Well hello there. So I have to admit that I started on my second entry last night about a life lesson that I will not forget anytime soon. And I’m not scrapping that idea to say the least, I’m just putting it on hold for now since I’ve kind of had a crazy night in the sense that this would is SO small. And I just wanted to share and figured that’s what this blog is for: sharing my experience. So, hang on if you want to hear about school and life lessons because while this is a bit shallow, I promise those deeper thoughts will be coming your way in a few!
So I actually kind of had a downer-ish day at school, and I was really looking forward to going out to dinner with myself after arriving home to the guesthouse around 5:30 pm (I’ve since moved out of the treehouse… more later). When I opened the Macbaby, however, I was approached by one of the really nice Cambodian girls who works here. She said that Fiona and her husband, Anthony, the owners of the guesthouse, would be meeting me at ten of seven. I had no idea why, but as I thought about it I remembered that she had mentioned the opening of a new art exhibit at a hotel down the street and that she and her husband said that I could tag along.
I think tonight was more like providence than the opening of a sculpture exhibit. I even had fun getting “all dolled up” in my sundress and trying to look nice, since I’ve been pretty much covered in dust since I showed up at school on Monday. But that wasn’t even the best part. When Fiona, Anthony, and myself show up at the event, the opening of a new sculpture exhibit, they are offering free wine. The red was delicious, of course. The white? How would I know? I don't touch the stuff! And the appetizers: classy. In fact, stepping into the Hotel de la Paix hotel was actually like stepping out of Cambodia. Almost everyone in the room looked like me, meaning that there was a decent chance that I’d be able to strike up a conversation easily with almost anyone in the room, be it in English or en français, which is something I now know that I always seem to take for granted.
Finding good conversation was not difficult as I actually stumbled upon a great conversation when I had only been in the door for less than a minute. I started talking with Meaghan who as actually from Philadelphia! She and her husband were just great, and I hope to hang out with them sometime soon so you’ll hear more about them later. Just a heads up on their experiences: she’s finishing up a Peace Corps assignment here, and her husband is a volunteer pediatrician at the children’s hospital. Meaghan introduced me to some really great people as well, including an Irish artist who has an exhibit opening today in London. Deidre’s exhibit is of men’s shirts with lining dyed with flowers to symbols such as peace and empathy. The idea that she’s toying with is whether or not someone can buy a shirt that, when they wear it, allows them to become more peaceful or empathetic. Pretty interesting, eh? She too volunteers at the children’s hospital. Meaghan’s boss was also a really fun Australian lady, and we chatted for quiet a bit. She's going to Europe in three weeks... for five weeks. Naturally I told her I was a bit jealous, per usual.
The most startling conversation I had, however, was only about ten minutes long and occurred as I was on my way out the door seeing that I have school tomorrow at 7:30am. I was ecstatic when Meaghen introduced me to Françoise… finally a real, live French person that I could chat with! I had heard there were a number of French people here, but I had yet to encounter one. Francoise was actually from Paris. Ironic, I know! Oh wait… Françoise was from the 15e, the same one that I lived in. Oh yea, and her metro stop was one away from the one that I used to use all of the time… Volontiers! Ohhhhh the green line... mighty number 12 that often fell victim to the greve.
So I don’t know if God just wanted me to have a pick-me-up, or if this whole French thing or even the whole evening means something more. All I know is that running into someone from Philadelphia and someone from literally 5 minutes from your Parisian residence does not just happen randomly. In Siem Reap, Cambodia for that matter! I’m not complaining, though… because although it might have been surreal, it was exactly what I needed ☺
Friday, June 6, 2008
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
It’s a Small World After All
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
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
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