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!