i am in transit.

i have been in transit now for 12 hours. and i am not even half way. okay, im real close to being half way. i am sitting in taiwan (delighted that they have free internet) realizing how everything is coming full circle.  five weeks ago, i sat in taiwan and wrote my first "post." not knowing what was in store. not knowing what to expect. and now, i sit here reminiscing on my cambodiAWSOME experience (again, need to drive that blog name home). and real quick side note, EVERYONE needs to travel. you appreciate culture (others and your own) so much more when you are removed from your comfort zone. its an incredible experience. and i am so excited to actually put some pictures up that can just begin to describe my experience. so, buy a ticket, and go, somewhere, anywhere, cambodia!!!

but, working with my team was such a great experience. kathy, quinn, anh (haha), stella, vachika (okay, i have no clue how to spell that), and of course... deb. deb, i have no idea if you will ever read this, but you are awesome. you made my time there so special and you were so encouraging... keep it real girl!!! i will miss my cambodian mansion. i wont miss opening my computer and finding ants all over it, but i will miss dancing in the rain in the front courtyard and watching the rain from the balcony. 

the work, i loved. i mean... props to the girls who are actually running the programs and experience the blessing and benefits and STRESS of it all. i was just a visitor in everything going on... i got to enjoy what these girls have spent months developing. but i loved getting to know the girls in our program and i LOVEDDD working with those kids. i would smell like crap any day to play and teach those kids. and of course, i will miss the laminating machine. i might ask for one for christmas. my fingers are almost sore from laminating so many "learning materials." also, when else will my job consist of coloring and cutting and gluing. 

well, china airways is beginning to announce some boarding calls so i better pack up and pee. america, get ready, im comin home. 

LAST DAY!!!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. I cannot believe it is my last day. My first day here seems SO long ago, but it feels like I just got here. I definitely have some great memories. Well, since its my last day, I need to  get OFF this computer, enjoy siem reap, take pictures along the river while climbing on the cement statues of animals, bargain at the old market for my last few cambodian gifts, eat BOMB indian food, laugh at everything with Deb, get called LADEEEEE, sweat, say "soc sabai tay" for my last few times, get so dirty from all the dust, eat ice cream at blue pumpkin (okay, or lucky mall.. its far cheeper), and for the last time, SOAK it all in. 

Wow, busy day. 

Jup Kania Tanaiii Saiik (goodbye, see you tomorrow!!!) 

Yesterday, I rode my bike through a thunderstorm

It was POURING rain last night. I mean POURING. So the obvious thing to do was to bike home in it. Deb and I mounted our bikes, took off our sandals, waved our team goodbye at the restaurant, and hit the puddles. I was drenched within the first 30 seconds. All the locals cheered us on as we biked through calf deep water. YEAH BARRANGS.

 Well, I have less than one week left. AHHHHHHHH. I have been gone from the states for officially a month. And at 3:30pm tomorrow, I will have been in Cambodia for a full month.

 I cant believe I’m on the home stretch. Its been an incredible journey so far.

 Last week, the pre-school and community center were closed so I did “office work.” I got to make “learning resources.” So actually, I got to color and cut and glue and use a laminating machine. It was kind of awesome. And I got to baby sit a little boy. And I got to design an add for out new nail spa. And I got to make an ice-cream cake. HAHAHAHA. Making an ice-cream cake is much more difficult in Cambodia. 1^st difficulty: no ovens (solution: buying an already made cake without frosting on it. Also a difficulty because those are very hard to find). 2^nd problem: its so hot… that ice cream MELTS. 3^rd difficulty: limited kitchenware. But we did it. So it was still a busy week.

 This week, the community center is up and running. WE just built a new playground and the kids LOVED it. Today was the first day we opened it to all the kids and they were all over it. It was so fun. Except, I smell like pee pee and dirty kids because I they are always just all over you and I had to help the real small kids down the slide. And this slide is not your typical graduale slide, it’s a steel shoot that alsmot has a perpendicular angle wih the ground. My arms are very tired. Good things those kids are really small.

 I also just got done teaching English to a group of our older girls. I feel lightheaded. We just started the alphabet today. A. AHHHH. Apple. B. BAAA. Boy. C. CAAAAAA. Cake. Etc. We got to E. English is hard. Why do A and E have to sound so similar? And why does the G sounds have to be all they way in your throat?

Well, back to laminating.

Bye