As I attempt to re-integrate myself into the blogging community, I realize it has been quite some time since my last update. My hope is that this won't again be the case.
I have journals of Andy's and my travels from this summer, but conveniently have left them on my other computer. When I manage to extract them, I will also post them on this blog. We had the amazing opportunity to travel through Pittsburgh to DC, up to New York City via a stop in Delaware to visit my cousin Carrie, and on up to Boston. We then drove up through Maine on our way to Canada where we camped in Quebec City before heading to Sutton Montreal for a friend's wedding. To finish off our road trip, we traveled down through Niagara Falls and finished with a trip to Cedar Point to fulfill Andy's and my love of roller coasters. We also spent two weeks in Alaska. After my cousin's wedding in September, I headed to New Zealand to meet Andy for the Rugby World Cup. We rented a camper van and traveled all over the country stopping occasionally for rugby games. In between the last main game and the final, we traveled to Australia for two weeks where we also rented a camper van and traveled from Melbourne to Sydney. We returned to NZ for the rugby final where luckily the kiwis overcame, for if they had not, the country would have fallen apart. We then traveled to Fiji for two weeks to visit friends before heading back to England for a month.
That brings me to now!! I am in Georgia (the country!) It came about quite quickly, but I decided that this was the best option for me with the amount of time I had. Andy stayed in England and continued his search for a job, and as it is quite an ordeal to get a visa for an American in England, here I am. I am here teaching until June before hopefully heading back to England to complete a masters in International Development. I have already been accepted to the University of Manchester and am waiting to hear back from the other three universities.
I have been here for two weeks but will make separate posts about my experiences as to not overwhelm with details.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Back in the Loop - April 24, 2011
*Most recent update to family and friends.
It's been way too long since my last update, and I've stayed in touch with some of you much better than others. I apologize for that.
A lot has happened over the past two years, and I can't remember the last email I sent out.
Was it two...almost three summers ago even? Hopefully not that long.
I am now nearing the end of my second year in Kuwait. Last year I taught grade 6 girls and this year I have taught a coed kindergarten class at an "American school that respects Islamic values."
I quickly realized how very different Kuwaiti culture is compared to western culture, to far eastern culture, and well...to every culture I had experienced previously. The culture seeped into the school inevitably. Though we are an American school, I teach all Kuwaiti students and Islamic values rule the school. We are to dress a certain way, to teach a certain way, and to leave most of our personal touches out of teaching.
I had a hard time with the culture last year. There is an underlying, very visible hierarchical system in Kuwait. This year, I'm starting to understand it even more but last year it was almost unbearable. Kuwaitis are at the top of this hierarchy. They just are. They have the money, they have the expensive cars, they have the enormous houses. Westerners, I would say, are the next rung on the hierarchical ladder. However, we are still servants; servants to the Kuwaitis' children. Below westerners are immigrant workers. There are a LOT of them. Workers come from the Philippines, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and Egypt mostly. There are also many workers from other areas of the middle east. There are only 1 million Kuwaitis living in Kuwait with a population of 4 million. What do all of these immigrant workers do? They do the jobs Kuwaitis do not want to do. They are family cooks, family drivers, nannies, taxi drivers, car mechanics, restaurant workers, etc.
Toward the end of the school year last year, I had almost had it. I had almost had it with my school's administration and with the structure of Kuwait's society.
Why come back?
Awesome travel opportunities. Good friends. To continue learning about Islam and the middle east. To save money for grad school.
People say to me, "You must like it if you're going back." I can't phrase it that way. Most of us can't phrase it that way. There are things that I like about living here, but I do not like living in Kuwait. This was hard for me to admit. Still hard for me to admit.
What do you do when you dislike living somewhere? You find things that get you through. I joined rugby, started taking zumba lessons, and took up ultimate frisbee. I also found a very dear friend who was as willing as me to drop everything and do anything - a fellow explorer of sorts.
Rugby allowed me to get out of Kuwait every other weekend or so. We played internationally within the middle east. We played several times in the UAE (Emirates) and were also able to travel to Qatar. I met Andy, my now partner, at the biggest middle east rugby event of the year - Dubai Sevens (December 2009).
Because of our holiday time last year, I was able to travel to Ethiopia during our November Eid break with a fellow teacher who had set up an NGO (Non-Governmental Org) to help former sex workers and orphans. During my 2 week February break, I traveled home to meet my new baby brother, Ryan David Carmichael! :) During New Years, I traveled to Abu Dhabi with two good friends. I spent a few days in March exploring the beauty that Oman had to offer. Spring Break was spent in Istanbul with a friend and fellow rugby mate. Finally, Andy's and my first official trip together in May was to the oddly European Middle Eastern country of Lebanon.
When summer came, I spent a week with Andy and his family in England. He is from Guildford, just 30 minutes south of London. We also visited a friend of Andy's in Wales. I then spent 3 weeks traveling solo around Europe by train and staying with fellow couch surfers. Couch Surfing is an amazing network of people who put up their couches or extra rooms for fellow travel lovers. I met many interesting people with varying levels of travel under their belts. The best part is that it is free. It is simply focused on a cultural exchange. I had only wonderful experiences with CS. I traveled to Brussels and Bruges, Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague, Vienna Austria, Budapest , Zagreb, and Ljubljana and the surrounding areas of Slovenia.
Berlin was my favorite. There is a very unique sub culture that I was able to explore through the use of New Europe Free Tours - 3-4 hour free walking tours. The tour guides are incredible, hilarious, and international. They work solely for tips.
I traveled back to England, home, and to Colombia in the span of 4 days. I went to Colombia with CPT on a delegation focused on the human rights unrest in and around Bogota, Barrancabermeja, and the Las Pavas Community. This is a link to an article my friend wrote about my experience and the internally displaced peoples of Colombia: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-solis/colombias-internally-disp_b_715186.html
After a month at home, I stopped back through England and Scotland to meet up with Andy on my way back to Kuwait.
This year has taught me very much that I am not cut out to live in Kuwait long term, but I cannot say I regret the decision to stay this second year. I have had a chance to go to some amazing places and experience some incredible things that I wouldn't have been able to otherwise. For this November Eid break, Andy and I traveled to Sri Lanka for a week. I am now convinced that I will once again visit Sri Lanka; I fell in love with its beauty and kind people. I spent New Years in England for a friend's wedding. For the winter break, I traveled to Dubai for a few days to visit Andy's parents while his father was on business and then traveled to Sudan and Uganda with New Community Project to learn about the projects they sponsor for girls' education and reforestation. Most recently, Andy and I just returned from a week trip to Jordan. I was there for two days before he came out to meet me. We visited Petra, Wadi Rum, Aqaba, Jarash, the Dead Sea, etc. Jordan is a very versatile and gorgeous country; it has so much to offer in terms of landscapes and natural beauties.
I might have caught you up on the past two years of my life. I'm sure some of you are wondering what's next. Your guess is as good as mine. I know I am leaving Kuwait and traveling this summer, but I'm not sure about much beyond that.
Andy and I will spend a part of the summer as a road trip up to Montreal, Canada with stops in DC and Niagara Falls on the way to a friend's wedding (a couple I taught with last year). We are leaning toward traveling Central America for a few weeks before heading out to New Zealand for a month and a half as Andy managed to acquire tickets for the Rugby World Cup, including the final! There is a 3 week break between our last game and the final where we are going to try to hop over to Australia for a bit. How are we going to afford this? Lots of camping, couch surfing, and WWOOFing (organic farming in exchange for room and board). Beyond that the vision gets blurrier. A few ideas have been tossed around which mostly end Andy and I up in England...at least for a little while. Grad school is somewhere in the future with a focus on International Studies/Human Rights. Stay tuned as I figure out my future. ;)
Here's to the next adventure.
I would love to hear from those of you I haven't heard from in a while...and from those I talk to on a regular basis. I miss you all! Don't think for one minute that this crazy life I lead stops me from missing home, friends, and family.
Much love.
~Stacey
It's been way too long since my last update, and I've stayed in touch with some of you much better than others. I apologize for that.
A lot has happened over the past two years, and I can't remember the last email I sent out.
Was it two...almost three summers ago even? Hopefully not that long.
I am now nearing the end of my second year in Kuwait. Last year I taught grade 6 girls and this year I have taught a coed kindergarten class at an "American school that respects Islamic values."
I quickly realized how very different Kuwaiti culture is compared to western culture, to far eastern culture, and well...to every culture I had experienced previously. The culture seeped into the school inevitably. Though we are an American school, I teach all Kuwaiti students and Islamic values rule the school. We are to dress a certain way, to teach a certain way, and to leave most of our personal touches out of teaching.
I had a hard time with the culture last year. There is an underlying, very visible hierarchical system in Kuwait. This year, I'm starting to understand it even more but last year it was almost unbearable. Kuwaitis are at the top of this hierarchy. They just are. They have the money, they have the expensive cars, they have the enormous houses. Westerners, I would say, are the next rung on the hierarchical ladder. However, we are still servants; servants to the Kuwaitis' children. Below westerners are immigrant workers. There are a LOT of them. Workers come from the Philippines, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and Egypt mostly. There are also many workers from other areas of the middle east. There are only 1 million Kuwaitis living in Kuwait with a population of 4 million. What do all of these immigrant workers do? They do the jobs Kuwaitis do not want to do. They are family cooks, family drivers, nannies, taxi drivers, car mechanics, restaurant workers, etc.
Toward the end of the school year last year, I had almost had it. I had almost had it with my school's administration and with the structure of Kuwait's society.
Why come back?
Awesome travel opportunities. Good friends. To continue learning about Islam and the middle east. To save money for grad school.
People say to me, "You must like it if you're going back." I can't phrase it that way. Most of us can't phrase it that way. There are things that I like about living here, but I do not like living in Kuwait. This was hard for me to admit. Still hard for me to admit.
What do you do when you dislike living somewhere? You find things that get you through. I joined rugby, started taking zumba lessons, and took up ultimate frisbee. I also found a very dear friend who was as willing as me to drop everything and do anything - a fellow explorer of sorts.
Rugby allowed me to get out of Kuwait every other weekend or so. We played internationally within the middle east. We played several times in the UAE (Emirates) and were also able to travel to Qatar. I met Andy, my now partner, at the biggest middle east rugby event of the year - Dubai Sevens (December 2009).
Because of our holiday time last year, I was able to travel to Ethiopia during our November Eid break with a fellow teacher who had set up an NGO (Non-Governmental Org) to help former sex workers and orphans. During my 2 week February break, I traveled home to meet my new baby brother, Ryan David Carmichael! :) During New Years, I traveled to Abu Dhabi with two good friends. I spent a few days in March exploring the beauty that Oman had to offer. Spring Break was spent in Istanbul with a friend and fellow rugby mate. Finally, Andy's and my first official trip together in May was to the oddly European Middle Eastern country of Lebanon.
When summer came, I spent a week with Andy and his family in England. He is from Guildford, just 30 minutes south of London. We also visited a friend of Andy's in Wales. I then spent 3 weeks traveling solo around Europe by train and staying with fellow couch surfers. Couch Surfing is an amazing network of people who put up their couches or extra rooms for fellow travel lovers. I met many interesting people with varying levels of travel under their belts. The best part is that it is free. It is simply focused on a cultural exchange. I had only wonderful experiences with CS. I traveled to Brussels and Bruges, Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague, Vienna Austria, Budapest , Zagreb, and Ljubljana and the surrounding areas of Slovenia.
Berlin was my favorite. There is a very unique sub culture that I was able to explore through the use of New Europe Free Tours - 3-4 hour free walking tours. The tour guides are incredible, hilarious, and international. They work solely for tips.
I traveled back to England, home, and to Colombia in the span of 4 days. I went to Colombia with CPT on a delegation focused on the human rights unrest in and around Bogota, Barrancabermeja, and the Las Pavas Community. This is a link to an article my friend wrote about my experience and the internally displaced peoples of Colombia: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-solis/colombias-internally-disp_b_715186.html
After a month at home, I stopped back through England and Scotland to meet up with Andy on my way back to Kuwait.
This year has taught me very much that I am not cut out to live in Kuwait long term, but I cannot say I regret the decision to stay this second year. I have had a chance to go to some amazing places and experience some incredible things that I wouldn't have been able to otherwise. For this November Eid break, Andy and I traveled to Sri Lanka for a week. I am now convinced that I will once again visit Sri Lanka; I fell in love with its beauty and kind people. I spent New Years in England for a friend's wedding. For the winter break, I traveled to Dubai for a few days to visit Andy's parents while his father was on business and then traveled to Sudan and Uganda with New Community Project to learn about the projects they sponsor for girls' education and reforestation. Most recently, Andy and I just returned from a week trip to Jordan. I was there for two days before he came out to meet me. We visited Petra, Wadi Rum, Aqaba, Jarash, the Dead Sea, etc. Jordan is a very versatile and gorgeous country; it has so much to offer in terms of landscapes and natural beauties.
I might have caught you up on the past two years of my life. I'm sure some of you are wondering what's next. Your guess is as good as mine. I know I am leaving Kuwait and traveling this summer, but I'm not sure about much beyond that.
Andy and I will spend a part of the summer as a road trip up to Montreal, Canada with stops in DC and Niagara Falls on the way to a friend's wedding (a couple I taught with last year). We are leaning toward traveling Central America for a few weeks before heading out to New Zealand for a month and a half as Andy managed to acquire tickets for the Rugby World Cup, including the final! There is a 3 week break between our last game and the final where we are going to try to hop over to Australia for a bit. How are we going to afford this? Lots of camping, couch surfing, and WWOOFing (organic farming in exchange for room and board). Beyond that the vision gets blurrier. A few ideas have been tossed around which mostly end Andy and I up in England...at least for a little while. Grad school is somewhere in the future with a focus on International Studies/Human Rights. Stay tuned as I figure out my future. ;)
Here's to the next adventure.
I would love to hear from those of you I haven't heard from in a while...and from those I talk to on a regular basis. I miss you all! Don't think for one minute that this crazy life I lead stops me from missing home, friends, and family.
Much love.
~Stacey
Friday, September 11, 2009
Philippines - August 2009
Hi everyone!
I'm carrying the same list from Korea over to my experiences in Kuwait.
*If you'd like to be taken off of the list, please let me know.
I've been in Kuwait for about a week after an amazing summer vacation! My flight got in around 3AM, and I was met by a woman who is originally from Palestine but has lived in Kuwait for over 40 years. We had orientation for 5 days and are going to start working at the school on Sunday. My work week is Sunday through Thursday and we'll start school September 27th as long as the H1N1 paranoia doesn't push the school start date back like it is predicted to do so. Kindergarten isn't starting until December because of the scare. We arrived at the time of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting. It is illegal at this time to drink (even water), eat, smoke, and chew gum in public between the hours of 4AM and 6PM. I'll start trying to type in my blog again. I've changed the name and address to: www.stashiwanderer.blogspot.com
This summer I spent a few days in California visiting two friends of mine, Chris Cosner and Nick Kauffman. After that, I spent 3 weeks at home with family and friends.
From there, I traveled to the Philippines, Malaysia, Bangladesh, and India. I visited friends in each of the countries for 10 days minus Malaysia. I spent only a day in Malaysia with a woman I met on Couchsurfing.com, a website that allows you to connect with people all over the world willing to house travelers that are passing through.
I'm going to break them down into three emails. Always so much to say. ^_~
PHILIPPINES
I arrived in the Philippines on August 3rd late at night. Having not booked a guest house in advance, I asked at the information desk for a recommendation. Because of that, I spent an interesting taxi ride trying to find a place to stay. I settled on a room more expensive than the "dorm" which consisted of bunk beds behind bamboo screens in what appeared to be the hallway of a building. When I realized there was A) a cockroach roaming around the community bathroom and B) there was no toilet paper, I decided to NOT go the bathroom. However, around midnight I finally gave in and decided to brave the cockroach. After getting semi-comfortable with the presence of a cockroach, I look over and there is a worm crawling on the side of the toilet tank. Ha! I didn't get a whole lot of sleep that night.
I had coffee with a family who was on vacation in Manila from another part of the Philippines in the morning. The father and daughter offered to take me to meet my friend, Malcolm - a Kiwi friend of mine who I met in Korea while volunteering at the House of Sharing together. The traffic in Manila is HORRIBLE so we transferred to the metro.
After being late to meet my friend, I found out that we couldn't take the boat to the island we were headed to because of a typhoon. It had made the water unsafe for travel. We spent the night at a dorm where volunteers are trained for my friend's organization (Meaningful Volunteer - meaningfulvolunteer.org) and an organization called CERV. They work together on projects mostly based on the island of Romblon, in the village of Sugod (pronounced "So Good").
The next day after a taxi ride, a 2 hour bus ride, a 10 hour boat ride (I slept the whole time - there were beds provided), an hour and a half jeepney ride (a vehicle extended at the back to be made into a form of public transportation by the local population after Americans abandoned a large number of jeeps after the war), and a 30 minute walk, we arrived in Sugod at 4AM.
We had crabs! Ok...just one. Literally a little crab had wandered in from the ocean which was a 2 minute walk from our front door and was chillin' with us in the dorm. We also had a few cockroaches scurrying about and tons of geckos which are absolutely adorable!
Malcolm and I stayed in a "dorm" with two volunteers, Camilla, a 22-year-old from England and Emily, an 18-year-old Korean from Canada. Just down the road, two more volunteers, Ingrid, a 26-year-old from New Zealand (whom I also met in Korea) and Rita, a 20 year old from Cali, were living with Ma'am Tess (Mom Tess) and Felix. Mom Tess and Felix cooked all of our meals for us and are absolutely incredible people!
Although I had come to the Philippines to visit Malcolm, I was lucky enough to be able to do some volunteer work while on the island.
There are many projects that Malc has been working on. 1) Building a school and bringing in volunteers to teach students English. Currently the students are taking English classes at the school that already exists in the village. 2) Computer classes for teachers. 3) Mangrove replanting because a good majority of the mangroves which help protect against typhoon damage on the island have been cut down for firewood or made into charcoal. 4) Lifecycle project working to education women in a Catholic nation on a natural birth control method. *If you want to know more information, please don't hesitate to ask me or visit the website!
These amongst other projects are currently in the works in Sugod. Malc wanted me to interview and take pictures of students and their families to put on the Meaningful Volunteer website so that students can be sponsored in the future. In doing so, I interviewed nearly 35 students and their families and was able to take pictures of the homes of almost all of the students.
After getting 3 hours of sleep the first night, I headed home with two students, Baby Ann and Jude Ann. They were released from school to show me their home so I could interview their parents and take pictures of them with their house and family. Their home...is on the top of a mountain; it is over an hour trek up. This is the story of so many students; they hike down the mountain for school and back up after school. Many of the families living on surrounding mountains must do the same with the crops they have planted.
I also helped teach one of the computer classes for teachers. We were teaching how to use excel spreadsheets. Teachers, listen up! These teachers were spending hours upon hours calculating their grades by hand because that had no such technology to help them. By teaching them the methods of calculating standard deviation and simple multiplication, it will take HOURS off the work they have to do. The problem is is that they don't have a computer that can be left at the school to be used by the teachers. They are learning on computers that were donated to the organization and they will be transferred to the new school once it is built. A single computer will cost around $350 USD. *If you're interested in donating, especially teachers who can understand what a pain hand processing grades can be, I will be sending out an email soon about how you can help.
We had a going away party one night for a few of the volunteers who had been there for a while. We rented videoke (video karaoke)! All of the students came and we fed them each! ^_~ We sang and danced the night away. Camilla's students came down from the mountain (where she teaches) with hair cuts and their nicest clothes on. So cute!
Besides that, we swam in the ocean, climbed a waterfall, and took showers in our outside shower when we couldn't stand the heat.
Taking a shower in the outside shower with four walls and no roof was incredible! Especially early in the morning when you could barely make out the mountains and palm trees surrounding the dorm but had the sunshine on your shoulders and just before bedtime while gazing at the stars.
I am continuously amazed at how attached I can become to a place and to a people in such a short span of time. As I left the village after only a little over a week, I had tears in my eyes at the thought of leaving the incredible people who had my short stay so memorable.
I promised Camilla I'd visit her in England. You can hold me to that promise..."Inshallah".
I flew from the island to an area called Dau and met up with Malcolm's Philippino girlfriend, Sel, and one of her friends. They showed me a not so nice area of the Philippines. There was an active American Air Force Base in Angeles. And because of the base, a localized prostitution street grew around the area. Since the base was cleared in 1991, there are fewer Americans visiting the area, but the prostitution area is still thriving with men from all over the world frequenting the bars and strip clubs. I was disgusted to see the manner in which women are treated in the area. At one club, we waited for a male friend of Sel's to show up because women couldn't enter unescorted. Inside, the women who weren't dancing, were responding to men's signals to come over. After a man had "chosen" a woman, the others were dismissed with a flick of his hand.
I chose to go to this area because I believe it's important to experience different sides of a country; to see the beauty but also understand where the problems of a nation lie. I hope to return to the beauty of Sugod someday and see how the children have grown.
MALAYSIA
I flew from Clark airport to Malaysia. I spent a very short time in this country and don't have more to report. I made a rookie traveling mistake and paid WAY too much for a taxi to the apartment of a woman I had met through Couchsurfing.com. Once I dropped my stuff off at the apartment building, I wandered the city of Kuala Lumpur by foot while I waited for Zurin to get off work. She, her roommate, and I spent the night talking and hanging out around the apartment. The next day, Zurin and I had breakfast together at a small Indian restaurant and she dropped me off at the metro. I ventured out to find the towers of Kuala Lumpur before heading to the airport by bus (which cost 1/8th of what the taxi ride cost). I flew out from Kuala Lumpur to Bangladesh...
*I've been slowly trying to upload pics from my camera to my computer to PhotoBucket. I finally got my pics recovered from my memory card that isn't working. There are some pics from the Philippines up on PhotoBucket now but not all.
Peace and Love from the Middle East,
Stacey
I'm carrying the same list from Korea over to my experiences in Kuwait.
*If you'd like to be taken off of the list, please let me know.
I've been in Kuwait for about a week after an amazing summer vacation! My flight got in around 3AM, and I was met by a woman who is originally from Palestine but has lived in Kuwait for over 40 years. We had orientation for 5 days and are going to start working at the school on Sunday. My work week is Sunday through Thursday and we'll start school September 27th as long as the H1N1 paranoia doesn't push the school start date back like it is predicted to do so. Kindergarten isn't starting until December because of the scare. We arrived at the time of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting. It is illegal at this time to drink (even water), eat, smoke, and chew gum in public between the hours of 4AM and 6PM. I'll start trying to type in my blog again. I've changed the name and address to: www.stashiwanderer.blogspot.com
This summer I spent a few days in California visiting two friends of mine, Chris Cosner and Nick Kauffman. After that, I spent 3 weeks at home with family and friends.
From there, I traveled to the Philippines, Malaysia, Bangladesh, and India. I visited friends in each of the countries for 10 days minus Malaysia. I spent only a day in Malaysia with a woman I met on Couchsurfing.com, a website that allows you to connect with people all over the world willing to house travelers that are passing through.
I'm going to break them down into three emails. Always so much to say. ^_~
PHILIPPINES
I arrived in the Philippines on August 3rd late at night. Having not booked a guest house in advance, I asked at the information desk for a recommendation. Because of that, I spent an interesting taxi ride trying to find a place to stay. I settled on a room more expensive than the "dorm" which consisted of bunk beds behind bamboo screens in what appeared to be the hallway of a building. When I realized there was A) a cockroach roaming around the community bathroom and B) there was no toilet paper, I decided to NOT go the bathroom. However, around midnight I finally gave in and decided to brave the cockroach. After getting semi-comfortable with the presence of a cockroach, I look over and there is a worm crawling on the side of the toilet tank. Ha! I didn't get a whole lot of sleep that night.
I had coffee with a family who was on vacation in Manila from another part of the Philippines in the morning. The father and daughter offered to take me to meet my friend, Malcolm - a Kiwi friend of mine who I met in Korea while volunteering at the House of Sharing together. The traffic in Manila is HORRIBLE so we transferred to the metro.
After being late to meet my friend, I found out that we couldn't take the boat to the island we were headed to because of a typhoon. It had made the water unsafe for travel. We spent the night at a dorm where volunteers are trained for my friend's organization (Meaningful Volunteer - meaningfulvolunteer.org) and an organization called CERV. They work together on projects mostly based on the island of Romblon, in the village of Sugod (pronounced "So Good").
The next day after a taxi ride, a 2 hour bus ride, a 10 hour boat ride (I slept the whole time - there were beds provided), an hour and a half jeepney ride (a vehicle extended at the back to be made into a form of public transportation by the local population after Americans abandoned a large number of jeeps after the war), and a 30 minute walk, we arrived in Sugod at 4AM.
We had crabs! Ok...just one. Literally a little crab had wandered in from the ocean which was a 2 minute walk from our front door and was chillin' with us in the dorm. We also had a few cockroaches scurrying about and tons of geckos which are absolutely adorable!
Malcolm and I stayed in a "dorm" with two volunteers, Camilla, a 22-year-old from England and Emily, an 18-year-old Korean from Canada. Just down the road, two more volunteers, Ingrid, a 26-year-old from New Zealand (whom I also met in Korea) and Rita, a 20 year old from Cali, were living with Ma'am Tess (Mom Tess) and Felix. Mom Tess and Felix cooked all of our meals for us and are absolutely incredible people!
Although I had come to the Philippines to visit Malcolm, I was lucky enough to be able to do some volunteer work while on the island.
There are many projects that Malc has been working on. 1) Building a school and bringing in volunteers to teach students English. Currently the students are taking English classes at the school that already exists in the village. 2) Computer classes for teachers. 3) Mangrove replanting because a good majority of the mangroves which help protect against typhoon damage on the island have been cut down for firewood or made into charcoal. 4) Lifecycle project working to education women in a Catholic nation on a natural birth control method. *If you want to know more information, please don't hesitate to ask me or visit the website!
These amongst other projects are currently in the works in Sugod. Malc wanted me to interview and take pictures of students and their families to put on the Meaningful Volunteer website so that students can be sponsored in the future. In doing so, I interviewed nearly 35 students and their families and was able to take pictures of the homes of almost all of the students.
After getting 3 hours of sleep the first night, I headed home with two students, Baby Ann and Jude Ann. They were released from school to show me their home so I could interview their parents and take pictures of them with their house and family. Their home...is on the top of a mountain; it is over an hour trek up. This is the story of so many students; they hike down the mountain for school and back up after school. Many of the families living on surrounding mountains must do the same with the crops they have planted.
I also helped teach one of the computer classes for teachers. We were teaching how to use excel spreadsheets. Teachers, listen up! These teachers were spending hours upon hours calculating their grades by hand because that had no such technology to help them. By teaching them the methods of calculating standard deviation and simple multiplication, it will take HOURS off the work they have to do. The problem is is that they don't have a computer that can be left at the school to be used by the teachers. They are learning on computers that were donated to the organization and they will be transferred to the new school once it is built. A single computer will cost around $350 USD. *If you're interested in donating, especially teachers who can understand what a pain hand processing grades can be, I will be sending out an email soon about how you can help.
We had a going away party one night for a few of the volunteers who had been there for a while. We rented videoke (video karaoke)! All of the students came and we fed them each! ^_~ We sang and danced the night away. Camilla's students came down from the mountain (where she teaches) with hair cuts and their nicest clothes on. So cute!
Besides that, we swam in the ocean, climbed a waterfall, and took showers in our outside shower when we couldn't stand the heat.
Taking a shower in the outside shower with four walls and no roof was incredible! Especially early in the morning when you could barely make out the mountains and palm trees surrounding the dorm but had the sunshine on your shoulders and just before bedtime while gazing at the stars.
I am continuously amazed at how attached I can become to a place and to a people in such a short span of time. As I left the village after only a little over a week, I had tears in my eyes at the thought of leaving the incredible people who had my short stay so memorable.
I promised Camilla I'd visit her in England. You can hold me to that promise..."Inshallah".
I flew from the island to an area called Dau and met up with Malcolm's Philippino girlfriend, Sel, and one of her friends. They showed me a not so nice area of the Philippines. There was an active American Air Force Base in Angeles. And because of the base, a localized prostitution street grew around the area. Since the base was cleared in 1991, there are fewer Americans visiting the area, but the prostitution area is still thriving with men from all over the world frequenting the bars and strip clubs. I was disgusted to see the manner in which women are treated in the area. At one club, we waited for a male friend of Sel's to show up because women couldn't enter unescorted. Inside, the women who weren't dancing, were responding to men's signals to come over. After a man had "chosen" a woman, the others were dismissed with a flick of his hand.
I chose to go to this area because I believe it's important to experience different sides of a country; to see the beauty but also understand where the problems of a nation lie. I hope to return to the beauty of Sugod someday and see how the children have grown.
MALAYSIA
I flew from Clark airport to Malaysia. I spent a very short time in this country and don't have more to report. I made a rookie traveling mistake and paid WAY too much for a taxi to the apartment of a woman I had met through Couchsurfing.com. Once I dropped my stuff off at the apartment building, I wandered the city of Kuala Lumpur by foot while I waited for Zurin to get off work. She, her roommate, and I spent the night talking and hanging out around the apartment. The next day, Zurin and I had breakfast together at a small Indian restaurant and she dropped me off at the metro. I ventured out to find the towers of Kuala Lumpur before heading to the airport by bus (which cost 1/8th of what the taxi ride cost). I flew out from Kuala Lumpur to Bangladesh...
*I've been slowly trying to upload pics from my camera to my computer to PhotoBucket. I finally got my pics recovered from my memory card that isn't working. There are some pics from the Philippines up on PhotoBucket now but not all.
Peace and Love from the Middle East,
Stacey
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Kuwait: A New Chapter - Sunday September 7, 2009
I got into Kuwait 3 days ago. Today was my first day of orientation.
I've met many wonderful people. Very few are my age from what I can tell. My neighbor, Lisette, is very friendly and despite the fact that she looks 25, she is 30. Most of the teachers, like Lisette, are Canadian.
I have met 3 other people from the states. They are all from Michigan, one couple and one girl my age. The girl my age, Addie, is soon turning 25 and is a Korean adoptee. We have shared our passion for Korea. Even though she hasn't been back since she was adopted at the age of three, she hopes to visit one day soon.
My brain is all over the place right now because I'm exhausted. Sorry for the randomness.
Today we met our admins minus Diane who is my principal and my mom's friend. Diane is the one who recruited me to teach at ACA, American Creativity Academy. She was delayed a day because her flight was canceled without warning. She is coming with my two suitcases because I traveled directly before coming here. I will post blogs soon about my travels this summer.
I also realized that the two boxes I sent from Korea to Kuwait may never make it; I have heard horrible things about postage to Kuwait. Things often disappear and/or never make it. All I can do is keep my fingers crossed.
I think the most surprising thing for me right now is that we live in a "concrete jungle." There is no nature. Not even sand. I have yet to really see much of the city or the country, so I'm sure I'll find nature in unexpected places still. Until then...concrete jungle it is. ^_~
As soon as I figure out how to get pics off of my camera, I'll put pics up on facebook and on photobucket.
I've met many wonderful people. Very few are my age from what I can tell. My neighbor, Lisette, is very friendly and despite the fact that she looks 25, she is 30. Most of the teachers, like Lisette, are Canadian.
I have met 3 other people from the states. They are all from Michigan, one couple and one girl my age. The girl my age, Addie, is soon turning 25 and is a Korean adoptee. We have shared our passion for Korea. Even though she hasn't been back since she was adopted at the age of three, she hopes to visit one day soon.
My brain is all over the place right now because I'm exhausted. Sorry for the randomness.
Today we met our admins minus Diane who is my principal and my mom's friend. Diane is the one who recruited me to teach at ACA, American Creativity Academy. She was delayed a day because her flight was canceled without warning. She is coming with my two suitcases because I traveled directly before coming here. I will post blogs soon about my travels this summer.
I also realized that the two boxes I sent from Korea to Kuwait may never make it; I have heard horrible things about postage to Kuwait. Things often disappear and/or never make it. All I can do is keep my fingers crossed.
I think the most surprising thing for me right now is that we live in a "concrete jungle." There is no nature. Not even sand. I have yet to really see much of the city or the country, so I'm sure I'll find nature in unexpected places still. Until then...concrete jungle it is. ^_~
As soon as I figure out how to get pics off of my camera, I'll put pics up on facebook and on photobucket.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Part 6: Cambodia
I forgot to post this email.
This is the final leg of my trip. From Pakse, Laos by plane to Siem Reap, Cambodia and down to Phnom Pehn, Cambodia.
SIEM REAP
In Siem Reap, I was met by a motorbike driver at the airport. It was $2, I think, for him to take me to a guest house. The guest house was great, and I kept the same motorbike driver for the day and the next day to take me around Angkor.
I was shocked at how westernized Siem Reap is. Everywhere accepts US dollars and when you retrieve money from any ATM, you receive US dollars. Everyone is trying to sell you something and foreigners everywhere. It was a long way from the laid back lifestyle in Laos.
The first night, I watched the sunset over a temple of Angkor. It was gorgeous. I slowly realized that I was again traveling alone. It was was a few and far between experience to see people traveling around Angkor on their own. That night, I went to see a traditional dance show at a hotel.
The following day, I was no longer on my own. With my motorbike driver, we traveled from temple to temple within the grounds of Angkor. At my favorite temple, Ta Prohm, I ran into an incredibly kind British couple in their late 40's/early 50's who let me tag along with them and their guide. I was lucky enough to run into them again at Angkor Wat! later on in the day. Despite the incredibly exhausting day of being in the sun, I knew where I wanted to go that night. I had found a flyer advertising a traditional dance show at an orphanage. I asked my motorbike driver to take me there. What an incredible experience! And, I guarantee, the dance show was just as good...scratch that...better than at the hotel. ^_~
I said goodbye to my driver because I was to head out to Phnom Pehn the next day; the last leg of my trip.
PHNOM PEHN
I met 3 British guys, 2 Canadian girls, and a Dutch guy on the bus ride to Phnom Pehn. We stuck together for the next two days.
The first night, after a game of charades at a restaurant to explain what we wanted to eat (amazingly we successfully explained one with no meat and 6 with meat...haha), we headed to a really awkward night club. Awkward in regards to the number of old foreign men hitting on younger Cambodian women.
The next day, I was relieved to have company as the two Canadian girls (MJ and Amy), the Dutch guy (Casper), and I headed to S21, the school turned torture camp/prison during the Pol Pot/Khmer Rouge regime. I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but it turned out to be one of the most impacting experiences of my 2 months traveling. The things I learned...the things I hadn't known before made me angry at myself and ashamed.
Quick explanation for those that may not know what I'm talking about: During the years of 1971-1975, the communist party Khmer Rouge regime was in control of Cambodia headed by Pol Pot, a ruthless killer of 1/4 of the population of Cambodia in the span of a few years. Pol Pot believed that if you weren't from the country, you were "tainted." Anyone with education was killed first: teachers, former government officials, doctors, etc. Everyone who was living in the cities was forced to move to the countryside where they were forced to work producing rice; rice that was mostly sent outside of the country, despite Pol Pot's stance that the country was self sustainable, allowing "his" people to starve. Currency was banned, jewelry was banned, everyone was to wear identical black pajama-like clothing, individualism was banned. Besides S21 being used as a torture prison, the Killing Fields (much more "famous") was a place where those serving under the regime would take people, mostly those who has lived in the cities, and conduct mass murders.
After reading loads of information about the Khmer Rouge at S21, Casper and I continued on alone to the Killing Fields. Amy and MJ chose not to come along. I wasn't prepared for what I saw. A giant monument constructed in memory of those who had been murdered, filled to the top with skulls of the victims found. Remaining bones and clothes scattered about the ground. Emptied mass graves. A tree marked "Killing tree against which executioners beat children." Casper and I hardly spoke as we walked around, barely able to catch our breath under the weight of what we were seeing...all the while hearing the laughter of children at a school nearby.
That night, after a very heavy day, the four of us relaxed in our room and watched Slumdog Millionaire on MJ's computer.
The next day as the others headed out one way, I headed back to Bangkok for my flight "home," back to Korea.
It was a very sombering way to end my two months of travel, but it ended with new friends by my side. Not everything worked out perfectly or even the way I thought it would, but I wouldn't change any of it for the world.
Thanks for hangin' in there while it took me forever to get these emails out!!^^
Peace and Love,
Stacey
This is the final leg of my trip. From Pakse, Laos by plane to Siem Reap, Cambodia and down to Phnom Pehn, Cambodia.
SIEM REAP
In Siem Reap, I was met by a motorbike driver at the airport. It was $2, I think, for him to take me to a guest house. The guest house was great, and I kept the same motorbike driver for the day and the next day to take me around Angkor.
I was shocked at how westernized Siem Reap is. Everywhere accepts US dollars and when you retrieve money from any ATM, you receive US dollars. Everyone is trying to sell you something and foreigners everywhere. It was a long way from the laid back lifestyle in Laos.
The first night, I watched the sunset over a temple of Angkor. It was gorgeous. I slowly realized that I was again traveling alone. It was was a few and far between experience to see people traveling around Angkor on their own. That night, I went to see a traditional dance show at a hotel.
The following day, I was no longer on my own. With my motorbike driver, we traveled from temple to temple within the grounds of Angkor. At my favorite temple, Ta Prohm, I ran into an incredibly kind British couple in their late 40's/early 50's who let me tag along with them and their guide. I was lucky enough to run into them again at Angkor Wat! later on in the day. Despite the incredibly exhausting day of being in the sun, I knew where I wanted to go that night. I had found a flyer advertising a traditional dance show at an orphanage. I asked my motorbike driver to take me there. What an incredible experience! And, I guarantee, the dance show was just as good...scratch that...better than at the hotel. ^_~
I said goodbye to my driver because I was to head out to Phnom Pehn the next day; the last leg of my trip.
PHNOM PEHN
I met 3 British guys, 2 Canadian girls, and a Dutch guy on the bus ride to Phnom Pehn. We stuck together for the next two days.
The first night, after a game of charades at a restaurant to explain what we wanted to eat (amazingly we successfully explained one with no meat and 6 with meat...haha), we headed to a really awkward night club. Awkward in regards to the number of old foreign men hitting on younger Cambodian women.
The next day, I was relieved to have company as the two Canadian girls (MJ and Amy), the Dutch guy (Casper), and I headed to S21, the school turned torture camp/prison during the Pol Pot/Khmer Rouge regime. I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but it turned out to be one of the most impacting experiences of my 2 months traveling. The things I learned...the things I hadn't known before made me angry at myself and ashamed.
Quick explanation for those that may not know what I'm talking about: During the years of 1971-1975, the communist party Khmer Rouge regime was in control of Cambodia headed by Pol Pot, a ruthless killer of 1/4 of the population of Cambodia in the span of a few years. Pol Pot believed that if you weren't from the country, you were "tainted." Anyone with education was killed first: teachers, former government officials, doctors, etc. Everyone who was living in the cities was forced to move to the countryside where they were forced to work producing rice; rice that was mostly sent outside of the country, despite Pol Pot's stance that the country was self sustainable, allowing "his" people to starve. Currency was banned, jewelry was banned, everyone was to wear identical black pajama-like clothing, individualism was banned. Besides S21 being used as a torture prison, the Killing Fields (much more "famous") was a place where those serving under the regime would take people, mostly those who has lived in the cities, and conduct mass murders.
After reading loads of information about the Khmer Rouge at S21, Casper and I continued on alone to the Killing Fields. Amy and MJ chose not to come along. I wasn't prepared for what I saw. A giant monument constructed in memory of those who had been murdered, filled to the top with skulls of the victims found. Remaining bones and clothes scattered about the ground. Emptied mass graves. A tree marked "Killing tree against which executioners beat children." Casper and I hardly spoke as we walked around, barely able to catch our breath under the weight of what we were seeing...all the while hearing the laughter of children at a school nearby.
That night, after a very heavy day, the four of us relaxed in our room and watched Slumdog Millionaire on MJ's computer.
The next day as the others headed out one way, I headed back to Bangkok for my flight "home," back to Korea.
It was a very sombering way to end my two months of travel, but it ended with new friends by my side. Not everything worked out perfectly or even the way I thought it would, but I wouldn't change any of it for the world.
Thanks for hangin' in there while it took me forever to get these emails out!!^^
Peace and Love,
Stacey
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Part 5: Laos
From Chiang Mai, Thailand ---> Huay Xai/Luang Namtha/Luang Prabang/Vang Vieng/Vientiane/Pakse, Laos
I met a girl from Germany (Mari) on the border of Thailand and Laos, so we started traveling together. We took a mini van with a French couple up to Luang Namtha. We had planned to take a long boat down to Luang Prabang but changed our minds.
The day after we arrived, Mari and I decided to rent motorbikes to ride out to a waterfall near a village. She had ridden loads of times but had been in a bad accident a week before; it was my first time. They didn't have automatics, so we rode geared motorbikes.
We set off and soon realized the road was a dirt and gravel road that wasn't the easiest to ride on. The ride was gorgeous though. We rode through a few villages; the rice fields and mountains were amazing.
At one point there was a hill that my bike decided it didn't want to go up and I didn't gear in time, so it and me rolled backward down the hill and the bike landed on me. I just laid there for a bit while Mari helped get the bike off of me. I just sat while village children surrounded me as I tried not to black out. Luckily we had helmets, so that wasn't a problem. I scraped my left elbow and hurt my wrist pretty badly. We cleaned off my elbow, and I told Mari we should keep going. This was before my wrist really started to hurt.
So, it was just a short ways to the waterfall we were going to climb up to. We sat down at the small store in the village and an old medicine man immediately realized what had happened. He crushed some sort of plant in alcohol and spread it on my elbow (OUCH) and my wrist. He pulled my wrist a bit as well. I had hit my back during the fall, so he gave me a massage. Really, he was very very kind. They were all so worried for me.
Mari and I sat there a bit and decided to go ahead and walk up to the waterfall. It was a little less than incredible, but it was a nice climb. When we came down, there was a French man who had biked in. We sat and talked to him and the villagers for hours. The villagers allowed us to take pictures of the adorable children!
As we got ready to go, Mari asked me if I could ride the motorbike. I, being stupid, said yes. It was obvious after just pulling it out of a parked position that I couldn't. The medicine man offered to ride me back to the city and then Mari could bring him back and go back to the city on her own. We agreed, happy that he had offered. I didn't mention that this man didn't really speak that much English, but we were able to use hand gestures to figure out what was going to happen.
When he dropped me off, a really sweet 22 year old Laos man who works at the guest house we were staying at, held ice on my wrist for a while. I soon realized that I had to go to the hospital; I was afraid it was broken. He took me to the hospital where I learned that if I wanted an xray, I had to come back the next morning. I had planned on leaving the next day to Luang Prabang but decided to stay for the xray.
The next morning, the same 22 year old took me back. He really was so sweet, telling me not to worry and making sure I understood what was going on at the doctor's office. Luckily nothing was broken...just hurt like hell.
That day, Mari and I decided to do some trekking on our own. We went on the main road until we got off a bit and ended up sitting in a bamboo hut in the middle of a field for a few hours just talking. We headed out, and of course I was on a streak of bad luck, and my foot ended up in a giant mud puddle...mud covering my shoe. Haha! We walked back through some beautiful rice fields occasionally taking some scary chances by crossing sticks (they were sticks really...not even logs) across small streams. We walked through a village until we finally made our way back to our guest house. I washed my shoe and it actually ended up cleaner than the other one. :)
I decided then to go on a 2 day trek with Mari and a group of a 22 year old Israeli guy, a 28 year old French couple, and a dutch girl my age. The people at the agency asked me if I could go trekking with my wrist as it was (it was wrapped at this point). My response, "You trek with your feet, right?" Haha!
The trek was good. A little intense at times with a mountain to one side and quite a long drop at the other side. There was actually times where I had to use my arms because the climb was so steep, but I tried to use my left arm as little as possible. We had lunch on the way at a little bamboo shack. Lunch mostly consisted of rice and a few roots and some wet seaweed. It was quite nice. I'm not so used to wet seaweed as dried, but it was decent.
We arrived at the village around 4PM where we would spend the night. We walked around the village with our guide Keo while our guide Noi cooked dinner. Dinner was rice, cooked cabbage, some egg and tomato mixture, and a few other things. We met the chief of the village afterward and a few others from the village. It was a great time! Asking questions and laughing. The chief told the French couple they should get married while he told me I should move to the village and teach the children. He was fantastic!
Apparently as a way to welcome visitors to the village, they give massages. So we had a massage before bed.
The next morning I wasn't paying attention to where I was walking and I walked into a bamboo shoot sticking off of the school. I had an "X" shaped injury on my forehead until just recently. Haha! Luang Namtha has been a rough area for me.
We had about 4 more hours of trekking, stopping to eat lunch and nibble on some amazing mint candies called Dynamite with a delightful chocolate surprise in their centers. :) Oh, to add to the ridiculousness that I experienced in Luang Namtha...the bag with all of the cabbage juice spilled and was all over my pants and sweater. HAHAHA! It was a sign that it was time to move on to a different city.
We arrived back at 4PM where we all moved into the same guest house down the road that was cheaper. We met for dinner and some beer. The group also tried Laos Laos which is something we were offered by the chief of the village as well. It's a potent rice wine. Similar to the soju some of you tried from Korea. It wasn't as strong in the village as it was in town. Yuck!
The next day Mari and I traveled 8 hours south to Luang Prabang.
The next day, we climbed to the top of a large hill to see Wat Phousi (a temple) and had a gorgeous view of the city. We also bargained our way into a tuk tuk (a taxi like vehicle) only to find out that the tuk tuk didn't actually have room for us. So we just went to a travel agent for the same price to go to an absolutely AMAZING group of waterfalls and to see black bears at the entrance (no fears...they were in a cage). I swam in one of the waterfalls. I'll try to get pictures on facebook soon or send them. It was a torquoise blue. We started climbing not knowing where it was going to take us. I was in flip flops and it was very steep and very dusty, but we made it to the top to find out that it was the top of the waterfall. We carefully walked across the waterfall happy to find that the descent on the other side was much less likely to die from. We both went down in bare feet.
We spent the rest of the day drinking nutella and oreo shakes, eating, and exploring the enormous night market.
We left the next day for Vang Vieng. It was, next to a ride in Kenya, the worst ride of my life. It was horrible! I sat in a fold down chair in a mini van thinking I would have window access and more leg room only to find that fold down chairs are the least comfortable seats ever. I was holding on for my life as we went through the mountains for 4 hours. Our driver made everyone in the van angry after 4 hours of no food and no bathroom breaks. A laos woman with us luckily said that if the driver didn't stop, she was going to go the bathroom in his van. So, where did he stop? Of course, on the side of the road. We all peed in a field. Eh...at least he stopped. We stopped shortly after that for lunch as well. I changed seats with a man in the back who was bigger and not so tossed around by the shittiness of the fold down seat.
Mari and I decided to stay outside of the city in Vang Vieng at an organic farm. It was very peaceful. We went into town and found a great little chill out bar (unlike the music thumping that was coming from most of the bars). It was called Bamboo Restaurant. We each had a bamboo bucket of mojito ( ~$4) and I ate at their vegetarian buffet ( ~1.50/plate). We had rented bikes to travel the 4km from the farm to town and back.
The next day, we ate breakfast on the farm (mulberry pancakes and laos coffee!) before heading into town. We had to walk b/c the woman we rented bikes from was a little crazy and didn't want to give us bikes again. Mari had laid the bike down instead of using the kick stand, and she hated us from that point on. So we walked into town and rented bikes. We met up with a Dutch girl (Fieke) who we decided to travel with to the caves. We wanted to go to Phoukam cave but got off track somehow and ended up at Lusi cave. The ride was not easy, especially with an injured wrist. We were riding through a dry rice field. Fieke and I decided to go ahead into the cave. It was cool, minus the guide we had to pay. After a few inappropriate jokes in his minimal English and some unecessary handling of our butts to "help" us in the cave, we had had enough of him. He actually wanted a tip after that.
We rode on to find Phoukam. We ran into a friend of Fieke's she had met the day before. His name is Tom, he's a model in Bangkok from the states. Well all headed to the cave together only to realize it was 7 km of utter misery. Rocky, dusty... When we finally made it there, we jumped in the blue lagoon at first chance. Mari went into the cave before us because she didn't have her swimsuit. Tom, Fieke, and I went in later. It was actual climbing around on rocks once getting into the cave...pretty far from the ease of the Mammoth Cave trails of Kentucky. It was amazing though. Huge!
Mari rode back, but the other three of us decided to tuk tuk our way back. It was the best idea for my wrist. The four of us met up at the Bamboo Restaurant for dinner and mojito buckets and spent the whole night talking. Mari and I were a little lost trying to find her bike after walking Fieke back to her guest house but found our way eventually.
The next day, I went tubing alone after a goat cheese sandwich and laos coffee. Mari was sick and couldn't do anything all day. Tubing is getting a tube to float down the river while stopping at loads of bars along the way. The goal: To get drunk and stupid. It didn't turn out to be my thing. It was fun for the first few bars. I met loads of nice people and ran into an Argentinan couple that we met in Luang Prabang, but I guess I'm not the type to enjoy getting drunk while floating down the river. Not to mention, everyone who tubes gets injured somehow. They swing into the river and fail to avoid missing the rocks, they aren't careful while climbing out of the tube into the next bar and spear their foot with a rock, they (like the American model, Tom) are so drunk that they fall off the bridge while trying to cross the river at 4AM. Toward the end of tubing, I was very ready to be done. Most people get a tuk tuk back to the tubing place to get their deposit by 6PM. This is what the Argentinan woman and I did as well.
Mari was feeling a little better, so we met to return our bikes and eat dinner before walking back to the farm.
I headed out early the next morning to Vientiane, which is where I am now. I found a guest house and had way too much pizza for lunch. This might have contributed to why I'm sick now. Last night, I went to a laos traditional dance show which was fantastic, but I didn't feel well all day. I met up with some people, including Fieke from Vang Vieng and we went for Indian. I didn't eat because of how I was feeling and left early. It turns out that I left just in time; I definitely threw up all over the streets of Vientiane. I, just a step above crawling, found my way back to my guest house and slept all night minus the few times I had to wake up throughout the night.
I woke up finally around 11AM this morning having to check out by noon. I'm still not feeling great which is part of why I'm spending the day in an internet cafe. I'm leaving soon to go to a meditation session at a nearby Wat (temple). Tonight, I'm taking an overnight bus to the south of Laos and then a plane to Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Peace and Love,
Stacey
I met a girl from Germany (Mari) on the border of Thailand and Laos, so we started traveling together. We took a mini van with a French couple up to Luang Namtha. We had planned to take a long boat down to Luang Prabang but changed our minds.
The day after we arrived, Mari and I decided to rent motorbikes to ride out to a waterfall near a village. She had ridden loads of times but had been in a bad accident a week before; it was my first time. They didn't have automatics, so we rode geared motorbikes.
We set off and soon realized the road was a dirt and gravel road that wasn't the easiest to ride on. The ride was gorgeous though. We rode through a few villages; the rice fields and mountains were amazing.
At one point there was a hill that my bike decided it didn't want to go up and I didn't gear in time, so it and me rolled backward down the hill and the bike landed on me. I just laid there for a bit while Mari helped get the bike off of me. I just sat while village children surrounded me as I tried not to black out. Luckily we had helmets, so that wasn't a problem. I scraped my left elbow and hurt my wrist pretty badly. We cleaned off my elbow, and I told Mari we should keep going. This was before my wrist really started to hurt.
So, it was just a short ways to the waterfall we were going to climb up to. We sat down at the small store in the village and an old medicine man immediately realized what had happened. He crushed some sort of plant in alcohol and spread it on my elbow (OUCH) and my wrist. He pulled my wrist a bit as well. I had hit my back during the fall, so he gave me a massage. Really, he was very very kind. They were all so worried for me.
Mari and I sat there a bit and decided to go ahead and walk up to the waterfall. It was a little less than incredible, but it was a nice climb. When we came down, there was a French man who had biked in. We sat and talked to him and the villagers for hours. The villagers allowed us to take pictures of the adorable children!
As we got ready to go, Mari asked me if I could ride the motorbike. I, being stupid, said yes. It was obvious after just pulling it out of a parked position that I couldn't. The medicine man offered to ride me back to the city and then Mari could bring him back and go back to the city on her own. We agreed, happy that he had offered. I didn't mention that this man didn't really speak that much English, but we were able to use hand gestures to figure out what was going to happen.
When he dropped me off, a really sweet 22 year old Laos man who works at the guest house we were staying at, held ice on my wrist for a while. I soon realized that I had to go to the hospital; I was afraid it was broken. He took me to the hospital where I learned that if I wanted an xray, I had to come back the next morning. I had planned on leaving the next day to Luang Prabang but decided to stay for the xray.
The next morning, the same 22 year old took me back. He really was so sweet, telling me not to worry and making sure I understood what was going on at the doctor's office. Luckily nothing was broken...just hurt like hell.
That day, Mari and I decided to do some trekking on our own. We went on the main road until we got off a bit and ended up sitting in a bamboo hut in the middle of a field for a few hours just talking. We headed out, and of course I was on a streak of bad luck, and my foot ended up in a giant mud puddle...mud covering my shoe. Haha! We walked back through some beautiful rice fields occasionally taking some scary chances by crossing sticks (they were sticks really...not even logs) across small streams. We walked through a village until we finally made our way back to our guest house. I washed my shoe and it actually ended up cleaner than the other one. :)
I decided then to go on a 2 day trek with Mari and a group of a 22 year old Israeli guy, a 28 year old French couple, and a dutch girl my age. The people at the agency asked me if I could go trekking with my wrist as it was (it was wrapped at this point). My response, "You trek with your feet, right?" Haha!
The trek was good. A little intense at times with a mountain to one side and quite a long drop at the other side. There was actually times where I had to use my arms because the climb was so steep, but I tried to use my left arm as little as possible. We had lunch on the way at a little bamboo shack. Lunch mostly consisted of rice and a few roots and some wet seaweed. It was quite nice. I'm not so used to wet seaweed as dried, but it was decent.
We arrived at the village around 4PM where we would spend the night. We walked around the village with our guide Keo while our guide Noi cooked dinner. Dinner was rice, cooked cabbage, some egg and tomato mixture, and a few other things. We met the chief of the village afterward and a few others from the village. It was a great time! Asking questions and laughing. The chief told the French couple they should get married while he told me I should move to the village and teach the children. He was fantastic!
Apparently as a way to welcome visitors to the village, they give massages. So we had a massage before bed.
The next morning I wasn't paying attention to where I was walking and I walked into a bamboo shoot sticking off of the school. I had an "X" shaped injury on my forehead until just recently. Haha! Luang Namtha has been a rough area for me.
We had about 4 more hours of trekking, stopping to eat lunch and nibble on some amazing mint candies called Dynamite with a delightful chocolate surprise in their centers. :) Oh, to add to the ridiculousness that I experienced in Luang Namtha...the bag with all of the cabbage juice spilled and was all over my pants and sweater. HAHAHA! It was a sign that it was time to move on to a different city.
We arrived back at 4PM where we all moved into the same guest house down the road that was cheaper. We met for dinner and some beer. The group also tried Laos Laos which is something we were offered by the chief of the village as well. It's a potent rice wine. Similar to the soju some of you tried from Korea. It wasn't as strong in the village as it was in town. Yuck!
The next day Mari and I traveled 8 hours south to Luang Prabang.
The next day, we climbed to the top of a large hill to see Wat Phousi (a temple) and had a gorgeous view of the city. We also bargained our way into a tuk tuk (a taxi like vehicle) only to find out that the tuk tuk didn't actually have room for us. So we just went to a travel agent for the same price to go to an absolutely AMAZING group of waterfalls and to see black bears at the entrance (no fears...they were in a cage). I swam in one of the waterfalls. I'll try to get pictures on facebook soon or send them. It was a torquoise blue. We started climbing not knowing where it was going to take us. I was in flip flops and it was very steep and very dusty, but we made it to the top to find out that it was the top of the waterfall. We carefully walked across the waterfall happy to find that the descent on the other side was much less likely to die from. We both went down in bare feet.
We spent the rest of the day drinking nutella and oreo shakes, eating, and exploring the enormous night market.
We left the next day for Vang Vieng. It was, next to a ride in Kenya, the worst ride of my life. It was horrible! I sat in a fold down chair in a mini van thinking I would have window access and more leg room only to find that fold down chairs are the least comfortable seats ever. I was holding on for my life as we went through the mountains for 4 hours. Our driver made everyone in the van angry after 4 hours of no food and no bathroom breaks. A laos woman with us luckily said that if the driver didn't stop, she was going to go the bathroom in his van. So, where did he stop? Of course, on the side of the road. We all peed in a field. Eh...at least he stopped. We stopped shortly after that for lunch as well. I changed seats with a man in the back who was bigger and not so tossed around by the shittiness of the fold down seat.
Mari and I decided to stay outside of the city in Vang Vieng at an organic farm. It was very peaceful. We went into town and found a great little chill out bar (unlike the music thumping that was coming from most of the bars). It was called Bamboo Restaurant. We each had a bamboo bucket of mojito ( ~$4) and I ate at their vegetarian buffet ( ~1.50/plate). We had rented bikes to travel the 4km from the farm to town and back.
The next day, we ate breakfast on the farm (mulberry pancakes and laos coffee!) before heading into town. We had to walk b/c the woman we rented bikes from was a little crazy and didn't want to give us bikes again. Mari had laid the bike down instead of using the kick stand, and she hated us from that point on. So we walked into town and rented bikes. We met up with a Dutch girl (Fieke) who we decided to travel with to the caves. We wanted to go to Phoukam cave but got off track somehow and ended up at Lusi cave. The ride was not easy, especially with an injured wrist. We were riding through a dry rice field. Fieke and I decided to go ahead into the cave. It was cool, minus the guide we had to pay. After a few inappropriate jokes in his minimal English and some unecessary handling of our butts to "help" us in the cave, we had had enough of him. He actually wanted a tip after that.
We rode on to find Phoukam. We ran into a friend of Fieke's she had met the day before. His name is Tom, he's a model in Bangkok from the states. Well all headed to the cave together only to realize it was 7 km of utter misery. Rocky, dusty... When we finally made it there, we jumped in the blue lagoon at first chance. Mari went into the cave before us because she didn't have her swimsuit. Tom, Fieke, and I went in later. It was actual climbing around on rocks once getting into the cave...pretty far from the ease of the Mammoth Cave trails of Kentucky. It was amazing though. Huge!
Mari rode back, but the other three of us decided to tuk tuk our way back. It was the best idea for my wrist. The four of us met up at the Bamboo Restaurant for dinner and mojito buckets and spent the whole night talking. Mari and I were a little lost trying to find her bike after walking Fieke back to her guest house but found our way eventually.
The next day, I went tubing alone after a goat cheese sandwich and laos coffee. Mari was sick and couldn't do anything all day. Tubing is getting a tube to float down the river while stopping at loads of bars along the way. The goal: To get drunk and stupid. It didn't turn out to be my thing. It was fun for the first few bars. I met loads of nice people and ran into an Argentinan couple that we met in Luang Prabang, but I guess I'm not the type to enjoy getting drunk while floating down the river. Not to mention, everyone who tubes gets injured somehow. They swing into the river and fail to avoid missing the rocks, they aren't careful while climbing out of the tube into the next bar and spear their foot with a rock, they (like the American model, Tom) are so drunk that they fall off the bridge while trying to cross the river at 4AM. Toward the end of tubing, I was very ready to be done. Most people get a tuk tuk back to the tubing place to get their deposit by 6PM. This is what the Argentinan woman and I did as well.
Mari was feeling a little better, so we met to return our bikes and eat dinner before walking back to the farm.
I headed out early the next morning to Vientiane, which is where I am now. I found a guest house and had way too much pizza for lunch. This might have contributed to why I'm sick now. Last night, I went to a laos traditional dance show which was fantastic, but I didn't feel well all day. I met up with some people, including Fieke from Vang Vieng and we went for Indian. I didn't eat because of how I was feeling and left early. It turns out that I left just in time; I definitely threw up all over the streets of Vientiane. I, just a step above crawling, found my way back to my guest house and slept all night minus the few times I had to wake up throughout the night.
I woke up finally around 11AM this morning having to check out by noon. I'm still not feeling great which is part of why I'm spending the day in an internet cafe. I'm leaving soon to go to a meditation session at a nearby Wat (temple). Tonight, I'm taking an overnight bus to the south of Laos and then a plane to Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Peace and Love,
Stacey
Monday, April 13, 2009
Part 4: Chiang Mai
From Burma, I headed back to Thailand.
I arrived in Bangkok where, the same day, I took a 10 hour overnight bus to Chiang Mai. The AC was BLASTING the whole way.
When I first arrived, I nearly unsuccessfully found a cafe that I was meeting a woman I was to later take a cooking class with. The class was to be a three day cooking course held at a community outside of the city on an organic farm. Uuuunfortunately, she came to the meeting to tell me that I was the only person signed up and she wouldn't be doing the class.
I had lunch with her and few other people she knew before spending the day wandering around getting lost in Chiang Mai. ;)
For the first time, I realized exactly how long a month traveling alone could be. I had chosen very specifically to travel on my own during the next month. I have traveled a bit before, but I wanted the experience of traveling totally on my own...figuring it out on my own...making decisions on my own...and making mistakes on my own.
What I soon realized was, when you travel "alone," you are never really alone. There are so many other solo travelers out there and friends are so quickly made when we're all out of our element, that I never went more than a day without a friend.
Although that first night, I definitely wondered if I would make it through the next month. After getting lost multiple times, urging myself to leave the comfort of an internet cafe, getting lost again a few times, and finally finding a place to spend the night, I sat down at a bar to read a book and drink a glass of wine. I deserved it, I decided.
The next day, a Thai guy (nicknamed Bell) the same age as me randomly talked me into a 2 day trek at a guest house I wasn't staying at. Haha! I signed up with a group of random strangers. Strangers who became fast friends. On our trek, we had 3 Aussies (18 and 19 years old), a Korean couple (26 years old), 2 Dutch girls (27 years old), and a Swiss couple (26 and 27 years old). The first day, we visited a gorgeous waterfall, relaxed in a natural hot spring, and trekked through the jungles of Chiang Mai. We stopped at two hill tribe villages on the way to our final village destination for the night. After a quick dip in the river to wash up, we had dinner and ate sticky rice by the fire. The second day, we started with an elephant ride through the jungle...segue into a fantastic story.
While on the back of an elephant in the middle of the jungles of Thailand, I heard someone screaming my name. Tim Polakowski, a friend of mine from college who is in his first year of Fulbright in Korea, was shouting to me from a raft with 3 other Fulbright friends of ours. Their trekking group was only the second group I had seen while trekking. Small world, right?!
So, anyway, after elephant trekking, we also rode/surfed on bamboo rafts down the river. It was very relaxing. The adventure came in when one of our two rafts got stuck between rocks and was quickly sinking. Our guide jumped off of our raft to rescue the raft that was sinking. The girls on the other raft were in the process of climbing to safety and rescuing the bags that nearly met the same fate as the raft when the guides were able to pull the raft back to the surface. After lunch, 6 of us decided to do whitewater rafting. We learned the basics and had a guide. The rapids were only at about a 3 because of the low water level, but that didn't stop 2 of our 4 members in the raft from falling overboard. ^_~ It was a good time minus an annoying guide.
I spent the rest of my time in Chiang Mai, experiencing a motor bike ride for the first time with Bell as we sneaked a peak at the flower floats for the flower festival, meeting up with Timmy and the other Fulbrighters I saw during my trek, hanging out with the amazing group of people from my trek group, meeting up with a good friend of mine from Burma, and eating INCREDIBLE food!
BTW...Chiang Mai is a vegetarian's PARADISE!!^^
I arrived in Bangkok where, the same day, I took a 10 hour overnight bus to Chiang Mai. The AC was BLASTING the whole way.
When I first arrived, I nearly unsuccessfully found a cafe that I was meeting a woman I was to later take a cooking class with. The class was to be a three day cooking course held at a community outside of the city on an organic farm. Uuuunfortunately, she came to the meeting to tell me that I was the only person signed up and she wouldn't be doing the class.
I had lunch with her and few other people she knew before spending the day wandering around getting lost in Chiang Mai. ;)
For the first time, I realized exactly how long a month traveling alone could be. I had chosen very specifically to travel on my own during the next month. I have traveled a bit before, but I wanted the experience of traveling totally on my own...figuring it out on my own...making decisions on my own...and making mistakes on my own.
What I soon realized was, when you travel "alone," you are never really alone. There are so many other solo travelers out there and friends are so quickly made when we're all out of our element, that I never went more than a day without a friend.
Although that first night, I definitely wondered if I would make it through the next month. After getting lost multiple times, urging myself to leave the comfort of an internet cafe, getting lost again a few times, and finally finding a place to spend the night, I sat down at a bar to read a book and drink a glass of wine. I deserved it, I decided.
The next day, a Thai guy (nicknamed Bell) the same age as me randomly talked me into a 2 day trek at a guest house I wasn't staying at. Haha! I signed up with a group of random strangers. Strangers who became fast friends. On our trek, we had 3 Aussies (18 and 19 years old), a Korean couple (26 years old), 2 Dutch girls (27 years old), and a Swiss couple (26 and 27 years old). The first day, we visited a gorgeous waterfall, relaxed in a natural hot spring, and trekked through the jungles of Chiang Mai. We stopped at two hill tribe villages on the way to our final village destination for the night. After a quick dip in the river to wash up, we had dinner and ate sticky rice by the fire. The second day, we started with an elephant ride through the jungle...segue into a fantastic story.
While on the back of an elephant in the middle of the jungles of Thailand, I heard someone screaming my name. Tim Polakowski, a friend of mine from college who is in his first year of Fulbright in Korea, was shouting to me from a raft with 3 other Fulbright friends of ours. Their trekking group was only the second group I had seen while trekking. Small world, right?!
So, anyway, after elephant trekking, we also rode/surfed on bamboo rafts down the river. It was very relaxing. The adventure came in when one of our two rafts got stuck between rocks and was quickly sinking. Our guide jumped off of our raft to rescue the raft that was sinking. The girls on the other raft were in the process of climbing to safety and rescuing the bags that nearly met the same fate as the raft when the guides were able to pull the raft back to the surface. After lunch, 6 of us decided to do whitewater rafting. We learned the basics and had a guide. The rapids were only at about a 3 because of the low water level, but that didn't stop 2 of our 4 members in the raft from falling overboard. ^_~ It was a good time minus an annoying guide.
I spent the rest of my time in Chiang Mai, experiencing a motor bike ride for the first time with Bell as we sneaked a peak at the flower floats for the flower festival, meeting up with Timmy and the other Fulbrighters I saw during my trek, hanging out with the amazing group of people from my trek group, meeting up with a good friend of mine from Burma, and eating INCREDIBLE food!
BTW...Chiang Mai is a vegetarian's PARADISE!!^^
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