Cambodge.

Well I got back last night from a long weekend in Cambodia. Talk about culture shock. It made Thailand look as wealthy as America when in reality, Thailand and Cambodia are both 3rd world countries.

First, we (Kasey and I) went to Phnom Penh. We stayed at a really cool guesthouse (hostel) right in the heart of the city and very close to a tourist restaurant/bar strip. I assumed that since Phnom Penh is the capital of Cambodia that it would be more developed than the other cities, but I thought wrong. Of course they had some really nice hotels for tourists and beautiful temples, but other than that, it was very poor.

On Saturday, we spent the day at the Killing Fields and then went to the Toul Slang Prison (also known as S21). The Killing Fields, which I'm sure most of you have read about, is one of the many places that Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge took Khmer people to be executed. They murdered anyone that had higher education, taught as a profession, spoke against the regime, or showed any signs of Westernization. These killing fields were the grave of over 20,000 people. And even worse--they murdered the families of the people they aimed to kill because they feared that they would one day seek revenge... babies, children, mothers, fathers, grandparents. They beheaded people, beat them to death, slit their throats, and they killed babies/children by holding them by their legs and slamming them against a tree. It was horrifying to stand on the same ground that these acts took place.

Afterward, we toured the Toul Slang Prison which is where they kept the 'prisoners' for days, weeks, or even months before transporting them to the killing field. The Khmer Rouge took over a high school in Phnom Penh and then transformed it into this prison. We saw the rooms they used for interrogation (the rooms they would torture people in for hours until they confessed to something they didn't do) and the cells that they kept them chained in. In one of the buildings, they had giant displays of the photographs of each of the prisoners--the Rouge photographed each person before imprisoning them, and even took pictures of those that didn't survive the interrogations. Those photographs, of the slaughtered and tortured people, almost made me sick to my stomach right then and there. Needless to say, Kasey and I were speechless for several hours after we toured these places.

The next day we left for Siem Reap early in the morning. It only cost $4 to take a bus between the 2 cities, a 6 hour trip. We drove through the heart of Cambodia which gave me the most immense culture shock I've felt since I've been in Asia. Our idea of a 'house' doesn't exist in Cambodia--everyone lives in stilted wooden huts with roofs made of banana leaves and hay. The people dig through trash to find food to eat and rarely have enough clothing for all of their children.

Siem Reap was a strange place. It was full of tourists coming to see Angkor Wat and fancy hotels on every street corner. White people are viewed as walking wallets, basically. Everyone wants your money and they'll do anything to get it. I can't even count how many times we were harassed by vendors or tuk tuk drivers. Every exchange of money became a moral debate for Kasey and I... we knew they were charging us too much, but at the same time we knew they needed the money. The children were the most depressing, though. Every tourist guidebook or pamphlet about Cambodia tells you to never give money or food to the children because they're most likely (9 out of 10 times) forced to beg by adults that abuse them physically, sexually, and emotionally. If you've seen Slumdog Millionaire, it isn't too different from how the children were treated in the movie. So basically, by not giving the children money or food, you're actually helping them. The more you give them, the longer the abuse will take place.

Angkor Wat was phenomenal, though. I think my favorite places around Thailand have been the ruins, and this rivaled them all. It was HUGE and beautiful. It amazes how much detail the Angkorian people put into every stone they built the temple with. I have over a hundred pictures, so those will be on Facebook sometime this week.

Okay, now I'm running out of time because I have to write a paper due tomorrow. First real homework of the entire semester! But to wrap this up--basically, Cambodia was a serious eye-opener, the epitome of an emotional roller coaster. I'm not sure I could ever bear to visit again, but I'm very glad I had the opportunity to do so while I could.

(Also: the title, "Cambodge", is actually how they spell "Cambodia" in Cambodia... The G sounds like a Y, so it's pronounced CAM-BODE-YA.)

I'm sitting in the "Executive Loung" at the Millenium Hilton in Bangkok. Since dad is traveling around the southern part of Thailand this week, he let my friends and I stay in the hotel for a few nights. It's been really nice since we've been living very sparingly the past few months (at least, sparing compared to our lives at home).

Today we (Colin, Kasey, and I) treated ourselves to a MONSTROUS breakfast. We had so much food, it was unreal. Omelet, bacon, 2 orders of hasbrowns, 2 pain de chocolats, 3 croissants, 2 farm's rolls, 4 slices of bread, 2 English muffins, 2 banana muffins, a plate of pineapple, a plate of papaya, a plate of different seasonal fruits, 2 pots of coffee, 1 pot of hot chocolate, 2 pitchers of orange juice, a bowl of oatmeal, a bowl of cereal, 5 differents kinds of jelly, honey, salted and unsalted butter... and that's all I can't remember. I think there were a few more things. The best part is that we ate every single bite. It took us a good hour and a half of lengthy breaks in between, but we don't eat much western food, yet alone breakfast food, so we were in absolute heaven!

They are about to leave to go back to our apartment in Pathum Thani but I decided to stay here by myself for a night before dad gets back. They have a service at the hotel where they come draw a bath for you, and fill it with all sorts of essential oils and bath salts for only 400 Baht (which is about $12 or so)... so I've decided that I'm going to treat myself to a really nice bath, haha.

Yesterday we went to Bangkok's Chinatown for a few hours and walked around for a while. It was really overwhelming so we got very exhausted very fast. Afterwards, we went to Wat Traimit, the temple that houses the world's largest pure gold Buddha. Our travel book warned us that would be "particularly underwhelming", which it was, but I'm glad we at least took the time to see it. We also treated ourselves to a nice Italian dinner. Usually any kind of Western food doesn't taste so great in Thailand, but this dinner was delicious. It was well worth the expenses--about 190 Baht per dish, and we usually pay about 40 Baht (but 190 Baht is only $6 anyway!). Afterward, we went to one of our favorite Bangkok brew pubs called The Londoner. We found out that every Friday night when you order a glass of wine, you get another glass free, so Kasey and I ordered some expensive Sauvignon Blanc so we both got a glass.

That said, it's been a good week/weekend! And we're going to Cambodia next weekend!

Wow this is the longest break I've taken from posting.

Anyway. Still not much to tell. Halloween was fun, though!

I actually didn't go out on Halloween night because I went out the night before--I can't handle going out twice, so I opted to stay in and get some rest. Yesterday, the 3rd, was the official Halloween party thrown by my university, Rangsit International College. They rented out a nearby club for the night, provided tons of food, alcohol, and a great DJ. It was a ton of fun, and COMPLETELY FREE! All of the faculty members came, too, and they all dressed up. It was hysterical dancing in a club next to 50 year old professors (one of whom is related to the King!)...

Other than that, the main things on my mind have been preparing things at school for when I return... choosing my classes for the Spring, figuring out housing, and making sure that I've completed/will complete all my requirements to graduate. At this point, I'm really excited about my schedule! The classes will be really fun and the times are even better.

Philosophy 217: Contemporary Philosophy (required for my major)
Philosophy 336: Heidegger (once a week seminar)
Art 285: The History of Photography (fulfills a requirement and seems interesting)
Psychology 281: The Psychology of Dreams (for fun)
Religion 212: New Religious Movements (about cults n' such, for fun)
Physical Education 180: Ballroom Dancing (fulfills a requirement, will be hysterical)

Monday
9:30-10:45
12:30-1:20
6:30-9:00

Tuesday
6:30-9:00

Wednesday
9:30-10:45
12:30-1:20
1:30-4:15

Thursday
3:00-4:15

Friday
12:30-1:20


Basically, 3 of my classes only meet once a week. One of them only twice a week. And the other 3 times a week. Definitely can't complain.

Dad departed from Nashville today and will be in Bangkok tomorrow night! I'll see him Friday. I'm really excited. Also, I'll only have a few weeks left here after he leaves, which will hopefully fly by really fast... like I've said before, although I have absolutely loved being in Thailand, I really miss Goucher, my friends, and my dogs (and my family but they've visited/are visiting).

Oh, and I'm seriously bummed about missing Thanksgiving. It's my favorite holiday, and although my university is having a Thanksgiving party, absolutely nothing beats the company and the meal at Aunt Kate's every year... :(

Photos from Kanchanaburi

We had lunch on a floating pavilion that was pulled along by this little boat. As you can see, the scenery around us was beautiful! This is the River Kwai, by the way.


The next day, we rafter down the Riber Kwai on bamboo rafts.


The Taweechai Elephant Camp is located in the midst of the Pang Chang community, and there were several families living in huts like this. We rode through their neighborhood on the elephants!


You were supposed to pay 20 Baht to take a photo of this elephant, but I took this when the guy wasn't looking (obviously). Oops! But I don't feel bad... they'll do anything to suck the money out of foreigner's wallets.


The elephants that we rode! As you can see, each one has a guide/trainer and a bench for 2 people to sit on.

Today is the first day I've ever felt uncomfortable while walking around the town or campus. For some reason, I've noticed everyone staring more today, or saying things about us (quite obviously) then laughing with each other. I don't know why... it's really strange.

By the way, I'm going to interrupt myself for a second. Have I mentioned how unbearable it is to be in a classroom with Thai students? Believe it or not, their level of respect is so far below the standards we have at Goucher, it's a joke. Students talk with each other the entire time in class, refuse to talk when the teacher asks them a question, and barely take notes or pay attention. It drives me crazy! You could NEVER get away with that behavior in the United States, yet they preach about how respectful their culture is, how to be proper to those older and wise than you. If that was the case, I wouldn't have to shoot them the evil eye every time they distract me from taking notes.

For example, my friend Colin and I are in a computer lab on campus to check e-mail and whatnot, and there's several Thai students in here, doing some survey for an English class... or pretending to do the survey, rather, because all they're doing is watching movies and music videos until the teacher walks in, then they close those webpages and pull the survey back up like they've been working the whole time. Aren't they supposed to be in college? Isn't that something a high school student would do...?

It's just strange, and seems very hypocritical, that Thai students can get away with acting the way they do in an educational setting. I'm very grateful that two of my classes are all foreigners, all exchange students or people on my program, because I can actually hear everything the professor is saying without being distracted every 5 minutes.

a) I found my favorite dish, I think. All it says on the menu is "egg noodle in spicy sauce with chicken/pork/seafood". I get it with chicken, and the so-called 'egg noodles' are actually Top Ramen noodles, tossed in some amazing generic spicy sauce with sliced chilis and cut up green beans. It is sooo good.

b) Whenever you see the word "lemon" in Thailand, they actually mean "lime". I'm not sure why, but everyone here thinks limes are called lemons. My favorite smoothie is made of watermelon, ice, and lime juice, but of course, on the menu it says "watermelon and lemon". There's also a restaurant called "The Lemon Green Room"... I'm assuming they also mean 'lime'.

c) I might have already mentioned this, but every Thai person has an American nickname. I don't really know why, I haven't asked yet... but EVERY person I've met that's Thai has a strange nickname. For your reading pleasure, I'll list the people I've met so far: Nut, Ice, Jom, Jul, Rabbit, Fern, another Fern, Balls, Poom... and that's all I can remember. And yes, you read correctly: I met a guy named Balls.

I put some more pictures up on Facebook. They are of our trip to Ayutthaya, the old capital of Thailand. It was so beautiful! The rest of the pictures are from a night we all went to RCA, a street outside of Bangkok filled with really posh clubs. We went to one called Route 66 and it was a ton of fun. Usually, the cover charge is 200 Baht, which is about $6-7 in US dollars, but considered a lot of money here in Thailand... but we found out that every Thursday there's no cover charge!

Things have been good lately. School is starting to kick in-- I already have a group presentation due tomorrow (Tuesday) about contemporary Thai art. I complained at first, getting so much homework the first week, but I think it's good because it keeps us busy when we having nothing to do. We only have one Internet hook-up per apartment, and there are about 12 people in each apartment... so we can't waste time online like we do at home. Nice change of pace.

I'm still not getting used the heat. When it rains, the temperature drops about 5 degrees and the sky is very overcast-- it's still hot, but it's extremely not to have the sun beating down on you. We always talk about how we never quite feel clean here. Even after you shower and sit in the AC in your room, the second you walk out into the front room of the apartment or outside, you're sweating all over again. Laundry is quite a task, too... the machines are across the street, don't always work, and no one uses dryers here. It takes a long time to wash and dry your clothes so I don't really do it too often. I re-wear a lot of clothes until they're just downright dirty which is why I never really feel too clean.

My landlord lives in the apartment next to me with his aunt and her daughter. The aunt's name is Yupin, and I thought she was sweet and cute at first... but now she's just getting on my nerves. The Thai people have no concept of personal space or boundaries-- I'll be sitting inside on the computer, and she'll just walk in, start speaking to me in Thai, and standing over my shoulder watching what I do on the computer. She can't read any of it since she doesn't speak English, but it's still really weird and frustrating. She always calls my name and rattles of in Thai, as if I understand her... then laughs at me when I have no idea what she's saying. Yeah, she's really starting to get on my nerves. I think she's really lonely so she enjoys having us around. I've never seen her leave the house and Dan, the landlord (her nephew), is really dismissive when we talk about Yupin with him. Weird family, weird relationships.

Anyway, that's it for now. I'm going to try and find all the TV shows I watch online so I can catch up this afternoon. It's far too hot to do much this afternoon--over 90 degrees and no cloud cover whatsoever! No thank you.

Love and miss y'all! (ps. A lot of my friends have started saying "y'all" because I use it so often!)

I had my first Thai language class today. It's going to be really difficult to pick up on certain things. I think it's better for us to learn specific phrases than the alphabet and numbers, but we won't be learning phrases or words for several weeks. Looks like miming will have to do for now.

Today at lunch, there were these strange little white jelly dishes at the table. We asked one of our professors, who happened to be eating next to us, what it was, and it was some sort of lunch dessert made with coconut and flour. It was really good--it basically tasted like rice pudding, nothing like coconut at all.

Two days ago, we found this small market right near our apartments that has everything you can imagine... shoes, clothes, food, jewelry, massages, mini nail salons, underwear, ice cream... It's awesome. We've been going the past few nights to wander around and eat dinner. I bought Molly a really cute tank top that's black with a gold picture of Thailand, and it says "Thailand Stand Up". It's one of those funky graphic tanks that are really popular these days... even Thai people dress ultra hip if they aren't in their uniforms.

Speaking of uniforms... sooo unattractive! My skirt is a really awkward length below my knees, so I'm going to have my friend hem it. My shirt is giant and baggy, too, but oh well--it catches a nice breeze, haha. The Thai girls dress very... provacatively in their uniforms. They buy tiny, tight black miniskirts and white shirts that are way too small. They wear 4inch heels, make-up, designer bags, and pretty jewelry to school every day. We look so drab compared to them.

I've noticed my posts have been really disorganized... but that's because so many random things happen that I can't really make it all flow together.

Anyway, that's it for now. I have class in 10 minutes, Thai Civilization. The teacher is so adorable. She went to grad school at Temple University in Pennsylvania, then taught at Washington University for 4 years. Her English is impeccable, her name is Prinda, and she's just seriously the cutest woman in the world. K bye.

Thailand!

Okay so I'm already homesick. It never really hit me that I would be SO far away until I actually got here. I'm sure that once I'm really settled in and start classes, it will get a lot easier. I mean, I guess it's just like going to college all over again, so I sort of expected feeling this way for a couple weeks.

Anyway. The food is great! I was very happy to discover that Pad Thai tastes the same in Thailand as it does in America. I'm such a picky eater that I thought eating here would be difficult, but it really isn't... lots of chicken dishes, rice, and noodle soups. So far nothing has made me feel nauseous either, let's hope it stays that way.

The apartment arrangement is very strange. There's about 10 of us in one building. When you walk in from the street, you walk into our small sitting room with a TV, which is joined to our tiny TINY kitchen (sink, fridge, microwave). There's one single bedroom on the bottom floor, which is mine! I fought hard to get my own bedroom because sharing a room with a stranger does not sound apealing to me. Anyway, then there's a very long staircase that goes up 4 stories, 2 bedrooms on each floor--they're all double rooms. Shoes aren't allowed inside, you take of your sandels before going inside. You can carry them in if you want, which is what I do because I don't wnat them to get stolen.

I'm in a province called Pathum Thani, pronounced Pah-toom Taw-nee (I think?). It's supposedly a very nice suburb, upper middle class, but that means something tooootally different in Thailand... it's dirty and smelly. The nice thing is that we are about a 5min. walk from the university, and even less of a walk from a long strip of convenient stores, internet cafes, and restaurants/food stands. Basically everything I need is VERY close!

Oh, and of course it's hotter than Hades here. You walk for 2 minutes and you're drenched in sweat. Not fun! But cold showers have proved to be amazing.

I guess that's it for now... we're getting Internet in our apartment within the week and I hope to be able to share some pictures soon.

Traveling.

So this is how my trip began:

Nashville to LA, 4.5 hour flight.
LA to San Fran, 1 hour flight.
Arrived to San Fran to find out that I completely missed my flight, but someone else on my study abroad program did, too. Very relieved!
So now we're travelling together (his name is Tyson, fyi).
San Fran to Hong Kong, 14 hour flight.

Now I'm sitting in the ultra-nice Hong Kong airport, waiting for my flight to depart to my final destination: Bangkok! And apparently the airport in Bangkok is brand new, built in 2006, and is the largest airport in the whole world. With our luck, I'm betting Tyson and I will get completely lost trying to find our way out...

ps. There's a food stand in the airport selling squids in a bag.
pps. My Google homepage is in Chinese and it's funny.