It's Christmas Once Again in....Phnom Penh

One day, during a family nap, we awoke to a Christmas tree on our wall! The only logical explanation was that Santa's elves came and made this for us since they knew that buying a Christmas tree probably wasn't an option this year.

So the Griffin family reveled in this magical creation for a few days until we decided we must decorate it. Out came the scissors, the construction paper, paint, and the glue. 

Papa Griffin really helped in making it special, complete with a dolphin jumping out of the water, a fish, school bus, airplane, and dinosaur. We each decorated a few Christmas bulbs, and if you look closely enough (and you're a pretty good friend), you might just see your state represented.

Surprisingly, this Christmas tree hasn't been our worst. In fact, it might be one of the best! The tree reminds us of home, and we had a lot of fun decorating it as a family.

In addition to a BIG thanks to Santa's elves, we also want to thank YouTube for putting on continuous Christmas music "channels," which fills our home full of Christmas cheer!

 

 

More Vulnerability...

So here I am, four months into living in Cambodia, and it's happening again: increased sense of vulnerability. I thought I had it all down: riding motos like a pro, speaking a bit of the language, and smiling at all the people. But now I've bought a bike. As I write this, it seems silly. Yes, I am anxious about riding a bicycle in Phnom Penh.

Now I know my CWF volunteer friends will laugh because they have been doing this for months now, and I've been riding a moto to and from work. Most would probably argue that riding a moto is far more dangerous than riding a bike, which I probably agree with. But that doesn't change the fact that riding a bike is something new for me, new terrain of my ever-present anxiety to master.

I've hopped on my bike a few times and have been successful, but much like what I mention in a previous post entitled "Vulnerability," I find excuses not to ride it. Not to go out. Writing this blog, for example, is another way to avoid hopping on the bike and exploring PP in a different way.

But what I'll do--eventually--is look back and laugh at this post. I'll recognize it's my same pattern of fearing the unknown and pat myself on the back for overcoming it.

What I would eventually like to get to is not having to look back and laugh. Instead, I want to be laughing with every new thing that comes my way, unaware of the "what ifs" that might be. If you know what I'm talking about, then you also know how hard it is to do this. For now, I'll keep pushing--or pedaling--forward, hoping one day every new thing in my life is met with a sense of exploration and wonder.

Why do I love Cambodia?

Surprisingly, this is a very hard question to answer. Of course, there are the beautiful beaches and the unparalleled Angkor Wat and surrounding temples to consider, but that's not it.

I even try to grapple with the answer as I walk or moto through Phnom Penh--a bustling city but nothing like New York or Paris or Madrid.

So what is it? Well, I think it's the people. And the smells. And the sunshine. And the warmth--from the sun and from the people. And the breeze. And the ease of getting around. It's all of these things.

First, the people. I am currently assisting with testing new students for CWF's next semester, and there is one question I ask potential level 4 or higher students: "If you had $1000 what would you do with it?" The question, a simple one that gauges a student's ability to speak English with a bit of depth, is my favorite to ask because of all the answers I receive.

But if you're reading this, then you probably have spent a $1000 on useless shit: a TV, a phone (gasp!), or something else of the like. And if you're reading this, then you're probably thinking that $1000 is nothing. I know that I would need a dollar figure much higher to really stop and think about how my life would change with such a gift.

Yes, some students' answers range from a new car to a new laptop, but most respond with a sigh, a glint of hope in their eyes, and talk about how they would give their parents money, or open a business, pay for school, study English more, start a NGO where they would help street kids or the elderly, pay for books. And they're so many more answers where I see their hearts open, their hopes soar, and their voices crackle with the potential to have their lives changed.

This is why I love Cambodia. It's the people and their answers. It's the perspective they give me that encourages me to be a better person and to value what I have. It's the smiles I see on their faces as they look at me. It's the constant love and attention they give to Sila because he is a person they feel as if they can connect with, someone who isn't entirely lost to the Western life and who would probably scoff at such a question if he were 10 years older.

It's also the weather. Anyone who knows me knows how much I love sunshine and warmth and maybe a slight breeze and rain. Thankfully, Cambodia has all of this right now, which reminds me of home but yet makes me feel at home.

So there you go. Cambodia, I love you so.

Thanksgiving and Endings

Our second major holiday in Cambodia was...well...a success, I suppose. Yes, we had a proper Thanksgiving dinner, and yes, we were able to be together as a family.

Was it large and full of friends and family? No. Did we have the day off from teaching? No. So that's why it was a doubtful success. Regardless, we made it the best and tried not to focus too much on the fact that we weren't at home and that we miss everyone so freaking much.

I know you're all wondering about Thanksgiving dinner, so I'll include some pictures to give you a visual. Surprisingly, the restaurant did a great job trying to recreate a traditional, American meal. We were pleased, and it was great to eat ourselves into a food-induced coma.

For the second part of my blog posting entitled "Endings," Conan and I are trying not to get too swept up into the homesickness that all the goodbyes have created.

Our semester teaching at CWF has come to an end, and while we're staying, all of the good friends we've made here in Cambodia are leaving...heading home...spending Christmas and New Year's with friends and family...living the comfortable Western life. Sigh.

Don't get me wrong: we really do love our time here in Cambodia and Cambodia itself. It's truly an amazing country, but damn would we love to see our friends and family right now. It is what it is, though, and we have another three to four months left here before we head to Vietnam.

I will leave you with a few pictures from my class party and pictures of the four most amazing people we had a chance to know and who have now left us. I'm sure you're all sick of seeing pictures of them, so this is the last time, unless, of course, they come back to visit!

Holidays and Birthdays

So I'll start off by apologizing. I know I am not following the golden rule of blogging: blog often and keep it interesting. My intention from now on is to do this, so there you go.

The last few weeks have been, well, busy. As a recap, this is how the last month went: Conan went on an epic bike trip with a few friends and biked around 80k total (out of PP); the following weekend, I went to Kep/Rabbit Island with some friends; the weekend after that, the whole family went to Otres Beach; and the week/weekend we returned was Conan's birthday week. What a busy life we have doing all sorts of fun things!

Conan's Bike Trip
I'll let Conan fill you in on this. He is waiting to send article queries out about this awesomeness, so he hasn't blogged about it yet in case someone is interested. In short, he and two friends biked around 80k out of PP and saw the countryside through a much slower pace.


Kep/Rabbit Island
I got to escape for a few days and visit Kep (famous for the crabs and Kampot pepper--a very unique type of pepper found nowhere else in the world. Check it out: http://www.kampotpepper.biz/) and Rabbit Island, which is a small island just off the coast of Cambodia.

My summary of this trip: best time of my life. Really. Why? Well, it was just one of those things where the stars align: good people, beach, skinny dipping, marine phosphorescence, no responsibilities. You get the idea.

I can't divulge all the details of my experience, but I will provide you with a few pictures, and you can paint your own impression.

 

Otres Beach
So one week after my beach weekend, I got to go back to the beach for a family vacation! We had a few days off for the Water Festival (marking the end of rainy season and celebrating the switching of the river flow--the only river that does such a thing), so we all head to Otres Beach with a few more of our friends.

Our days consisted of no shoes, swimming, eating, and anything else delicious and beach-like you can imagine. We had a great time and are quickly falling in love with all that Cambodia has to offer.

Conan's Birthday
Our weekend in Otres Beach kicked off Conan's birthday week. In case you didn't know, Conan and I have this tradition in our family that birthdays become more than just one day. We get weeks, or in my case, months, dedicated toward our birthday.

So after Otres (part 1 of birthday week), it was time for his actual birthday (part 2 of 3). Since funds and space are limited in PP, the gifts were quite simple, but as the pictures show, you can see that one of the most exciting gifts was a case of Sierra Nevada beer.

Part 3 of birthday week was a two hour boat ride along the Tonle Sap river with friends. We had a great time, and this gathering was in celebration for Conan's birthday. It also marked an ending of our group experience here in PP. Since this coming week is our last week at Conversations with Foreigners, many of our friends will either be going home or continuing their travels. We had such a wonderful time with so many great people, and we will always remember our time here with everyone.

One-a-day, A Praying Mantis, Two-day Raw Cleanse, and Pink Eye Funk

I know some of you would like me to update my blog more frequently, but I'm not sure what I would write: went to school today, had slight diarrhea, Sila was a pain....you get the point! Anyway, I try to make my posts informative and entertaining, so we'll see how I do here.

I read about this idea of doing something simple for thirty days. I really like this idea because I do so many things that are not productive (Facebook, drink, eat shitty foods, etc.) every day, so why is it so difficult to do something productive and creative? So I decided to take a picture a day. One simple picture. Of course, I end up taking more than one picture (which is the point), and at the end of the month, I should have a cool log of my past thirty days. Here is day one, a self portrait:

One of the coolest things happened to me the other day: a praying mantis came to visit our front balcony. I haven't seen one of these for over 20 years, and I live in the city! Weird. Of course, being the inquisitive person I am, I had to look up what a praying mantis represents (in a spiritual, sending-a-message type of way).

Here is what I found out: seeing a praying mantis is a sign that one has created too much confusion, work, chaos in one's life, and one should slow down, meditate more, and seek the calm within. Hmm. I thought this is what I've been doing, but apparently the Universe thinks differently. Blogging, reading, yoga-ing...what more can I do? Now that I write this, maybe Ms. PM wants me to stop worrying, especially about money. It's just money. It comes and goes, and rarely anyone on his/her deathbed says, "Gee, I wish I had more money."

Anyone who knows me, knows I like to eat healthy (or is it healthily? too lazy to look it up). So I had the opportunity to do a two-day raw cleanse, and it was amazing! There are some really great restaurants here, and the one that put on the cleanse was ARTillery Cafe (http://www.yourphnompenh.com/artillery/). Who would have thought that in Cambodia, one could partake in a raw cleanse?

 

The last thing that is going around is pink eye. Sila had it, but I wasn't sure it was pink eye until Conan woke up one morning with it, and now I am waiting for the funk to take over my face. I'm trying very hard not to get it, but I probably will. If I do, I would like it to happen now because I am heading to Kep (beach town) this weekend for a little rest and relaxation (from my hard life here in PP??). I'll keep you updated, but in case you're wondering what it looks like, I snapped a picture of Conan's eye for your viewing pleasure.

Happy Halloween!

It is now November 1st, and our first major holiday has come to a close: Halloween. While it was a bummer to not be at home, we did enjoy ourselves here in PP.

With 20,000+ ex-pats living in PP, holidays--thankfully--are not overlooked. About a week ago, I heard about a tuk-tuk Halloween that was happening, where multiple families around BKK (fancy, smancy part of PP where many wealthy, paid ex-pats live) would be decorating their homes and inviting trick-or-treaters to partake in some fun.

Families just needed to hire their own tuk-tuk and have the driver take them around. We have a very friendly guy we often call for family outings, and we first met him when he was driving around town with his kids in the tuk-tuk. He asked if we needed a ride (we did) and if we minded that his kids were in the tuk-tuk, too (we didn't). Sila took to the kids very quickly, and we enjoy the father as well. He is one of the few drivers who speaks really great English.

Anyway, we called him up, invited his kids to come, and went around BKK for some Halloween fun! All the kids had fun, and the driver's kids got to experience their first Halloween. We were happy we could offer this opportunity to them.

Some homes handed out candy, while other homes decorated extensively, complete with mazes for the kids and beer for the parents! We visited around 20 homes in total and finished the night exhausted but pleased with our Halloween festivities.

As I close, I offer my hopes that your Halloween was just as enjoyable and unique in its own way. Big hugs from afar!

Normalcy

Life in Phnom Penh has been...well...normal. No longer is it strange that we are the foreigners in our neighborhood. Everyone knows us, and usually we receive a nod or smile as we walk Sila to school, head to the local market, or as Conan rides his bike with Sila holding onto his back.

Riding motos, too, has become a regular part of my day. Conan bikes to work, but I hop on the back of some motorbikes and vroom to school in no time. I have some regular guys from around the neighborhood who know where I work and how much I will pay and whom I am no longer scared of. I have also released my death grip as I ride, and I am usually riding with my hands resting on my thighs! Progress.

I am still very much aware, though, of the dangers of motos, so I am always ready to jump off or brace myself for the worst. I hope it never occurs.

Another thing that has added some normalcy is getting local, organic produce delivered to our home. Last Friday was our first week, and it was a delight: a papaya, a watermelon, 3 passion fruits, cherry/regular tomatoes, green beans, squash, carrots, lettuce, arugula, cucumbers, and more that I cannot remember! It is all ch'neng na (delicious!).

Not much else going on here. We're casually looking for a bit of work, but haven't really hit the pavement yet in our efforts. More so, we're enjoying our freedoms that this year affords us: yoga everyday, Conan writing a book, playgrounds, reading. Life is good. Hopefully life is good for you, too!

Where's the Dinosaurs?

This has been my big question recently. As soon as I get up, I ask mom "Where's the dinosaurs?" Mom tells me that a big rock hit the earth and that all the dinosaurs died, but I don't quite understand. Oh well. Dad looked up a cool documentary for me to watch about dinosaurs, and I loved it!

I thought I would write because although mom and dad have been including some tidbits about me, I thought my faithful fans would want an update from me, so here goes:

School
My school is one street over from my apartment, and mom and I walk to school everyday around 7:30 a.m. We usually stop to say hello to this one money exchange lady; then we round the corner, I give mom a kiss, and I am whisked into school. My teacher, Teacher Beth, speaks English...but I might be a bit better at English than she. Regardless, I have been learning the alphabet, swimming, blocks, and the list goes on. I have a few friends--Nika and HunkHunk (which my mom always laughs when I say his? name), and I am pretty happy to be learning and spending time with kids my own age. They're all Cambodian, but I don't mind. Mom and dad say it's good for me and that I will learn to be really comfortable with myself as a result. I just like kids and fun.

Holiday in Siem Reap
My dad, mom, all our friends (mom and dad's teacher friends), and I all went on a school bus to Siem Reap! It was so much fun! My two favorite friends are Charlie and Minda, and when I'm not trying to be like daddy, I'm looking to see what Charlie is doing. In Siem Reap, I went horseback riding with mommy, elephant watching with daddy, and saw Angkor Wat with both mom and dad. I had a great time and was a very good boy.

Weekends
There is a lot to do in Phnom Penh, and this morning we went to the swimming pool at dad's gym! I have been practicing swimming at school, so I am getting pretty good at kicking and floating on my raft. I am looking forward, though, to swimming with my really good friends--the Busbees--when I get back to the States so that I can show them all my moves. Sadie is my best friend.

Other than that, I go bike riding with my dad (he has taught me to straddle the shelf behind his seat and hold onto him as he bikes slowly down the road!). A little scary, but I'm riding like a true Cambodian. I think I'm going to a puppet show tonight, which I am excited for but don't really know what to expect.

So that's it, folks. Life is good here. The yogurt is good here, as are the snacks they feed me at school: when mom asks what I eat, I say chocolate ice cream. Mom doesn't believe me, and she says I hope I'm lying. Only I know the truth... Love you, all!