Starting home

The last days in the village came and went. Saturday we got up before the sun to hit the road. We headed to Phnom Penh ran a couple of errands and continued to head to the beach. We found a nice guest house to stay at with a fantastic pool! Sunday we woke up and headed down a block to the beach. The beach was lined with resteaunts where we sat down and enjoyed the day. People walk up and down the strip selling glasses, bracelets, food, pedicures, you name it they have it. The water was a little warm and it was nice to get to splash around and soak up the sun. We also go to play on huge inflatables in the water. When we were finally done at the beach we headed back up to the guest house in order for some to jump right into the pool! After having barracuda and massive shrimp the night before I settled on ribs for dinner before we got to walk around and see the night life. Hailey and I stopped and got facials before heading back to hit the hay. Sunday showed no signs of the rain stopping so we opted out of the beach and hit the road early. We arrived in Phnom Penh ate lunch and hit the mall. Monday we went and saw Avengers 3D at one of the new malls. It was fantastic. We went out for lunch and took a tuk tuk to the market to get a couple more things before I left for home. Manicure included. Today (Tuesday) I was first in line for check in! Through security with shoes on and no toiletries pulled out to display. And off to my gate where I am now waiting for my 11:59 pm fleight to Seoul. There I have a 13 hour layover before my last leg home.

One week until departure

It has rained everyday for least the last  6 days everything is wet and muddy.I have thrown out several things due to them molding in my room (So long back pack I have had since high school and favorite hat. Good thing you were only material possessions and can be replaced). Ralph Hailey and I went out to look at temple ruins on Saturday. They are so crazy! I have tried since then to upload them and it will not work. I will try again when I know the power will be on for a little longer than the 20 minutes I have now. On Sunday I tried to be a "couch potato" except we don't have a couch so I used my bed. I do not know how people can do it sure I laughed a bit but I probably ruined my eyes that much more and I know my body was in shock from the lack of doing stuff.
Monday and Tuesday have been school days and  with the end in sight the kids are finally motivated to get the last little bit of work done.
Colton and his friends have taken me fishing two days in a row and yesterday was quite the moto ride. Well first things first they did not warn me we were walking through bushes with millions of tiny thorns so when I took my first step up a muddy very slippery hill I slipped and scratched up my ankles. On the way home it was raining which meant slippery roads. I was more concerned for the neighbor boy on the back of my moto than my self. As we make out way into the village you have to hit this up and down hill just right or you end up in a massive puddle. well I missed it and the bike started sliding so did mt feet! I ended up getting off and having to try to push the moto up while not slipping down. Then on our last leg of the unbeaten path home I followed the other moto only to end up in a little puddle. Or so it seemed until I put my foot down and was swallowed up to my knees in water!  It made for a wonderful afternoon and the little boy was not too scared to ride with me again today!
Saturday morning we head to the beach so I can have a little quick vacation before I head back home in nearly 6 days!

10 school days!

My family informed me earlier this week that I am down to 21 days until I land back in Cali. By now that number has dropped several more and I will be home before I know it.

Although there have been many days that never have seemed to end and some days that just disappeared my adventure over all has seemed to pass right before my eyes.
Through it all I have learned many valuable lessons.


Here are some...



I have learned how to be alone
I have learned about being a friend
I have learned about family
I have learned about unspoken forgiveness
I have learned about going with the flow even more than I already do
I have learned about acceptance
I have learned about communication and how much I miss it
I have learned about the need for others
I have learned about parenting
I have learned about playing
I have learned about enjoying the rain
I have learned to appreciate even the smallest of things like hot water, ice, and power whenever needed
I have learned about the importance of kindness
I have learned about having a big heart
I have learned about leaving people behind
I have learned about making an impact
I have learned about opening up to something new
I have learned about the challenges that come with being with new people all day everyday
I have learned about determination
I have learned about being dependent on others
I have learned to be thankful
I have learned about being quiet
I have learned about letting somethings go
I have learned to enjoy what I have
I have learned not to quit
I have learned that sometimes its easier to say okay than to butt heads about something small
I have learned to use my eyes
I have learned about structure
I have learned about the importance of tradition
I have learned about the importance of a smile
I have learned to appreciate the education I received
I have learned about depending on someone else
I have learned about taking the time to dance
I have learned about having a shadow
I have learned to appreciate rules
I have learned to hold my tongue
I have learned about value
I have learned about illness and health
I have learned about trying new foods
I have learned about independence

 Right outside my door as it rains and rains and rains

he came out to eat flying termites

there were thousands of them. it was like a pillar under the light

a trip into town on the motos

 live fish and frogs from the hunt the night before (since it rained)

chicken anyone?

 these are the two fruits we brought home for dinner

fresh sugarcane juice

getting big

Time is flying by! A week ago we went back to Angkor Wat and the kids and I took a tuk-tuk to go and walk/climb through the old temples. It was so hot the pool and the jacuzzi were the same warm temperature. As warm as the water was it still felt nice to get wet and cool down a bit. Us girls got foot massages while the boys walked around a new night market. 

This weekend we had company over.

Some of the things we did were.....

Walk
Ride motos
Make doughnuts
Ride motos
Frog hunting (since it had stormed)
Showering in the water basins outside
Ride motos (Slipping in the mud)
Play games
Ride motos
Swim
Went to town (on the motos)
Watched a movie on the ceiling
Did my nails
Ride motos (Crash a moto, run out of gas while flying home to fix up someones leg, push the moto until someone the other moto returns with gas, in the mean time two people stopped to help me as I was walking my moto down the road, one group was government officials and they brought me back some gas, the other I let him know I was sorry I spoke English and showed him I was out of gas, but he tried to understand. When the government people came back the other moto had just returned with gas too. The government people were being funny and absolutely ridiculous. That put an exciting twist to a good weekend!)

Two more great weekends!!!!!
23 school days left!
And a quick trip to the beach before I leave to head back home!

A jumble of thoughts

There are some many things that I have smelt, felt, heard, and seen out here that there is no way to put into words or capture on film that would serve them proper justice. The rising sun is a red I have never seen before, the way it lights up the sky is golden, and the crisp morning air is filled with a lingering smokey smell. The darkness that sweeps the day when its over, and the endless amount of stars twinkling in the sky. The feeling of seeing candles burning at the neighboring houses so they can see and I have a flashlight and sometimes more. The sound of the water pump across the street means someone is gathering a bucket full to carry back home or taking a "bath". The lizards chirping to let you know they are near. The sound of a celebration of an arranged marriage, or the chats at a funeral. The shock of realizing that the wandering animals know what home is theirs at the end of the day. The dogs, cows, pigs and even chicken know where their home is and everyone knows which animals belong to which family. The craving for rice when a whole day goes by and we didn't eat any.  The squeal of hungry pigs, wandering cows, roosters who think that crowing at dawn is a 24 hour job. A hammock is a chair, a boat, a swing, a bed, for just one or for as many as you can pile in, its for the the young, old, healthy, and sick. A hammock is for reading, sleeping, talking, swinging, exploring, studying, relaxing, a place to find comfort for the sick. I had no idea how many roles a hammock played. I find it humorous that in the states we try to darken our skin, but here they keep their skin covered so they can be lighter. I have jumped off my headboard onto my blue sheets and pretended it was a pool and swam (with a 5 year old of course). I have learned to ride a moto side saddle. If I did not know how to something in skirt before I know how to do it now. I have thought I wanted more skirts because three did not seem like a big enough variety. I have been tried and challenged. I have had my buttons pushed. I've felt stressed. I have felt free. I have learned about marriage and parenthood. I have many things to be thankful for. I will miss many things about being out here when I leave but there are also things I wont mind not having either. I chose the giant geckos over the snakes. I am used to smelling like bug spray on most days. Some days the cold showers feel good. I mastered eating every meal with a spoon and a fork. I have drank more tea while out here than in my entire life! I am happy for fans that move the hot and sticky air around so I do not have to just sit in it. I have seen old people who like like they are full of wisdom. I have listened intently to people talk and not have a clue as to what they are saying, Even they know I do not understand they will talk to me anyway. A smile and coloring is something you can do in every language. I have gone days on end with nothing on my feet. I look forward to being able to wear shorts in a place other than my room. I have slept "upside down" and "sideways" in my bed because I do not like the gecko chomping on bugs right behind my head.I have seen more trash than imaginable on the ground everywhere I look. There is no trash day, there are few i any trash cans. I have seen and heard about the low value of human life. Let alone the value of any living thing. I have only been exposed to a small layer of the way of the life of people out here. The things they do, believe, think, their lack of knowledge about "simple things" like sanitation, the human body, and a set time. Their schedules revolve around nature, harvests, and spirits. A lot of things out here have to do with the spirits. What some people make in two or three hours in the states is an entire months salary out here. They are slowly losing their native language. Each and everyone of their faces has so much to say. Their eyes and smiles shine, there is so much behind each face. I look at the people and wonder where they are going to go with their future. Many will stay here and repeat the cycle of life that generations have done before them. I have heard stories of corruption everywhere, how this is a hand open place, and everything is about what you have to show...

180 flip

This morning after telling my Dad I was going for a walk I ended up never making it anywhere. I stayed downstairs with two of the boys from the village. We took lots of pictures and even some videos. Photobooth is funny for anyone and imagine doing it with kids who hardly ever have anything to do with technology. Hearing them laugh and laugh would start anyones day off right. 

After we took lot and lots of pictures we colored the morning away.

 They loved seeing their art hanging up. They showed people all day long what they did.

We ended up coloring on my IPad. 

When the boys returned from checking their traps in the jungle Hailey, her friend, and I got to take to motos into town all on our own! It was wonderful the sun was shining we were staying cool in the wind we were creating. When we got to town we went through the market got a couple of things, grabbed some gas, and some sugar cane juice and headed back home.

We listen to my new CD, cut some material, made some popcorn, and started up a movie. While making popcorn Hailey caught me a butterfly and taught me how to preserve it. 

After dinner and girls night on dishes the boys invited me to go frog hunting with them. I was not much of a success I only hit one and missed about 3 or 4. I did catch one with my bare hands and threw him back because he was too small. After just asking Austin if they had come across any snakes the other boys run back carrying a 5 foot snake. 

Of course the excitement does not stop there. As I was walking out of my room I found a frog quite a bit bigger than the ones we were hunting so I called one of the boys down to come check him out. He was the same kind we had been hunting! I had found the champion frog of the night!

Shortly after finding this beast of a frog I heard commotion coming from outside. I went out to see what was going on and there was another snake. This time it was in the parrot cage and had a parrot half way down his throat. The next mission was how to get rid of this snake. Ralph ended up trying to cut it in half with scissors and ended up flinging it on the ground and smashing it with a rock. Today I also killed a centipede which are very poisonous and can be as bad as a snake bite.

I would do this day over again any day!