CRAZY. BEAUTIFUL. LIFE.

Freedom with Height

2012-02-06T18:30:00.000+13:00

Eyes to the sky, I sit transfixed. Up there, in the dusk-kissed sky, is a another world. A world with it's own rules, it's own freedoms, it's own Masters. Tonight, the Master of the Sky is that one. The one that is flying high above the rest, the one that has been moving, successfully in, for the kill-- all evening. The nose dips, a tiny dip, indicating to me, the virgin observer, that it's time again. The body follows suit and dives in a motion so fast and deliberate it causes my body to stiffen with anticipation, I watch, eyes adjusting against the glare of the setting sun. The world up there goes still for a moment, and I wonder how many pairs of eyes are watching in anticipation along with me. Then, the attacked goes limp, a falling leaf from meters above. The Master quickly moves away, gaining freedom with height, and somewhere in this maze of rooftops, I'm sure he smiles.

The kite fighting that ruled the skies of India never failed to captivate me. I was so fascinated by it all that Fern often had to remind me to bring my eyes back down to earth---back to the happenings on the street in front of me. Because, if I learned anything from India, it was that if you take your eyes off the road, you are bound to be run over by a car, a goat, a cow, a rickshaw, a person, a bike---and in the chance you were lucky to avoid those, surely the pile of excrement was bound to get you every time. India. Wow, India. There aren't many places that can make Bangkok seem quiet, organized, and clean--but India has done it. And India has done it well! Although our 2 week Indian adventure ultimately lacked the nature and fresh air that Fern and I were, have been, craving, it didn't stop me from falling in love with so many aspects of a country gone mad. As much as we would have liked there to be, there was, in reality, never a dull moment. My senses were in overdrive---the colors of the spices, the saris, the buildings; the delicious food smells and (of course) the less delicious smells of all those other things; the traffic sounds that never seemed to fade; the taste of some of the best food I have ever tasted (yes, of course it was street food and no, that's not an exaggeration). Many people have asked for my favourite city or favourite part of the trip--and, I hesitate every time. It's usually always a collective effort-- a build up of all the little, seemingly insignificant things that seem to latch on to my memories: the separate trains for the woman, the normalcy of declaring that "yes, we have husbands", the head wobble, the random animals on the road, the outdoor 'bathrooms', the yellow taxis that would belong on the set of a 1950's movie, the 5 cups of daily chai (served in clay pots), eating with my hands (and loving every second of it---sorry Ma), the traffic "laws", the trams, trains, and buses, the colonial buildings, the friendliness of the locals as soon as you leave the tourist trail behind, the school buses (modified rickshaws), the happenings on the street, and the markets. But, for those that insist, I'd have to say that seeing a rainbow besides the Taj Mahal on the first day of 2012 wasn't too shabby....! ;)

Fresh air will be coming in the form of a beach getaway this weekend followed by a long-awaited return trip to New Zealand this summer. (But, not before Big Bro and Cimock get a taste for this wonderful little place called Thailand. That's right folks---Big Bro has got tickets to Asia. Who would have thought?!)

Oh, Bangkok!

2011-10-31T20:01:00.008+13:00

Six hours and a world away from the current struggles of Bangkok, I allow the beach life to consume me. Just hours before, I was amongst the water, the people, the loss—the reality that has engulfed so many Thai lives—so many Bangkokians. I felt connected in those moments—connected to the severity of the loss and destruction, and connected to the depth of the Thai spirit. That unwavering “mai pen rai” that guides them to smile, to laugh, to remain calm in the face of danger, sadness, and destruction. Just hours before, I was going to it. going to the flood, to the sandhills, to the shelters—and, as I boarded the Laem Ngop bound bus, I couldn’t fight the feeling that I was now running from it. Running from the city that I call home, running from Gat, my neighbor who, only days before, had assured me “mai dong glooa—don’t be scared, I’ll make you food and paddle it over in a boat if the floods come.” Running from the people that have become a part of my everyday life. But, as the uncertainties in Bangkok grew with each long day, I knew that, for my own sanity, I had to get away. Partly because my one week holiday had unexpectantly been extended by two weeks after a Ministry of Education emergency meeting, partly because I knew my family wouldn’t have peace of mind with me living amongst the chaos that Bangkok has, once again, become, and, partly because my own selfishness didn’t want to have another sleepless night of waiting. Waiting for whatever it was that was going to happen. Waiting to see if my small flood supply of food and water would prove me over prepared or under prepared. Waiting to see if the sandbag walls would hold. Just…Waiting.

Far from Bangkok, far from the empty grocery shelves, the lagging water supply, far from the fear of having even another drop of rain and far from the news that most people in Bangkok have allowed to run their lives, the serenity has finally started to calm my worried mind and heavy heart. I’ve allowed myself to tune out a little, knowing that there isn’t much I can do from here and knowing that a bit of serenity can go a long way. I’ve already fallen into a great beach life routine and, the (very) basic hut that I was hesitant to go into on the first night, has become a bit of a haven for me. It’s the simple life that always takes a little getting used to but, once in place, fuels something in me that I can’t quite explain. I love waking with the sun, sweeping my hut and hand washing my pillowcase (this makes the very basic hut smell a little less so when I lay my head down at night!) before taking off on an early morning swim. Like clockwork, Arisa, the little Cambodian baby that I have come to love already (shocking!), greets me right after my swim and just before her morning feeding. I get lots of smiles and cuddles while mom finishes some chores around the huts. The morning passes peacefully with lots of reading, reflecting, meditating, and writing---all with the sound of the waves in my ear. By the time midday arrives, I join my friends, who are staying less than 20 paces up the beach, and I get lost in their company for the rest of the day and night. It’s all a bit perfect, really—and offers a sharp contradiction to the way things are in Bangkok. Things are far from perfect there, and, although I have allowed myself a bit of peace and serenity here, a big part of my heart is still there. Fighting with them, hoping with them, urging them to hold on. This too shall pass and when it does, I know this country will pull together to pick up the broken pieces that remain after the waters have swept away too much.

Bits and Bobs from 117

2011-10-02T00:49:00.010+13:00

The latest memo in my school mailbox reminds me that 1st quarter grades are due soon. What?! Seriously?! I'm not entirely sure where those 9 weeks have gone but, roughly half must have been lost in transition and the other half must have been lost in the passion of teaching. Being lost in transition wasn't easy. Many argue that it never is, but, I wanted to think that I was becoming a seasoned professional at transitioning, changing, relocating. Man was I wrong! This change hit me harder than most. I missed a lot of things about my old job, my old kids, my old school and, after only a few days, I thought I had, once again, checked another "possible life passion" off the list. But then, without warning, things snapped back into place and I again found myself passionate about teaching, passionate about life---and, it feels great to be back!

The last few weeks in room 117 have been fantastic. We sing, we dance, we cry, we laugh, we explore, we ask, and we seek to answer....we are becoming a great little family. Having only 10 students means lots of time and space for hands on activities. But, perhaps it's best hearing it...
From the 1st graders!!

Miss J always tells us "fun but not crazy" but I think sometimes she forgets. Especially during "Monday Dance"---she let's us all go a bit crazy then. Even she does the "Monday dance" with us and she sure looks crazy! Her memory is really bad so she always asks us to remind her of things. What would she do without us? We have to remind her to change the jobs list everyday. We have to remind her how to add and subtract and sometimes she even forgets that when you write names or special nouns, you have to use a capital letter. And she's always forgetting to use punctuation when she writes sentences! Who's the teacher here anyways? Crazy Miss J.

We love looking at our tadpoles! One person gets to help Miss J feed them everyday. "LOOK AT THAT ONE! That one has front legs!! Miss J! Miss J! Look at that one! He looks like a frog already!!" We learned about the life cycle of frogs in Science class and then we learned how to take care of our tadpoles by using Google. Did you know that if we don't feed our tadpoles, they will EAT EACH OTHER?!?! We really love Science class! Oh! And, on Thursday, we're going to the Zoo!! We are going on a mammal/reptile/amphibian/insect/fish hunt!

Our Special Country for International Culture Day is New Zealand. Miss J used to live there and "I FOUND IT, IT"S HERE!!! Look...I found it on the globe!! Miss J, Looook. It's here!". Now we have so many stickers on our world map and globe!! America, Philippines, Japan, South Korea, India, Thailand and now, NEW ZEALAND! And tomorrow we are reading a story about the Arctic and Miss J said we have to find out where the Arctic is for homework. I think the Arctic is in Miss J's home.

Did you read our story?! We wrote a story! First, we had to Brainstorm and think about what we wanted to write about. We did a vote---and decided to write about the Ballroom! We brainstormed some more and made a Sloppy Copy of it and tried to make it better and Make It Shine! Then we Fixed It by adding capital letters and punctuation. We wrote it again in good handwriting and drew pictures to go with it. Then, we signed our name and Miss J published it! We get to take turns taking it home and reading it with our parents. I think my page is the best!! You should read it because we wrote it ourselves and it's really good!!

1st grade isn't always fun though. We have to work hard and sometimes we get so tired of thinking and writing. Miss J says "do your best work", even when we are writing on the board or drawing a picture. Sometimes people do it better then us, but if it's our best, it's okay. When we don't do our best work, or when we aren't listening or doing the "right thing", it means we don't earn time to play in the ballroom. In Kindergarten, we always got to play in the ballroom but Miss J says now that we are older, we have to earn it. I think that we should go to the ballroom everyday!! We also have lots of homework to take home in our F.R.O.G.S folders everyday. Our folders help us have re (clap) spons (clap) i (clap) bil (clap) i (clap) ty (clap). We are getting better at that. We are getting better at lots of things. And Miss J says we help her get better at things too. So, maybe it's good that we are all together in first grade!

post shaving-cream-writing (thanks for all that shaving cream Jose!)

checking out the tadpoles

buddy reading

on the path to becoming great little presenters!

Good Morning Vietnam

2011-07-29T20:26:00.016+12:00

I never knew that "drink locally brewed, 25 cent beer on busy Hanoi street" should be on the bucket list but, alas, it should have had a prime spot near the top!! Vietnam was never high on my list, mostly because I never heard too many positive things about it and, for whatever reason, I actually listened to the ramblings I heard. But, a random, would-be-perfect-timing rendezvous with one Sarah F (the same Sarah F that makes many appearances in my blog if you've actually been following since that blissful, start-of-it-all trip to New Zealand)! Yes, finally...after nearly 5 years, I'd be reunited with my old New Zealand friend and flatmate...and the person who helped me grow the cojones to make the jump into SE Asia in the first place (she used to teach English in Vietnam and encouraged me to look in to it). So, as luck would have it, I flung myself into this "not high on my list" neighboring country with no expectations, no worries, and no real 'must see's/must do's' other then to just intercept Sarah and her folks along their 3 week SE Asia adventure. Perhaps it was this--the lack of expectations, the lack of pressure (to see and do it all) that would give this place a speed ticket through the MUST RETURN line!
When a street crossing can make a Bangkokian (yeah, I've claimed it, what of it...?!) hesitate and stare in awe, you know it must be crazy! Even after living in Bangkok for 3+ years, it took me a while to perfect Sarah's confident "just stick out your hand" stride across the intersection---which, just for kicks and comic relief, actually had a pedestrian crossing lane. Ha. After some time drinking the local brew roadside, and, after I insisted on crossing the road 10 more times just for kicks (sorry Ma!), the 4 of us jumped a Halong Bay bound bus and briefly said goodbye to the city noise. Watching the world pass from bus windows in these foreign countries always seems to amaze or inspire me...and Vietnam, certainly, was no exception. I felt myself comparing it a lot to the other countries I've been to in SE Asia but, it became more and more difficult to do.... Same Same but SO different! As the landscape unfolds, it immediately makes me question the fact that Thailand is the top exporter of rice! The paddies here stretch as far as the eye can see, (Jose, even you wouldn't miss these rice fields!) and are littered with dozens and dozens of workers in their nón lá (coolie hats!). The site is amazingly beautiful and during the 3.5 hour journey, I never tired of staring out the window. A million rice fields, a few hilarious bumps, an entertaining eavesdrop on a lifestory, and an amazing phone conversation later, we arrived at Halong Bay where our Junk (Wikipedia folks) awaited. It took only moments to fall in love! Limestone cliffs were jetting out of the water in all directions, the junk was cute and clean, all the bedrooms had windows (Hells no will we be trapped if our boat tries to sink in the middle of the night!) and the weather was looking amazing! After lunch on board, we climbed to the deck and soaked in the rays as we cruised along...perfection. After a great sunset, it took no convincing at all to get the recently showered and changed crew (Sarah and her folks) back into togs (I speak Kiwi very well...!) so we could jump off the roof into the water. I love this bunch!! Before long, most of the boat was jumping, screaming (not me of course...), laughing, swimming. It was one of those trips where the crowd on your boat can make or break the trip---and, our crowd made it! Good work crowd :).

Back in Hanoi, I chipped away another piece of my historical ignorance as we visited some key places linked to the Vietnam War. The Hoa Lo Prison, often referred to as the Hanoi Hilton, was a good start and it was interesting to get a different perspective on some of the War details. We also visited the lake where John McCain's plane was shot down and he was captured as a PoW as well as the "B-52 Lake" where you can see the remains of a B-52 that was shot down in 1972. Staring at the remains while having Bruce (Sarah's dad) explain some amazing details to me was an awesome history lesson---and it made me wish that my history teachers would have actually TRIED to get my attention---b/c, clearly, I would have been captivated! Or maybe the Bruce, staring at B-52 combo, was just that awesome!
All in all, an amazing trip. A great country. Great company. And a complete feeling of comfort because Sarah and her folks (and Sarah's friends) had all lived in or been to Hanoi previously . I didn't have to worry about directions or language barriers or wonder if I was getting ripped off! It took away any possible headache and just left me able to completely enjoy myself! It made me realize that if you know someone living in a foreign country which you may not have otherwise paid a visit to, you should go and take advantage of them being there. I'm just sayin, Ryan,...I speak Thai. I speak Thai real well. ;)

Cashmere...In Loving Memory...

2011-07-14T18:41:00.005+12:00

What is it about our pets that totally transforms the way we go at life? What is it about their companionship that makes it impossible to compare to anything else? Why is it that you either get it or you don't?! For what it's worth, I get it. I totally do.

I got my first cat when I was 9 years old and I can honestly say that it changed my life from day one. Days filled with cat hair, vet visits, litterbox cleanups, and pre-dawn wake-ups rained down on me (and my parents/brother) and helped mold that 9-year-old-me. My cat, affectionately known as cashmere, cashee, pumpkin face, brat, angel, and sweet face, has seen me through more of my life than most others. We have, quite literally, grown up together. I "put up" with her kitten stage---the constant crying (read: meowing), playfulness and, of course, mischievousness---and, in turn, she put up with my adolescence---meaning, mostly, that she had to endure dress-up, attempted cat-walks, and, perhaps, a (bit) of smothering! We've seen each other through sickness and pain---her years battling a serious case of fleas and ringworm meant hours bonding in the bathroom picking through until every last one was drowned in the toilet. I don't know many cats that would tolerate laying upside down while their mom picked, pulled, and prodded. I think deep down she must have known that it was for her own good. Of course, all that close contact meant that we shared the ringworm that she was infested with, and, I hardly cared. When I was sick, or in tears, my little pumpkin face was never far away. She was never huge with the cuddles, but she made exceptions at times like that and would often lick away my salty tears or lay near for hours, never fully closing her eyes as if keeping a constant watch. She saw me through my teenage years, and, although I wavered from moment to moment, she never did. Sometimes I would tell her I despised her as much as the rents--and sometimes, she was the only one I wanted to be around. One minute she was the target of my teenage angst and the next she was the only reason I wasn't running away in full blown teenage protest. And, in turn, I struggled through her own teenage protests. When she put her guts to the test and wondered beyond the security of home one day, I held on to me "Homeward Bound" fueled hopes while my parents scurried about (I didn't find out until later) with posters, reward promises, and fruitless searches. Nearly a week later as my parents were trying to find the heart to have the "she's-not-coming-home" talk with me, my little brat surfaced. She was found---a bit more dirty, humble and thin--but found! As my teenage moodiness faded into young-adult heartache, she was always there. She sat, she listened, she joined me for nights filled with ice cream and movies (so what if she only stayed because I shared my ice cream with her)! She saw me off to college and was always waiting for my return so she could once again wake me at 5am with her "play-with-me" meows.

As old age began taking it's toll, she went through an "I-forget-where-to-pee" stage---a stage which never phased me and which my dad graciously accepted without much fuss. Her kidneys needed convincing to stay strong which turned me and, in my absence, my dad, into expert kidney healers. When the call came that he thought her time was coming to a close---weight loss, weakness, lack of purring, we knew without hesitation that we wanted to send her off peacefully before the pain kicked in. And, although I'm at peace with it, a little piece of my heart has gone with my baby. I wish that I could have been there to kiss her little nose one last time---but, knowing that she was in good hands makes it easier to accept. Although I hate that dad had to go through the process alone, it's symbolic in ways---I remember so clearly the site of tiny, kitten, Cashmere in my dad's big, strong, hands----and, it puts my heart at ease visualizing her slipping peacefully away in the same hands that held her tiny body (nearly) 20 years before. And knowing that Dr. T and Jenna, the nurse and Doctor that I've come to know and love over the years, were there for her in her final moments fills my heart with relief.

It's amazing how much joy my fur-ball brought to my life. I'll never forget the day there was a meowing towel under the Christmas tree, when, in an instant, that meowing towel changed my life forever!!

You will never be forgotten Cashee!

Let's hear it for NEW YORK...!

2011-06-26T13:49:00.004+12:00

I should be honest from the start, I've never really been a big advocate for gay rights, gay marriage, gay anything....I kind of felt like just "mixing in" would be more powerful then anything. A way, in sorts, to prove that we really aren't different at all. I always believed that breaking down stereotypes one ignorant person at a time would be much more effective then covering myself in rainbows while declaring to the world that I'm "gay and proud"...and pissed off. But, as I find myself singing Alicia Keys (and Jay Z's) song...again...I realize how proud I am for this moment. Proud to be a part of changing times...proud that it's going in this direction...proud that it's, well, NEW YORK! At times I feel ashamed for not doing more. When amazing people step up and "fight the fight" that isn't even, technically, 'theirs', I feel like I'm taking the easy way out, just waiting...waiting to reap the benefits. But, I know that I make tiny changes in the world immediately around me and, in time, with enough people doing that, it does actually make a difference. But, it makes me appreciate those people who are getting, well, "loud" in a way that I never used to appreciate them. When people like Claire Buffie, my good friend's lil' sister, and former Miss NY choose "Straight for Equality: Let's Talk" as a pageant platform, it's incredibly moving. Filled with love for her sister, her family, and driven by a dream of equality, Claire tackled real issues with real elegance and passion. She never cowered in the face of adversity (and she faced a lot) and, I believe, brave people like Claire had a big influence on this change. It makes me proud...proud of Claire on a personal level, but also proud to be a part of a society that includes people like her. Looking at it from this perspective feels good---feels much better then looking at the half empty glass of "well, if ignorant assholes didn't exist, it wouldn't be such a big fight...". That view still exists within me, but, as time passes, as more and more people step up to fight these kinds of things, and, as change actually occurs, I find that, along with everything else in life, having the glass half full is so much more joyful.

And although I am happy that the possibility exists (obviously), no, I will not be running off to NY to get married (yet)! But, my love goes out to all those committed, loving couples who will now be able to express their love in a way they always dreamed. You deserve it.

The beauty around us

2011-04-27T08:44:00.012+12:00

My recent trip back to the U S of A has been great. But, instead of giving you the play by play, I wanted to share some random tidbits. Over the course of my holiday, I witnessed, experienced, and felt many beautiful things. Some truly remarkable and others humorously simple, but all took my attention fully and led me into some sort of reflection....it's these type of things that rarely get the attention they deserve...so, here's giving an extra moment of notice...

The newly weds (Jay and Kaleigh) enclose a bottle of wine (representing their relationship...one that will age well and get better with time) along with notes to one another inside a box. The box, wine, and letters are to be opened on their 10th anniversary.

My cousin, who suffered a stroke several years ago which resulted in partial paralysis, briefly left her cane and (balance guide) dog behind so she could share a dance with her newlywed son.

Lizards. (okay, let me explain). I was sitting outside and this random lizard totally captivated me. I sat there, staring at this prehistoric looking thing and was transported to my childhood. I used to (regularly) catch them and make them bite my ears. Just like that, I had a pair of earrings. A part of me wanted to reach out and grab the lizard---but, I know, even if I decided to do it, I would have hesitated to catch it....let alone let the freakin' thing bite my ear. It made me appreciate my fearless younger self.

Nearly 6 months after being diagnosed with lung cancer and being told he had only weeks to live, my grandfather has tackled cruises and road trips and is making preparations for his November "I'm still here" party.

Carrots. Fresh from my brother's garden.

Jetblue. If you don't agree, try Air Asia as a budget air option and get back to me.

Enjoying Jamie's chicken and dumplings in the company of 4 people who have known me longer (and better) than most others.

Listening to my 98 year old great, great uncle retell the story about the time he came to our Christmas Party and we got him drunk.

Watching my friend---who kicks ass at being a vet---kick ass at being a mom even more.

Sitting on my bro's dock, watching the sunset, with him and mom, while trying to understand why the ducks found it absolutely necessary to get on the dock the moment we were sitting there.

Sitting next to my 19 year old cat, watching her doze off into a snore...

Being the first to occupy the guestroom in Jo and Ty's new house...and being around 2 people who make it easy to believe in love.

Sitting business class!! (ah, the beauty of knowing people in the industry! ;) )

Baking a cake with Grandma.

Eating breakfast with pops and getting the tour of the garden.

Closing down the wedding dance floor with some kind of crazy swaying, jumping, swinging, rocking moves---with all the cousins---led by GG.

Having a completely random Easter gathering at the park with GG and all her grandchildren that ended in a big soccer game. If only we had taken that picture...!

STOP...and smell the fish balls!

2011-03-22T19:10:00.008+13:00

Time flies when you're having fun! A Christmas trip to Nepal (with some great peeps), several weekend getaways/day trips (to take advantage of some amazing weather), some intense job-hunting, and a 10 day whirlwind adventure with visiting friends has come and gone---and Borneo sits on the horizon (2 more days to be exact!). The last few months have brought endless smiles to my heart and sometimes I need to find the time to sit back, take a breath, and fully appreciate all that I've done.

Mount Everest and the Himalayan mountains greeted our plane on Christmas day and shortly after, Fern and I were enjoying mulled wine with Kerry, Steph, and Dave in Kathmandu, Nepal. It was a beautiful (and unique) way to celebrate Christmas! We received our hiking itinerary that day and all had a good (nervous) laugh about the 6-day adventure that awaited us...including at least 1 day of "straight up". Awesome. --The trekking was great, although a bit exhausting (okay, maybe that's an understatement!) the scenery was amazing, and---, with our group, never a dull moment! Between the 5 of us, we had 3 porters and a guide---so, thankfully, we were only responsible for carrying our day packs!! Don't judge! We arrived to Ghorepani 2 days after we set off and were greeted by the snow-peaked Annapurna mountains against the setting sun---calling it beautiful would be a harsh understatement! Especially after we walked 2 days to get there! For Kerry and I the excitement was short lived and both of us would pay a rough price for making the wrong choice as dinner time. Our itinerary shifted, we hardly moved from bed all day (except to get sick of course), and our nurses (i.e. Fern and Steph) were gracious enough to take frequent breaks from their book reading, site seeing, weather-enjoying day to take care of us sickies! We were back on the trail the next day for what was arguable the most beautiful and real part of the trek. This less traveled track winded us through a local village, over and around rice terraces, through herds of sheep and buffalo and past the local people going about their lives. It was a great day-after-feeling-like-crap trek! All in all, the trip to Nepal was much too short to appreciate all it has to offer but we got a taste of it---especially of the amazing hiking. The end of the trail was bitter sweet and we missed the mountainous surrounds immediately...but our legs...and all that lactic acid thanked us for the break!

After the Christmas holiday, I returned to work to finish out the term with my "graduating" K3's. It was an emotional moment---my first ever K1 class all grown up and leaving K3. I can't believe how fast the time has gone. Although I've been job searching and will continue to search, I've decided, after a good deal/offer from my current employer, that I'll be staying put for now. Next term will offer me a chance to make some changes to the overall curriculum which will be a great chance to gain some experience. As for now, I'm enjoying my time off---but, as always, I'm missing my crazy kids already!

Jose and Alexis have just left and I think I'm still in shock that I ever went to the airport to get them in the first place!! I have to admit that I never really expected the "yeah, I'm thinking of coming to visit" to materialize---so, when I learned that it was...for BOTH of them...I was so excited!! I loved inviting them into my world and showing them around. Lots of laughs (Dearest Scotsman with the Bangkok Belly---squatting toilets are for SQUATTING...not sitting! HA) and good times...and, perhaps for one, a newly ignited fire for travel! You know where to find a travel buddy Jose!

Borneo is next on the list and we head out on Thursday! We'll be traveling our way around Sabah making sure to fit in diving and snorkeling at Mabul and Sipidan islands, river cruising in search of wild animals, visiting the orangutans, and trekking around Mount Kinabalu. Bring on the jungle...bring on the river...bring on the clear blue seas!! Will post pictures when I return in April.

Serenity, Balance, and life in between

2010-11-28T15:38:00.026+13:00

I'd like to note that I'm currently writing to the sweet sounds of Clory Martin (a Rice teammates' voice)...and you should check her out. :)
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2105088&id=3001224&saved#!/pages/Clory-Martin/96964545642

The words and thoughts have been swimming wildly through my mind and show no sign of stopping. I usually wait until things come to some sort of order in my head before I put it to paper. But I'm beginning to give up hope that any sort of order will arise this time. So, here goes.

My last blog had a lot to do with life outside the box, pushing boundaries and limits and seeing things in this world that you can't learn in text books. About challenging ignorance and slipping outside of the mold of society. I am so thankful that the last few years have really given me the opportunity to do that but, for the first time ever, and with the aid of being "home" for the first time in a long time, I was exposed to the painful side of living this way. Until I made sense of what I was feeling, me and 'home' seemed to collide head on. The excess, the greed, the blindness was all around me---it was in the huge houses, the million dollar yachts, the wastefulness, the seemingly care-less (if not completely ignorant) conversations and mutterings all around me. I felt a cloud shadowing over me...frustration, anger, sadness... and it was hard to shake. My serenity seemed to be drowning in a sea of emotions that I couldn't quite make sense of. But with the help and love of my family and friends (probably little to their knowledge), I regained that serenity, re-found that place of peace, and was once again feeling balanced. I embraced the realization that, although I have opened my eyes and heart to the suffering around the world (not to mention the shocking way we treat the earth), it doesn't, in effect, mean I have to close my heart to other aspects of life. It doesn't have to overpower all else, doesn't have to deem the 'simple pleasures in life' trivial, unworthy, or unjustified. In fact, on the contrary, it's these simple pleasures that make the fight worth fighting, and, as I'm learning, losing sight of them is losing sight of everything. Being in the presence of things that are truly beautiful in their own ways---no matter how simplistic or how (seemingly) extravagant, was much needed. Being reunited with my 18 year old cat, enjoying drinks and easy laughs with friends and family, cooking (and EATING), scuba diving, witnessing an exchange of vows (http://www.ourlaboroflove.com/showit/molly_and_amber/), bike riding, enjoying the fall season, walking the Freedom Trail...
For a bit, I allowed myself to slip passed serenity--- how can I possibly enjoy "this" when "that" is happening?! How can I possibly be having "this" conversation when "that" needs discussing?! How can I possibly be eating like "this" when others are eating (or not) like "that"?! How can I possibly be doing "this" when it's contributing to "that"?! All these questions and concerns will remain within me---but, as I'm learning, they don't have to consume me. A balance can actually exist and, once I realized that, I again started seeing the beauty...the beauty without the shadow, or perhaps, despite the shadow. I will continue to strive for this balance---I will continue to push myself (and hopefully those around me) to be better---better consumers with a better awareness of ourselves and others---and I will hopefully always continue to push some kind of comfort zone, question and challenge ignorant-driven fears---but at the same time, I can't allow the resulting feelings, experiences or opinions completely overshadow all else---especially when it hinders my ability to enjoy those simple pleasures that, frankly, are worth enjoying...

I used to to believe that I was "stuck" somewhere between wanting to (settle down and) start a garden and wanting to travel the world. But, I've realize that I don't actually have to be "stuck" between---a balance can actually exist, and, as it turns out, both can happen simultaneously...

Happy holidays to everyone! I will be in Kathmandu, Nepal for Christmas and ringing in 2011 from top the Himalayas! Stand by for pics! Also, I have FINALLY got a good internet connection. I am once again connected into shutterfly (www.janellecrowley.shutterfly.com) and will once again be keeping my pics up to date there for those of you that are not a part of the facebook world (Grandma, GG!). Love to all.

Why thank you, world, for being my oyster!

2010-08-15T04:16:00.012+12:00

World. International. Travel. A few years ago, it was nothing more than a section of the newspaper that I would casually and carelessly toss to the side. I even remember a much younger me uttering the words “how does this even affect me??” when asked why I didn’t care to read. Now, I’m here. Set loose in the world that, at one time in my life, I barely knew existed. Names that were once nothing more than a bunch of letters haphazardly put together to form some kind of unpronounceable word now roll of my tongue with familiarity, understanding and ease. When tragedy strikes in areas that we’ve never heard of, never been to, never cared to read about in the paper, it’s easier to keep a distance. It’s easier to pay some money to the cause and continue on our daily lives. When we hear our government, friends, or neighbors utter hurtful words about another race, religion, culture, country, it’s easier to jump on board, never challenging the ignorance that is driving the bandwagon. When terror strikes, it’s easier to point fingers, devise plans, create an environment in which hatred thrives. But somewhere along the line, someone else's word just wasn’t good enough anymore. I wanted to experience, breath, look, live, be-- outside of my own box---and see things through a heart wide open. Two years, 3 months, and 8 days ago, I set out on a journey that I hoped would help do just that, and the resulting experiences have been nothing short of amazing. And, although my journey is far from over, an increasingly consistent pull to again plant my feet in familiar soil beckons me to reflect, write, reminisce.
These chapters of my life have taken me through 7 countries, 7 (fascinating) cultures---they have opened up endless opportunities, challenged me to embrace the world and all the people in it, including myself. They have taken me through love—and heartache and every other emotion on the scale of emotions. I have been repelled by home and have longed for home. I have seen the things they omit from textbooks and have been repeatedly shocked by the capability of the human race---both positively, and negatively. I have met amazing people along the way who will forever be imprinted upon my heart. I have learned to work a little less hard (for those that really know me, you know this, actually, is a very good thing!). I have learned to trust my gut, and trust---people. I have learned the true power behind a smile and have learned the depth of peacefulness lurking in a simple meditation. I have, to sum it up, been on one hell of a ride.

A few powerful tidbits that really affected me:

Laos: UXO. An acronym that I never knew existed prior to setting foot in the country and one in which would have been impossible to ignore once there. UXO stands for unexploded ordinances---bombs that were dropped and failed to explode on impact during the Vietnam war remain highly active throughout the country. Straying from the path anywhere in Laos is tempting fate, and, as a foreigner, is unthinkable without a highly knowledgeable guide. However, everyday people have no choice---it’s their land, their farms, their roads, their schools and even today, people are dying every single day when this UXO awakens from its 35 year slumber.

Cambodia: The killing fields and S-21 school-turned-torture prison which showed the horrors of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. Learning of such a horrific past while simultaneously being exposed to an amazingly uplifting, hopeful, and strong population/culture has created a humbleness that has seeped deep into my pores.

South Africa: Life in the townships is shocking and inhumane---especially since much of it is the results of District 6 being declared a “white’s only” area. Touring this amazing country gave me the opportunity to gain a better understanding and appreciation for what Nelson Mandela (and SO many others) were fighting for, and against.

Indonesia: In 18 short days, my preconceived notions and fears were effectively shattered by a very open and friendly culture. I received a bracelet from a random stranger that, at first I was scared to wear (why did he just give it to me then disappear?!), and now don’t want to take off. I hope it continues to serve as a reminder not to give in to ignorant driven fears about a country, culture, race, religion.

Philippines: Whale Sharks. They are, I’m quite certain, 1 of the most beautiful, amazing, breath-taking animals I have ever seen. When Ange and I spent 3 days in the water with them, I felt as though I was flying. It was unexplainable. Except for the times when we looked at other boats---at 1 time, there were nearly 10 boats around a single shark. The government has set specific rules for “engagement” --1 boat per shark, 3 divers per side, no touching, no blocking—however, these are only loosely followed. I want future generations to have the opportunity to experience these amazing creatures—so I hope the importance of these rules is discovered---and soon, before it’s too late (and no, this is not a dramatic exaggeration).

Namibia: The simplicity of life in a village is something we can all learn a little something from. I got a tiny glimpse into the importance of greeting, being, singing, dancing, and loving. Ironically (or not…), some of the most materialistically poor people in the world taught me a little something about living a rich and meaningful life…and furthered my belief that cultivating a simple lifestyle can be a very powerful thing.

(Thailand will have to be its own blog/book one day!)

Most importantly, I’ve learned—and have completely embraced the fact that there is always more to see, learn, experience, share and, no matter where my journey takes me next, I hope I never forget….

Such is Life...

2010-06-12T22:12:00.003+12:00

The last few months have been a bit of a roller coaster and selfishly, I had to get some of it out---so here I am using, if not abusing, my blog spot! This is aimed at close friends and family---if you don’t fit into that category, it might be in your best interest to take a rain check until next blog!

The smoke has cleared and a bit of normalcy has started to return to the place I call home. I’m once again beginning to feel as though I’m in the ‘land of smiles’, and, although I’m not naïve enough to believe this is the end, it’s nice to see that the small things I love about this place are again taking form. The protests in Bangkok turned a bit heartbreaking in April, casting a bit of a shadow on an otherwise AMAZING vacation to the Philippines. It was a contrast that left both Ange and I a bit heavy hearted----coming out of the water (for example) from a swim with whale sharks to a text update from our friends in Bangkok. Things seemed to get progressively worse, but didn’t really start to peak until May 14th---we got sent home early from work, and collectively prepared to ‘bunk down’ for the weekend, allowing space for the chaos that would most likely follow a militant step-up. Luckily, my apartment is far away enough from the main area that I felt safe at home. For too many others this wasn’t the case, and my heart continues to go out to those more directly affected---those that undoubtedly can’t afford their losses. 2 friends, both who lived in a designated “live fire zone” relocated to my place---and I’m so thankful they did. Not only for their own safety, but for my own sanity. The weekend soon gave way to the week---which was declared a public holiday---with a strictly enforced curfew. The aura around everything and everyone changed drastically. Chaos. Pain. Fear. Hate. Things that I would never previously use to describe Thailand or the people here. I spent too much time sitting in the windowsill of my apartment watching the smoke take over the Bangkok skyline. Too much time watching the news or just listening to the sounds outside. It brought things way too close to home and my heart was breaking for the country, for my friends and their families, for my students. Thailand vowed to step up—starting with a “together we can” campaign which brought thousands of people to the streets to help clean up the aftermath. Although it was a hopeful sign and a moving outcome, the aftermath can’t as easily be wiped from memories, hearts, or…the economy. The country continues to struggle---and I continue to feel a bit helpless---but I will continue to hope….and ask that you do too.

I also wanted to remind everyone at home how much I’ve been there in spirit over the last few months. It’s never easy being so far from loved ones, but the last few months have proved to be especially challenging.

Christel’s father passed away on May 28th, and although I only briefly met him, I know that Christel gets her “french kiss life” attitude from somewhere. One of the many times recently I’ve wanted to ‘beam’ myself home. Love you honey.

Jo’s father lost his battle with cancer on June 8th and it has been incredibly difficult for me to be “absent” during this time. Her father was an amazing man, who I feel privileged to have known, and whose spirit, charm, wit, humour (and so much more) will live on in his daughters and grandchildren. Joseph, I hope you continue to feel my love and support from oceans away.

Also, this has been a very difficult time for my family, as my grandfather (lovingly known to his grandchildren as “pop-pop”) passed away on June 11. It was something we were prepared for, and he had a great life---touching all our lives in so many ways---but being unable to be there for him, for my dad, my grandmother, my family, has been incredibly painful. I love you all and hope you know that you continue to be in my everyday.

And, on the flip side of emotions, MB (one of my Aussie 5) is now wed, and Ry has completed ---no, no…kicked the ass of---his first ever marathon. 2 events that I was there for in spirit. Miss you guys.

My visit home in October will be much needed (to say the least) and I’m really looking forward to seeing and hugging everyone. It has been far too long! And, am super excited for Beans (uh, sorry…that would be ‘Molly’ to everyone but me and NZ peeps!)…WEDDING!! Her and Amber will be tying the knot Oct. 30th and they may possible make the most beautiful pair of lobsters ever. I hope my date (cough, cough…you better not sell me out!) brings me a lot of Kleenex…not sure who was lucky enough to sit next to me at Kev and James wedding, but, they’ll tell you that I’m ridiculous when it comes to this stuff! ! I’m ready to share some long overdue love, hugs, laughs, and cries….But, perhaps I should mention, in order to end (parental) speculation, as of now, my visit home in October is just that…a visit!

Any support you can give to my friend Jo would be amazing---she is doing an amazing thing for an amazing cause.
http://www.pmc.org/profile/JR0290

That's how we roll...

2010-01-03T21:42:00.005+13:00

fish pedicure!

Dad and Kim arrived on the 26th (of December---a little slow on the delivery---sorry!) and it was so great seeing them in the airport! They bunked up for the week in the apartment that is across the hall from mine and it was a blast! Almost like being back in college. Wondering between the 2 rooms---often settling in the one that had the aircon (AC) set to high. Whether I've gotten used to the heat or whether I'm still just my typical frugal self is up for debate---but I'll give you one guess who's apartment had the aircon on full blast! If there was a theme for the visit, it would most definitely be "THAT'S HOW WE ROLL". I wanted to really give them a taste for how I live---how I travel---how I "roll" if you will ;)!) The next morning, I threw them right into the rush, heat and craziness of it all with a visit to Chatachuk market and watched as they processed everything. And, much to their credit, they didn't miss a beat! From stall fruit to meals from the vendors, they jumped in without looking back! They started immediately with the language and, while pops may argue that he is already sounding like a local, some locals may disagree---much to the comic relief of everyone involved! After the market, I ran off for my 2nd airport visit in as many days (for those of you who dread airport visits, try living in a foreign country and waiting almost 2 years before you have guests---then tell me how much you're dreading it! It rocked my world!). I thought I'd have to carry Sarah to the taxi b/c, after living in a Namibian village (see previous blog!) for nearly 2 years, her reaction to this craziness left her with a look that may have mirrored the look I gave her 2 months prior while watching a goat-named-Simon being killed! Spent a little bit of time "in the neighborhood" showing them my day to day before heading off to Ayuttuya where we rode bikes and boats to explore the ruins of the old capital city. Khanchanburi was the next stop and it was great to get away from the city life for a bit. Our guesthouse was right on the River Kwai with a view of the 'Bridge over the River Kwai'. And when I say "on", I really mean ON. The room was on a raft in the water....meaning that every time a boat went past, the room rocked! I had told Dad and Kim about such rooms before we arrived but didn't realize they would get to experience it first hand! Troopers! We explored Erawan Naional Park---and got to enjoy the chill from the waterfall pools. Ahhh! The pools, much to our surprise, also doubled as a "fish pedicure"---which is actually something you can pay for in Thailand. You pay to stick your feet in a pool of little fish that nibble all the dead skin off. Well, why pay when they do it for free here?! That's how we roll :)! Pops and I had trouble sitting still---but Kim was all over it! She didn't even flinch! Back in Bangkok, we met up with Jacyln and did a night rivercruise down the Chao Phraya river while, of course, enjoying MORE food! I headed back to work while they headed south to the beaches to get a bit of luxury....which, I think they got plenty of. (Though, they got so used to "that's how we roll" that I think they missed the neighborhood---and were well aware when they were being over charged for something! Local knowledge is a beautiful thing!). They got to join me for one of my classes on their last day here and it was great! Of course my kids were loving having them around--. I even threw them into the mix for our "who stole the cookie" song! All smiles! A great visit! I loved sharing my life here and love knowing that whenever I talk about something they can picture it! But the room across the hall has felt a bit empty every since!

The other half of the parentals is scheduled to arrive in 4 days!! Wahoo! The plan, at this point, is dependent on what happens with the red shirt rallies. And, while I don't feel threatened, they can make travel/transportation a nightmare---. So, still playing things by ear---but crossing fingers things will be settled in a few days!

Life in a Namibian village

2010-01-02T23:55:00.020+13:00

"The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less."

I step off of the plane and practically land in Sarah's arms, immediately laughing at my growing anticipation of not being able to find her in this airport, which, turns out, is about the size of my palm. Our journey begins immediately as we hop into a stranger's car (I can hear the "oh God's"....just remember, I lived to blog about it!) bound for Windhoek, Namibia. Our final destination is Nkurenkuru, a tiny village in the North of Namibia where Sarah has been living, working, and 'greeting' for nearly 2 years (though Peace Corps). It takes us about 4 "legs" (aka, different rides) and 8 hours to get there. Everyone in this country hitchhikes and I'm in awe of the secret language (there is a whole series of hand signals), the generosity, and the effectiveness (ok, so maybe we just had some great luck!) of it all. When we arrive in Nkurenkuru, I am immediately taken for, and welcomed as, Sarah's sister. I'm thrown into the village pace of life---meaning that I sit. And greet. And sit some more. It's amazing. Everything out here seems raw, real....and I'm taking it all in. I'm invited to attend a celebration to honour the naming of (little) Sarah---a baby that is a few months old and has been named after (big) Sarah.
I sit, not only accepting, but loving, the fact that often, the only thing we have to exchange is smiles, body language and food. A friend of (big) Sarah's acts as a translator, but there are times when translation is unnecessary and, just being is...just fine. A goat is killed for the celebration and, although I struggle a bit with this fact, I embrace the circle of life and wish all goats the life that this one had. (I will dispense details about the naming of said goat and my near-death experience while "watching" the slaughter on a first come first serve basis :) Though, the stories are best told with my sidekick!). I look around and feel as though I have stepped onto the pages of a National Geographic. Beyond this small enclave of mud huts where dinner is currently being prepared, there is nothing but open land, free roaming goats and chickens, a magical sunset, and the sound of nature. We eat, we laugh, we sing, we dance. It's simple. It's beautiful. It's heartwarming. If this is poverty, we could all use a bit more of it in our lives.

The next day we sit with our feet in the dirt and a grass roof over our heads as 100+ church gatherers sing their thanks to God. Although some of the events of the day are, well, hilarious (think skirts and on-the-spot-singing--), overall it was an incredibly moving experience. We are sitting in this moment, with some of the most materialistically poor people in the world, learning how to be grateful. And let me tell you, we have a lot to learn. The sound of their unified voices is nothing short of amazing and the energy they disperse is contagious (a fact that made standing in front of them to sing that much more mortifying---love ya Sarah!). The service goes on for over 4 hours. There is singing, dancing, praying, laughing, loving, offering, and through it all, an overwhelming feeling of welcomeness. They even go so far as to translate everything into English for us.

Over the next few days, I'm greeted endlessly with smiles and handshakes. The neighborhood kids constantly come by to play, talk, laugh, ride bikes (The bikes in the pictures and in this village are the outcome of one of Sarah's projects which has supplied transportation to the village along with a job/income/sense of independence to those that currently run the place). Their laughter and dancing is impossibly forgettable and, after only 1.5 weeks in their company, I find myself longing to be amongst their glowing spirits once again.
One of my last experiences in Nkurenjuru, one in which I will never forget, came when Sarah took me to greet/meet another family. As we were sitting in their company, the boys, without explanation, began chasing a chicken wildly around the home-stay. A good 10 minutes later, the chicken was finally caught, bound, and placed at my feet. I didn't know how to react, and am unsure of what facial expressions came out in that moment, but the gesture gives me goosebumps. This family, in a village in Namibia, whom I just met and whom I may never see again, who owns little more then the clothes on their back and the food in their stomach's, is giving me a live chicken as a gift. This is their culture, this is their welcome, this is their appreciation, and they give the fact that they probably need this chicken much more then me no thought. The selflessness of this warms my heart---and, the moments that follow provide hours of entertainment and laughter (first naming, then walking around for over an hour with a live chicken, holding it by it's feet and neck, then in a plastic bag, having a friend kill it, plucking, cooking, and eating it). It will definitely make me think twice when I'm in a situation where I feel like I have nothing to give. My time here has proven that there is always something to give---be it a smile, a laugh, a goat, a chicken or simply shared moments of silence in which human connection needs no words...never underestimate the power of exchange, no matter how small or insignificant that exchange may seem.

I dreamed of Africa...

2009-12-13T15:15:00.008+13:00

Smiling faces from the township school

View from Table Mountain...the 2010 World Cup stadium is just out of view to the right!

An amazing story....read on!

1 of our many animal encounters. A herd takes their drink!

African sunsets really ARE all that!

The green and waterfalls just outside of Kruger

It's been far too long since I've written, and, well, I'd say it's about time! As I sit out looking at the 10 stars that occupy the Bangkok sky, and enjoy the 5 degree drop in temperature, which, for the record, merely makes it bearable but has me believing I'm experiencing a proper Christmas season, something (perhaps my and Rach's rendition of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" and"Circle of Life" while strolling home) has pulled me back to my journey to Africa-- and the memories are sweet.

Rachel and I landed in Joburg, South Africa with 2 weeks, the open road, a complete lack of reliable maps and planning, and our rent-a-car Zed ahead. We were out of Joburg as soon as we were in it, and passed through the most dangerous city in the world without so much as a second thought. Our first stop took us to Sabie, a tiny dot on the map surrounded by green mountains and of course the beautifully bright lavender Jacaranda trees. Our big welcome to our first South African town, after flying for nearly 17 hours and driving an additional 5, was a water problem. Meaning no shower (ouch) and no toilets until things were fixed. Our silly misunderstanding had us believing that it was just this particular guest house we pulled in to---and thought the problem could easily be solved by 1) going elsewhere or 2) getting a discount that would make popping a squat and holding out for a shower a bit longer worth it. But turns out, when the town is as small as this one, everyone in it experiences water problems simultaneously. Duh. The water never did come back on that day/night and we found ourselves 'showering' in the pool. As you do. The next day was spent painfully surrounded by green, mountains, waterfalls, and friendly locals before entering the vastness of Kruger National Park. We spent the next 3 nights in the park, acting as our own Safari guides and striking it lucky in more ways then my mind can grasp. The animals were UNREAL and there really is nothing like looking out over the flat nothingness to see animals grazing on the horizon. I think my favourite were the giraffes, but it's hard to choose a favourite when, for 3 days, you literally see more (this is only the list of the names I know...forget about the ones that had a 'what in the hell is that' reaction) hyenas, impala, eagles, giraffes, zebras, wart hogs, rhinos, elephants, guinea fowls, wilde beasts, springboks, baboons, leopards, lions, birds, kudos, ostriches, monkeys, buffalo then you can count. One of our most amazing experiences came when we cut the engine and sat on the roof of Zed watching and listening to the hippos in the lake. They alone had us mesmerized. Then we saw the crocs. Then the herd of Zebra and wilde beast walked right past us to get a drink. Then it was the buffalo's turn. Then, through the bush came a herd of 35+ elephants (babies and all) to have their drink. Then the monkey's (so carefully taking their drink---surely to avoid the fate of hippo snack) and impalas. Nothing could have shaken us from the amazement of those moments. Once out of the park, the animal sitings continued and I still can't get over driving down the highway and seeing a giraffe or other wildlife. Am I in Lion Country Safari or is this really happening?! Unfortunately our luck under the water was less successful and our attempts at diving (Sodwana Bay) were overshadowed by bad conditions and viz. One dive and we called it quits (but not before seeing some great eels, a huge rubberlips fish, having "Nemo" literally bite my lip and having a jelly wrap round my neck leaving me with a beautiful sting that Rach insisted I wipe vinegar and meat tenderizer on!) . We also were crazy enough to get into a cage with great whites---BUT, they never came. We can't say we didn't try :). We turned "luxury" the next few days as we traveled down the coast (the Garden Route, etc) and loved the shit outta some B&B places. How will we ever stay in a hostel or guesthouse again? We're doomed! All the places were amazing---the food, the staff, the views. As we entered the southern coast, the whales came out to play. And when I say Whales, I really mean WHALES. Our first siting was as we were driving 80km down the road. A quick glimpse to the sea (yes, the road is that close---) and BAM---"DID YOU SEE THAT?! WHALE!"....Zed screeched to the side of the road and we watched 3 Southern Right Whales for over an hour---only a few yards from the shore. We had so many moments like this that, if whale spotting could actually get old/boring, it might have. As we entered Cape Town, the iffy weather decided to take a hike, parting in time for a warm, beautiful Table Mountain welcome. We found a GREAT backpackers place right on the main strip of Long Street and soaked up the amazing weather for our last 3 days. 1 day spent atop Table Mountain and in Stellenbosch, tasting wine and hitting up 4 or 5 of the HUNDREDS of wineries that make Stellenbosch what it is. We did the famous Chapman's Peak Drive along the coast and timed it perfectly for the sun setting and, of course, the whales. The drive was beautiful, even if we were constantly glancing up at the walls of reinforcements intended to stop the rocks from crashing down on us and Zed! Our last full day in the Cape was spent with our tour guide in the District 6 museum, the townships, and Robben Island---as we tried to wrap our minds and hearts around the past, present and future of this beautiful country. The townships, also referred to as the slums or ghetto, were full of smiling faces, but lacking in water, electricity, sanitation and other conveniences/civilities that disappeared during the "relocations" that took place in the 1960's. Our tour guide pointed out a young man surrounded with live wires---as he tried to illegally wire electricity from one place to another so that a family might have a single light, and he may make a few bucks (yes, even Rand, the South African currency is referred to as 'bucks'!). We visited a school, where the ratio of students to teachers was shocking...as was the ratio of space to children. But they were making it work, and it filled our hearts. We heard many encouraging stories, one about a woman named Vicky and her amazing B&B right in the heart of one of these townships. She started from nothing and now has a beautiful B&B with 3 rooms that she opens to tourists---allowing them to stay in the heart of things and get a true look and appreciation of the people inside the townships. From the letters filling the walls in Vicky's B&B, it was clear what an impact this place had on it's visitors. It was an experience that they all took back home with them, and, for many, was just the encouragement they needed to step up and reach out to those less fortunate. I like win-win's. Had Rachel and I known of it sooner, we definitely would have stayed. We ferried out to Robben Island and had an ex-political prisoner guide us around the island and the prison where Nelson Mandela and so many others spent decades. Today, a few ex-prisoners have made the island their home and it amazes me that they are able to face the past with such acceptance. Our last dinner was at a South African restaurant where we sampled local beer, kudo, springbok, and ostrich (3 animals from our Kruger siting list---hehe!) and enjoyed live entertainment. A great send off. By the next morning, I'd be landing in the tiny airport of Windhoek, Namibia and Rachel in Casablanca, Morocco. My experiences in Namibia in a blog to follow shortly!

Dear America, Love Thailand

2009-09-05T15:10:00.011+12:00

Lesson: Touch, Taste, Smell

purpose of blindfold: Teacher's entertainment :)

As I stand on my porch and watch the dark sky threaten to swallow me, I'm reminded again how much I love this place. There is something beautiful about the blackness, the calmness just before Bangkok becomes victim of another monsoon. I can't quite explain the peacefulness, but it's a feeling that makes me smile from the inside out. Life continues---as normal---making it difficult to blog--until, of course, I stop to smell the pollution. When I do slow down, look around, and re-open my eyes, I'm reminded of the craziness that is Bangkok and I fall in love all over again. I think about how shocked and terrified I was when I first arrived and I can't help but smile. This is my life, this is my home, and nothing about it seems crazy anymore.

During one of these eyes-wide-open moments, I outwardly smiled while walking through the market. This is my kitchen, my favourite restaurant, my late night craving, my sweet tooth filling, my caffeine jump start, my healthy eating kick---all rolled in to one. I have literally cooked a total of 4 times in the last year. Why cook when you have this market, a market, covering every inch of every sidewalk in every part of Bangkok? I watch as one of the vendors delicately tastes her creation from a giant spoon before dipping it back in for a stir, and I laugh. I can hear mom's voice in my ear teaching me proper manners---telling me to wash the spoon first and I love the fact that these vendors never got that lesson. I love that, at some point in my life, I probably would have cringed, but now, I happily walk over and order what she has. I order fruit and am unphased when the vendor grips it completely in his (surely) not-so-clean hand before cutting it into my bag. I occasionally remove bugs or hair from my meals as if I'm removing the shell of a shrimp. Take it out, put it on the side, and continue eating as if there is nothing unpleasant about it. I laugh when I think that the stuff that goes on here would easily be on TV in America on one of those hidden camera shows.

School has been amazing and my kids succeed at simultaneously exhausting and fueling me. They are beautiful, smart, loving, full of energy, innocence and cheeky-ness---If I give them, teach them, make them feel a fraction of what they give me, teach me, make me feel, then I'm doing something right. Even when I want to pick them up and throw them (as I definitely do sometimes), I can't help but kiss them. Which, I have discovered, is as much a "punishment" to a 5 year old trying to be cool in front of his friends then anything else...so, threatening them with a little "joob joob" is enough to make everyone happy!

As for my schooling....There is something about being a 26 year old, illiterate, college graduate that is incredibly....humbling, exciting, amazing, frustrating. I have been taking Thai classes for the last 2 months and, when I see the fruit of my labours, I can't help but act like the 4 year old I feel like. Learning to read a completely foreign alphabet, often with the help (much to their amusement) of my Kindergarten students puts me on an entirely new level. I don't remember learning to read as a child, but I will remember learning to read as an adult forever.

The term is over in 3 short weeks and yet another dream vacation is calling. Rachel and I will be driving, camping, diving, singing, and dancing (such is the plan so far) our way through South Africa for 2 weeks before I head to Namibia and she heads to Morocco for the remainder of our vacation. Flying out Oct. 1st, back on Oct. 24th, back to work (team building and lesson planning) on Oct. 26th, and back to school on Nov. 3rd. Am BEYOND excited about some visitors in December and can't wait to share my life here :)

Proud...to be an American?!?!

2009-06-23T03:12:00.001+12:00

Better late than never---some reflections!

Nearly 3o hours after leaving America, the glistening wats below welcome me and my incoming plane "home". The 3 weeks spent in the US were great. It was a whirlwind, as can only be expected, but great nonetheless. I slipped more comfortably into my previous life then I anticipated, having only to remind myself to say "thank-you" (and not "Kaupkunka") and drive on the right side of the road. I have grown to love Thailand and the people here, but being away from my own Country has only strengthened the bond I feel to it. Being on foreign soil has definitely made me "proud to be an American." The omission of "more" was not a mistake---there was indeed a time that I was NOT proud to be an American. One of the many things I have noticed in my travels is that being American comes with it's price. It's a tiny one, considering the price that so many others have paid, are paying, and will pay to make America what it is, but it does have a "break the stereotype" price. I wouldn't be exaggerating if I said that every non-American I've met has said something alone the lines of "you don't quite fit my idea of an American". I've come to understand that as a compliment---being assured that the "insult" part of that wasn't directed towards me. Though, in a more defensive mindset, I would say it kind of reminds me of someone saying "I hate gay people---but you're not like them". Um. Okay.

One of the key turning points, hands down, was the election. I went to watch the inauguration with hundreds of other Americans and the pride that filled the 3 story, packed building was nothing short of amazing. It was in those moments of complete togetherness with complete strangers that made me realize how special America really is. For everyone there, it wasn't necessarily about Obama---it was just about change, about Hope and new beginnings. Most people cried, hugged, clapped, smiled, high-fived. I took part in all of it---sharing a moment with strangers who, at that time, we're as good as family, was something that really changed my thinking. It opened my eyes to a bond that goes beyond the surface. Beyond my intolerance of the ignorant, loud, obnoxious American stereotype. Beyond the surfacy things that have kept me from "claiming" America.

When I traveled home, with a new found hope, appreciation, and excitement, it was as if I was stepping on American soil for the first time. I was taking it all in as an outsider---a view, I would argue, that gives an amazingly fresh, appreciative perception. The first thing I remember thinking was "wow, people here are super friendly"---and then, in my layover in the Atlanta airport, I got a treat. Troops coming home. I didn't fully know what was going on at first, but, because I have gotten so used to "going with the flow" living in a foreign country (if you're walking, and all of a sudden everyone stops, you should stop too---even if it takes you a long time to figure out that the King's song is playing---), I just...well, 'went with the flow'. Before I knew it, I was on my feet, applauding with the hundreds of other people around me. When I saw the troops, I got chills. I always admired the pride---the honour---the love---in Thailand. The respect they have for their King and their Country is amazing and at times, it leaves me awestruck. But the experience I had in the airport that day will always be a reminder that 'we have that too'....it's just that I've been too spoiled by it to recognize it as "special".

I continue to be in love with my life here. The culture. The people. My kids. The language. I enjoy the bonds that I've formed, am forming, and love the challenge that a culture/language barrier gives me. I face it everyday. Some moments, it's incredibly uplifting, and others, it's incredibly frustrating, and sometimes even painful. It's truly amazing how, at the root of it, people are people. There is so much that can be learned, understood, even when words aren't available. Yet, during those moments of frustration and pain, it's difficult accepting that bonds may only go so deep with these kinds of barriers. It's difficult, at times, knowing that I may never fully be able to know my kids without the help of a translator. And even then, there are many things that culture and/or language won't have a translation for. But, I'm still welcoming every aspect with arms, eyes, heart wide open. Through all this, I think I've discovered that I have a real future in education and am excited to continue running with, and growing with, that possibility. I do occasionally watch my 'homeroom teachers' with a bit of envy---and think eventually I'd like to be a 'homeroom' teacher who can actually FULLY communicate with her class! But for now, the fulfillment I've gotten from watching my kids grow (I get to keep 'my kids' through 3 grades ....that's a perk that homeroom teachers don't get!), teaching them a language that I know will help them as they get older, AND teaching them to READ ( :) :) :)), is unexplainable!

(We've) Paved Paradise

2009-05-10T22:13:00.007+12:00

If the Islands of Southern Thailand had a theme song, it would be "Big Yellow Taxi" by the Counting Crows (go on, look up the lyrics if you must!). We've just returned from a 2 week hiatus (from, you know, our other hiatus!) around Southern Thailand, and, while it was an amazing trip, it wasn't void of conflicting feelings. The islands and beaches of Thailand are, undoubtedely, what lures tourists. It's the scenary that books and movies are made of (namely, The Beach) and people are lining up to get a taste. So, Rachel and I set off on our 14 hour hour Phuket-bound bus, hoping for the best while trying to keep expectations at bay. We arrived in Phuket town with 2 days to spare (before leaving on our liveaboard) and immediately rented a motorbike so we could explore the island at lesiure. We went to the most popular beaches first, knowing that, if we've learned anything from travel books, it's that their most popular is our least favourite! What we found was great potential. Beautifully white beaches with clear waters and limestone surroundings---packed with farang, bars, resorts, construction, and an overall lack of "thai-ness". For 2 people who have grown to love a culture, it was painful to see, and, after seeing another topless farang (going topless is like spitting in the face of Thai culture), we hurried on our way. Every supposedely "secluded" beach/bay we came to had been developed and stripped of it's Thai roots, therefore, to us, had been stripped of it's beauty. But saying all this is met with a bit of self-criticism. If I love a country, love a culture, love a people, why wouldn't I want it to thrive?! Tourism can allow that to happen--so, in theory, I should be excited for all this development---. I guess I just want it to be preserved only for those who wish to experience Thailand in, well, all it's Thainess. (not to mention that it's the vicious cycle really---everyone flocks to a particular place beacause of it's untouced beauty---the flocking means money, development, tourism---which, unvariably, destroys the "untouched beauty" part and lasts only long enough until a new untouched place is discovered. And really, how many more of those places remain?)

A few days later, we boarded the Le Marhe boat and set out for 4 days of diving and island exploring. Luckily, our choice to go at the end of season paid off. Although the rains and rough seas flirted with us briefly (and even caused other ships to cancel their trips), they held off long enough for us to enjoy great weather, good diving, and less crowded sites. Although our dives were somewhat tainted by a piss poor (okay, that's not fair...new and unexperienced) dive guide, the trip still gave us the opportunity to find those beaches we had dreamed of. Because the Similian and Surin Islands are actually protected, the lack of development has preserved their beauty---allowing us access to crystal clear water, white beaches, and great lookouts---and all of this without the topless woman, bars, and resorts. Diving 4 times a day, taking a "break" to snorkel, swim, or laze on a deserted beach was all in all, amazing. Some say it's only a matter of time before the "protection" on these areas is lifted to allow for development and money making opportunities, but I will hold on to the hope that the protection will stand.

For a break from the beaches, we spent a few days in a small rain-foresty town (Koh Sok) which we loved. The scenary was beautiful (limestone cliffs for as far as you could see) and it was homey. We stayed in a family-run (actually, I'm pretty conviced the town itself was family-run!) guesthouse where mom took care of money, daughters took care of cooking, sons took care of driving and giving tours, and, well, adorable grandkids took care of hugging, entertaining, and melting the heart of visitors (see picture). :). We did a hike through the forest, where Rachel and I had our first experience with leeches. And, when I say 'experience', (mom), I really mean that I had a leech ON me...which left me with an "I'm so excited in a really grossed out kinda way" feeling.

I'm back to work tomorrow and I'm actually really excited about it! I've missed my kids so much and can't wait to see them again! It's hard to believe that nearly 3 months has gone by since I've taught them! So, it's back to the work world for about 4 months---then, if all goes according to plan, we're off to South Africa and Namibia in October to jump into 1 Sarah Buffie's world for a little bit and see what other cultures have in store for us.

****Many of the places we traveled to on this trip were affected, if not destroyed by the 2004 Tsunami. In this way, it was refreshing to see that things had been rebuilt and restored--allowing some degree of normalcy to return. Although my heart went out to the people back in 2004 when the pictures and stories were ripe, it wasn't until I traveled here that I was fully able to connect with the diaster and what the people must have felt. Back then, the places affected by the tsunami were nothing more then foreign names to me (a fact that made connection, and, in many ways, belief, nearly impossible)---whereas now, they are real places that I can connect with, see, touch, feel---. It's simple things like this that continue to drive my passion for seeing the world.

Genocide, Poverty, Hope, Beauty

2009-01-04T22:05:00.013+13:00

Cambodia 27/12/08-3/1/09
Poipet-Siem Reap-Phnom Phen-Battambang

Cambodia has rattled me to my core--in a way that leaves me eager to return. I have heard stories, read books, been warned of the poverty. But nothing would fully register until my own senses were set loose. As we travel down the 2.5 hour red, dirt road, I see things not only in the "here and now", but I also see them, with the help of a memoir by Loung Ung (First They Killed My Father), as they were 30 years ago. From 1975-1979, the Khmer Rouge took control of Cambodia in a war that would see nearly 2 million (out of a population of only about 7 million) men, women and children killed in an act of Genocide so horrific, I don't have the words, or the understanding, to do a description justice. As I wander around S-21 Tuol Sleng in Phnom Phen, I look, in horror, at the evidence of a school-turned-torture-prison. Instead of desks, there are metal bed frames used to bind, torture, and kill people the Khmer Rouge saw as a threat. The children here are only learning how to survive another minute, another hour, another day. Learning what it feels like to be tortured, to stave, to be ripped away from their families. I step into one of the make-shift cells and imagine what it must have felt like 30 years before. The recency of it all sends chills down my back. At a time when my own big brother was being conceived, someone else's big brother was being tortured, starved, killed. I blink away a tear and continue wandering. I over hear tour guides giving their story. All are young and all have a story that has been brutally set by Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. Inside these walls, the memories are impossible to escape, but outside is a Country that continues to fight, to hope, to yearn for a better tomorrow. It would be understandable if they remained broken, but their spirit is so uplifting, it not only carries them, it carries heavy-hearted travelers, as if they are telling the world that they have survived, they will survive.

As I stroll around the ruins of the Angkor temples (built between the 8th and 13th centuries), I'm overcome with emotion. The energy it brings me will be hard to beat and the peacefulness fuels my ever increasing Buddhist curiosity. The pride the Country has for these old sites pours out of every root-entangled inch, out of every ancient carving, out of every bullet-littered lion guardian. And, although the packs of tourists frustrates me, it's a reminder that the persistent hopefulness of a wounded nation is paying off. The Angkorian temples is their pride and joy (for good reason), and the world has finally caught on. I'm left in the most awe at the sites that have been overtaken by nature. Massive tree roots are so intertwined with the ruins that my mind cannot piece together the when or how. They wrap their finger-like branches deeply, tightly, into every crevice, as if clinging to hope while trying to simultaneously suffocate a dark past.

The un-touristed Cambodia passes me by, and I can't help but think of family camping trips. Half-clothed children, permeantly stained a redish-brown from the unescapable dusty, dirt roads, go about their daily activites. Some run back and forth to the water pump, which, thanks to a "clean water act" and generous international donations, is now safer for them to drink. Some bent over a small fire, eating or cooking. Some hanging clothes on the line and others gathering wood. I remember how I felt on my family camping trips--how excited I was when I successfully hung a make-shift clothes line, or gathered the perfect fire wood--how much I loved staying dirty and running around in my little-girl underwear. The memories bring a smile to my face, but when I bring myself back to reality, I remember that this is no camping trip--no weekend of roughing it for these families. This is life. I can't help but wonder what darkness lies in their hearts. Did they too lose loved ones? Did they watch a brother, mother, sister be tourtured? Did someone in their family sacrafice so they could live? When nearly 1 in 4 people were killed in a war that ended less than 30 years ago, there is a high possibility that they would answer 'yes' to at least one of those questions---and that reality continues to haunt my thoughts and break my heart.

In the city of Siem Reap, the newly-built resturants and hotels seem too out of place to enjoy. It's impossible to get through a meal without at least one street kid coming to your table asking for food or water---or a book seller trying desperately to make a buck or two. I find it easier to say no, to continue walking past the beggers in the streets (here or anywhere--) when I know that giving them money is no solution. It becomes so exhausting saying no--to the booksellers with missing limbs (oh yeah, Cambodia is one of the most mined countries in the world), to the kids selling bracelets (12 for $1...MISSS...cheap price for you), paintings, drinks, woven grasshoppers, postcards--that I feel myself getting frustrated. But before I allow that emotion to take over, I ask myself--if saying no exhausts me, what must hearing no do to these kids? This thought kills me, and reminds me to, at the least, keep a smile on my face while saying no for the nteenth time. But when a 4 year old approaches, holding an empty bottle, wearing an infant on her hip, and asking for milk, my heart is all out of 'no's'. It's soothing watching the 2 dirtied faces eat and drink, but I can't help but wonder if my weakness in this situation only did more to hinder the solution--what ever that may be. When I get home that night, the images of the street children are fresh in my mind. When I look down at my white shirt, I notice a face-shaped stain just above my belly-button. It doesn't take long to register that this dirt-print is from the small boy who ran up to me on the street and hugged me---thus leaving an imprint on me---and my shirt!

It seemed only fitting that we would end our trip at a local orphange in Battambang. Before I came to SE Asia, I told people that ultimately, I wanted to end up in an Orphange in Cambodia. I had no idea why. The words just seemed to flow out of my mouth without much thought. But as I fought back the stench of urine in the nursery ward and held an innocent, infant body to my chest, I knew I belonged. The calmness of these babies is something I still can't get over. It saddens me to think that they are so accustomed to being alone, that, even in their few months of life, they have already learned to cope...alone. They lay, unentertained, without so much as a whimper. But, when I took 1 after another into my arms, nature took over. If it wasn't immediately obvious that they still do, as nature intends, crave human connection, it became obvious when their eyes moved from a locked fixation on my (foreign) eyes to a deep sleep within minutes of being held. As if they simple needed that reassurance, that touch, to know that everything was going to be okay. I long to do more---and can only hope that I continue to lose sleep at night. In my heart, I know I'll return. Hopefully as a more long-term volunteer at that orphanage. But until then, I'm happy to be home. Happy to start work tomorrow. Happy for the experience, as hard as it may have been. Happy that the people so openly welcomed me into their Kingdom, into their painful past, and invited me to hope with them for a much brighter future.

Indonesia at a glance

2008-10-21T20:25:00.004+13:00

4:30am. The Call To Prayer gentle shakes me from my slumber. Despite being prematurely wakened, I find a rewarding peacefulness in the sound. The calming effect rushes over me, rocking me back to sleep--and offers a sharp contradiction to my ignorant-driven fears of a religion that makes up nearly 90% of this country.

Walking out of the airport in Jakarta, Indonesia, I was overcome by an uncomfortable feeling. To an extent, it’s a natural feeling when you step foot on foreign soil, one that I’ve grown quite accustomed to. But this---this was different. My governmental warnings were fresh in my mind and I started to question myself. The US Department of State’s website urged me to “carefully weigh my decision (to travel here)”. Had I heeded their advice? I glanced around at several staring eyes, a “harsh-looking” crowd, and an obviously Muslim majority. I pulled my bags closer, trying to look more relaxed at the same time. When I proceeded onto the public bus, it was gut wrenching. Reflecting back, it wasn’t gut-wrenching because I was on a public bus. And not because I was a minority. But because I was a minority on a public bus that was populated entirely by Muslims. Afterall, my government, my country, has painted this picture numerous times before for me. It’s a picture of terrorism (isn‘t it?)---and here I am, voluntarily in the middle of it. As my fears slowly subsided on that first day, I immediately felt my mind, body, and eyes opening up---the previously painted picture of this country, of this religion, of this culture just couldn’t stand up to the actual picture that would unfold before me over the next several days…

Through the cracked window of my “eksekutif” seat on the Yogyakarta bound train, I watch the everyday Indonesia pass by. I get a glimpse of two burials, and, while I can’t see their faces, the body language of those surrounding the grave speak volumes. Their pain, their suffering, their loss is the same as any others. Poverty-stricken neighborhoods are the norm, but the faces of the children bathing, laughing, and playing in the polluted river hardly resemble those I’ve seen on TV. Their outward happiness is humbling. If only happiness could so easily be obtained in areas where bathing in a filthy river was unspeakable. Inside the train, 2 big, dark eyes stare at Rach and I the way I would have stared at a visibly disabled person before I knew it was impolite. Pure curiosity. Pure innocence. It’s far less intimidating when the eyes that are locked on you belong to those of a child--and I allow myself to stare back. Through her eyes, I could see the reflection of my own curiosity. Maybe all these stares that we’ve been subject to since our arrival aren’t driven by fear or hate, but rather by pure curiosity, pure innocence. That possibility only did more to further break down my fears---fears that initially were intensified by these stares!

On the streets of Yogya, an intimidating-looking teenager senses that Rach and I are a bit turned around (perhaps the map in our hands and our erratic footsteps tip him off) and comes to help. He gestures for us to follow him in a kind of way that only an intimidating, non-English speaking teenager could. Hesitantly, I follow him, consciously adjusting my body language--partly to make Rachel believe that everything was fine and I wasn’t the least bit concerned about this boys intentions--and partly to make myself believe it. We settle for a few smiles when our attempts at conversation fail and I continue to follow him, silently. He helps us cross the highly trafficked road by stepping into it, his body between us and the cars/motorbikes/horse carriages, his hand guiding my arm. Even with this selfless gesture, my mind is busy piecing together his possible intentions. Does he want money? Does he want to take us to a certain place? Is he getting us more lost? Does he want to hurt us? Before my mind could finish the last negative thought, I recognize Molboloro (street)…exactly what we were looking for. Familiarity. I stutter out terima kasih---relieved, yet ashamed. Our young guide proceeded to place a bracelet in my hand, gesturing for me to wear it, before disappearing into the crowd. I stood there a bit confused. Looking first at the bracelet, then scanning the crowd for the kid, then eyes back to the bracelet. Because I didn’t want to say exactly what I was thinking at that moment, I turned to Rach and asked “do you think it’s safe for me to wear it?” I examined the bracelet carefully, still confused, mind running wild. What was truly going though my head at that moment is something I hate to admit--- man--this thing is gonna start ticking isn’t it? This thug kid picked us Westerners out of the crowd to prove another religious point, didn’t he? Should I throw it? Should I drop it? What if that expedites things? Man--where did he go? Why did he just disappear? They aren’t thoughts I’m proud of, but they were intense thoughts. Real thoughts. Real fears. All which exist because many people like to use religion to tear nations apart---these people use intimidation to reach that goal. And apparently, it works. I closed my eyes, took a breath, and slipped the bracelet around my wrist. I continued to wear it, and examine it, for the rest of the day.

Just before sunset, Rachel and I wonder around the holy remains of Borobudur along with thousands of local Indonesians, who, because of the Ramadan holiday, have flocked to this particular place. Not long into our meander, a man hesitantly approaches, camera in hand. In his best English, he asks if we’ll take a picture with his children. We’re amused and when we smile in agreeance, his whole family lights up, smiling the way I did when Ed Jovanoski agreed to take a picture with me when I was a kid. They thank us profusely, then shake our hands with --what can only be explained as-- admiration. We laugh at the situation, understanding that Westerners look different--and some people have never seen “a real one”. Just when we thought it was a rare occurrence, someone gave us a speed ticket to our 15 minutes of fame. 1 family after another approached, parents thrusting their children at us, teenagers approaching hesitantly, women, men, children, teenagers. We glance up (Borobudur is a series of terraces, you can glance up at the next level, and the next…etc), to dozens of cameras and phones locked on us. Some people try to be discrete, but most aren‘t. We lost count of how many pictures we agreed to take that day, but we left with an overwhelming understanding that our original fears of “these people”--and their often chilling stares, couldn’t have been more wrong.

As if someone knew there was still one thing I couldn’t wrap my mind around, I got the last piece to my puzzle. On our hike up an active volcano, we met more people who wanted to take pictures with us and practice their English. Before we were leaving, the one kid who didn’t speak great English, asked for something--- “do you have something for me?”. Unsure of what he meant by something, I put my hands up in a “what do you mean” gesture. He pointed to my thumb ring. Although I was unable to part with that, the light bulb went off in my head. THAT’s why that thug kid gave me his bracelet!! This is a part of their culture! This is what’s normal to them!! When Rachel pointed to the hair tie she had wrapped around her wrist, the kid lit up---he took it, slipped it around his wrist, smiled in a way I can’t explain (proving that it didn‘t have to be something of value), and walked away, thanking us over and over. This continued to happen several times as we traveled through Java and Lombok. So many people we met wanted a memory--something they could have to remind them of the meeting. When Rach ran out of hair ties, we turned to pens---and every time we got the most rewarding smile---as if we had just given these kids a winning lotto ticket.

I know my 18 day trip through Indonesia hardly warrants me an expert on anything. But it was one of the most eye-opening, rewarding trips simple because my standing beliefs were effectively shattered. As for this bracelet---it has yet to start ticking. And until it does, it will be a constant reminder to take a stand against ignorant-driven fears.

"The use of traveling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are." ~ Samuel Johnson

(pictures to follow on shutterfly shortly...as well as bullets to what we did/saw---and how fabulously fantastic it was to meet Ash and Cait in Bali!! )

Say what you mean & mean what you say

2008-09-27T20:18:00.008+12:00

My morning cup of coffee:

My 9th grade English teacher once told our class to "write what you mean and mean what you write". It was a good lesson in writing--one that I carried with me to my days at Rice--but the adapted form is the one that really stuck. For the last few years, since that class, I have been trying to "say what I mean and mean what I say". It's powerful in its simplicity. How many times do we utter out hurtful words when we don't really mean them--or fail to utter loving ones? As much as this simple phrase has shaped much of me (thanks Mr. Horal), I find it ironic that I've landed in a place where "saying what I mean and meaning what I say' is a near impossibility. Welcome to the tonal Thai language. A language that doesn't give a crap if I'm tone deaf. Lets, for instance, take the word kow. A word that, depending on your tone, can mean rice, mountain, or white. The blank stare at the food stall when I ask for 'mountain' reminds me that I need a new phrase because clearly, I'm not saying what I mean. And, until I develop more of an ear for these tones, I've decided to stay away from the confusion of such words as glai---which, at mid-tone, means far but at a falling-tone means near. I'll just take a taxi, thanks.

Friday was my last day of teaching this term and I spent 15 minutes of my lunch break lost (and loving it) in translation. I visited with 'my homeroom' teachers (Mee, Ning and Kan)--none of whom speak English. For 15 minutes, we played pictionary (by the makers of necessity, not Milton Bradley) and nearly peed ourselves laughing. They tried so hard to speak English and I tried so hard to speak Thai (the sound of which, with all due respects, mirrors the sounds you may hear in a special-needs class) and every now and then, we'd recognize a word. Completely and utterly out of context, but a word nonetheless. 15 minutes, 3 words, an aching stomach and watery eyes later, I realized the full power of a smile--the full power of laughter. It's something that is multilingual--knowing no borders--and luckily, no tones. So, while our Thai fluency may be forever a work-in-progress, one thing for sure--Rach and I know how to laugh and smile---and by Buddha are we!!

BALI BOUND and SUCH:
Because work wants to give me a month off AND pay me a 1/3 of my salary, we're Bali-bound! We're flying to Indonesia on Wednesday, Oct. 1st and will spend 2.5 weeks exploring another country--another culture--. 2 of my BFFFFL's from Rice, Ashley (better known by readers of my blog as "hussy from houston" :) ) and Cait, will be meeting us in Bali on the 14th and I CANNOT wait! I know it's going to be an amazing trip and I can't wait to see my girls again. And yes, Ashley mommy dear, I have researched Indonesia and you can be assured that we will be smart travelers. So the mommy's out there can sleep peacefully, I've registered with the US embassy and have made them aware of my plans to travel there---so no worries, the US government has got my back!! haha.

Because several people have asked: Rachel and I are both working at a place called Fun Language. The majority of my classes are 4-6years old but I have 1 older class of 11 year olds. Fun Language pretty much acts as a middle man and sends us to different schools. I have 4 different schools...and several hundred students in total. Other than a few bad days here and there, I LOVE my kids--love my schedule--love it. Rach will start training on Oct. 2oth and then will be assigned to schools. It's a perfect set up because, while we'll be working together, it's very unlikely we'll be working at the same schools. So our jobs will be our own space, but we'll have all the same holidays/term breaks, etc. Everything else is going well. We have survived our first month of living in a 2x2 box (ok, so it's not THAT small...) together and show no signs of converting to the "I'll just shove you in the closet and lock it if I get sick of you" contingency plan!! We have been meeting a lot of people--Thai and foreigners alike and are just soaking up the culture of this place. In true Elizabeth Gilbert (Author of Eat, Pray, Love) form, I've made a "you teach me Thai, I'll teach you English" arrangement with the women that work at our apartment building and Rach made a similar arrangement with a woman that lives in the apartment building next door--hopefully commencing upon our return from Indonesia.

Skype: The internet in our apartment slows significantly when there are a lot of people online. Because of that, I'm only able to get a Skype connection early in the morning or late, late at night. Which, is ok with the time difference. But that's why I haven't been on too much lately. Hopefully it will get better. Thanks to everyone who has downloaded it...it means so much that you can still only be a phone call away.

For anyone who remembers/knows my forever friend Randi, send good thoughts her way! She's walking down the isle on Sept. 27th!! Congrats Rand--I'm there in spirit. Love you.

Top 10: You know you've adjusted well when

2008-09-19T22:29:00.004+12:00

(in no particular order...)
10:
Instead of gawking at the adorable baby elephants walking down the street, you get disgusted at the people using them to make a buck.

9:
You're not from 'the States', not from the 'USA', not even from America....you're from A-mer-ee-cahh!

8:
The occassional splurge on Western food makes you ill

7:
A meal costing over 150 Baht (5 dollars) is reserved for special occasions

6:
You may be an English teacher, but proper English grammar is out and local pidgin is in---with a special focus on tones

5:
You've started applying baby power to your face in hopes that it will make your skin look half as good as the theirs

4:
The workers in the local market not only know you, they know what you want to eat and how you like it cooked/made

3:
You've graduated from 'mai ped' (not spicy) to 'nit-noy' (a little) and are happy your taste buds are adjusting

2:
The Thai kids you teach are amazed by your 2 Thai phrases and automatically think you are fluent...not only in Thai, but also in Chinese...

1:
You've started giving the 'asian peace sign' in pictures...

and one for good measure:
The locals call you up and tell you (in above mentioned pidgin) to come play futsol...and luckily, you've mastered 3 of the most important words in soccer: chi, chi (YES, YES....soccer translation: GIVE ME THE FREAKIN BALL), mai chi (NO...soccer translation: DON'T YOU DARE PLAY ME THAT HOSPITAL BALL), Yiing (SHOOT....soccer translation: FREAKIN SHOOT)

From a writer's perspective...

2008-08-23T20:02:00.007+12:00

From the comfort of my apartment, I could be anywhere in the world. Sometimes, it's easy to forget that I'm here...until I remember.

This morning, I wake before the sun and go through my (temporary) morning routine before starting the hour commute to work. (The appreciation I have for my CELTA trainer-turned-roomy, Nicky, and her free apartment, far outweighs any inconvenience of a long commute). The temples in the distance are silhouoetted against the rising sun and the sight urges me to reach for my camera. I quickly realize that there is nothing to reach for--my camera is, has been, "at home" for a long time, reminding me that I've become more than a tourist. I stare at the sight in awe, knowing that the beauty that meets my eyes is more than even the best lens could capture. I take a short walk through the park to the river, finding joy in this commute, even on days when I'm exhausted. I follow the "clunk, clunk" of heels in front of me, allowing early morning runners to pass along side. I glimpse up, again, at the aerobics class taking place in the open air of the park and find my inners smiling. My feet have memorized the placement of early-morning food stalls but the sight still grabs my attention. I spend an extra second looking at the sweets stall every morning. Not because I want sweets at 6am, but because they are the most beautifully decorated candies I've ever seen and I hardly believe they are edible. I, along with 100 other work-goers load onto a small boat and cross the river to the subway. I join the orderly line that has formed, voluntarily, at the subway. I no longer watch in amazement as people on the train pile out, completely, before the line begins to file in. A uniformed teenager rises from his seat without a moments hesitation so a small child, a monk or an older person can sit. This isn't a rare occurrence. Back on the street, closer to work, I pass more food stalls. The familiar scent of food overcomes me and eliminates the other smells that go along with big cities. The scent of meat and other lunch/dinner foods in the morning once turned my stomach. I now welcome it and no longer take a second look when I see someone finishing off a bowl of meat, noodles and liver at 7am. I glance up to see a woman rising from her kneeling position, slipping on her shoes, a monk reciting a blessing over her. Moments before, she had offered up alms food to the monk, first giving thanks, and then wishing her good karma onto someone else, or onto the world. Seconds later, I pass another "lady boy" and find myself staring. No at her, but at the unaffected people around her. I can't help but notice that the mothers don't pull their children closer, the elderly don't give unapproving looks, no one points, no one stares. Just another part of an amazingly accepting culture. I walk over to the first in a line of orange-jacketed men, jump on the back of his motorbike and confidently tell him my destination. The joy I get from doing this successfully would suggest it entails more then knowing "Soi 13" in Thai. It doesn't. As we weave between cars, I notice that my knuckles are no longer white, my knees no longer grasping my driver. This once incredible frightening way of getting a few blocks in a highly congested city has become a way of life. When I get to school, I'm instantly greeted with wai after wai. I find myself wai'ing back as naturally as if it were a handshake. The power of a meaningful wai is unexplainable and it took me walking into a school to feel the true respect behind it. Soon I'm greeted by the enthusiastic, innocent Thai faces that make up one of my many classes. The children accept me as if they've known me for years, some clinging on to me, some gazing at me from a distance--but all mimicking me (and my accent) exactly. We sing a song and I'm transported back to my own Kindergarten class, amazed at how unchanged the songs are. I start the day with a choral "Hello teacher J" and end the day with a choral "Goodbye teacher J" and am reminded that, while it may not be my forever, it's exactly what I want right now. I meet Nicky, my CELTA trainer/friend/wife/roomy/mother/savior at the Irish Pub at Sala Daeng. We meet here, at Molly Malones, reluctantly. It's overpriced, has mediocre food, and is packed with farang. But the large screen of Live Olympic action can't be beat, so again, we rendezvous here for a few hours before going home. We talk about my new apartment and how we were a great team at finding the place. I think back to the several days/weeks I spent searching....
I call a potential "winner" hoping to get directions. I'm relieved that the Thai jargon is promptly followed by "press 2 for English". I find myself wondering if Thai's feel the same frustration that Americans (or Floridians!) feel when they hear "Press 1 for English". In this moment, and others like it, this simple convenience is a lifeline for me. Time after time in my search for an apartment, my English would be rebounded with Thai. I speak more slowly, directly, hoping that this time she'll understand me. She speaks more slowly, directly, in Thai, hoping that this time I'll understand her. Exchanging first glances of "what don't you understand about this", then glances of amusement and then a mutual understanding that we don't understand...and it's ok. We'll make do. And we do. Make do. When I finally find the place I want, I'm put in touch with the manager---someone who always seems to speak at least a hint of English--to work out any last details. These last details consisted of me bargaining a bit before giving the ok. I return the next day to sign, walking down my street slowly, happily looking around at my new surroundings. They were kind enough to translate the contract to English, a luxury I wasn't expecting. The 2 woman, Kik and Pha, that are there waiting for me speak a little English and the 3 of us spend time talking after the money and contract business is finished. They quickly ask for my nickname, not because they have difficulty pronouncing or remembering my full name, but because every Thai person has a given nickname (a fact that I am thankful for). They simply don't know a life without them. So, instead of telling them that I don't have a given nickname, I offer up "J", knowing that this, once again, has become my "official" nickname. They ask if a "mister" is moving in with me and I hesitate. Although that hesitation has subsided significantly over the years, it's something that a society has conditioned me to do, and the conditioning has crossed borders. I tread carefully forward. Stuttering. Finally, they come to their own conclusion that my "girlfriend" is moving in with me. And immediately, they want to know her nickname, how old she is, where she is now. I laugh at my hesitation, hoping that having yet another moment like this will continue to breakdown my own societal conditioning.

It's moments like this that remind me where I am. What a beautiful country this is. The intimidation of big cities is something that once forced me to hurry through. Hiding behind the truth that cities are...cities (no matter where they are) I would never have to face the fast-paced, different way of life. And while I don't see myself ever truly being a "city-girl", I've enjoyed what taking a deeper look has given me.

New Pictures/Cell Phone

2008-08-03T21:50:00.003+12:00

I got a cell phone:

Phone number is 084 553 7894
I think you put a +66 in front of that but can't be sure. I'll be rejoining the Skype/internet world shortly...in another 1-2 weeks so I'll be accessible through that. But here's the cell number for safe keeping :)

I posted some new pictures on my shutterfly account

www.janellecrowley.shutterfly.com

I cut them down to stay below 200 so you aren't so overwhelmed with pics. They go along with everything written in the previous blog and then some.

Ever been caving...BAREFOOT?!

2008-07-31T21:32:00.003+12:00

Greetings from Pai (pronounced 'bye'), a small, hippy-town west of Chaing Mai! :)

The abridged version for Jose---who, by the way, I have connected with via Skype and webcam. It's my new favorite toy and I love seeing his sexy face and bald head on my computer from across the globe. Everyone should get Skype.

Jose, shall I do bullets? Yeah? Here goes.
(Since the last time...)

Headed to Vang Vieng, Laos where we booked a caving, kayaking, trekking tour. They told us to wear flip-flops...they broke because the mudd (and cow shit) swallowed them so we were barefoot most the time. We slipped and slid our way through dark caves barefoot. We braved a few mini rapids in a kayak which was heaps of fun. The bars here played FRIENDS and Simpsons (yes, in English) non-stop. Also, their menu's were VERY interesting and hilarious--I'll post a picture soon.
Made our way to Vientiane, Laos--the capital. Learned all about UXO (unexploded ordinances) through a very eye-opening and moving exhibit/organization called C.O.P.E. The bombs that USA dropped during the Vietnam war still litter Laos and about 80 million are left unexploded and possibly armed--making many aspects of life very dangerous for these people. Enjoyed a few drinks along the Mekong river at sunset. Braved the local bus.
Back to Thailand (Chaing Mai) via an overnight (13 hour) bus. Ugh. Sucked. Hardly slept at all. But at least we had seats. Some people stood for hours on end. It was an experience.
After a few days in CM, we loaded another "regular"bus (we laugh in the face of regular buses) and took a 4 hour (Beautiful) drive to Pai (where I now sit). We rented a SCOOTER. A PINK scooter. AND we had SEXY helmets (no worries...pics in a few days! These are blackmail pics...and I will give them free). We are IN LOVE with this place. We spent a few hours zooming around on our scooter (yes, only 1. You don't actually think I would let Rach drive, do you?!) exploring...hills, mountains, rice fields, people offering us opium (we think), waterfalls, canyons. It was nothing short of amazing. Today, we rode an elephant (my moral explantion of this to follow below)! And, it was freaking AMAZING!! Her name is Padwade---we got to feed her and ride bareback on her...then she took us to the water and threw us off. She SHOOK us off like we were flys. We won't soon (or EVER) forget this experience!
Rach starts school on Monday---which means I need a job. Play time is almost over (well, kinda. I'm excited to teach in a foreign country!).

And my wordy version for anyone else that wishes to continue (mommy and daddy...?!) :)

The rest of Laos was great. We spent 2 days in Vang Vieng which has a reputation for being a "party place"--drugs, alcohol and young people being crazy. We wanted to check it out anyways. It was a cute enough place--gorgeous scenary right on the river. The bars that lined the main strip all played FRIENDS and Simpsons which we found hilarious (ok, ok...so we gave in and lounged to FREINDS a few times). The first night, we walked into a deserted looking bar a bit away from the rest---mainly (okay, ONLY) b/c as we were walking by, 2 ADORABLE twin thai boys literally grabbed on to us and started swinging on us. Must have known I had SUCKER written on me. We went in and were just gonna lounge and share a drink. We ordered a "mixed rum bucket" because it was cheap and sounded good. Perhaps your seasoned drinker would know this drink would come in a (very large) bucket...but we were none the wiser. DUH!! Oops. Good thing we like to share! There were a few locals next to us who we started to mingle with---and through them got to try a few shots of their locally made rice whiskey. Good, strong stuff! We got to know the owner of the place a bit, Addy--he beat me in a game of pool and practiced his English on us for a bit. We wound up making him some CD's (music can make or break these places!) the next day---he thanked us with...another bucket. Thanks Addy. We headed out (ánother bucket' came AFTER this) for our kayaking, caving, trekking trip expecting a nice little day adventure. Boy were we right! The woman assured us that wearing sandals (reefs) was the way to go. Okay. It took us about 2 minutes into the trek (guides dictionary: TREK--walking and/or wading through deep, slippery mud and cow poo so we can laugh at people who were stupid enough to wear sandals) to realize this was NOT the way to go! We "trekked"over/around rice fields which was actually kind of great...especially after Rach totally slipped and covered herself in mud (haha...cow poo). By this point, we were both barefoot walking through who-knows-what trying not to fall into the Rice. Every now and then we looked up at the scenary, but for the most part, the scenary consisted of where our next step would be. BUT, we were cracking up the whole time. When we got to the other side, we were relieved. Stupid us. Next? CAVES!! The only light we had was the one attatched to our heads---and, as we would discover, these don't do much good if your ass down most the time. The caves were crazy. And, we were BAREFOOT. Our guide says "isokayisokay" as we looked questionably at our barefeet, at him, at the makeshift ladder (with exposed nailes) in front of us, at the mudd and slippery rocks ahead. Well, if isokay, then isokay. Off we go. Rach, me and 2 irish girls (also with sandal issues) took up the rear. We had our own laughing party, taking turns laughing at who ever fell next. Every now and then, it was a really good fall---you know, one that causes you to slide down a few feet, get completely COVERED in mudd, and make a loud "thud/slpash" when you land in the muddy puddle at the bottom--thus resulting in the applause of fellow (clean) cavers. Hey, at least we got a good lunch and would get to clean off while kayaking! Ry, you would be proud of my kayaking! So the rapids weren't big (grade 1) but they were still RAPIDS!!! And I did it :)! We didn't even fall!! The tour wasn't everything that we hoped it would be (I hate organized tours!) but we definitely got a good laugh...or 1000 good laughs. If you are wondering where the "party" reputation comes in, it has to do with all the make-shift bars that line the river. Foreigners go tubing down river, stopping at the bars along the way. And, when you see a picture of the menu from a regular bar in this place, you'll understand more (but think drugs...on the menu)! Our next stop was Vientiane (the capital). We went to a place called Buddha Park which was full of larger-than-life Buddha (and other) statues. It was beautiful! Also visited the oldest wat, the main stupa (representing Buddhism and Lao soverginity), and a Revolutinary War monument (known as the vertical runway b/c it was made with cement dontated from the US for a new airport). Had some good food and enjoyed the views/sunset from the Mekong river. This is where we visited COPE and learned all about UXO. (If you want to learn more about this, email me---I'm very moved by it all and would love to talk about it!). Our trip to Laos came to a close and we took a 2.5 hour bus across the boarder to Thailand (stopping by the bus-load to sort out passport/visa stuff which, other than the heat, was easy as). There is a bridge contecting the 2 countries (the Friendship Bridge built recently) and as we crossed it, our driver had to change the side he was driving on. In Laos, they drive on the right (like us) and in Thailand, on the left. It was crazy thinking how much concentration that must take to switch back and forth like that! In order to get back to Chaing Mai, we had to take a 13 hour over-night bus. This was quite the experience! We decided to go for the cheaper option (we didn't need VIP!). Opps. The bus stopped what felt like every 10 mintues to pick people up or drop them off. And there were people standing in the isles nearly the whole journey (mind you, not the SAME people the entire time!)---and just like that my leg room was gone! Not to mention that the roads were incredibly windey and bumpy...so even if we wanted to sleep, there was something about being THROWN back and forth that kinda of prevented the zzzz from taking over. But another Thai experience that we won't soon forget! A few relaxng days in Chaing Mai before heading here, to Pai. The bus journey here was great! The scenary was amazing and though it's only 122 km from CM, it took over 4 hours (that should tell you a little about the landscape). It didn't take long for us to fall in love. Everything is beautiful around here---and the town is so layed back (if not very hippy-ish). We are staying in a "bungalow" :). Yesterday, we rented a scooter so we could explore the surrounding areas (Pai is very small). They gave us a PINK scooter!!! How'd they know that was my favorite color?!!! And to go with it, we got sexy green helmets. I'm sorry, I don't care who you are, there ain't NO way to make this look hot!! haha. I wasn't sure what to expect when renting this here scooter---I don't have an ïnternational drving license" and have never driven one of these things (or it's been a LONG time). Well. Apparently, they just wanted to see my passport. Didn't even make us wear helmets (no, that was the mom in me that decided we would look better with these goofy helmets then with smashed heads!). Didn't even give us a lesson (nope, my pride took a break and allowed me to ask some girly tourist for a lesson). Didn't even require insurance (nope, for ONCE in my life I was ALL OVER buying that optional insurance). Just passport, keys, off you go. Haha. They looked easy. haha. But they really looked easy. haha. HOW THE HELL DO PEOPLE RIDE THESE THINGS WITH BABIES ON THEIR HIPS?! Okay, so I got the hang of it...and by today, I was all over the scooter driving---but I wish I had a video of us riding our hot pink scooter down the left side of the road for the first few mintues. Please jsut picture it. Then multiple whatever you pictured by about 10. That was me and rach on this scooter for the first few mintues!! Once we got comfy though, it was AMAZING!! We explored everything around here and I felt like I was in a movie (so what if the movie was Dumb and Dumber). The scenary was amazing and we were so...free! We loved every mintue. While exploring, we passed a place that came recommened by a friend--"Joy's elephant riding". Elephant riding is a big thing here---from day 1 I would have loved to do one of those elephant riding tours---but morally, I couldn't bring myself to fall into the tourist trap. Most places treat the elephants like crap and over work them...just so they can make a buck. As much as I thought it would be an awesome experience, I didn't want to support it. So when I heard about this place...and then we passed it, I had to check it out. This woman, Joy, has 1 elephant that she rescued. She keeps her during the day and brings her to the jungle at night (not sure how she gets her back...!). It's so obvious how much she loves this thing. She only allows her to do 2 rides per day---enough to pay to feed her. When we stopped by, Joy introduced us to Padwade (the elephant that we are now in love with) and gave us a huge bag of fruit (from her garden and trees) to feed her. We loved it and made a reservation for today. Not sure of our Mahoot's name (the guy in command of this massive creature) but he was awesome! It was just me, him and Rach right on the back (not on one of those seats they use at zoos) of Padwade. Then, mahoot got off and led her from the floor--it was CRAZY! You could feel the strength of this thing--and swaying back and forth was a bit more scary then I had imagined! He led us right down to the water...where Padwade would get to "play"! haha. SANUK!!!! (Thai for Fun). The whole while, Mahoot was standing back laughing and taking pics. We were so unsuspecting (I was thinking a little spray of water from the trunk)...a few grumbles/grunts from mahoot, and padwade was sitting in the river. Still unsuspecting but holding on a little tighter. Smiling away (the pictures outline this fabulously...I'll post them ASAP). A few more grunts and BAM....Padwade is LAYING sideways in the water and we are soaked!!! All good times. We got situatied back on Padwade (which was A LOT of work!) just in time for more grunts (not to mention curious grins from mahoot). This time?! Padwade is SHAKING us off her as if we were flys!!! We did our best to hang on for a bit...but trying to hang on to a 2 ton animal who has nothing to hold on to...while she is shaking like crazy...is near impossible! We went FLYING into the water!!! We were LOVING it!! We continued to play in the water for a bit longer before making our way back---got to feed her some more and fell in love even more. More in love with her, more in love with Pai. A perfect end to a perfect trip (of a trip that has really just begun...!).

Love and kisses....

A few visuals....descriptions at the end

2008-07-25T14:31:00.009+12:00

1) An example of what I see EVERYWHERE. Rice-paddy fields galore.

2) Kuang Si falls--pictures don't come close to doing it justice. We got to climb right into it. Amazing.

3) Tat Sae falls--reminded us of Dunn's River in Jamaica

4) An example of the scenary on our 2 day boat journey. Think those huts stand a chance in a storm?

5) Hmmm...one of the many "bridges" we walked across at the falls. Bridges here have put "swing bridges" to shame....

6) Our crowded boat--the one we were on for 14+ hours. We were a big happy family!

7)These are the boats that take people up and down the Mekong for hours on end...haha...LOVE IT

8) Crossing in the "ferry" from Thailand to Laos

Just Rolling Down the (Mekong) River

2008-07-21T01:55:00.003+12:00

Greetings! :) First, to the mother--I didn't inform you of this trip BEFORE becuase I wanted to save you the worry...so now that I'm safe n sound, here goes!

(As I type this, I'm sitting in a cafe with a mosquito the size of my hand hanging out behind me. Remembering I was just living by 8 precepts that told me NOT to kill, I'm leaving the dang thing alone...)

So, 2 bus rides, a 2-day boat trip, and a handful of anti-malarial pills later, Rachel and I find ourselves in Luang Probang, Laos. We decided to hop the boarder a few days ago and make the most of the 2-3 weeks we have. So, we boarded a fancy-dancy bus (I only call it that b/c of what follows...) in Chiang Mai and took a 5 hour bus ride to Chaing Rai. It was an easy ride with beautiful scenary to keep our attention. There were more rolling green hills and mountains then I expected and more rice-paddy fields then I knew existed! Once we got to Chaing Rai, we boarded a "regular" bus for the 3 hour journey to the boarder of Thailand and Laos. THIS bus ride was all about the...uh...experience! Think school bus...maybe from like the 70's or 80's. Then, pile WAY too many people on it (rach and I were sharing a regular size seat with another) and then drive it over some awesomingly bumpy and unsealed (only at times..!!) roads...and THEN, continually stop to pick up MORE people....and there you have it. Instant Thai experience! Once we got to the boarder, we sorted our visas (easy as!) and boarded a "ferry" to cross the Mekong River (thus going from Chiang Khong, Thailand to Huay Xui, Laos). Now...this "ferry"...hmmm...how does one describe a few pieces of wood?? Pictures will follow when the internet is faster! We crashed at a guest house in Huay Xui for the night and got our first taste of "Laos time" and the the pace of life in these parts. We stayed here before boarding a "slow boat"...which we knew would be a 2 day adventure. About 7 hours, a night stay in a village, and another 7ish hours the next day. From what we had read, we knew the boat would be a bit uncomfortable...but we also knew that it was meant to be great views....and really, how many people can say they've floated down the Mekong River?! A bit about the boat. Mmmm, well...pictures would prolly do best to describe it. But erase any image you may have about a boat that was taking us down a river for 14 hours. It was small...well, maybe even tiny considering the number of people on it. There were hard, wooden benches big enough for 1...for 2 (on day 2 we scored some car seats that were put in the back...you may never know the full benefit and awesomeness of this!). The boat iteself was probably made by the young village kids...and the motor...well, the motor....was prolly made by them too. It was a pretty easy decision for us, but due to the rains (oh yeah..it's been raining off and on since we left Thailand), many other backpackers who were meant to get on the boat with us, opted to go by bus. I decided that I like my odds of having a chance to swim if we flipped...over the alternative in a bus (since when do heavy rains mean driving is a better idea?! Put me in the river!). The boat trip was...well, pretty great. The views were beautiful, the rains stayed pretty well away, and the time flew by. Not to mention that the stay over in the village was far from the scary thing we were expecting! We loved it there! Anyhoo, we have since run into those people that opted for the bus ride...and we made the right decision..the bus turned out to be a 15 hour nightmare.

So, here we are in Luang Probang--an adorable, quaint little city that lays on the Mekong River. We are staying in an amazing guesthouse and eating amazing food! We decided to SPLURGE on our guesthouse...a whooping $7.50...AND on a delicious and huge French-ish dinner (this part of the country is known to have a "french ghost" and, for instance, baguettes line every street) for a crazy 10 bucks. We went to a waterfall today and will be going to another tomorrow. Our plan so far is to head south to Vang Vieng and then to Vientiene before making our way back to Chaing Mai.

Not to alarm the parentals but I figured it's better if you know that I'm aware. If you have been hearing about the Mekong River floods in the news know that we are fine (and have yet to see the effects)....there was some talk of things south of here getting pretty flooded...so, we are doing all necessary research and taking necessary precautions before moving forward. I'll keep you guys posted but Internet in Laos (along with everything else) is SLOW! So don't be alarmed if you don't hear from me for a bit. Hope all is well on the home front!!

PS. Did I mention that I LOVE Laos so far?! So much so that I think I'll be job searching when we get to the bigger city!!

10 days with me, myself and...Johnathon

2008-07-12T20:51:00.003+12:00

1) Meditation grounds (and my home) by night 2) Yep, I'm as exhausted as I look

3) Aw, she IS that cute!!

4) everytime I looked down, someone was there (I think it was the white!)

Hello!! I just spent 10 days living at a wat with the monks n nuns...doing an intensive meditation retreat. I apologize for the length of this....but a girl hasn't spoken in 10 days...so let me blab....

A word about vipassana: introspective meditation that offers insight to the 4 aspects of human life--mind, body, feelings, and mind objects (much like feelings). It is the realization (or belief...) that everything mental and physical is Anicca, (meaning impermanent), Dukkha (suffering), and Anatta (non-self). Basically, everything has a cause and effect...and unless we learn to understand that, and cut the cause (when needed), it all ends in suffering. (i.e. if we have a happy feeling, we like it, we want more, we become attatched...which eventually leads to our suffering when we can no longer have that). It puts a focus on the present moment...encouraging learners to identify (or name) everything that comes up during meditation, and then release it out and return to the present moment. And, of course, it focuses on the idea of kamma (which is the Pali word for Karma).
---there is a crap load of info on this...so if you are truly interested, look it up. This is a tiny little chunk.

A word about my day to day:
For 10 days, I didn't speak, didn't eat solid foods after noon, spent a ridiculous amount of time in a meditative walk or sit, didn't listen to music, didn't read, and lived by 8 "precepts".

Now, when I say I didn't speak, that's not entirely true. Everyday, I would report to my teacher (enter, Johnathon) and we would talk for 10-15 minutes about how it was going. I imagine him to be something like a psychologist. I would report all my feelings, how my "practice" was going... and had he not been accustomed to this, he would have thought I was bipolar. On day 5, I had a 2 minute conversation (I know this because I had a timer attached to me at all times) with another international student. So, I can't say that I didn't speak....but lets just say that this puts the "day of silence" (a gay-awareness thing we used to do at Rice) to shame.

When I say a "ridiculous amount of time", I mean that. We woke at 4am, ate breakfast at 6am, lunch at 11am, had a 15 minute meeting with Johnathon somewhere in between, and went to bed at 10pm. The rest of the time was dedicated to us...being with us...and meditating. On day 1, I started with a 5 minute walk and a 5 minute sit. By day 10, I was walking for 60 minutes and sitting for 60 minutes (multiple times a day....20 minute break between 'sets'). The walk is done incredibly slowly...think 20 yards in 20 minutes. Also, we name EVERYTHING we do or feel. (for the walk...."heel up, lifting, moving, putting"). In between meditations..."walking, opening, closing, brushing, angry, frustrated, laying, eating, tasting, seeing"....etc, etc.

A word about my living situation:
Accommodation was basic...and really, I can't complain too much. But lets just say that the 'bed' brought the meaning of uncomfortable to entirely different level. On day 1, I hated my cold shower. By day 3, it was my best friend. By day 6, I discovered there actually was a bit of hot water if you waited long enough (I hope that you can see me laughing out loud when I discovered this). One of the 8 precepts was "kill no living being" (these 8 precepts....no killing, no wrong speech, no laying on high bed, no sexual activity, no wrong eating, no stealing, no alcohol/drugs, no dancing, music, singing or beautifying self) were in place to avoid bad kamma (karma)....therefore, I simple had to say "goodnight" to the little (no...not little) spider that lived above my bed...and hope that when I stumbled to the bathroom in the middle of the night that the little (nope...not little) spider that lived there was tucked away happily under the shelf. Now, I'm not usually one to kill living things anyway...but sometimes with spiders, I could make an exception. Not this time. I haven't discovered any spider bites yet...cheers to that good karma.

A word about my experience:
I can't really get into details...anyone who has done anything like this, (or who wants to do something like this) knows (or will discover) that everyone has their own experiences. It effects everyone differently....and I don't want my experiences to shape your ideas of vipassana in any way. I will, however, give you this:
On the best day (there was only 1 of these), I felt as if I weighed 5 pounds...I was skipping, smiling ear to ear, meditating painlessly for hours (when I say hours...I mean 40 walking, 40 sitting....20 minute break....40/40, etc.). On the worst days (yes, there were many of these...but particularly day 5 and day 10), I could have screamed, could have left, could have broken something....it was excruciating...and I don't hesitate AT ALL to use that word. Along with any internal feelings (not that I have some hidden, deep anger issues...mostly it's the effects of the course...being alone 24 hours a day, etc), I had an onslaught of physical stuff. I became a bit intestinally challenged...and I believe something like this crossed my mind "no way I've been in Thailand for 2 months and NOW...NOW I'm gonna get a spurt of TD? When I'm supposed to be sitting on my ass for 12 hours a day? COME ON!". Also, I became so insanely itchy that I was sure the damn cat that I stupidly (yes, I'm angry at myself and speaking to myself this way...oh, and of course naming...."angry, angry, angry") let jump on my "bed" gave me fleas. My skin broke out and felt disgusting...and before I went to sleep on day 5, I believe I said something like this "AHHHHH. I HATE THIS PLACE. WHAT THE F***. THIS STUPID BED. IT'S NOT EVEN A BED. STUPID SPIDER...I HOPE YOU DIE. STUPID CAT....YOU'RE NOT EVEN THAT CUTE. I THOUGHT THIS MEDITATION S*** WAS MEANT TO BE GOOD FOR ME!!!!" (oh..."angry, angry, angry"...."suppressing, suppressing, suppressing", "irate, irate, irate".....). Haha. My next day with Johnathon, I explained my anger...my frustration...my wanting to leave...my thinking this was stupid....it wasn't working...and, to my surprise, Mr. freakin Johnathon came alive. Clapped his hands, smiled ear to ear, and said YES!!! YES!!! NOW you are seeing it. Mmmm...ok. If you say so dude. Then he asks...."how have you been feeling physically? Do you feel itchy? Does your skin feel greasy? Any nausea or diarrhea? Uhhhh....ok, creep ass. Yes, yes and yes. Can you explain now? Apparently....the meditation does this. It "wrings the body out"...if you will. Now, if he would have told me this AFTER I explained my 'conditions', I would have been like "yah...ok...whatever"....I didn't say a word. I felt better that all that was normal...and I believe it was day 6 that was my "best" day. Overall, it was up and down. With the ups averaging somewhere around neutral and the downs averaging somewhere around...well, hell. I didn't enjoy it...but I wasn't really expecting to. I learned stuff, but am not some "enlightened" being after 10 days. I haven't been brain-washed or mentally/physically scarred. The people closest to me may notice a slight difference...but other than that, it was more so just an eye-opening experience. Not something that I can change from just yet....just something I can choose to be more aware of. Obviously, it all goes much deeper than this...they couldn't have possibly taught me all there is to know in 10 days...and I can't possibly tell you in a blog everything I learned in 10 days....the meaning and reasoning behind everything. Why we "name" everything...why Johnathon said that I was "seeing it" after day 5...why I would possible do this to myself...why it's so important to be alone and not talk (and the true effect that has on you)...the intense feelings of "boredom" and what that can do to you....the understanding of the present moment...and how it allows you to let a lot of things go while also understanding they may come back (that idea of annica....imperamance)...the idea of accepting the fear, anger, worry and appreciating the good moments without getting caught on them....

I will give you my first experience being back in the "real world". When I got home (Spicy Thai...), I was SO excited to be here (or to be OUT of there). I talked to Saaw (1 of the chicas that works here) forever, sat on the computer forever, and decided I wanted a PIZZA...a whole one just for ME (you see...all these things I couldn't have before...). So, I had one of the girls order me one...I just pointed to a pretty picture...it looked good and I was sure I could eat the whole dang thing (come on...you have all seen me eat pizza before. And I had it from this place before...the large is quite small...and it's good). Even as I was doing this, I was saying BAD you!! Wanting, wanting, wanting....not a good path Janelle....cut the cause, cut the cause. I didn't. The pizza got here. He handed it to me and I nearly dropped it...it must have weighed 5 pounds. That's just gotta be gross. Then, the bill. It was 500 baht...which is officially, the single biggest transaction I've made since I've been in Thailand. I ate 2 slices. I feel ill. This, according to vipassana would be named "suffering, suffering, suffering"....my happy feeling of being here, led to wanting pizza, led to wanting a WHOLE pizza, led to a huge bill (13 dollars) and a stomach ache....I thus, created my own suffering. And the karma I let out by wanting, wanting, wanting came right back to me...! Now, this may seem like common sense, but you don't really realize how much it truly effects our lives, our relationships, our thoughts....and how hard it is to change...until you sit with it it....and sit with it....and walk with it....and sit with it......

Rachel will be here in 2 days....and, even through my exhaustion that makes me jump up and down!!

School's Out :)

2008-06-28T15:16:00.003+12:00

NEW PICTURES UP ON MY SHUTTERFLY WWW.JANELLECROWLEY.SHUTTERFLY.COM

Hello all!! Just a quick one to say I'm DONE!! The 4 weeks FLEW by and it's been great. Definitely exhausting at times, but not nearly as difficult as I had anticipated (shhh). Most of our group are heading to a guesthouse in the city. We are on a pizza mission!! We'll have one last hurray together before going our separate ways. I'll be in touch soon in more detail. But the phone number and address given previously are now null n void :). I've signed up for Skype. My name is janelle.crowley. So add me if you have it, and if you don't, be expecting a call soonish!

XO

My humble abode :)

2008-06-08T14:45:00.004+12:00

"Thank you teacher"

2008-06-07T23:46:00.002+12:00

Between my last blog and now, I blinked a few times and it was over. A week, 2 (observed) lessons and an armful of classes later, here I am...the weekend! Taking the advice of those that have come before me and taking some time away from my work for some of the weekend. A few of us went into the city today. Got a massage (yep...correctional facility!) did some washing, and found the best store (thanks to Jane) ever. It's called Tesco...and I guess it's comparative to a Walmart or super target. I got some "teacher clothes" (those are kinda like airplane clothes ;) ) and genuinely enjoyed shopping for them!

As for the week. It's been amazing. It's been challenging, exhausting and terrifying. Classes aren't quite as tedious as I expected and it's more "controlled free thinking" with the other trainees that anything else. And the day is well broken up with "tea and biscuit" breaks and meals...which will start to show on this body very soon if I don't watch myself (portions here are crazy big...3 times a day). I taught on Wednesday and Friday...both times I was so nervous I was nearly sick to my stomach...but both times I did great...and I've already come to love it. I'm shocked that I'm able to forget the fact that I've being observed (by peers and my trainer) and just 'do my thing'. I get so nervous on my "teaching days" that I have to play with my pocket knife to keep my hands from shaking (hmmm...prolly not the best idea!)...but I also get so damn excited. Everyday this week, I've woken up with the feeling that I'm absolutely living this life to the fullest...which is an amazing feeling. The work load is definitely doable...but it's non-stop. I have less time to procrastinate here then I did in college. I think it definitely adds to it that others are counting on me...so if nothing else, I owe it to my class to be prepared. I literally work from the time I wake up to the time I go to bed...and I love that right now. Apparently week 3 gets really tough...so if I'm complaining then , remind me of this blog! I don't know if I'm "in my element" while I'm teaching or if it's just the newness feeling...but either way, I absolutely love it. I feel like I'm transported when I'm up there and there is something about it that makes every inch of my being smile. Any uncertainies I had about coming here, any feelings of uneasyness or loneliness have been replaced by so many other feelings....and the sound of "thank you teacher" followed by lots of thai smiles reminds me that this is one of the best decisions I've made. Obviously, I have no idea where I go from here and I'm still taking it 1 day at a time....but I just thought I'd spread my happiness along...how ever short or long lived it may be! But for now, in the words of one Kenny Chesney, I feel like I'm french kissing life!

As for my fellow trainees, we've all bonded...even if we may not necessarily 'hang out' outside of here. It's a very supportive environment and everyone is rooting for each other. There are MANY different ways of thinking...which can get frustrating at times. Especially since the majority of things are group activites...but I know that is just preparing us to work with others (perhaps future collegues or bosses) who may not necessarily see eye to eye with us. We eat together, live together, school together, and have to criticize and encourage each other...it's challenging at times but uplifting at others.

That's all for now! I think I've had my share of "no work" time today and have to get back to it! Love to all.

School has begun...almost

2008-06-01T23:08:00.002+12:00

‘Ello! I found myself a great clan (even if it was only temporary) consisting of 2 Canadians, a girl from Switzerland, and a British girl. A few nights ago we went out with a few others for a night of Bowling!! Noom had offered a free nights stay to anyone who could beat him. I came surprisingly close to doing so but in the end, he pulled an upset and beat me by 1 pin! Damn!! But I did win myself a t-shirt! Hey, I’ll take it! Clothes are good! J All in all, bowling was a blast! They had the black lights on and Noom made sure we were all ready by giving us ‘war paint’ (chalk for your hands…glows under the black lights. Thus, doubles as face war paint quite well!) and booze and away we went. The first 2 rounds were all business. The 3rd round was judged on creativity! So, If you see the pictures on shutterfly, you’ll understand why we are floating through the air! The most popular was pushing the ball with your hands and giving a final push while flying forward. We also spun ourselves in circles, went backwards, kicked and walked it down the lane. And Esther bowled it across 3 lanes. Impressive. What was MOST impressive was the fact that the Thai’s are so laid back that they just laughed along with us…instead of kicking us out! All the while, there was English rap music blasting…and we were trying to figure out if the rest of the people there knew the words! I don’t think they did! After that, everyone was pumped up so Noom drove us (I did mention that he’s a fabulous taxi driver, right?) to a bar/club…we were the only Western faces in there and we got lots of smiles and looks. We stuck around long enough for the band to come on…which I THINK was a punk-rock cover band. Punk-rock by the clothes, actions and overall beat of the songs…and cover band b/c everyone was singing along. But it was all in Thai…so what do I know? They were quite good though….even though I didn’t understand a damn word! The next day I took a Thai cooking class (along with 2 others from the clan) and made (and ate) heaps of food! Chicken in coconut milk soup, cashew chicken stir fry, red curry, pad thai, spring rolls and our chef/teacher showed us how to make jasmine rice (perfectly), sticky rice, sticky rice with mango, and papaya salad. I was stuffed to say the least! Before we started cooking, we got a market tour and were taught a bit about different herbs, veggies, etc…which was actually quite helpful. We got to play with fire…which was cool…cooler that I still have my eyebrows! Not sure how the big bro did that for so long! It was hot, hot, hot! Got a thai massage yesterday at the women’s correctional facility! Awesome!! Haha…I was a little uneasy going to the correctional facility but it came well recommended. It was fabulous! And if I think it was only 6 bucks, it was SUPER fabulous!! We had a big hostel night out last night. Went to a place called The Riverside which had 2 awesome bands—both of which had male and female singers (who sung in English) so they had lots of variety! It was jammed packed with locals and appeared to have great food. I ventured away from Thai and ordered a pizza….note to self: when in Thailand, don’t order pizza! It wasn’t horrible…but it was no Sal’s! After dinner (and lots of drinking for everyone else) we ALL piled into a pick-up truck taxi…there were about 20 of us….piled in…with 3 of us hanging off the back of the truck (there is a small stool/rack thingie)…I was playing the role of “don’t let the drunk girl in front of you fall into the street”…good times! Jim was taking us to sing karaoke. I had an image in my head…you know, bar scene….people on stage singing. Nope. Turns out that in Thailand, karaoke means renting out a room with a tv and 2 mics….and singing your heart out with your friends/group. Well…this particular room was made for MAYBE 6-7 people….small, small! Again…20 something of us….singing at the top of our lungs! The room was shaking! I was the first one back to the hostel and it was past 2am….lets just say the house was very quiet when I woke up this morning!

Sooo….I’m now at Nugent Waterside where my course is taking place. There are 8 of us total…4 of which are couples….lots of places represented (Canada, aussie, england, iran, whales)…but none of whom I’ve quite connected with to be honest. I’m sure we’ll get to know each other a bit better…but so far, I don’t get a warm fuzzy feeling from any of them! Not that it matters…just sayin’! So, the place is kind of great. It’s far from anything….and I’m already having an issue b/c apparently we start TEACHING on Tuesday…yeah, I TOTALLY missed that fine print! Really thought we would have some time before getting in front of a class! The “issue’ is that I didn’t really bring any teaching clothes with me…I was planning to go shopping once I was settled and knew more about this place….so now I have very little time to find clothes…and not many places to find them! I’ll prolly make due with what I have (we have to teach bare foot so shoes aren’t an issue….score!) until this weekend. Aside from that, the rooms are much better then I expected. Roomy, modern, clean…big bed, great bathroom/shower…and a western toilet (as opposed to a squatting toilet!)….it’s nicer/bigger then my college dorm room…and I’m in there alone…so I think If I managed (and loved it) at Rice, I think I can manage here! Getting a bit nervous about the start of things tomorrow…and even more nervous that I actually have to teach on Tuesday…but not much I can do about it! Sooo, Gonna do a bit of research and get settled in until dinner. Class everyday is from 11:30-8pm. I have a phone in my room…but it’s touch and go. As is Internet. Depending on the intensity of things, I may or may not be in regular contact for the next month! But seems like we should have weekend pretty well free.

You can give my phone a whirl…keeping in mind that it may or may not work…and if it does, I will only be in my room before 11:30am and after 9pm during the week…and sometimes not even then! But, if you managed to catch me, I’d be delighted J The number is +66 (0) 53 441503 (which will apparently put you through to some kind of answering machine/service…and then you dial my room number) 116

Wish me luck…I’m off to attempt bonding with my classmates!

It's a Small World Afterall!

2008-05-28T13:34:00.007+12:00

Ihave to start this by sharing my small world story! 1 night after I got to my new hostel, a group of us were out to dinner casually talking. I hadn't yet met the girl across from me so we introduced ourselves (Kristen) and it wasn't long before we were staring at each other in disbelief...she graduated from Rice in 07...2 years after me. Although I didn't reconize her straight away, we did know of each other in school. She was actually close friends with Kelly...which is even crazier! What are the chances!

ANYHOO... After my last blog, I relocated to Spicy Thai backpackers b/c I just wasn't feeling the other hostel. As soon as I pulled up, I couldn't help but smile. "Noom", the young owner who opened the place about 2 years ago came out front to greet me and instantly made me feel at home. It's in a converted house, with common "shoes off", "self-clean up" type rules, in a quiet neighboor and is full at all hours with fun backpackers keen to do anything. The first day here, I had a lazy day. Watching House episodes with some others and studying. That night, I went out to dinner with 2 Scottish guys I met and enjoyed one the best nights (weather wise) since I've been here. (Not that weather has been bad...but it was nice and cool). Sunday morning, there was a hostel trip planned to a Wat (Wat Doi Suthep) and a Lake. A few of us loaded up the SpicyThai truck and headed up the windey roads to the Wat. Noom gave us the history (and 'wat edicate') and I'm convinced we had the best tour of the whole lot (b/c Noom not only runs this place, he's a crazy fun taxi driver, tour guide and all around entertainer!). The Wat was beautiful and I still can't get over the extravant designs and gold finishings. I got a monk blessing and am super excited to explore this Buddist culture further (am thinking of doing a meditation retreat once my class is over). We headed back to the hostel to pick up the late-risers before heading to the Lake. Although the lake was a far cry from the clear waters that the pictures show (the clear waters are in Southern Thailand), it had a beautiful view of the mountains...and the tiny huts along the edges are a great local hangout...offereing shade, food, and drinks. Noom started off ordering some food for us all...and I couldn't help but notice the grin on his face. When the bowl of "dancing shrimp" came, it all made sense...live shrimp---a Thai favorite. After Noom shook 'em up to get them nice and spiced, he took a spoonful for himself and then offered them to us farangs (foreigners). While I couldn't bring myself to take a whole spoonful, I gave it a whirl! Why not! I have to say...they were pretty tasty (or the spices that covered them were anyways)...though, that wasn't the first word that came to mind when I pulled an antenna from my mouth a few seconds after I swollowed the poor guy down! After spending a few hours at the lake eating, swimming, playing frisbee, etc, etc, we made our way back to the truck and I got to ride rooftop!! The pictures will give you a clear picture but there is a rack on the top of the truck...4 people are allowed up top and it's AWESOME!! Mom and GG...stop reading...but we sat up there, holding on to the rack bars as Noom went over bumps, around circles and under tree branches in the park! Of course the particular branch he went under was loaded with red ants...so for the next few minutes, Lus and I were frantically trying to flick the ants off of each other and off the roof (as were driving down the normal road now!)! Hilarious. Driving in Thailand is interesting enough...I have yet to figure out why there are lines painted on the roads...no one pays attention to those. SO, riding rooftop was an entirely crazy experience! When we got back home, it was a mad rush for the showers before loading up the truck again and heading to the night market (not to be confused with the night bizaar). It was an adorable strip of vendors selling beautiful things...unfortunately, we only got to walk around for about 5 mintues before there was a mad scamble...the rain came with little warning so we followed suit and found selter with the rest of the crowds. It wasn't long before the rain was a full on monsoon....the lights went out and water was rushing everywhere...but just as quickly as it came, the rain past....but not in time for us to stick around. It was off to dinner with the group and then bed...which, on that particular night was the couch! Yep...the couch! The beds were all previously booked up before I showed up here...so they offered me (and 4 others that night) a place on the couch or in the living room! It was like a college sleep over! So fun! The next morning, I met Danielle and Lena at the airport and our whirlwind adventure began. After we settled on a "family vehicle" b/c the jeep that Dan reserved was taken, we headed off to do a scenic loop of Northern Thailand. Turns out we did a scenic loop of the city first...about 3 times! 3 smart cookies and we couldn't find the roads we needed! By the end of the trip, we realized it was the maps (we are pretty sure they are made up as a joke) and not our horrible sense of direction! We eventually got on the right roads and were headed off to Chiang Doa....passing lots of beautiful mountains, rice fields, wats and villages on the way. We made a stop in Chiang Doa to get some "ahaun" (food) and had a blast putting my Thai phrasebook to use! Outside of the city, English speakers are rare so we really had to manage...which we did quite well. I have to say, there is nothing more satisfying that successfully communicating! After our roadside lunch (a pork and noodle stew), we headed to the caves...complete with our lantern and tour guide, the 3 of us made our way through the bat-filled caves...often crawling though spaces in which our tour guide would say "too small" then immediately start making her way through! Oh, the beauty of language barriers! We carried on driving after the caves, occassionally stopping to take in the sights....which many times consisted of small, adorable children that I wanted to kidnap....and occassionally rolling very slowly through road checks/blocks....even though no one seemed interested in stopping us...we didn't want to upset the small men with the big guns so we gave them plenty of time to wave us down as we passed! We made it back to our hotel around 11:30 that night and took off the next morning for Doi Inthanon National Park...another scenic route (mountains and waterfalls) up to the highest peak in Thailand. The road that we took to our next destination was hardly a road...and I commend Dan's "4-wheel driving in a 2-wheel drive vehicle" skills! It was actually scary at times...and we were unsure if the road would just vanish at any moment. But, we made it out safe and sound and I have now become familiar with the Thai maps, roads, and signs....or lack thereof! It was great to see Dan and Lena and was awesome to get out of the city for a bit. I came home last night in time to go to an all-you-can-eat Thai BBQ with the hostel clan...which was crazy interesting! Rows and rows of cooked food, raw food, veggies, meats, fruits...a small charcoal cooker between a few people which you use to cook the meat (and other things that may or may not have been cooked already!). You fill the outer edges with water which eventually becomes a very tasty brooth...and enjoy! Not sure what's on the schedule for the next few days...maybe a Thai cooking class...maybe riding elephants...maybe just studying....maybe soccer with Noom and other locals...but surely more entertaining times with Spicy thai backpackers and staff!

My first:

Taste of "dancing shrimp", pork intestine, Banana pancake, Leechi fruit, waffle wrapped banana (on a stick), roadside cafe meal (x2)

encounter with a squatting toilet (see pictures)

Thai BBQ

Monk blessing

Wat tour

Roadside Elephant sighting

Monsoon (x2)

Successfully communicated (in Thai...not gestures):

Toliet, Cave, yes, no, right & left (direction), food, pork, chicken, thank you, hello, how much

Will attempt loading pictures onto my shutterfly in a few minutes: http://www.janellecrowley.shutterfly.com/

Love to all!

HERE!!!

2008-05-23T12:16:00.009+12:00

Josh and I in the tuk-tuk taxi

Sorry it's taken me so long to get out an "I'm fine" out...but I'm alive, well and loving it. Well, except for the fact that I just typed an entire blog post and lost it. Ugh! Let's see. Got a train to JFK airport at 8am wedneday. Took a few deep breaths on the way...more so because I thought I Should be nervous! Wasn't long before the guy in front of me at check in started talking to me...Wanye--came to Thailand over 20 years ago, fell in love and now holds residency. He quieted any fears I may have had and totally put me at ease. A few more deep breaths in line to board the plane but as soon as I hit the jet way (or gangway...or whatever it's called), it was all smiles! I had to keep myself from jumping up and down and running down the jet way! And once I boarded, the giddyness just intensified! The crew was so friendly, smiley and welcoming! And the plane and the crews' uniforms were SO colorful...how can you NOT smile?! I didn't sleep a wink on the plane and am not sure how I'm functioning right now! The plane ride flew by (no pun intended :) ) despite my inbility to sleep. Watched a few movies, learned Thai (they had a berlitz language game on the personal screen...how cool!), studied and ate! The native next to me was very friendly and helped me with my Thai pronounciation...and gave me her contact info insisiting that I call if I need help. I spoke with the girl across the isle towards the end of the flight...again, very friendly. She took my contact info and wants me to work (teach english) for her family business once I'm done with the course. What?! Not even landed yet and have a tenative job offer?! Sweet! Wayne was waiting for me when we landed and walked with me to our connecting flight (yes, we were on the same connecting flight!) and gave me his contact info in case I need anything! I PASSED OUT on the quick flight to Chiang Mai (CM) but was woken for my snack (they definitely don't let you sleep through meals!) and in time to see the beauitful landscape below. The sun was setting over the mountains as we were landing and I knew right away I picked the right city. I overheard an English guy (josh) behind me looking for a hostel so I introduced myself and invited him to come along to this hostel. Getting through "customs" was boarderline a joke...not sure why I was so worried about that! The hostel wasn't waiting at the airport so Josh and I jumped in a taxi and paid a crazy $2 for the ride! The hostel is more than doable...big bed, my own bathroom/shower, ac--though despite what I heard, they do not speak english! I like the hostel but it's not a great location and lacks that backpacker buzz (it's kinda quiet) so I may move in a day or 2 but we'll see) I met up with Josh and we wondered around the old city in search of the "highlighted" area on our map! We passed some crazy food vendors along the way that were selling foods I don't even think I could try once. Passed some beautiful Wats (temples) but couldn't get the full affect since it was dark (9pm). Eventually jumped in a tuk-tuk taxi and were loving it! They took us to the night bazaar and I was instantly amazed! Vendors selling everything and anything for crazy cheap (it was "mad" as my adorable, adoted reminder of phil Brit guy kept saying!). Found a place to eat...appeared to by "fancy-ish" and had locals inside so we went for it. Chicken with noodles and soya sauce....d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s. Crazy fresh...I swear they must have made the noodles right then. They even had a band singing english songs and they kept urging me and josh to sing along...which we did!! Found a bar after that...and enjoyed an awesome mai tai. Found a strip of indoor bars later and it felt like we were walking down the red carpet...everyone waving, smiling, cheering...some even grabbed josh's arm. We were cracking up! They had a muay thai (boxing) ring in the middle of all the bars but we just missed the match (??)...all in good time! Josh stayed to brave the night and I went home and crashed. Passed out..until 4:30am. I'm getting by on such little sleep it's ridiculous! Hopefully my body clock will adjust soon. I just enjoyed my free breakfast...delicious...and met a girl from Michigan who is interning here. She gave me a few more helpful hints and we will hopefully meet up for dinner in the next few nights.

So far,

I've mastered "thank-you", "please", "trash", "hello", and "bar" (okay...that ones easy) in Thai

Accepted the fact that bug spray is my new lotion/purfume
I've taken a taxi ride for $2

ridden in a tuk-tuk...for $1.50

gotten a bottle of water for less than 25 cents

had a delicious (and huge) meal for less than $2.50

--guess it's true! It really is that cheap!

Not sure what today has in store but I'll keep you posted. Think I'm just going to lay low, study, get to know the city a bit until Danielle comes in a few days.

Tomorrow, Tomorrow...only a day away!

2008-05-21T17:39:00.002+12:00

I'd be lying if I said "I can't believe I'm leaving tomorrow". Not that I "don't believe it"...just that it hasn't hit me. And as one KDL pointed out, it probably won't hit me until the trip has come and gone. Though, I'm bound to have some kind of overflow of emotion on the plane tomorrow...if not there, than certainly in the Thailand airport! For now, I'm very cool, calm and collected. And no...that's not the Woodchuck cider talking! I've had a great few days visiting with friends and family...even got a small dose of my Merig cousins activities (soccer for Dreya, tennis for Galen, Recorder concert for Tari...and non-stop entertainment from Caleb). I'm catching an 8am train to JFK airport in the morning...then my 17 hour plane adventure begins at 11:35am. I'm feeling a bit of a sore throat coming on...which would not be my ideal way to start this trip...but I'm prepared with all the mommy medicines and will hopefully have this thing beat...either that or it will fester for 17 hours on the plane and I'll feel like crap when I land :) But hey, lets think positive, shall we?! Fabulous. In case there are others out there as worried as the mother (grandma...), you'll be happy to know that I'm registered with the US embassy in Thailand...so they have all my info (and dad's) in case they need to get in contact with me/him.

My address from June 2nd-June 27th (the center won't accept mail for me after this date):

Janelle Crowley [CELTA course]
Nugent Waterside
39-39/1 Moo 9
Ban Phe Doi Tham
Tambon Nam Prae,
Amphur Hang Dong,
Chiang Mai
50230

If you get the urge to send a letter (no need to send parcels...Aunt Joyce, I traded 2 t-shirts for some underwear! :) )...you'll be required by the post shop to recite my address 5 times before you can send it :) Good luck!

So long...farewell...something, something, something...adieu

T-Minus 7 days

2008-05-08T12:02:00.003+12:00

Well, well! Who would have thunk I'd be returning to the blogging world after such a long absence! But, here I sit exactly 1 week before heading out! For those of you who are in the dark, I'm going to Chiang Mai, Thailand to take a 4-week TEFL (teaching english as a foreign language) course...and then, hopefully to...well, TEACH! My bags (or should I say BAG...If I learned anything from my NZ travels, it's to pack LIGHT!) are nearly packed and all the paperwork is done. I have a few things left to take care of (selling my car...all too familiar!) but I imagine the next week will mostly consist of studying (I have a whole packet of work I have to get through before the start of the course!) and maintaining a constant, steady buzz! Once again...all too familiar! It's how I prepared for Australia and NZ...and I don't see how this trip should be any different! Mr. Woodchuck has a way of keeping my mind at ease. Hey! Don't judge...you'd prolly be doing the same if you were preparing to get on a 17 hour flight to a country where you know no one...and can only hope they speak a little English! That being said, I couldn't be more excited! I'll be maintaining this blog the way I did from NZ. Pictures and posts when I can to keep anyone interested up-to-date. I don't like imposing with mass e-mails so I'll leave it up to you! Save the website for a rainy day! I'm leaving FL May14th...leaving Houston May 17th...and leaving NY (JFK-Chiang Mai) May 21st.

Here goes nothin...come along for the ride when you can! It might get pretty interesting!

LoveLove

Back in the US of A!!

2006-09-23T17:50:00.000+12:00

Hi all! Well, we've made it back to the states in one piece! We had a great last few nights in Wellington with the flatties (minus a phil dickens and plus an equally hilarious frenchman and german chick!) and those few nights will have to stay with us until everyone comes to visit us here!! :) (okay, so CP might not visit unless we live in Colorado or Utah where they have some kick ass mountain biking, but hey, one can hope!). It's weird thinking that NZ is really in our past, especially the 29a flat! It seems that we left and went back there so many times that this last goodbye was just another temporary one---really gutted knowing that it's not. The ride to the airport was weird---molly and I both felt like we were going to throw up. Ugh---but anyways, onto the happy stuff!!! Our stop over in Fiji was great---a little rough around the edges the first few nights but hey, that's the price we were willing to pay to have our own little slice of paradise! We had 3 days and 2 nights on Kutra Island where we had our own "bure"---sounds nice doesn't it? haha...don't be fooled!! The location was awesome and the Bure was definitely "doable" but lets just say that we checked under the covers for creepy crawlers before going to sleep! The island "resort" was run by locals and not only did they cook 3 meals a day for us, but they were constantly playing and singing music for us and giving us a peek into their traditions and culture. We spent the first day lazing on the beach soaking up the sun and snoozing in the hammocks. It didn't take us long to get into "Fiji Time". We didn't sleep much at all that night--expecially after hearing something scrurry across our bag! And because the island was run on a genreator, there was only power between 6pm and 11pm---so the best light we had to try to find what made the noise was the light from our camera. Haha...we passed the time until sunrise by telling stories that in no way involved large bugs of any sort!! It was a bit cloudy in the morning but we still made the hike up to the island summit for the sunrise and it was beautiful.

Later that day we went to another island where we hooked up with a Dive company! We didn't think we'd be able to squeeze a dive into this trip but are THRILLED we did!! It was BEAUTIFUL!! I was slightly nervous---especially since it was my first "flip backwords into the water from this excuse for a boat" dive. AND since we couldn't understand a damn word our dive master was saying!! haha! But it was really cool, b/c as soon as we got underwater, we understood him perfectly. It's such a cool thing having this underwater language across boarders! And it was only the 3 of us which was great. Saw some great coral, lots of clown fish (I heart Nemo's!), a really big moray, and a HUGE lobster. I'm still SHOCKED at the size of this thing---and according to our guide, that was a small one!! Pretty sure we would have heard the underwater screams of Ron and Dad if they were lobstering and spotted this thing!!! I can't even tell you how big it was!!! Can you tell that I'm just in amazement?! haha! The next day we did some kayaking and visited the nearby village (2 islands away) where they still follow the traditions of their ancestors (well, most of them anyways!). We took a trip to the school which I just loved! The kids were running all around us and just kept coming up and grabbing our hands and saying "Bula" (Fijian for Hi). Too cute! For our last night in Fiji (and the last of our time abroad) we decided to splurge!! We stayed at the Sheraton Fiji Resort and it was worth every penny!! Of course it wasn't as untouched or remote as Kutra but it was great to have a nice shower and a GREAT night sleep! Not to mention full range of all the pools and bars!! Our plane left last night at 10pm and we pretty much slept for the whole time. We're now in LA at my friend Ronnie's and tomorrow we are taking the train to San Diego to see Jules!!! (wouldn't it just be crazy if MB, Megs, and Jarrod were there too?!??! :) JUST SAYING!!!). We'll be making the rounds here for a few days before heading to Philly. If you need to find me, mol's cellphone works: 812 322 3960 but we probably shouldn't kill all of her minutes!! So I'll do my best to find you all in the next few days/weeks!

WEIRD!!! :) lovelove

Is this really the end?!

2006-09-17T11:26:00.000+12:00

(More pics are up at http://photos.yahoo.com/mollyfoos under "end of NZ")

Hello all! We have made our way back to christchurch and will be staying in our old flat until we head off to Wellington--which is in 4 days! Our "last horay" around the south island was great. We managed to re-visit our favorite places (Lake Tekepo, Mt. Cook, Milford Sound, Wanaka, the Glaciers) and do a few things that we didn't do the first 2 times around! We visited the Caitlins for the first time but unfortunately, the weather and the tides were working aganist us. But seeing as we only has a few days of rain, we were okay with that. But even with the yuck weather, we were able to get really close to 2 yellow-eyed penguins at a hide (same one we were at mom and ry) and were just loving that!! We got to see some great sunrises and sunsets and I've become quite addicted to dawn and dusk!! We drove the 2 hours from Te Anau to Milford Sound (and had to get chains for our tires--we didn't get to use them but it was fun nonetheless!) and b/c it was rather wet and rainy, we were SURROUNDED by water falls! We did an overnight cruise in Milford and while it didn't come close to our Doubtful Sound cruise (how could we top that!?) it was still awesome. We got to see a handful of Fiordland Crested Penguins (the rarest in the world) for the first time and the waterfalls were just pouring out all around us. The weather cleared in the morning so we got a nice view of all the snow covered peaks and our drive back to Te Anau was beautiful! We met a girl from Scotland on the cruise (she tried to convince us to jump in the water--then wussed out herself!!) and wound up giving her a ride back from Milford. Always fun picking up an extra for a little bit! After Milford, we made our way to Queenstown, where, you guessed it---we flung ourselves off of a bridge!!!! It was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!! I couldn't help but think of those crazy boy cousins of mine! Johhny and Michael--you would have LOVED IT!! After the bungy jump, we headed off to the Glaciers and set up a day walk on Fox Glacier. Complete with spikes on our boots and walkng picks, we made our way high up onto the glacier. I have to say--it was nothing like I expected! I had this image of a nice leasurely walk across the flat part off a glacier---um, no! Our guide was cutting "steps" as we walked, and we were stepping (or jumping if you happen to be short like me!) across these big crevices that were either filled with water, or went down for hundreds of meters! I have to say, it got my heart racing more then once! Good times! We ended our trip with a fabulous tour around Monteith's Brewery and for 10 bucks, it was WELL worth it!! Especially since we got to taste 8 beers afterwards and had free range of the bar for a few minutes!

So now, it's all about living up our last few days in christchurch---and selling everything we possibly can!! Our car (tear--good ol mills!) was a success and after only a few hours on TradeMe (kinda like Ebay), someone came to look and offered us a fair amount for it. I'm sure we could have gotten a bit more if we waited it out but it's nice that it's done and as it works out, we got to have a car for almost a year for $250 bucks each. Not too shabby! We have 4 days to make everything we have fit into small bags! If you saw the 2 rooms we've taken over with our stuff, you would only be able to laught at us!! It'll be a misison for sure!

Hope all is well at home! Hope everyone is keeping their eyes open for jobs!! Especially if it involves soccer or ski slopes!! God knows I'm not ready for a "real" job just yet!!

Spring has Sprung!!

2006-08-31T21:48:00.000+12:00

Hello all! Well, according to our trusty weather people spring is offically here! You know what that means don't you? That's right--This FLORIDIAN survived her first ever winter season!! Way to go me :). Seeing the beautiful snow-covered mountains on the way to work each morning made it really difficult--but hey, I stuck it out! :). The girls (me, mols, and don't forget our car mills!) are down to our last 2 nights in Christchurch! We are pretty shocked--espcially thinking that in less then a month, we will be home-bound. Crazy! My last day of work is tomorrow and we'll spend Friday night packing up everything we own, preparing for one last whirlwind adventure around the south island! Unfortunately we'll have to part with our beloved Russel (the tent) for this part of the trip but I think we'll manage! So...the plan: We're leaving Christchurch on Sat and will spend the next 2 weeks traveling around the south island (Lake Tekapo, Mt. Cook, The Catlins, Milford sound,Queenstown,and the Glaciers for those of you keeping track). We've seen most of it already but are looking forward to going to a few of our favorite places as well as a few places we missed the first 2 times around! Then, it will be back to christchurch for a few days when we will desperately try to sell everything and anything we own (phones, tent, car, boots...). A bus and ferry ride later, we'll be having one last horay with the Wellington crew and will then be boarding a flight bound for FIJI! We'll spend 5 days lounging on the beaches before Destination: LA! A few days in LA with some friendly (and much-missed)faces (Jules, Ronnie, and Christel!!). And if we are extra lucky, maybe the Ellen tickets we requested will come through! Fingers crossed! So, it's official! I will be stepping foot in the US or A on Sept 28th. And while I'd like to think that I'll be seeing and/or talking to everyone soon after that, I'm sure the fact that I'll have no car, phone or money will make that a bit more difficult then I'd like! But hey, I'm cool with being a wonderer! So if you have a floor space, I'm there :). Just wanted to give you a bit of an update before we take off again. We probably won't have a computer much at all. I'll try to get one more blog up with some pictures of our trip around the south but other then that, I'll probably be in touch once I return from this fairy-tale world I've been living up for the past year. Hope this finds everyone well!

The End is Near...

2006-07-30T16:33:00.000+12:00

Hanmer Springs...
Our city at sunset...

Cathedral Square

(below) Our home...(64 Scruttons)
and... Girls at All Blacks game

Hanmer Springs...

Hi All :) Well, here we are with only 2 months remaining in our visas. Wow! Where in the HECK has the time gone? The last few weeks have been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster--thinking about leaving this place behind is such a weird feeling. I'm excited to see everyone at home but I know leaving here is going to be a very sad day. But I know this is just the beginning---so much to explore! Perhaps even starting with my own backyard (there has been talk of a big road trip across the US of A!). Other then the emotional-ness of "where do we go from here", things have been great. I think I left off with the All Blacks rugby match. Me and a few friends went and it was great! Our seats might as well been on top of a freakin mountain but we had a clear view of the entire pitch. The coolest thing may have been seeing the Haka live---it was incredible. The next weekend, we had an international dessert night at the hostel with a RIDICULOUS amount of food! It was all so delicious and I think we were all stuffed for about 2 days after! Molly got back safe and sound (and tan--no fair!) even though she missed her connecting flight in LA and had to wait a full day to get to NZ. Very unfortunate circumstances all around---poor thing. But, she had a great time at home and in cape cod for her cousins wedding. The weekend she got back, we drove to Hanmer Springs and enjoyed a day in the natural springs hot pools---it was perfect! It wasn't too crowded at all and it snowed LOTS the entire time we were sitting in the hot pools. Couldn't have asked for a better day to be there! The next day was fine (clear as...) and we took a little walk up to an overlook and got to play in the snow a bit (even made an itty bitty snowman). Then, that night, we had an international Christmas night (I think this winter weather makes us all think of x-mas) with lots of food yet again! But sadly, it was probably our last international food night b/c all our friends that we met at the hostel have started going their separate ways! But it was great while it lasted! Other then that, it's been work and soccer as normal--both of which have been great. My last day of work is on 1 Sept and then we'll be packing up Mills (and getting chains for her little tires!) and traveling around the south island for about a month. Our goal was to have tickets bought by this weekend--but we failed! But we should have tickets and a final plan worked out REALLY soon. As of now, it looks like a trip around the south island, a stop in Wellington, a few nights in Fiji, a few nights in Cali (Christel, Mike, Ronnie...what's your schedule looking like in Oct.?), and then it all gets fuzzy. NY, PA, GA, TX, FL--all necessary stops sometime soon! Hopefully I still get airline benefits. I think I might of gotten a year older since I left--who knew?! :) Hope eveything is going well on the home front--Miss you all!

PS. Ry, you may like to know that Molly came back with the first 2 seasons of 24!! OH BOY!! haha :) I may be able to appreciate your obsession sometime soon!

An Update (for the mother!)

2006-07-05T20:50:00.000+12:00

OKAY! Here I am! My mother has been hinting at me that she's ready for an update and I suppose it's over-due.
Since the last time, Phil came to Christchurch to run the half-marathon (he needed a break from the full ones!) and we finally got to see his race. We had a blast chasing him around (in our car), with map in hand trying to beat him to any given point. We may have been in a car, but damn it was tough keeping up with him! He came 22nd overall---way to go Phil! Just being at the event was amazing and so motivating. I'm really looking forward to running one someday--perhaps I'll talk the big bro, aunt and uncle into it! The weekend after Phil's visit, me and molly took a trip back to Wellington to have one last horray before Phil left us for good. The plane ride over was beautiful! So much snow! It was great being back at the flat (though there were lots of new faces!) and the first night we managed to stay up for 3 world cup games (1am, 4am, 7am)--needless to say, we were sleeping until about 5pm. It was a bit emotional when the crew dropped us off at the airport--we're missing our little Pom already :(. Life in Christchurch is going well. It's been freezing and we actually had a really great snow a few weeks ago. The city was white as and I was like a little kid while we were driving to work. We have a great view of the mountains on our way to work and it seems to make me say "ahhh" everyday. The job itself is pretty good. The days typically fly by, the people are cool, and I actually have to use my brain--so all in all, it's good stuff. Soccer is great and I'm so excited to be playing again! One of the teams I play for is full of 15-16 year olds so it's a bit painful playing for them---I just can't relate to that age anymore!! But the other team is a bit older and sweet as. The flat is great--but as of today, we no longer have a kitty. Aaron's ex girlfriend took her in the "divorce" and I couldn't be sadder. But other then that, it's great. Last week, a Sarah F and a Connor P came to visit and we had a great few days with them. I think me and sarah are offically addicted to the casino after our night there (I played blackjack for hours and broke even. It was too fun!)! Aaron introduced us one drunken night to the Eye-Toy on his playstation and that entertained us for hours!! I think we were all SUPER sore the next day! I would highly suggest playing this any time you are drunk! Molly went home on saturday for her wedding and she'll be gone for about 3 weeks. So, I'm left to fend for myself for a few weeks---can't wait to hear all about the wedding and see my beanie in her dress. I'm sure she's just stunning. After we dropped molly at the airport, me, sarah and connor took a drive towards the mountains until we were surrounded by snow! It was fabulous!! We even got out and had a bit of a play in it---though it wasn't quite wet enough to make a snowman. I've been doing my best to follow the worldcup--even if it means waking up at crazy hours. Kind of like how it was 4 years ago! This morning me and Cristina (the German girl we met at the hostel) met up at 6:45 and went to a German cafe for the game. Tough loss. Events that are yet to come---I think friday I may be going out with some girls from the soccer team, then saturday me and the girls from the hostel are off to the ALL BLACKS game!! WHOO!! Super excited about that one! Then, who knows after that. Another week of work and then maybe a little weekend trip to somewhere with snow. I'll try to do better about keeping this up to date!

Johnny, congrats on graduation! I can't believe you're graduating! It seems like yesterday when we were were all in the back seat driving to our next summer destination---and you're feet weren't able to touch the ground (come to think of it, neither were mine!). Hope all is well on the homefront!

(It's killing me to not mention the most exciting news of all!! Can someone please let me know if the secret is out to everyone yet so I can spill it all!!!!!!?????)

The latest from Christchurch!

2006-05-29T15:50:00.000+12:00

Before I forget, here is the land line number that goes with our new flat: 3(city code) 376 4610

We've only been in the new place for a few days but it's been great so far. Our flattie, Aaron, is great-- as is our (his) kitty, Cleo! Molly started her job last week and my job as an accounts assistant starts thursday! It's about time for a little income! Our first NZ job has held us through almost 4 months! I've also joined a few soccer teams which I'm super excited about! The team is Burnside and I'm playing for both the division 1 team and the premeir team! Don't let the names throw you off--the teams are nothing flash. But it's great to be back in it and the girls have been really accepting so it's all good. I also have an indoor team I can jump in with if practices are ever canceled. Last week, I played 2 back-to-back indoor games and had practice the next day. Then, I had 2 games this weekend. I feel like a train ran me over---a few times. It's almost sad how much I let myself get out of shape. Though it really puts in perspective just how fit I used to be!! The games slowly but surly coming back and hopefully I'll have my legs back soon. But regardless, it's nice to re-join the world of smelly shinguards and random bruises.

Next weekend is the Queen's B-day and the Phil will be gracing christchurch with his fast-running-ass. He'll be kicking some booty in the marathon and we're super excited that we finally get to see him doing it! Then we'll hopefully make it back to Welly for a fun weekend with the crew before he head's back home (*tear*). There will be plenty of World Cup action to keep us awake and no matter what C.P says, he will be watching with us!

Me and Mol also met a great group of girls at the hostel we were staying at. We all went out to watch the Super 14 Rugby Final on Saturday and had a blast and are planning an international dinner night this week (we got me and mol, 2 irish girls, a german, and a finish).

That's about all I have to report for now! Hope all is well with everyone!

Christchurch it is!

2006-05-23T12:30:00.000+12:00

Okay, we have yet another address!! But this one should be for at least the next 2 months!!

64 Scruttons Rd.
Heathcote Valley, Christchurch

We'll be moving into the flat this weekend---it's a really nice, fully furnished place! Complete with great views, our own section of the house (our own bathroom), and an ADORABLE kitty!!!! We're just a LITTLE excited that we won't have to steal a cat from the neighbors to fill that animal void of ours!! The jobs are coming---hopefully sooner then later! More later. Hope all is well with everone!

Congrats to all the graduates in my life! Jessica, Stevie---I can't believe it! I'm so proud of you guys!! Amanda and all you Rice peeps---I can't believe how fast this year flew by!! CONGRATS! ;) (oh, and ash, congrats on your 1 year in the real world!)

STAND BY...

2006-05-11T12:59:00.000+12:00

It's possible that we'll need to say goodbye to this beautiful little place we found here in Wanaka so if you were planning on sending anything to our new address, hold off for a bit! Things pretty much shut down for the next month until the winter crowd comes through and we're not sure we can wait that long to start a job. So, we may need to pack our stuff up and head to a bigger city where we know we can land jobs. Everything is up in the air right now so I'll let you know what the plan is as soon as we know.

hope all is well!

Okay, so the decision to move to Christchurch is just about final and if all goes according to this (new) plan, we'll be there in the next 2 weeks or so. Now for those of you that are bummed (on our behalf) about this little side-step, don't be!!! Yes, we are a little saddened to leave this beautiful town and cute little apartment (which had a view of SNOW PEAKED mountains this morning) behind, we've weighed everything and feel like a move to chch is a good one! Although I'm sure we could get jobs here eventually, we'd have to wait it out for at least a month and a half and while we aren't completely pressed for money yet, we can't really afford to be out traveling around either. So we'd basically be waiting, doing nothing, until a job comes up. So, we are going to go to chch, get a job and make some money, find a flat (although we love our place here, it'll be good to have flatmates again not to mention internet and a landline), and get into the culture of a new city. Then, when molly comes back from the wedding (she'll be gone for july) we can hit up some ski mountains and see the south covered in snow. So, we're excited about this little hiccup and love the fact that we have the flexibilty to do this. So, DON'T be bummed for us b/c we aren't bummed at all!!!!

We may be heading to queenstowns this weekend so we can throw ourselves off a bridge for Molly's b-day! Happy's Mother's day to all the mother's (and especially mine! :)).

Wanaka, New Zealand

2006-05-04T14:38:00.000+12:00

Greetings from the little ski town of Wanaka in the south island! The mother and big bro have successfully made it back to the US of A after a great 10 day visit to me and molly (which happened to fall on my birthday! What a great gift! :)). Despite a few days of mucky weather, the trip was great and the weather seemed to clear up at the perfect times. We loaded up everyone into mills and gave ry and mom a little taste of the traveler's life! It didn't take long for them to completely lose track of the day and time---that's the way we like it round here! Once again I can't possibly write about it all but our first time visit to franz joseph and fox glaciers was a definite highlight, as was our walk around Matheson lake in which we could see a beautiful reflection of Mount Cook in the water. The weather held out just long enough for us to see the snow-covered peaks of the mountains and then poured down on us for our walk to the terminal face of fox glacier. But there was no stopping us! Not even the rapid streams (which would probably be all but nonexistent in fine weather) could stop this crowd---, and the rain made the rainforest-like surroundings of the glacier breathtaking (waterfalls everywhere!). We had 2 days of rainfall when we stayed in Wanaka but the beautiful cottage we had (what-up Roge!) made up for it! Then I ALMOST convinced ry that jumping off a bridge was a fabulous idea but time was just not on my side! I nearly had him convinced and the lady came out announcing "last jumps" and I just couldn't get it down it time! I'm sure he regrets it already :) There will be other times. After our brief visit to Queenstown, we took off to Manapori where we loaded onto an overnight cruise through Doubtful sound. Somehow, as soon as we got out to the sounds, the weather turned brilliant (it must have been the beachy music and sunnies in the car ride) and stayed that way the entire trip. Nearly as soon as we starting sailing away, a big pod of dolphins started running with the boat and only attracted more!! We were entertained by dolphins jumping LIKE CRAZY for a good 30 mintues!! Dolphins make me happy!! And these guys were out to play for REAL!! We had an amazing sunset that night (and have a ridiculous amount of pics to prove it!), a beautiful star-filled night sky, and then a great sunrise the next morning. Everything on the boat was great! After the crusie, we made our way back to CHCH stopping at Dunedin for 2 nights (where my poor bro FINALLY got to go out for a little bit!) and then at a little town where we saw 2 ADORABLE little yellow-eyed penguins! I could watch them waddle and hop around for hours! It was great having you guys here!!! Miss you already! :)

It is now back to me, mol and mills and we have made our way back to Wanaka--where we now live!! Despite the competiveness of this place in the winter, we managed to score a great little flat. Well, it's more of a unit then a flat. It's just me and molly living there but we have 4 people our age living right above us. It has everything we need (aka, a self-contained unit), though there has been talk of building our own shelves and table! It's small but really modern and has ridiculously awesome views of the mountains. We can only imagine what it will look like when the mountains are covered in snow. So, our new address:

77 Matai Road (downstairs)
Wanaka 9192 NZ

We are still waiting to hear about jobs but have made ourselves known to the ski places and are prepared to be a thorn in their sides until they hire us! :)

also, there are new pictures up under janelle's family visit
http://photos.yahoo.com/mollyfoos

PICS

2006-04-20T11:53:00.000+12:00

We put some more pictures on the website under South Island

http://photos.yahoo.com/mollyfoos

Mom and Ry get in this afternoon so I'll probably be away from email for a while!! Hope all is well on the homefront!

lovelove

Livin' it up down south

2006-04-10T20:18:00.000+12:00

Greetings from the end of the road (quite literally) holiday park near Farewell Spit. The woman here felt sorry for us b/c apparently it's too wet and cold to sleep in a tent--so she handed over the keys to a small trailer for the price of a tent site. Think white trash trailer. Are you thinking about it? Fabulous---that's where we will be resting our heads tonight. No worries, we already took pictures. Anyhoo, jumping back a bit. The Foos fam arrived safe and their 10 day NZ adventure has come and gone. Talk about a change of pace! The girlies got spoiled! From the hotels with awesome views (be it over a glacier, a lake or some ginormous mountain) to the flights over top Milford Sound and Mount Cook, to paragliding (translation: running off a cliff and hoping your parachute catches the wind. Ok, maybe a slight exageration :) ) , to the boat rides with beautiful views (not to mention cute dolphins!), to great meals, and great company. All in all, it was fabulous! And no worries, through all the spoiling, we never lost sight of our "roots". We have plenty of shampoos, soaps, creams, sewing kits and whatever else from hotels to prove it! Pretty sure Mrs. Foos even helped us stash away a few rolls of toilet paper so we'd be prepared when we returned to the wilderness! We miss you guys already and it was great spending time together! Abby, we miss your jokes (she's the funny one folks! ;) ).

Me and mol have since made our way back to the top to the south island where we spent a few days in Marlbourgh Sounds, and then moved on to Nelson and are now as far as one can go on the Northwest side of the south island. We haven't been up to too much lately. A lot of flat and job hunting mostly. We are pretty sure we want to settle down in a flat and get a job for the winter season. We're hoping to work at a ski resort or ski mountain or something of the sorts but it's tough to get in so we aren't getting our hopes too high. Tomorrow we are heading to the Abel Tasman national park and the following day we're doing the coastal walk that is meant to be one of the best! We've been slacking on our tramping lately and have cheeks to prove it :) So, it's back to climbing mountains and hills for us! Such a rough life! The mother and big bro are due in on April 21st! Whoop whoop!!! :) Super excited for that! I'm so stoked that my brother is coming that I'm going to be ever so kind and let him have his pick: jump out of a plane or jump off of a bridge!! :)

Okay, off to the trailer home! I'll be in touch again soon! Hope all is well! Love and miss you guys.

Home sweet home!

2006-03-19T09:42:00.000+12:00

The girls (that includes Mills) and Russel have made it safe and sound back to 29a Monowai!! We were dancing in the car for the last stretch of the ride b/c we were so super excited about getting back and seeing our long lost flatties! Connor P...check. Sarah F....check. Misty...check. New, cute, orange cat....check!! There is a Pom (one Philip Dickens) missing from 29a but after he gets his fill of the Common Wealth games in Melbourne, he'll be back with us! For the time being, he was nice enough to hand his room and oh so comfy bed (our old room and bed) over to me and mol! So, for the next few days, we'll be here--catching up on email, doing laundry, unpacking and repacking, cleaning the heck out of Mills (who has been such a trooper for the entire trip and must have an inch of dust built up inside and out from all the gravel, dirt roads she oh so ruggedly conquered)...and just enjoying time with the flatties!!
Just a note that we "fell back" last night so we are now only 17 hours ahead of EST and you guys should be ready to "spring forward" soon so then we will only be 16 hours ahead of you! A little confusing but I'm sure you'll get it!! Oh, I almost forgot to write about the last few days of our trip! I'll try to keep it short! We did a trip in the Waitomo caves which involved getting dressed in a RIDICULOUS outfit, abseiling down a shaft to a huge cave below, floating around in the dark and getting an upclose look at all the glowworms (which were awesome! It looked like a planetarium), squeezing ourselves through some small limestone formations, and then rock climbing oursleves back out of the cave! All in all, a great trip!! We then made our way back to Taupo where we took a plane 13,000 feet above the lake (and it was such a clear day we could see clear across to the coast) and flung ourselves out. See mom, aren't you glad you didn't know about it until AFTER I was safe on the ground? That's gotta be worth something!!! It was awesome!! I reackon even better then the first jump (on my 18th b-day). This time around, I had a better grasp of what was going on and was able to focus more on the fact that I was falling at 170mph to the ground below. A great feeling, really! Molly loved it and spent the rest of the night beaming (after having a few glasses of well deserved wine) "I jumped out of a plane". It was awesome and one day I'm going to convince the big bro to do it...no sense arguring ry, it's gonna happen. :). The next day, we lounged by the lake before driving over to Turangi--got an early nights sleep and woke the next morning at 5:30am. We were shuttled to a dropoff point of the Tongariro Crossing (a tramp that is listed as 7-8 hours that takes you over 2 active volcanoes, to an altitude of over 1600 meters, down to the craters, past the crater lakes, and over the hot springs) and started the day long tramp before the sun even came up. By the time the sun came up, we were about an hour along and had a beautiful view! The most difficult part of the Crossing came soon after that and we spent a couple hours climbing over the loose, steep terrain. By the time we reached the top, the temperature had dropped a ridiculous amount, the fog had rolled in, and we were straining to stand up aganist the wind! Before long, we had layers of clothing on, complete with gloves and hat! We reached a part that is known as the scree slope and we basically dug our heels in and slide down. The weather cleared a bit a few hours later and it was a great view but I think the challenge of it was the best part. We got to the end nearly 7 hours later and are still feeling the fatigue in our legs!! Okay, I think that pretty much covers it!! We have a hungry Sarah F here that we need to feed!! Hope all is well!!

Love and miss you!!
PS-feel free to call the house number (64 4 934 4580) for the next few days!

Boats, boats, and more boats :)

2006-03-13T19:26:00.000+13:00

Hello again! We've made it to the well known surf town of Raglan on the west coast and I thought I'd take some time to give some updates! We've done lots since the last time I wrote, got a nice luxurious stay at the Hyatt Hotel courtesy of Mols sister and husband and actually got dressed to go out for 2 meals. It was a nice change! Took the ferry to Waiheke Island (off the Auckland coast) where we hired bikes (and when i say hired, I mean we got them free!! Sweet!) And rode out to Vineyard Valley for some vineyard tours and wine tasting. Lets just say that riding back down the steep gravel driveway was a bit of a laugh! Once again, I can't possibly get into all that we've done but I have to write about the boats. About a week ago we got out to the tiny town, (its more of just a marina) of Tutukaka and planned a dive trip out to the Poor Knights Islands. It's ment to be the best diving in NZ and we just couldnt pass it up. Though, we werent expecting too much b/c NZ really isnt known for its diving spots. It was an all day trip with two dives and the weather couldnt have been worse! It was raining down on us the whole day and choppy is a huge understatment. The company we were with was the only company that went out that day. Neither me or mol are susceptible to sea sickness but we were definitley feeling it that day. But enough of the bad stuff! Once we got under the water, it was amazing! We decided to go with a guide and she was totally kickass! We were only in a group of four and we had a blast! The color was amazing and a huge 5 meter (tip to tip) Manta Ray gave us a little visit. They are super rare here and it was the buzz on the boat. One guy even burned both his tanks on the first dive. Back on the boat it was freezing and raining but it wasnt long before we were back in the water for our second dive--which was even better than the first:) We swam through a tunnel and were able to surface on the other side of it in this little cavern type thing. It was beautiful!

After our trip we drove up to the Bay of Islands where we had reservations on the Rock, an overnight cruise aimed at backpackers. It was another highlight for sure! We loaded up at 5pm, got in our rooms (bunk rooms) met the crew, and our fellow cruisers. It was a young group with the majority of people being Brits. Soon after we started sailing we had a shooting competition with the target being a plastic bottle tied to the back of the boat. Good fun!! After about an hour or two of crusing around the islands (as the sun was settting--it was amazing) we anchored up and started fishing for our dinner (snapper). Mol was the first to catch a fish and she got a free drink for it(but it was too small to keep). I brought up the first keeper!! Me and mol were reeling them in like crazy but most were too small to keep. About half way through our fishing, a pod of dolphin swam all around the boat. If i didn't know better I would swear they were straight out of SeaWorld! They were jumping, flipping, and diving like it was there job. They gave us a good 15 min show, it was awesome!! We had a grin from ear to ear:) We did a bit more fishing before getting ready for dinner. Steak, sausages, salad, veggies, mussels, and the snapper we caught. It was a late dinner and by the time we were done it was almost 10pm and time for our night kayaking trip. Our guide took us out to a spot where the phosphorescent were crazy! For anyone who has read Deception Point, these were the things glowing in the extraction hole. That part of the book made so much more sense after that little adventure. The paddles of our kayaks lit up like they were sprayed with 'glow in the dark'. As the moon went down a bit (around midnight) the more daring of the group jumped in for a night swim (cold, really dark and shark stores...Would you be keen??!) When I went in there were only 2 others in and we did the slowest lap ever around the boat, and this isnt exactly a small boat. It was a bit freaky but such an awesome feeling. After a bit of convincing, Mol joined in---though she didnt bring herself to make the swim around the boat. The phosphorescents were even brighter than before and my body glowed as I swam, i was pretty mezmorized! The next day we had breakfast waiting for us and soon after had another pod of dolphin visit us. They werent as active as the other but got closer and swam right under the boat! Nearly enough for us to reach out and touch them. We crusied around for a bit before anchoring up and taking the kayaks over to an island where we walked up to an awesome lookout, ate our lunch, and did some snorkling. It was a really full trip and we had such a blast! The skipper spent a good amount of time with us and a map---giving us pointers on where to go next.

So we made our way further up north for some awesome scenery and some sandboarding. Sandboarding, for those of you who are clueless is basically sliding down giant sand dunes on boogie boards. The dune we were on was probably about 20 meters high and steep as hell when looking down from the top. But you just have to get a running start and flop yourself down on the board---trying to keep your eyes open and mouth closed before skimming out on the water. Hilarious!! We then decided to take a bit of a detour and drive back to the other coast for another dive trip. We loved it so much we just had to give it another go! The Poor Knights has a crazy amount of dive sights and we were able to go to 2 different places than our first trip. This time around Mol and I went off without a guide. It was awesome! We still cant get over how colorful it was. The first dive had a pretty big surge going on, so it challenged us a bit---but it was only a small little hicup. Saw some great fish, huge rays, and lots of different moray eels. But we were in love with the life on the walls ( I have a new love of nudibrachs!!) It was like nothing we've seen. Another great 2 dives and if we had the time we'd probably do it again and again. We had a drink and some dinner with the guides from our first trip and got the whole scoop on their kickass jobs (as dive masters) We are now back on the west coast with about 7 days to go before wanting to be back in Welly. Next on the list?? Black water rafting (going on the underground tunnels on an inner tube---looking at the limestone and glowworms) skydiving in Taupo, and doing a 7 hour tramp on the Tongoriro Crossing. Before we know it, we'll be back in Welly catching up with the flatties (who we miss too much!), our little Misty (who better not have been replaced by the orange one) and awaiting the Foos family! Hope all is well at home, things couldnt be better here! Ron and Karen, I'm more addicted than I was a few months ago--if thats even possible. Hope you are prepared to handle the fanatic that I'm turning into!

Love

Alive and Well :)

2006-02-25T22:53:00.000+13:00

Hello, Hello!!! Not that I’m counting, but we’ve officially spent the last 22 nights sleeping in our tent (who is tenderly known as Russell or Russ) and living out of Millie (that would be our car). And for those of you who have ever doubted my camping skills, you may like to know that it even rained on us the first 9 nights. Despite the muddy nights & mornings, the girls and Russell pulled through & we now consider ourselves campin’, trampin’ fools! Our lifestyle has been such that a 10 or $12/night tent site at a holiday park (they have kitchen, shower and toilet facilities) is a luxurious treat. Holiday Parks are fabulous but we try to stay at the cheap “basic” campgrounds—which range in price from free to $9/night. Our record so far? Nine days w/o a shower! Now, b/4 you go and get too disgusted, we were camping right on a beautiful river—which became our bath for several days. It’s amazing how clean you can feel after a dip in a chilly, freshwater river!
I can’t possibly give details about all that we’ve done but it’s all been amazing. We feel so free & most of the time, don’t even know what day it is. After all, everyday is a weekend in our world! Not sure how I’ll get a job after this! We’ve had some great scenic drives (just wait until our mothers see some of these excuses for roads!) & had our first NZ road block (picture seeing a sheet of white in front of you and then realizing you have to stop in the middle of the road to allow a herd of sheep rush past you) the 2nd day of the trip. We’ve done some serious tramping—hours at a time & sometimes multiple times a day—past beautiful waterfalls, streams, rivers and trees to some awesome views and lookouts. We spent a lot of time in Lake Taupo where we attempted to jump out of a plane for V-Day but the weather wasn’t cooperating & we decided to hold off for a while. The Lake itself was beautiful—nothing like the lakes I know at home. The water was crystal clear and the backdrop was amazing. Lake Placid crew---you guys would LOVE it! We even found an awesome hot spring that made for a nice treat after all the bathing in the freezing river! Did a white water rafting trip which was a good mix of peaceful, scenic, and adventurous! Mol might try to convince you that I fell out of the raft but there are no pics to prove it and we were assured before the trip that only 3% of the ppl fall out—so no need to listen to her ridiculous stories! Both Taupo and Rotorua (our stop after Taupo) are high geothermal areas so we saw (and smelt) our fair share of cool geothermal activity-- Boiling mud pools, hot streams, geysers, steaming craters, and colored lakes & waterfalls. We also went to “White Island” (off the coast of Whakatane) which is NZ’s only active marine volcano. Complete with hard hats, gas masks & instructions on what to do in case of an eruption, we got a tour of the island and all its active volcano components. We’ve seen some beautiful beaches, each one different from the last. We attempted to do a dive trip near Cathedral Cove but the visibility was crap and there was a pretty big swell so we have to hope to get at least one good diving opportunity before we leave. Our last road trip took us to the very tip of the Coramandel Peninsula to a campsite at Stony Bay. It was an hour drive on a narrow, windey (ya know, lots of curves! Have I gone my whole life thinking that was a word??!!), gravel road and was absolutely beautiful. It was so remote & untouched. The stars were unreal and the views from Russell were breathtaking. We cooked our dinner over the fire (no worries CP, we usually use our cooker!) and ate while we watched some dolphins playing and jumping out in the ocean.
As for now, we’ve made it to Auckland and have just about a month to do the rest of the North Island before we meet the Foos family back in Welly. We’ve put some pics on Yahoo---(http://photos.yahoo.com/mollyfoos) unfortunately, they don’t do anything justice (and they are not in order! No time for that, sorry!) but I guess that’s always the way it is. Hope all is well at home—you’re all in my thoughts and of course I miss you! Thanks for all the phone calls (ash-that was the best surprise!) I’ve been getting—keep them up!

Hugs and Kisses J Take care of you
(and Dawn, I’ll try and check out your old house and get a pic for you!!)

And we're off!

2006-01-31T22:38:00.000+13:00

Just wanted to make a post to let everyone know that the time has come!! Me and Mol have managed to pack up all our stuff and have loaded up the civic! It was no small task---we have stuff hidden all over the house and needed an entire box just to put our UNEEDED shoes in. We brought SO MUCH stuff with us!! The majority of which will be kept here at Monowai storage while we go off around the north island. :).

For those of you who want to track our progress around the north, our first stop will be in Masterton (which is not even a 1.5 hour drive! But there's lots to see and we want to take our time seeing everything!). We'll probably only stay there for a night then it's off to Napier where we'll prolly stay for about a week or so. From there, we'll be playing it by ear. We are armed with every possible map of NZ, our pocket knives, and our camping gear---and are ready to have some good times!! We won't be in touch as much but we'll have our cell phones and will be able to update the blog every now and then. We plan to camp most nights but we'll definitely "splurge" on a hostel every now and then. And once we get to Auckland, we have a certificate to stay in the Hyatt Hotel courtesy of Mol's sis and hubby!

Take care!! Love and Miss you :)

A reminder about my cell phone--if you use an international calling card, the number (including the country code and stuff) to reach me is:
011 64 27 335 0824
Incoming calls are free but for us to dial out is whoa expensive! So for those of you who I've been able to call pretty often, you need to step it up the next 2 months :) Especially those of you who have the number to my calling cards!! They'll expire by the time I get back to the states so use 'em!!!

2006-01-19T10:39:00.000+13:00

Molly has updated our pictues at http://photos.yahoo.com/mollyfoos

the new ones are under "New Welly"

Think left, think left, think left (side of the road that is)

2006-01-10T20:02:00.000+13:00

Our new baby!!!
Come on Ash, do you think I would have forgotten about your picture??!! This one's for you dear!! :) (we had to take about 5 before molly could get her tough face on!) The swing bridge at Kaitoke---the freezing river below!
Our little Misty--who is currently snoozin on the couch as I type! She's going to be hard to leave behind! Even miss "i don't really like cats" (aka Molly) loves her!!! She's just a little one Ry!!!
Well, as you can see, WE DID IT!!! We got a car!! Our third visit to the auction proved to be successful and we drove away in our new Honda Civic! We are currently trying to come up with a name so if you have any suggestions, throw them this way! She's been good to us so far and we can only hope that she treats us well for the next 8 months or so. We had our first offical driving lesson last night courtesy of the one and only Sarah F :). She was a fabulous teacher and calmly explained everything to us---from making it through a roundabout safely to giving way to the correct cars from the correct directions. It's a bit weird driving on the "wrong" side of the road and I reckon it will take some getting used to (for example, the blinkers and the wipers are on opposite sides--) but it's awesome!

Hope everyone's Christmas was great. We had a great holiday over here--and were oh so spoiled! Sarah and Connor got us tons of cool camping stuff for our upcoming adventure, and sarah put lots of little treats in a stocking for us and put it on our pillows. When we turned down the covers to go to sleep, we were so surprised---there might have been tears in our eyes it was so cute! We had roast chicken and veggies for our x-mas eve meal and a big egg and bacon brekkie on x-mas morning. Of course it was tough being away from the fam, but it was a special holiday nonetheless. The day after x-mas we had a special little visitor that I'm sure someone brought to us to fill the animal void we've had in our lives lately. This cute little kitty ran into the house and has hardly left since. She belongs to the neighbors but I'm pretty sure she is here more then there. We've named her Misty (even though the neighbors call her LuLu :) ) and she was just what we needed to fill that little void we had! She's been sleeping at the foot of our bed through the night and she plays with us every day after work (she's really entertaining!).

On Boxing Day (day after x-mas), we went to Kaitoke with all the flatties and had our first new zealand camping experience. The park was beautiful and we spent time swimming in the FREEZING river, lounging on the rocks, and playing frisbee! It was a nice little getaway.

We have recently got our sleeping bags and our tent!!! We were super excited about this and wasted no time in setting it all up! As soon as we got home, the tent went up in the living room! We love it!

Now that January has rolled around, so also has the summer festivities in Welly. They have heaps of free events going on around the city that we are pumped about. This weekend we went to a beach volleyball pro tour that was going on at the city beach. Some of the teams were awesome and it was lots of fun to watch!! The American girls team actually made it to the finals. Crazy. There is also live music going on for the next month or so in the botanical gardens (which also has a sepcial light show going on).Rreally looking forward to an X-games type event going on at the waterfront and a graffetti competition. We also have a fabulous, luxurious, getaway to look forward to thanks to the parentals and big bro! We are SO excited about our upcoming massages and manicures! Not to mention our stay in an awesome hotel, complete with dinner and breakfast the next morning! Do you think the hotel staff will believe that we really are backpackers!!!???

JULES and JARROD are coming in Thursday and we can't wait! HURRY UP AND GET HERE GUYS!!!

That's all from here for now (even though I feel like there is SO much more! Sorry for slacking with the blog!) Only 7 days left of work and not many more here at 29a.

love and miss you guys!

oh--and p.s.

2005-12-23T13:20:00.000+13:00

I don't know how I forgot this is my last entry---or what made me think of it right now (perhaps looking out from my 14th floor view at work and thinking about all the stories I've heard about the way this building can SWAY when an earthquake hits). Anyhoo, we experienced our first earthquake a few nights ago!! And when I say "we experienced" I really mean Molly experienced and I sat there with absolutely NO CLUE. I was sitting on the couch--glued to the episode of CSI (or SVU...one of those shows that takes over me), molly was in the room and Connor was on the phone. I had no idea what had gone on until Connor said "no one even got excited for that?? Can we at least get a 'whoop, whoop' for the earthquake?"!! I was pissed! It was a 4.something by us---which is not that big....but plenty big enough that you shouldn't be able to just sit completely oblivious through it. I did. But according to Mol, it felt like someone was running down the hall, and then it felt like someone was shaking the house. Haha. Typing that out makes me laugh! HOW IN THE HELL DID I MISS THAT?!!? So, if you've ever tried talking to me while I was watching CSI or SVU and you got mad at me for not having any response to you, please take comfort in the fact that you probably could have SHAKEN me and I still wouldn't have responded. That is all. Back to my newspaper!

CHRISTMAS EVE IS TOMORROW!!! MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR :)

And the plan is...

2005-12-20T18:38:00.000+13:00

Well, Christmas is fast approaching and I can't believe it! Where has the time gone? I don't want to make this too long but now that me and molly have a plan, I wanted to fill everyone in! Now, when I say a plan, I really just mean direction! We are all about playing things by ear.
First on our agenda is a car---it is a work in progress and we would LOVE to have one by the time Jules and Jarrod get here (12 Jan!!) but I guess it won't be the end of the world if we had to wait a bit longer. Our last day of work is 20 Jan and we couldn't be more excited! We have done a great job of saving up and are ready to spend it all on NZ adventures!! We are going to hit the road towards the end of Jan/beg. of Feb. and head up the North Island. We have started looking at tents, sleeping bags and other camping gear b/c we made an excutive decision to "rough it" for the next 2 months!! We may have to cough up some money on gear (tent, etc) but from our calculations, it will pay for itself in the first week at least (compare the price of a camp ground at $2-$5 to a hostel at $18-$28). We couldn't be more excited about this and are both getting a bit antsy (phil, that means we are really excited!!!). We are going to take 2 months to explore the entire north island---moving up the east coast and back down the west coast. The weather will be nice and warm and perfect for the beaches that are the north island. We'll be back here in Welly at the end of March--just in time for Molly's family to come visit and get in a reunion with the 29a flatmates. Then, it's down the south island where we will prepare for some INTENSE tramping experiences and crazy views (the north island has plenty but the south is known for it's SICK views and daredevil activities!).

So, for those of you who have been slacking on the blog, I promise it will get hella more exciting as we load everything into our little car (that we have yet to own) and make our way up the north island! Stories and beautiful pics are sure to follow! Although, getting to a computer will more a bit more difficult! If I dont talk to you, have a great Christmas---miss and love you!

next time you hear from me here, it will hopefully be to tell you that we have a car and are hitting the road!!

pics to go along with last blog!

2005-12-15T19:54:00.000+13:00

The little balloon friend that Phil left behind for us! Me and Mol at Phil's farewell dinner
The cave wetter!! Just imagine hundreds of these guys crawling right above your head!
Me and Phil outside Westpac stadium before the big cricket game
The cricket game!
More pics on http://photos.yahoo.com/mollyfoos

Just a lil' tidbit

2005-12-09T13:24:00.000+13:00

Hi all :) Well, it is slowly but surely starting to look like christmas over here! Well, not really at all seeing as it gets warmer each day. But the decorations are going up, the music has started, and the tree with our popcorn (which me may have to guard from connor so he doesn't eat them in the middle of the night ;) ) and pasta ornaments is soon to come! Not much going on besides work these days but I thought I'd fill you in on a few fun happenings!

CAVE WETTERS!! :-O
A few weekends ago, we had a flat outing to the top of Mt. KauKau---late at night. It was a fun walk and a fab-tabulous view of the city lights. Somewhere on our walk back down, it became a great idea to re-visit the creepy tunnel that me and mol found a few weeks before. I think me and connor MIGHT have had something to do with that brilliant idea. So, we started the creepy trek up the pitch dark mountain with locked arms--no one wanting to be the last in the group. When we got to the tunnel, Connor bravely took off in to it with his torch and we all followed. Now, if you recall (see the pic in previous blog!), this tunnel was not that tall. We had to hunch down to fit into it. I think we were all preoccupied with fairy-tale scares (aka...ghosts) that the possibility of this cave being a bug haven just sort of slipped our minds. So, we get about half way into this thing and Conner happens to point his torch towards the ceiling (which, mind you, is really close to our heads)---it was CRAWLING with cave wetters! A creature that was new to the American kids and hated by the leader of the group! We all got the ebby jibbies and hi-tailed it out of there. I'll put a pic of this thing on my site soon...it was large...very large...and they were EVERYWHERE....and UGH! Sarah proved to be a great sport when mol looked at her with this look of terror on her face and told sarah "oh my god, DON'T move!". Everyone thought sarah had one of these creepy things on her...and mol started laughing. I would have cried, of thrown her back into the cave of something....but sarah just shook it off!! That night, I woke up to a spider on my face---and no, I wasn't dreaming it. I flicked the thing off me, then found it and killed it. Unlike me to kill a hramless spider---just happened to pick the wrong night to craml on my face!

Cricket players are wankers!!!
Me, mol and Phill took a day off of work and had our first cricket experience (well, it was a first for me and mol). When Phil first told me the game would go on from 2pm until 10pm, I laughed--thinking that there was no way in hell I would stay there for that long. All I could think about was baseball on steriods--and lets face it, baseball is not the most exciting sport to watch (unless it's a rice championship game and you are so excited that you dump your beer all over the person next to you!! --sorry amanda!! :)). Anyhoo, the game turned out to be awesome! The crowd was hilarious as were some of their outfits (we had some singlets, some rally looking boys--and some other crazy drunk people wearing things they couldn't have possibly been comfrotable in!). Soon after we were there, everyone broke out into a "ricky is a wanker" cheer that continued on and off for the entire 8 hour game! Hilarious. It was a crazy close game--Australia beat us by only 2 runs and it came down to the 2nd to last ball of the last over (for those of you that, like me a few days ago, know nothing about cricket, that's really freakin close!). So, yes, we did stay for the entire game...and it was awesome! And me and Mol are now experts and no longer need to ask Phil 1001 questions....

Speaking of the Phil
The Phil has somehow managed to pack up all his stuff and this morning left us to continue on his journey. We've all shared a similar sucky-ness about traveling. You meet great people, you become really close in a short about of time, you have so many great times together, and then someone leaves. That's just the way it goes but i have no doubt that we'll all meet again! Before he left, we had a flat dinner and Phil graciously got us all great gifts! And, we'll have a constant reminder of him as long as we have balloons in the flat. (Balloons became 'a thing' with us and we are all slightly obsessed with them. They make us laugh...it's the little things!). Phil is famous for writing on the balloons and dressing them up somehow & he left us a smiling balloon that is saying "I bet I'll make it til christmas" with a little hat on. Like I said---the little things!

Well, it's back to my work day! Have I mentioned that I love Mufty friday's?!

I'm glad mr/mrs anoymous is having fun with this!!!

Happy belated Turkey Day!!

2005-11-28T13:30:00.000+13:00

Who was the anonymous that signed my blog a while back?!?! The escaped convict look?! Ring any bells! Sign your names!!! It makes my day to see comments everyone leave---but I'm a horrible guesser!!!

Well, Turkey day has come and gone and I hope it was just fabulous for everyone! For those of you I got to talk to, it was great to hear your voices! Me and molly had a moment of sadness when we called home to our familes. I think it made it worse b/c while everyone was together, we were at work. So, we shared a virtual hug, shed some tears, and got on with our day. Our Turkey day was on Saturday and we spent all day cooking up a feast to give our flatmates a little taste of home! Things that would have been simple in the states seemed to be a bit more difficult over here. The fact that they don't have pumpkin puree (and we couldn't let thanksgiving come and go without Connor P getting a taste of pumpkin pie), stuffing croutons, normal pie crust or a pie dish for that matter (sweet pies are hard to come by--if they have pie, it's usually filled with meat!), marshmellows (we had to go to 2 stores before we found ones that would do for candied yams!), or half and half, made things a bit more difficult! But, we had made our menu and we were determined to stick to it! Turkey, stuffing, mashed patatoes, gravy, cranberries, candied yams, breaded carrots, greenbeans, pumpkin pie and apple pie! I have to say, we weren't overly confident about how things would turn out, afterall, neither of us had really helped out cooking thanksgiving before, let alone done everything from start to finish! And by Connor's "have you guys ever cooked before" question, I don't think he was too confident either!!(we even bought a packet of cheap gravy in case we screwed that part up!) hehe. But, I have to say, we pulled it off! And we did it all---everything from making out own stuffing croutons to pureeing (is that a word!??) our own pumpkin. The turkey was a little dry but for 2 first timers, I think we did a dang good job!
Molly made up some thanksgiving activites for everyone, including some triva that really brought out the kid in all of us---Phil was caught redhanded cheating from Connor's paper (the look of determination in his eyes and the speed of his writing made us certain he had done it before...), innocent little Sarah worked dilengtly on her triva questions with confidence that her dad had taught her all there was to know about Thanksgiving--we never would have guessed that when she took a break and wondered off she had gone searching for the answer key---which she carried back to the table all stealth-like! I of course just sat there like a good little girl and answered the questions---but they all tried to disqualify me for taking too long. As for Connor---well, he was busy showing the German's around the house while trying to convince them that we were actually fairly normal people despite all the screaming and laughing going on!

Which brings me to the next topic---new flatmates! The German couple, despite our strange behavior has decided to move in! We are all a bit excited---and between the 5 of us, we are bound to come up with a few German words. Which, will probably be needed since neither of them speak very good english! So, it should be interesting to say the least! They seem nice and after a little breaking in, fun too! If you know any German (other then bad words and "yes, exactly"---we've got those covered) throw them my way!

Hope everyone had a great Turkey Day! Love you :)

Fun times at 29a

2005-11-20T12:07:00.000+13:00

more pics added to http://photos.yahoo.com/mollyfoos

ps--The B has officially moved out!! New flatmate to come! :)

Just smile and nod...

2005-11-16T13:50:00.000+13:00

It's lunch time over here on this side of the world and I'm using the strong winds as an excuse not to go for my lunch time run! The hour that we get for lunch is fabulous!! At first I didn't even know what to do with myself---it seemed like forever! I thought about cutting it down to 30min and getting payed for the extra half hour but I have since decided that it makes the day fly by when you go for a run (or blog, read the newspaper, or trashy magazines that seem to rule this place, or meet with mol in the park!) for an hour in the middle of the day! Anyhoo! Work is going well--my boss asked me a few days ago if I would feel comfrontable answering the phones when things got busy. I'm pretty sure my voice was shaking the first few times but I'm starting to get used to it and am kind of loving it! One thing I learned really quickly is that you can't just smile and nod when you talk on the phone. The whole 'just smile and nod' has gotten me by many a time when I don't understand a damn word that someone says (esp. sarah who might forget to breath when she speaks---between me and mol, we are usually able to piece together what she says. Although, it may make for some delayed reactions!) but that doesn't seem to work too well on the phone! Which is kind of great I guess--I'm sure I'll be able to understand these Kiwi's perfectly someday soon but so far I've been quilty of passing on a few calls simply b/c I can't understand them! And I'm perfectly aware that if I screw up or tell someone something completely wrong, they'll be able to track me down with "that girl with the accent told me so". The girls have been sure to point out that there is no hiding for me!

Enough about work! Our immature flatmate that I have told some of you about (ya know ash, the guy with the chip on his shoulder!) has now taken his TV out of the living room. Hilarious. To make what could be a really long story short, Mr. Brenden (or, 'the b' as he referes to himself) is extremly immature and has gone through periods of outright ignoring everone who has come through the house. It's happened to me and mol for about a week until I said something and Brenden just pussed out and told me nothing was wrong. He has now started ignoring Phil for the 2nd time. Sooo, we all got to the point where we have had enough. We were all meant to go to his 21st birthday but decided that he treats us like crap and being there would just damper our moods. SO, we decided to stay home and have a party of our own! Mol had a brillant idea of picking names out of a hat to see who would be the birthday person---sarah won! HAPPY BIRTHDAY SARAH became the theme of the night---complete with balloons, a few games of 'circle of death' (in which sarah made a rule that you had to say 'happy birthday sarah' before you picked up a card) and some great flat drunken moments! We managed to stay awake for the All Blacks rugby game--we kicked butt!! And finally made it to bed soon after the birds started chirping and the sun came up! The B hasn't been around much since the weekend but this morning when we woke up, we noticed that he took his big TV out of the living room and left the smaller one that belongs to connor on the floor. We can't help but laugh! We hope it means he is moving out but it's more likely him just being spiteful.

Off to get some reading in before I head back to work! Hope all is well at home! Miss you all! Also a big congrats to my Rice girls who pulled out a big Conference USA win--that's HUGE for a program that is only 5 years old! Mol should be updating her online picture account soon so we'll be sure to put a -few- pics from our big birthday night up there!! :) (the website is written on one of these last few blogs)

oh--one more thing! I now have MUFTY friday's at work!!! The ANZ Bank has decided to join the rest of NZ and we are now allowed to wear jeans on friday! I think I'm more excited about the word mufty then I am about wearing jeans!

Read other blog entry first!

2005-11-08T20:08:00.000+13:00

keep telling yourself that the hair will grow back :) :) (b/c it will! no worries!)

Always remember the 5th of November

2005-11-08T18:44:00.000+13:00

(I'll get to that title in just a minute!)

Not sure where to start--my days are starting to blend together! I guess I'll start with 2 weekends ago. We are finally starting to get some nice weather so I pulled on my tramping boots and took off looking for a bit of a challenge. Everytime we take the train to the city, I notice this little trail off in the mountains, and everytime I look at it wondering what is has to offer! So, I set off to find out :) It was nothing too crazy but it was a nice little getaway that is only about 10 mintues from our house. Not to mention it was a tid bit creepy walking through the woods alone! It's okay mom, I won't do it ever again--!! It only took me about 2o minutes to get to the top and I wasn't feeling too satisfied. So, worked my way back down to a little stream that runs for who knows how long! I tried to stay dry at first, but by the end, I was willingly up to my knees in chilly water.

So, that brings me to this weekend--and the title of this here blog! The 5th of November is an event called Guy Fawkes. It's named after a man who was plotting to blow up the parliment building in England--he was caught and evidently burnt in a big bonfire. So, every 5th of Nov, people celebrate with fireworks. ("always remember the 5th of november--gunpowder, treason, and plot. I see no reason why gunpowder, treason, and plot should ever be forgot"). So, we planned for an exciting flat outing on saturday night---expecting the fireworks show to be very similar to our 4th of July. Wow, were we wrong!!
We started with a big flat BBQ--we had an american touch, a kiwi touch, and an england touch. It was damn delicious! So, off we go---expecting a nice fireworks show, never expecting that for the next 2 hours we would feel like we were in a war zone. As soon as we hit Oriental Parade (a road that is right on the water and the hotspot for the night), things got nutty!! It started with really load noises (that were pretty unmistakenly fireworks hitting cars), and heaps of people. I'm pretty sure that within the first 5 mintues of getting to Oriental Parade, we all jumped back or huddled up at least 5 times. I turn to my right--some chick who has no idea what to do with a roman candle throws it on the ground. It shoots off once and flys under some cars--shoots off again, comes right at the crowd of people--shoots off again and goes right towards another group of people. All the while, the girl is chasing it, (oh, and she now also has a sparkler in her hand) trying to catch it. She finally does and points it away from the crowd--right towards some people on their balcony across the street. I look to my left and there are fireworks of all sorts shooting up within feet---no, inches of crowds of people. All along the beaches, kids (and when I sy kids, i mean YOUNG kids) were setting off their own fireworks with absolutely no regard for the fact that they are REALLY hot and dangerous! Yeah, yeah, I sound like a huge wuss and I lost count of how many times I told my mother to get out of my head that night. But, just when I told myself to stop being a wuss, another piece of fire would come flying at my head. You try it and tell me you don't run away crying. I felt like I was playing dodge ball with fireballs---that exploded on impact. Surprisingly, all the crazyness that was going on around us stopped as soon as the big show started. It was awesome and beautiful and it was nice to not have to watch our backs for 15 minutes! But as soon as the show was over, the crayness started all over again!! Walking back through the crowd---more people who thought roman candles were fun to point at crowds of people. Me and Phil ducked as one flew right over our heads--turned around and watched it land right on some guys lap. We found a nice little place that was a bit away from the crowd and decided to hang out there for a while (don't get me wrong--we wanted to get out of there ASAP but we drove---and we thought it was better to hang out then to try and drive in this crazyness---yeah, remember the fireworks hitting cars bit earlier??). So, we sat on this little roof and just watched in disbelief. 2 young kids (couldn't have been much older then 6) were not only lighting the fireworks on the edge of the dock, but were jumping over them while they were lit. The parents kind of watched. Another roman candle (or something that shoots off multiple things) was lit on the edge of the dock and fell in the water. I thought the water would just kill it. Nope. Shoots once---right towards the dock where all the kids were, shoots again, and again and again---no one ever knowing where the hell it would end up! We finally made it home safe and sound--me and molly repeating over and over about how it would never fly in the states. How we were never allowed to light fireworks until we were at least-what, 13? And even then, dad or big brother was right next to me and I had to run away after I lit it. Usually the garage was a safe enough distance from the street!! Anyhoo---enough of that! It was quite an experience!

The first All Blacks game was on that morning at 5am. We didn't make it. We set our alarm but we weren't quite Kiwi enough to actually get up. But we caught the replay the next day and they kicked butt! (the All Blacks are the Kiwi's pride and joy--the rugby team that basically owns this place!). Next weekend they play at 3am--we'll be at the bar watching. For sure!!

Sunday me and molly took off for Mt. Kaukau (pronouced cowcow) looking for a nice little hike! It was beautiful!! Only about a 20 minute walk from our house and a 60 minute hike to the top. On the way up, we came across this CREEPY looking tunnel that we didn't have the guts to go into. Maybe next time! We hiked a little more and saw rolling green hills for as far as we could see. It was breathtaking. The pictures just don't do it justice but I guess they never do! We saw lots of sheep which we were super excited about!! They are just so cute :) When we got to the top, we had a great view of Johnsonville (our home) to our left and Wellington (our work) to the right! We had to cut the hike a little short b/c when we got towards the top we thought we were going to be blown away! But we are planning to do it again soon! I wish I could explain the view--it was just amazing!

Daylight Savings...AGAIN!

2005-11-02T17:00:00.000+13:00

If my memory serves me correctly, the states just went through daylight savings and you all have "fallen back". What does this mean for us? Well, we are yet ANOTHER hour apart!

So, Florida (aka eastern time) you are now 18 hours behind me and Houston (aka central time), you are now 19 hours behind me! JEEPERS!! That's a long time...but it actually makes it easier to get each other at resonable hours!!

Me and Molly are off to our "pub meet" tonight...complete with our "smart" outfits (aka, business attire) and SNEAKERS!! Yes, that's right...we have taken the plunge into fashion suicide and now wear sneakers when we walk to work. It's HOT, let me tell you what! But hey, try walking to work and back everyday in really uncomfy shoes...! We didn't last long and have followed in the (smart) locals [sneaker] footsteps!

TO BE ANNOUNCED:
How I fare this weekend after attending GUY FAWKS (a huge fireworks event), drinking a considerable amount, and trying to stay up until 3am to watch the first ALL BLACKS (rugby) game since we've been here. I'll be in touch :)

A big hug and "i love you" to all my friends and family in Florida who were very fortunate even though they were without power for over a week after hurricane Wilma. Glad everyone is okay. Keep your spirits up. :)

Been meaning to mention for ever now that JULES and JARROD are coming to see us!!!!! We are so super excited!!! Can't wait guys :)

Website

2005-10-29T20:07:00.000+13:00

Molly put the pictures we have taken so far up on her yahoo account. You can get them by going to

http://photos.yahoo.com/mollyfoos

and going to the Wellington, New Zealand album.

Pictures! :)

2005-10-26T19:50:00.000+13:00

Did some tramping (hiking) to the top of Mt. Victoria and got a great view!
Our weekend trip to the Martinbourgh vineyards were great! I found myself a rent-a-cat and she was just adorable!! Why do I always tend to find rent-a-pets?!
Mt. Victoria
me and mol having fun with shadow shapes! See the heart?!?! awww :)
Our new best friend! The kitchen at our flat!

Isn't our living room just adorable?!?!

Hiding with all the lilies at the botanical gardens

Livin' la vida local

2005-10-15T10:45:00.000+13:00

Don't have too many new pictures for you guys but thought I'd throw in our flatmates! From the far side: Sarah (conner's GF who doesn't really live here but she's around a lot), Conner, Phill, and Brenden. Such a great group :) The other is of me and Molly on our deck! We are patiently waiting for it to warm up a bit so we can get some good use out of it (and the BBQ!).

Well, I'M EMPLOYED!! Always a good thing! I went through a temp agency and they found me a job pretty quickly. I'm working at a bank dealing with written enquires and credit card stuff. Basically just a lot of computer work! It's nothing too thrilling but it's cool being in an office autosphere surrounded by kiwi's! And they are paying me good money! So no complaints here! My office is on the 14th floor and overlooks the harbour--on a good day it's a BEAUTIFUL view! It's really layed back---so much so that yesterday (friday), we had a "company meeting" from 4-5 (my work day is from 8:30-5) and they served everyone wine, beer, champagne, and great food! Not to mention they were giving out free bottles of wine to people who could answer some questions. Some of my coworkers didn't come down to the meeting, so instead, they drank wine at their desks. So basically, they payed me to drink their wine and champagne and get tipsy while I was 'working'. Apparently, come friday, they perfer to have happy hour come to them! And it's compltely normal and acceptable. Such a foreign concept to me!!

We are really starting to get settled and are really just enjoying living like locals! We got our monthly train passes and actually love taking the train to work every morning! Molly found a water polo team that she'll be playing with twice a week and I am still in the process of finding a soccer team! But I found an indoor soccer place and I may try to join up soon. And our flatmate Phil playes some soccer as well so we've been talking about knocking around sometime. Our room is still a work in progress but it's really starting to feel like home. We've used some maps of NZ that we have and some pictures that we brought from home to decorate the walls. We are still waiting on some drawers so we aren't completely unpacked yet. But when our room is completely done, I'll send some pics of it and the house!

Until we make money enough to up and leave and travel around some more, I'll be here, soaking up the culture of this place, doing the best to live like a local :) Send me some email!!

Contact Info

2005-10-08T22:00:00.000+13:00

Just a quikie to let everyone know that we have a phone number (a landline that will be cheaper to call if using a calling card) and addy.

934 4580 (when you use a calling card, I think you dial the county code 64 followed by the city code which is 4 but no promises :) ) You may have the pleasure of getting any one of my flatmates on the phone (Conner, Sarah, Phil, Brenden or Molly) but just ask for me! Please be extra careful of the time change if you call this number. You'll be waking up a houseful of people if you get it wrong! So, if in doubt, ring the mobile!!

If you feel like sending me some love letters :)
29a Monowai Road
Johnsonville, Wellington
New Zealand

(nope, no zip code needed!)

We plan to be here for the next few months but I'll keep you updated! I'll write more later but things are fabulous! Love the flat, love the flatmates, love the location, hate the freezing weather!! We are waiting patiently for summer!

Hope all is well :)

Off roadin' it!

2005-10-06T17:38:00.000+13:00

We finally got some nice weather so mol and I decided to venture out and booked ourselves on the seal saffari! A group of us loaded into a 4 wheel drive and we were on our way. We made our way up some of the steepest hills EVER and just when I was sure we were going to start rolling backwards, our driver, Todd, mentioned that people bike up it regularly. That can't possibly be fun. Lucky for them there were little words of encouragement written on the pavement the whole way up. I think I'd need a little more then that to even consider trying to bike up these hills. Anyhoo---we got a great view of the city below and a breath of fresh air before Mr. Todd decided to scare the crap out of us!! Suddenly the nice paved path turned to a rocky dirt road and we had officially switched into 4 wheel drive. Fan-freakin-tastic! I think I was laughing to keep from crying!! Nah, it wasn't that bad but it was definitely my mom's worst nightmare. In fact, there was a woman sitting across from me that was playing the mom role quite well. Knuckles white from gripping the "oh shit" bar and a look of pure terror on her face. We took the rocky, steep excuse for a road all the way down to the black sand beaches. I was certain we were going to flip several times--but I took comfort in the fact that Mr. Todd was the spitting image of Mr. Incredible. Not to mention that he had a role in The Lord of the Rings (true story)--I knew that Mr. Incredible wouldn't possibly let the tires slip! We made it to a seal colony and got within feet of a few seals. So cute!! Now, it's finally move in time!! We're getting on the train to our new home in a few minutes!

I have 2 interviews tomorrow so cross your fingers for me!! :)

above are 2 little seals that we saw on our adventure! One just hanging out and one putting on a nice little show for us. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought we were watching a trained seal at a zoo. But don't be fooled--there are no gates around these guys!
If you look closely, you can see the snow capped mountains of the south island. Also-the black sand beaches that line the west coast of NZ.

Behind me is where the pacific ocean meets the tasman sea--we could clearly see where the two currents met by the color difference and the intense crashing of the waves. It was almost as if there was a giant reef when it was really just the crashing of the currents.

This is the harbour that our city is based around. We finally got to get a great look from above!

Movin' on up...to Johnsonville!

2005-10-05T19:45:00.000+13:00

We found a flat!!! After searching for a few days, meeting lots of nice ppl and seeing some not so nice places, we found a place and flatmates that we just adore!!! It's in a beautiful house up on the hills in a little town called Johnsonville. It's a beautiful 20 minute train ride out of the city and the town itself is just adorable! The house is nice and modern (and clean) on the inside and has a great view of the city and harbour below. We'll be sharing the place with 3 guys--a 20 year old physics student named Conner (and his GF sarah who is there often), Phil,a 20 year old funeral director (yah!! I have my own little kevin abroad!), and a 25 year old marathon runner from England. And yes, the place is super clean! And not just for a house of guys---it's clean by our standards!! Rent is really afforable ($70 a week each---which works out to be about 50 US dollars) and they have everything we need. Internet, dishes, completely furnished room, washing machine, dryer, etc. So, we leave our hostel tomorrow and head to our new home! We can't wait! No luck on jobs yet but now that we have a place we can really focus on getting that done. You may think we did this backwards but Wellington is so accessible that nothing is really out of the way. I'm going to walk into a few vets offices and apply to a few temp agencies. The next 2 months we are focusing on making some money and just living like locals and really taking in the cultural of this place.

We had our first car experience yesterday and it was awesome!! Just being in the passenger side is so cool! We are still getting used to looking the correct way to see approaching cars and not being weired out when we see a little kid in what would be the drivers seat at home!

I'm really upset that the big thing of ketchup Kim got for me before I left didn't make the packing cut! I had to leave it behind due to a lack of room and I'm missing that heinz deleciousnes already! "Tomato sauce" is a poor, poor excuse for ketchup. But me and Molly have done a good job of whipping up some great meals! And more then one have been based on 'guesstimates' b/c apparently we left converting measurments back in the 2nd grade. I'm sure we'll improve in that area!

So, I totally saw Lauren Hill (no, not the famous one---a friend from Rice) in the grocery store the other day. If that doesn't prove that it's a small world, I don't know what does!! She was only in Wellington for a night but we chatted for a while and she showed us some great pictures. This country has SO MUCH waiting for us!!

We went to the zoo today---I have a new favorite animal (see above). I just want to squeeze his cute little face!!!!! muuuwwwaaahhh

Hope all is well back home!! I'd like to give a little shout out to my Rice girls who have won their first 2 conference USA games!! Keep it up guys :)

Spring Forward!

2005-10-02T09:15:00.000+13:00

Hi all :)
Just a little head's up that our clocks have sprung forward! So, we are now ahead of you an additional hour--then, come your daylight savings time (when you fall back), you'll need to add yet ANOTHER hour. I think your fall back is at the end of October---so I'll be ahead of you east coast people 18 hours. But for now, I'm ahead 17 hours!

YEAH PHONE CARDS :)

2005-10-01T07:30:00.000+12:00

I have a cell phone!!! Incoming calls and text messages are completely free so go get yourself an international phone card and call me up :)

Okay, thanks to Maria and the parentals, I think we have finally figured out this phone thing!!! Call using a calling card--the codes you will need to enter are 011 then 64 (i think this might be the country code then the city code...) then my number: 27 335 0824.

We are still figuring out how to use calling cards to call our on our cell phones. Once we do, I'll call the states! Until then, don't be afraid to call me :) Just remember, we are ahead 16 hours!!

Happy Friday all! God, how I love fridays!!! :) :) :)

Well in Windy Welly :)

2005-09-30T09:24:00.000+12:00

Hi all!! Well, I have made it to the city I plan to live in for the next few months! Wellington, NZ! Better known around here as Welly, and, as we discovered yesterday, they don't call it the windy city for nothing!!! I swore I was going to be blown over! But it's gorgeous and the weather is beautiful despite a few gusts of wind! We hopped on a bus in Auckland and made the 11 hour treck cross country. The drive was amazingly beautiful and it was just a little taste of what this country has to offer! Rolling green hills for as far as you could see, snow covered mountains in the backdrop, volcanoes (some still active....YIKES!), heaps and heaps (that's right, I said heaps!) of sheep, and beautiful lakes, streams, and rivers! When the bus dropped us off, we were left to fend for ourselves and find our way to our hostel. We quickly discovered that the rolling hills that cover this place aren't quite as beautiful when you are trying to walk up them with loads of luggage in tow! It might have been the hardest we had to work for a bed--I found it hilariously challenging!! We spent all of yesterday searching for flats and will probably keep looking until the end of the week. We already looked at 2 places that weren't quite right for us but the people here seem AWESOME. Everyone was so friendly! I can't wait to find a place and settle in for a while! So, the agenda for the next few days is flat and job hunting and exploring our new city! It may sound pretty mundane but us, it's SO exciting!!! Hope this finds everyone well! I'll be in touch in a few days!

Auckland

2005-09-30T04:40:00.000+12:00

Hello again!! I was a bit rushed and completely out of it yesderday so I just wanted to take a little more time to fill you in! Getting to Auckland was a bit of a scare at first, Kev, you almost won b/c we nearly missed our flight! Well, not really, but we were sure cutting it close. We got to the airport with plenty of time but when we got to the counter, the woman told us that we HAD to purchase tickets out of NZ otherwise they would not let us through customs. Apparrently there was a misunderstanding somewhere along the line and it got our hearts pumping fast! We had to buy tickets to Australia in order to get checked in---they are refundable so it's not too big of a deal but it was a pretty big "hiccup" (as Molly described it) at the start of our trip! We had to run to our gate--which was just a tad scary!! Then our luggage was the LAST to come out at baggage claim! Fabulous!
We spent all of yesterday walking around Auckland and trying desperately to keep our eyes open. When we were walking to use the internet yesterday, it took a bit longer to get here b/c apparently there was a graduation cermony going on--in the form of a parade!! All these graduates in their robes following men in kilts playing bag pipes, on a busy road that they didn't even bother to close down. When we saw how long the parade went back, we decided to just make a run for it--right through the middle of it! The city reminds us a lot of Australia--which is cool, but we are really anxious to get to Wellington and get to know "our" city! We have a few options for flats and will hopefully find jobs with ease--but time will tell I suppose. We hope to go down to Wellington tomorrow but how we are going to get there is still up in the air. There is talk of renting a camper and making the 10 hour drive ourselves and making stops along the way to sightsee. Can you please take a second to picture that?!?! Me and Molly driving a camper...on the wrong side of the road...most likely stick shift. We want to do it just to say we did---hilarious! Our orientation starts in a little bit and then it's off to explore some more! Can't wait until we are settled and have jobs--once we have the security of an income, we'll start traveling around and taking some fabulous pics for you guys to enjoy :)
All my love :)

Safe and Sound :)

2005-09-28T06:15:00.000+12:00

I'm going to keep this short, just wanted to let everyone know that we got here safe and sound!! The flight flew by--I fell asleep and when I woke up, 9 hours had already gone by! Not to mention me and molly had a row to ourselves do we got to spread out a bit. Nice! Flying in was absolutely GORGEOUS!!! So much green...and then so much water...and then more green! haha. We really are in the middle of NOWHERE! We are exhausted and it is only 11:15am Tuesday morning here (16 hours ahead of you FL/NY peeps and 15 hours ahead of you Houston folk!)...we are going to explore so we can try to get our bodies on schedule ASAP! Although, adjusting to Australia's time change last summer took a good week+ so we shall see. I can't believe we're really HERE!!!!

Not...Quite...There!

2005-09-24T12:27:00.000+12:00

I've had requests to update my blog so I'm givin' in! I obviously have nothing to report on New Zealand yet but the last few days have been great! I spent a great weekend with Molly and her fam-- Great food, wine (and when I say wine, I mean lots of wine!), a great game of "new zealand" jeopardy courtesy of the creative parentals, an introduction to field hockey, and endless laughs (mostly thanks to Abby...and her friend Kimmy)!!
We then waited in the airport for 4 hours for our flight going to LAX b/c the emergency slide was broken. Wonderful. But, when we finally got to LA, Julie and Jarrod (2 of our bestest buddies that we met in Australia) were waiting with open arms! We spent the next 2 days living the OC life and got the full tour---Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, food hotspots--not to mention delicious home cooked meals and margaritas!! Sucks to have to leave them again---Megs and MB, you were missed like whoa--but we decided that we are all crashing Jarrod's for Christmas. See you there for our Dippity Ditty!
We are now hanging at my friend Christel's who lives in West Hollywood--we'll be here until Sunday looking for famous ppl. She lives in walking distance to just about everything! :) We are currently sharing the apartment with George the cat--he has a sister somewhere but I'm convinced Molly threw her out the window. We spent most of the day looking for flats in Wellington and it seems there are some great deals. We are both getting really anxious--Sunday is only 2 days away! The next time I blog, it will be to tell you a little something about NZ...I promise!!

Tears Galore

2005-09-14T06:45:00.000+12:00

Using Ashley to test out adding pics to this thing! Looks like it works! I'm leaving Florida on Thursday and things are starting to REALLY sink in. I said goodbye to my mom, brother and cat on Sunday and I took it a lot harder then I had expected. Saying goodbye for what we intend (my parents and friends are making it clear that if I happen to come home in 3 months, the trip isn't a 'failure'! Nice try guys--but I doubt that's gonna happen!) to be a year is really different then saying goodbye to go to school. I'm taking Ella (my sugar glider) to her new home today, and then saying more goodbye's to friends. As excited as I am to finally start this trip, the goodbye's are killing me. The stress is really starting to set in and as Keri, Maria, and Molly have already discovered--I'm a mess!! I can't make a decision to save my life and have been trying to fit too much into a day! And ironically enough, here I am typing in my blog! Writing is calming though and since I'm driving to pick up my cousin in a little bit, having what will prove to be my daily drink (for the next 3 days) of cocunut rum and pineapple juice isn't really the best "calming" option right now!! So writing is next in line! :) No one is allowed to cry in front of me for the next week---I'm a facuet and just can't handle it!! Love you all.

It's getting real!

2005-09-03T05:35:00.000+12:00

Well, I just sold my car! Putting it up for sale was the first reality check, and now that it's sold, it's really starting to sink in that I'm leaving for a long time! The next few days are going to be pretty hectic. My last day of work is on the 9th and I have lots of packing to do (any tips on how to pack for a year are needed!) and little things to take care of before I leave. Not to mention getting in all my 'goodbyes' with friends and family. I know a lot of people don't know the actual date I'm leaving the country--so, the flight to New Zealand is Sept. 25th at 11pm (from LA). My trip starts on the 15th with me going to Philly to spend a weekend with Molly's family (and help her pack!) and then we are flying to LA to spend some time with friends before leaving for good. The days are starting to fly by and my emotions are so mixed. Scared to death, excited as all hell, nevous about going with Molly and so freakin excited to be going with Molly. All we can think about is how we're going to be feeling when we're going to the airport. GULP!