phranakorn-nornlen

The door opens and I'm immediately transported into a place of calm. Incense washes over me, green and water surrounds me, rich colors are everywhere, and I'm immediately given a glass of fresh cold herbal tea.
I'm in Bangkok, and I think I must be staying in the coolest place in the whole world. I'm so relaxed, I don't even want to leave to see the actual city! Its a bed and breakfast nestled in a city alley. Passing by, you would never imagine what was inside. I came in at 2 in the morning after a long day of sitting in city traffic, more standing in lines, and sitting again in the air. So, to walk into this place was a treat for the senses.
My room is complete with burning candles, homemade soap that smells awesome, complementary tea for detoxation, and a CD collection labeled morning, afternoon, and evening so that my life can be a soundtrack while I am here. On the roof is a garden, and the view looks straight toward an enormous Buddha that takes up a whole city block.
So, to say the least, I am enjoying myself. The only thing that is missing is my husband!


It feels similar to what you imagine living in Venice would be like. From my balcony this morning, I was able to get a shot of the neighbor washing her clothes.
This is the free internet cafe. See those pillows? That's where you get massages. At one point, I was skyping Geoff on the computer, and behind me was the garden filled with incense, on the other side of me was a waterfall, and in front of me were two people getting massages. Amazing.

This place is way too sexy to be alone.

street scenes

Street scenes from Manila...

During a very long taxi trip, we pulled up behind a truck of chickens. Most were not moving. The boy is a street kid who climbed up while the truck was stopped to poke at the chickens. The other man is a hawker who walks between the cars selling random goods (some of the things I saw were drinks, bird eggs, folding tables, dusting mops...)


Row of bicycles waiting to take passengers
Slum community along the river

The jeepneys are covered with wild and random paint jobs...this one is sporting the profiles of Kurt Cobain, Bon Jovi, Axl Rose, and Bob Marley, among others.
When the jeepney is full, you just hop on the back. It was hard to get a picture of, but there were also a lot of kids just playing on the sidewalks in the middle of heavy traffic.

being honest

I'm annoyed.
I'm annoyed that Geoff is out of town.
I'm annoyed that there are so many bugs who see my computer (and consequently my eyes, nose, and ears) as a beacon of hope.
I'm annoyed that its 8pm and I'm still sweating.
I'm annoyed that I can't pick up a glass of water without looking in it just to make sure there's not anything else in it.
I'm annoyed that I can't walk to my bedroom without wondering if I'll step on a bug.
I'm annoyed that I can't go anywhere without standing in the hot sun for 30 minutes and then hoping that the person picking me up can understand what I'm saying.
I'm annoyed that when I finally get there, I have a headache from the pollution.
I'm annoyed that I can hear termites chewing the wood in our cabinets.
I'm annoyed that everything molds.
I'm annoyed that the hot water shuts off in the middle of my showers.
I'm annoyed that I can't go outside without wondering if a mosquito will make me or worse, Ariel, sick.
I'm annoyed that in a year and a half, I have never once been in my pj's when someone didn't knock on my door or look in my window.
I'm annoyed that I can't have a normal conversation with anyone except Geoff.
I'm annoyed that its only been one and a half years and three and a half to go.
I'm annoyed that I want to go home.
I'm annoyed that I'm overstuffed with comfort food which I've eaten out of my annoyance.
I'm annoyed that I have all this work that I love doing waiting for me, but I'm too annoyed to work on it.
I'm annoyed that there's no one to share my annoyance with.
I'm annoyed that I care so much about being annoyed.
I'm annoyed that I'm sitting here annoyed when there are so many other things that I should really be concerned about.
Did I say Geoff was out of town?

I just typed this out from the top of my head. And I've debated posting it because after reading it, I realize how sorry and pitiful I sound. But, I guess that is what my blog is supposed to be about. Honesty about all the sides of the experience. So, there you have it. One of my not so proud moments.

Ho Ho Ho and Maayong Pasko!

meaning Merry Christmas (or literally, Good Christmas)

I was just directed toward this You Tube clip. One of the recording guys in it is a recording engineer for Heart Sounds (my organization). I found it very funny for many reasons, but one being that it is a jolly version of how we feel trying to learn the rules of this culture. They're always changing. Enjoy :)

here we go a caroling...

One of the Christmas traditions here in the Philippines is caroling. But its a little different than at home. My memories of caroling at home was the spontaneous activity of the family bundling up to sing for a few neighbors. We didn't really expect anything from anyone. At the most, we appreciated a wave from the window. At the least, we hoped they didn't turn their lights out when we started singing!

Here, the expectations are a tad different. Groups of people, mostly kids, will go from door to door singing Christmas songs for cash or food. It is an expectation, and even a fond memory of Filippinos, to have something on hand to give all the carolers that come by throughout the season.

For the past two weeks, we've had people singing outside our gate EVERY night. Tonight, the group sang one song and then shouted "MERRY CHRISTMAS! MERRY CHRISTMAS! MERRY CHRISTMAS!" incessantly for 10 minutes waiting for someone to come give them something.

I haven't really figured this tradition out yet, because it seems so backward to me. Kind of a "Let me bless you so you can bless me" sort of thing. Its not that I'm against caroling, or even children hoping for a handout. But, I have yet to understand how we're supposed to have enough money to handout to group after group for evening after evening, weeks on end. I don't really get the "merry" part of that, but maybe somehow I'm missing the point. I still do that alot around here.

Here's a video as an example. This is not our house. I grabbed this from YouTube. But its a great example of how it works (notice the THIRD group starting up as the video ends :)

Geoff and I were joking that we should get all the foreigners together and go caroling at the Filipino houses!

Christmas time is here!

Rain, glorious rain!

I know I blog a lot about rain. But, you have to understand, we live in the land of eternal sweatiness. At least for us white folks. But, today, it is raining. And its W-O-N-D-E-R-F-U-L! It's not only raining, but its barely making 70 degress outside which is the coldest its been in a year and a half.

I've been putting off making Christmas cookies because it gets so hot in the house with the oven on. But, today, I'm in the mood for a cookie marathon. Thank God for cool weather and Christmas treats!

Maybe I'll even wrap a few gifts.

balut

You may of heard about Balut, a Filipino delicacy. Ever wondered what it looks like?


That would be an unborn duck, cooked, peeled, and ready to eat. Yumm! I bet you're ready to hop on a plane now!