If I’ve learned anything since leaving the US a week ago, it’s that this world is small. Not to discount the fact that it took 23 odd hours in flight to get here, Siem Reap, but really, it’s something that continues to play over and over in my head like on the Disney ride… or something like that!
Maybe it was the fact that the man sitting next to me on the 13-hour ride from DC to Tokyo was actually from Pittsburgh, too (Peter’s Township to be exact). Or perhaps it was the RBS logo I spotted on an ad while in the line for immigration when I arrived in Singapore. The logo immediately caught my eye and reminded me yet again, that if I wanted to take money out from one of their ATMs in Singapore it would probably cost less than it does for me to get cash in Richmond, Virginia. Why you ask? Because RBS, the Royal Bank of Scotland, backs my little tri-state area bank, Citizens (take that Bank of America!). And getting back on track, I’m convinced that the fact I’ve been watching the French television station FR5 via satellite non-stop since arriving in Cambodia might have something to do with it. If not that, it was seeing a Cambodian girl ride past on a moto wearing a red AARP shirt.
What point am I trying to make here? The point that... even though I am in Cambodia, the world seems to be shrinking every day. In fact, I almost ordered delivery Italian food, made from 100% imported ingredients from Italy, to “the tree house,” my humble abode in Siem Reap. While I’m sure you’re very excited to hear about it, I’d best mention a few things about Singapore and then hit the hay for fear that this blog sets a precedent of being monstrously long!
Singapore. Also known as Asia for Beginners according to many seasoned experts, including my Uncle Bill and Aunt Jamie. Despite the fact that their labels seemed to be in four languages, Singapore’s official languages are English, as well as Mandarin Chinese, Malay, and Tamil. It’s situated at the southern tip of on of the Malay Peninsula and is one of the coolest places that I’ve ever been. When I say cool, please keep in mind that it’s regarding the “awesome factor” and not the weather, which was probably 30+ Celsius (86 Fahrenheit) and 100% humidity. I think that it rained at least once every day that I was there, but the showers weren’t for long, and within a few minutes the sun would be back out and the puddles all dried up. For being such a small, little country of about 700 square kilometers (270 square miles) it certainly has quite a few people… almost 5 million!
But that’s enough about the facts; here are a few stories from my experience! I arrived chez Amelio late on Wednesday night after a driver picked me up to the airport. Because my body clock was so off I managed to wake up before 7am to see Bronson and Riley, Uncle Bill and Aunt Jamie’s little guys, to their bus! Shocking, I know. Afterwards I went for a walk in the Singapore Botanical Gardens, which are literally a hop, skip, and a jump from their house on Nassim Road, also known as Embassy Way (the Russian Embassy was across from their house!). Walking through the Gardens was absolutely amazing, because not only did I enjoy the company of three-year-old Avery, their youngest daughter, but Mana, their helper. She is so much fun! We saw beautiful orchids and fed the largest goldfish that I have ever seen; they were probably at least 3 feet long! The rest of the day was spent hanging out with Avery and the gang, going swimming in the pool, and watching Uncle Bill’s ping-pong lesson. He’s looking to take down a few colleagues at their next business meeting, and wanted to sharpen his skills.
Friday was quiet the day! I went shopping with Avery and Aunt Jamie, who had just arrived to Singapore the day before because she’d been trying to get visas for their two Cambodian daughters. This summer she emerged from Phenom Penh victorious with the amazing news that Chery and Rathana would be able to join them for vacation in Austin, TX! While we shopped on Orchard Street we stopped for lunch at a cute little place that served really delicious mushroom soup. Yum. After lunch we took Avery home to play with her bubbles, her newest acquisition from a successful trip shopping, while Aunt Jamie treated me to reflexology. Reflexology reminded me of getting a pedicure only skipping the pedicure part because they rub your feet for an hour, focusing on ensuring that the body is healthy as all body parts are represented in some parts of the foot.
Throughout our pamper day together, Aunt Jamie told me all about Caring For Cambodia, the non-profit that she founded in 2003. Her passion came through not only in her words, the manner in which she spoke. I know that I’m truly lucky to have the opportunity to work with CFC for six weeks here in Siem Reap! Here’s the cliff notes version of CFC: Founder and President, Jamie Amelio has a passion for helping the Cambodian people that started after her trip in 2003. While the beauty of the temples touched her, she was touched even more by the Cambodian children who approached her for money for their tuition. Wanting to do something to help she came back with her husband, Bill, and that’s when things took off. I’ll write more about CFC later, I promise!
To finish up Friday in Singapore, I had dinner with Aunt Jamie and Uncle Bill and they gave me life advice, which I have committed to memory since they are such great role models! On Saturday we went to Bronson’s baseball game, and I window-shopped on Orchard Street while Aunt Jamie took Avery and her friend to see Dora the Explorer. To close out my time in Singapore, Aunt Jamie, Uncle Bill, and I went to dinner with two women who started a foundation that raises money for good causes called Grapes for Humanity. Wine and doing good? They were right up my alley!
I’ve actually been writing this blog for about two days now, and it’s doing no good sitting here on my computer. So, I’m going to post it now before I go to school, and I’ll write more about Cambodia and my time at the schools a bit later… pictures included! Hope all’s well! I’d love to hear how things are going for you!
Bisous from SE Asia!
Laura
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment