the hummus which was fantastic, as far as hummus goes and exclaimed to the gentleman working at that stall that I was excited to be able to come to the farmers market since by the time I get home the farmers market will be over. He asked what I did for work and proudly exclaimed that I worked for Americorps! He didn't know what that meant so I told him. It was the first time in my work history that I have been excited to tell someone what I do for work. In the past I have always been embarrassed about my job, and granted a job is a job and sometimes they are terrible and you just do it to pay your rent, but I am soooo happy to have a job that I love. I am excited to get up and go to work everyday. Its a really great feeling that I savor every second of the day. I never look at the clock and count down the minutes. Sometimes different parts of the day can drag on but on the whole I love my job so far. <div><br /></div><div>That being said, I am still in orientation and haven't started the actual position that will occupy 1785 hours of my life from now until June. Too many people want positions in the Elementary school and not enough people want to work in the preschool. I have gone back and forth trying to weigh the differences and pros and cons between the programs. Part of me thinks that it might be fun to work in the preschool and that I should just volunteer to choose that position, but the other part would really enjoy working at the elementary school. I have decided to leave it up to the program directors to decide for me. I will make the best of what ever position I get. It's one of those situations where you just can't have it both ways and will miss out on somethings but there is good to be had in both situations. I will write more on the topic once I know my position. That being said, I REALLY hope I get the elementary school. I really want to tackle all of the challenges it poses, but preschool could be fun and I would get to reach out and help more kids with that program. </div><div><br /></div><div>We had a really engaging training this afternoon. It was all about asset development. It discussed the 40 assets that kids need to develop to thrive and grow in to successful adults. We talked about which assets we developed in our youth and discussed ways to help foster assets with the kids we will be helping. I really liked how it was broken down into 8 different areas. I liked seeing it on paper, because a lot of the assets are things you know a kid needs like love, shelter and support but it broke down the reasons as to why these were needed and how they helped a child develop in to a well-rounded adult. </div><div><br /></div><div>On an entirely different note I wanted to mention how much fun I had last night at Grendel's Den with Ryan, Mariana, Erika, Annabell and Sasha from Russia. I went intending on only having a beer and socializing for a short while, but it ended up with Sasha ordering us many a beverage. I had a lot of fun talking with so many different kinds of people and drinking drinks that don't usually indulge in. It was a memorable night full of excitement and laughter. </div><div><br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08922283587244672610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5252580429098367848.post-74288270676012604962009-09-13T23:12:00.002-04:002009-09-13T23:19:29.560-04:00More about my new job!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNIXPw6qUKjQu5AQsrH2dyV1_8hT-ocJdzlDMSJrqTmeUZiF42bjncE4llS7bvNGmqPi5rYBpaLXELIy_wxz8OZFXYlkr5OmVZPqQB3LlT1W7j47TnK2VXGFd310R0LhmwdyDlb266Ya-l/s1600-h/rosie.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 297px; height: 288px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNIXPw6qUKjQu5AQsrH2dyV1_8hT-ocJdzlDMSJrqTmeUZiF42bjncE4llS7bvNGmqPi5rYBpaLXELIy_wxz8OZFXYlkr5OmVZPqQB3LlT1W7j47TnK2VXGFd310R0LhmwdyDlb266Ya-l/s400/rosie.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381157473191223698" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqrw8QzcNh3r1p0TNZJHlyF8dcSLVw7k0sccp6319Ml506KhIm_gNvXJEMo2BQ0Gu0luKCYqvhlI7jlAGcGtdl2YdMn0muT5SkeVwHW7gTDCBHykfQgHXGc7DZuCmTOUGVqlv-loZ5CIsU/s1600-h/MSA_Logo.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 348px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqrw8QzcNh3r1p0TNZJHlyF8dcSLVw7k0sccp6319Ml506KhIm_gNvXJEMo2BQ0Gu0luKCYqvhlI7jlAGcGtdl2YdMn0muT5SkeVwHW7gTDCBHykfQgHXGc7DZuCmTOUGVqlv-loZ5CIsU/s400/MSA_Logo.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381157469701978018" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlA8nvhaty0D18PFQ_2sgIHvj1XkkCoGh5RDZjUgpWjkMbNUle9yOkH7EORZjukYl_WkYVc5TTaHmebN1lFSu98tHEzPcwQLT3aFSzrp2S2ENV2MgxPjO-_C01rq3Ublh3KPetqFdX710o/s1600-h/ymca_new_logo.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 80px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlA8nvhaty0D18PFQ_2sgIHvj1XkkCoGh5RDZjUgpWjkMbNUle9yOkH7EORZjukYl_WkYVc5TTaHmebN1lFSu98tHEzPcwQLT3aFSzrp2S2ENV2MgxPjO-_C01rq3Ublh3KPetqFdX710o/s400/ymca_new_logo.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381157463377124402" /></a><br />My new job is not just with Americorps. It is co-funded and sponsored by Leaps in Literacy, Mass Service Alliance, and the Old Colony Y. Just FYI. <div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08922283587244672610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5252580429098367848.post-3999945392250652722009-09-13T22:37:00.005-04:002009-09-13T23:09:39.193-04:00Americorps is Great!I am Americorps member and I will get things done! I have finished the first week of Americorps orientation. Being there with my fellow corps members is even better than I imagined. Everyone is really nice. We have been doing some really good team building exercises. The first day was pretty dry. Our program directors, Michelle and Matt read out loud our entire contract, which is over thirty pages long; and that was only part of the day. Ryan, one of my CMs, (Corps members) arranged a get-together the Saturday before we started so I was able to meet almost everybody before our program started. I am really enjoying learning more about each person. We have done all kinds of exercises involving name tags and different directions. I am getting a lot of great leadership training. I have also been learning about how to be reading coach and become a better listener. I am so excited to meet the kids I will be helping. It is soo great to FINALLY be excited to go to work. On that note, I am going to pick up my love, so we can go to bed, and I can start my second week of Americorps!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08922283587244672610noreply@blogger.com0