(The first glimpse of the city out the window of the plane.) True to form, the very first thing I did when I arrived in D.C. was get sick. It wasn't a terrible illness, but the cold put quite the damper on my orientation experience. I slept far more than I was awake, which is... Continue Reading →
Clothes are littered around the floor of my room, patches of overgrown weeds that seem to get larger with every hour. Shoeboxes stack a mile high in the corner of the room. Then there are the folded clothes, judgmentally sitting alone on the bed. They know they are better than the mess on the floor.... Continue Reading →
(above: me sitting in a window frame overlooking the courtyard of Angkor Wat temple, one of the most beautiful places I've ever set eyes on) Shortly after our arrival in Cambodia, frustrations sky-rocketed. Getting through immigration was frantic enough (considering it was rainy, muddy, and we had to haul our luggage all over the place... Continue Reading →
I would be lying if I said that my trip to Thailand wasn't – in part – an attempt to escape West Texas. It wasn't the whole reason. And it wasn't an escape like the kind I talked about in my post "Escape to Atlantis". I just needed a reprieve from the dull, rolling plains... Continue Reading →
A quick note to my followers (and those who care to read this blog): My time in Cambodia has consisted of food poisoning, smoke-filled lungs, and little to no wifi. My apologies for the lack of posts. Everyone should expect a slew of them over the next couple of days. Okay, maybe not a slew.... Continue Reading →
Meet Lima. Lima lives in a tree near one of refugee camps in the mountains of Mae Hong Son. She hates cameras. Point a phone or camera at her and she'll screech and try and grab it away. Mainly it's the flash, but she is completely unwilling to get to know you. The first time... Continue Reading →
While showing me several video clips on YouTube, my Chinese friend Karen asked me if I like bubble shows. Lately, she's been showing me all of her favorite Thai, Chinese, and Taiwanese dramas and introducing me to some of the actors she likes. "You think he's cute, yeah?" she'll ask. Of course, I'll agree. It's... Continue Reading →
Shoes come off upon arrival, sandals slip off at the door. Heels hit hard on tile, feet flat to the floor. Shoes are considered the lowest part of the body in Thailand and it is a huge disrespect to wear any shoe within a school, church, or personal residence. Many salons and shops also require... Continue Reading →
(For the record, this was meant to post a week ago, but I was sick and the internet was down. So here it is now. It made a lot more sense a week ago. Because now I've already progressed a lot more. But I wrote it. So I'm posting it.) While I'm here, I intend... Continue Reading →
This Monday and Tuesday, the Zone interns went to stay with our friend Na in her village in the Himalayas. Personally, I don't think you've truly experienced life until you've stripped yourself of extraneous comforts and "roughed it." Camping doesn't count: it's more like vacation or sight-seeing. There's something beautiful about living so naturally. Sure,... Continue Reading →
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