Hello, friends. I realized I said I would update my blog during my time in the U.S., but as you already know, I haven't. What I want to do know, though, is post a final blog as a way to help me deal with the reality of going home.
Recently, I have felt the inability to say goodbye to all of this. I don't know how to process the end of our epic adventure.
Starting out, Conan and I had no idea how this year would be: it started with us heading to China, only for that to fall through. Then a hasty decision was made to head to Cambodia since our house was rented for a year and our jobs filled.
Now looking back, what we experienced in Cambodia will take a lifetime to absorb. The experiences we had and the people we met and became friends with have forever changed our lives.
Cambodia is now part of our fabric. We have breathed its air, eaten its food, loved its people, spoken its language, understood (as much as one can as an outsider) its culture, and loved it for what it is: a country often forgotten because of it being wedged between Thailand and Vietnam.
And as we talk about our experiences in Cambodia here in the States, most say "I know about Cambodia because of the Vietnam War." But that's it. They don't know the food or the people or the joy. They don't know that when we would sit in traffic on our bicycles or motos, Cambodians would stare, penetrating us with with their stoic gaze. And they don't know that when we smiled at them, they would always (every single one) would return our smile with an even larger smile.
And people don't know how the kindness Cambodians showed to Sila touched us on a human level. How their love of him made us realize how much people love people, especially little ones.
And people can't imagine how much our friends Charlie, Minj, Mirka, Danika, Jason, Ellie, Hannah, Victoria, and Soriya (and so many more!) meant to us. And how much we miss them all and hope to see all of them again. And how when I hear Pupa Jim's "Amplifier," I cry because it makes me think of Charlie and his love of reggae and his never ending desire to go to the reggae bar.
All of these memories--and so many more--will stay with me forever. But I don't know how to digest them yet. I don't want to go home, but I know I have to.
This year has shown me a glimpse of what it means to live in a radically different way, to push aside the cars, phones, money, and jobs, and to live without all of that. It has shown me more than any job or degree or possession how incredibly amazing life can be.
So for that, thank you Cambodia. Thank you Cambodians. Thank you friends who I've met along the way. My love goes to you, and I look forward to a life remembering the wonderful time I've had.
Friday, July 11, 2014
Saturday, April 19, 2014
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Santa Rosa, Avenue of the Giants, Portland, Seattle (land of the tulips!), and Moses
Hello, friends and family! Yes, it's been awhile, but yes, it's been an amazing and busy few weeks back.
Our time in LA ended (with no car from the auction; have Conan tell you that story sometime), so we headed to Santa Rosa to see Uncle Sean, Aunt Jen, and cousin Brayden (to Sila). This was a great time, and it's good to see cousins grow up together.
We then headed to the Redwoods. It was my first time in the Redwoods, and while I enjoyed it immensely (who doesn't enjoy tall and beautiful trees and raw, pure smells?), I have to say my heart is with the Sequoias. But in all fairness, I need to give the Redwoods another visit.
Our next destination was Portland, OR, and it turned out to be quite a gathering; Big Sila (for whom Sila is named) and Shannon--and their daughter Morgan, Bear and his wife (old friends from Santa Barbara), and Slick--an old friend who we haven't seen in years, and Kellie and her son TJ (again, an old friend from way back). This time reminded me about how much human connection is central to happiness and general feel-goodness. Amazing people make my life more amazing.
Unfortunately, we didn't stay in Portland as long as we liked, for we had to head to Seattle to see more friends (yea!!) and house/pet sit while they went on vacation. We only got to catch up the day before they left, but we'll have more time on the back end to have more of those amazing experiences I speak about the paragraph prior.
Anyway, our main goals here were/are to buy a car (renting is so expensive!), organize all our stuff from the past eight months, make a plan for the next few months, and have some good old-fashioned vacation fun. So far we've done the first and the last, which is great. Today was the zoo, and with the help of a stroller and lots of snacks, we were led to believe that our son maybe wasn't abducted by the crazy land of three-year-olds-who-make-you-want-to-scream-every-second. Today was also finding the car that would become the next Griffin road mobile.
Before I get to that, I do want to mention that Seattle has the most amount of tulips I've ever seen. They are my favorite flower, and they are everywhere. While I would love to have pictures to show you, I only found my camera today and the batteries are dead. So there is always tomorrow.
So Moses. That's the name of our new car. Why Moses? Well when we were at the car auction, there was a box of misc. junk, and a wooden carving of Moses sticking out of the box. Since we were at the auction to buy a car, we saw this carving of Moses to represent finding the car that would deliver us to the promise land (Florida). We didn't buy a car (or the statue) at the auction, but we did gain a theme. The theme was Moses, and we have found her (yes, her). She is a blue VW Passat Wagon, and she is Moses. She is beautiful.
Where to next? I don't know, but talk about Yellowstone is being thrown around. So to everyone out there, I hope life is good, and your face is becoming wrinkled from happiness.
Our time in LA ended (with no car from the auction; have Conan tell you that story sometime), so we headed to Santa Rosa to see Uncle Sean, Aunt Jen, and cousin Brayden (to Sila). This was a great time, and it's good to see cousins grow up together.
We then headed to the Redwoods. It was my first time in the Redwoods, and while I enjoyed it immensely (who doesn't enjoy tall and beautiful trees and raw, pure smells?), I have to say my heart is with the Sequoias. But in all fairness, I need to give the Redwoods another visit.
Our next destination was Portland, OR, and it turned out to be quite a gathering; Big Sila (for whom Sila is named) and Shannon--and their daughter Morgan, Bear and his wife (old friends from Santa Barbara), and Slick--an old friend who we haven't seen in years, and Kellie and her son TJ (again, an old friend from way back). This time reminded me about how much human connection is central to happiness and general feel-goodness. Amazing people make my life more amazing.
Unfortunately, we didn't stay in Portland as long as we liked, for we had to head to Seattle to see more friends (yea!!) and house/pet sit while they went on vacation. We only got to catch up the day before they left, but we'll have more time on the back end to have more of those amazing experiences I speak about the paragraph prior.
Anyway, our main goals here were/are to buy a car (renting is so expensive!), organize all our stuff from the past eight months, make a plan for the next few months, and have some good old-fashioned vacation fun. So far we've done the first and the last, which is great. Today was the zoo, and with the help of a stroller and lots of snacks, we were led to believe that our son maybe wasn't abducted by the crazy land of three-year-olds-who-make-you-want-to-scream-every-second. Today was also finding the car that would become the next Griffin road mobile.
Before I get to that, I do want to mention that Seattle has the most amount of tulips I've ever seen. They are my favorite flower, and they are everywhere. While I would love to have pictures to show you, I only found my camera today and the batteries are dead. So there is always tomorrow.
So Moses. That's the name of our new car. Why Moses? Well when we were at the car auction, there was a box of misc. junk, and a wooden carving of Moses sticking out of the box. Since we were at the auction to buy a car, we saw this carving of Moses to represent finding the car that would deliver us to the promise land (Florida). We didn't buy a car (or the statue) at the auction, but we did gain a theme. The theme was Moses, and we have found her (yes, her). She is a blue VW Passat Wagon, and she is Moses. She is beautiful.
Where to next? I don't know, but talk about Yellowstone is being thrown around. So to everyone out there, I hope life is good, and your face is becoming wrinkled from happiness.
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Goodbye Cambodge, Hello USA, and Land of the Beautiful (and Famous) People
Hello, friends! I know, I know. You're wondering what the hell is going on with the Griffins. Let me recap:
Goodbye Cambodge
So, as planned, we started our trip. We headed down to an island off the coast of Cambodia and stayed a week. Here is how the week progressed:
Where are we now? See below.
Hello USA
After around 30/40 hours of travel, we arrived in Los Angeles, and boy does it feel great! There is NOTHING like being back in your home country. It's awesome. We are staying with our good friends in LA, so life has been good here: good beer, sunny/clear skies, beach, biking. What else could one ask for?
Sila, too, is having the time of his life. Our friends have two boys (ages 2 and 5), so Sila is playing nonstop. Additionally, I think he is enjoying have friends who speak English. While diversity is great, being 3 and not speaking someone's language is a bit difficult. I don't think Sila has stopped smiling and laughing since we landed, which is nice to see as a parent.
Land of the Beautiful (and Famous) People
I thought I might end my blog now that we're in America, but then I realized I have international friends and even domestic friends who may not have ever visited the places we plan on going over the next three months. So as we progress, I'm going to write about what I see and where we are, as well as include some pictures. For the latter, we are so unorganized at the moment, that pictures aren't happening today, but I will write about our experience.
Mostly, we've been hanging out with friends, but today we went out to breakfast, took a bike ride down to the beach, hung out at a beach club, and visited the pier. I might add that we are in the fancy part of LA, the part where you see famous people in.
So you might be wondering who I saw today. Here is the list (yup, all in one day): Toby Maguire (at breakfast--I had to say excuse me because he was in my way to get a spoon at the take-out counter!), Naomi Watts (at the beach club), and Ali Larter (also at the beach club, but I didn't really recognize her: she is the one who wears the whip cream bikini in Varsity Blues). Whew. What a day.
So the adventure continues, just in a different way! The good news is that if you live in the States, we'll probably be coming to see you soon! Much love and big hugs.
Goodbye Cambodge
So, as planned, we started our trip. We headed down to an island off the coast of Cambodia and stayed a week. Here is how the week progressed:
- Day 1/2: This place is awesome; it's a bummer we have to leave for Vietnam in three days
- Day 3: Ugh. We don't want to leave (especially to a new country) and trudge through a new culture, language, etc. What can we do?
- Day 4: I know, I know! Let's extend our visas and stay here on Rabbit Island for a month, then head home.
- Day 5/6: Screw that. Let's change our tickets to go home to the US of A. Celebration!!
- Day 7: Head back to PP to stay with friends our last few days in Cambodia.
Where are we now? See below.
Hello USA
After around 30/40 hours of travel, we arrived in Los Angeles, and boy does it feel great! There is NOTHING like being back in your home country. It's awesome. We are staying with our good friends in LA, so life has been good here: good beer, sunny/clear skies, beach, biking. What else could one ask for?
Sila, too, is having the time of his life. Our friends have two boys (ages 2 and 5), so Sila is playing nonstop. Additionally, I think he is enjoying have friends who speak English. While diversity is great, being 3 and not speaking someone's language is a bit difficult. I don't think Sila has stopped smiling and laughing since we landed, which is nice to see as a parent.
Land of the Beautiful (and Famous) People
I thought I might end my blog now that we're in America, but then I realized I have international friends and even domestic friends who may not have ever visited the places we plan on going over the next three months. So as we progress, I'm going to write about what I see and where we are, as well as include some pictures. For the latter, we are so unorganized at the moment, that pictures aren't happening today, but I will write about our experience.
Mostly, we've been hanging out with friends, but today we went out to breakfast, took a bike ride down to the beach, hung out at a beach club, and visited the pier. I might add that we are in the fancy part of LA, the part where you see famous people in.
So you might be wondering who I saw today. Here is the list (yup, all in one day): Toby Maguire (at breakfast--I had to say excuse me because he was in my way to get a spoon at the take-out counter!), Naomi Watts (at the beach club), and Ali Larter (also at the beach club, but I didn't really recognize her: she is the one who wears the whip cream bikini in Varsity Blues). Whew. What a day.
So the adventure continues, just in a different way! The good news is that if you live in the States, we'll probably be coming to see you soon! Much love and big hugs.
Monday, March 3, 2014
Oh boy, is it hot!
It's starting to get warm here in Cambodge.
It's sneaky: the mornings and evenings are cool, with a great breeze; then mid day happens. You walk or bike, and all of a sudden you're drenched. Sweat drips from your forehead, and your shirt sticks to your belly. All the while, locals are wearing their winter hats, long sleeved shirts (or even coats!), jeans, and maybe some gloves to boot. Am I exaggerating? No!!
The claustrophobia sets in.
Do the locals seem to sweat? Nope. Are they chilly? Who knows!
Is it hotter here now then it is in Florida in August or September? Nope. But do you want to know the difference? In Florida, there is this little invention called central air conditioning. So when the heat starts to creep into the house (late afternoon...you know, when it's so f-ing hot you can't stand it), you escape into your home and sigh a sweet sigh as the sweat evaporates.
But here? Nope. The windows and doors are open to get some sort of breeze, and the sun beats in the windows. The fan is on its highest setting, blowing directly at you, and you can't wait until bedtime, where you enjoy the luxury of an a/c unit blowing on you until it gets so cold, you have to turn it off. Then you go back to sweating.
The plus side? I'm detoxifying every day.
I'll leave you with a few pictures. While not the best, notice the few locals who are fully clothed; the only reason I have a long-sleeve shirt on is because it's the custom to cover one's shoulders. Underneath, I had a tank top that I was wearing around the house. I covered up to go get Sila.
I'll probably post one more time before we leave Cambodia, so look for that sometime next week. Big hugs to everyone!
It's sneaky: the mornings and evenings are cool, with a great breeze; then mid day happens. You walk or bike, and all of a sudden you're drenched. Sweat drips from your forehead, and your shirt sticks to your belly. All the while, locals are wearing their winter hats, long sleeved shirts (or even coats!), jeans, and maybe some gloves to boot. Am I exaggerating? No!!
The claustrophobia sets in.
Do the locals seem to sweat? Nope. Are they chilly? Who knows!
Is it hotter here now then it is in Florida in August or September? Nope. But do you want to know the difference? In Florida, there is this little invention called central air conditioning. So when the heat starts to creep into the house (late afternoon...you know, when it's so f-ing hot you can't stand it), you escape into your home and sigh a sweet sigh as the sweat evaporates.
But here? Nope. The windows and doors are open to get some sort of breeze, and the sun beats in the windows. The fan is on its highest setting, blowing directly at you, and you can't wait until bedtime, where you enjoy the luxury of an a/c unit blowing on you until it gets so cold, you have to turn it off. Then you go back to sweating.
The plus side? I'm detoxifying every day.
I'll leave you with a few pictures. While not the best, notice the few locals who are fully clothed; the only reason I have a long-sleeve shirt on is because it's the custom to cover one's shoulders. Underneath, I had a tank top that I was wearing around the house. I covered up to go get Sila.
I'll probably post one more time before we leave Cambodia, so look for that sometime next week. Big hugs to everyone!
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
What's Been Going On?
I was having a conversation recently (via FaceBook messaging) with a friend, and she said something interesting: (I'm paraphrasing) "I'm amazing on FaceBook but in real life I'm having a tough time." I love this because it's so true. I don't post status updates on FaceBook for this reason. Life is hard. There are ups and downs, and well, I'm in a down one now.
Before I begin, yes, life is amazing. I am able to manage taking a year off of work to travel, spend time with my family, and do/see some amazing stuff. Don't get me wrong.
But the other side of all of this? I've been sick--really sick--for the last three weeks. Darn Cambodian bacteria. And I've suffered from vertigo the last five days. And Conan has had a sore throat for the last three weeks and just can't get his energy up. And Sila has one never-ending cold. And we're all homesick. And we all want to go home.
But we are tackling each day as exactly that: a new day. We have goals, and we aim to complete them. We have a little over 2 weeks left here in Phnom Penh, and our new plan (if you don't know this already, well, Conan and I always have a plan, but it always changes) is to ditch the bikes (too much work) and just bus/train to amazing beaches and sites in Vietnam. We feel this is exactly what we need. Sunshine, crystal clear water, and new adventures.
So if you're stuck in a rut, maybe think about what you can do differently. How can you shift your perspective, while still being honest with yourself? Honesty is okay. It's okay to feel like crap and look like crap and eat crap (sometimes) because that's life. Life is good but oftentimes messy.
If I haven't depressed you, sorry. I didn't mean to.
One another note, take a look at some pictures I have below. The pictures of tents are when we had a massive funeral on our street, pretty much in front of our house. I thought it was a wedding (who knew karaoke was a part of both weddings and funerals?), but our neighbor said it was a funeral. Regardless, I'm glad it appeared because it will be one of the things I miss most about Cambodia. It's exciting. The street shuts down (have mercy!), there is music (which isn't really a part of Cambodian culture), and sleeplessness as people wail into a microphone (singing or praying) until all hours of the night. Ah, Cambodia. How I love you so.
Before I begin, yes, life is amazing. I am able to manage taking a year off of work to travel, spend time with my family, and do/see some amazing stuff. Don't get me wrong.
But the other side of all of this? I've been sick--really sick--for the last three weeks. Darn Cambodian bacteria. And I've suffered from vertigo the last five days. And Conan has had a sore throat for the last three weeks and just can't get his energy up. And Sila has one never-ending cold. And we're all homesick. And we all want to go home.
But we are tackling each day as exactly that: a new day. We have goals, and we aim to complete them. We have a little over 2 weeks left here in Phnom Penh, and our new plan (if you don't know this already, well, Conan and I always have a plan, but it always changes) is to ditch the bikes (too much work) and just bus/train to amazing beaches and sites in Vietnam. We feel this is exactly what we need. Sunshine, crystal clear water, and new adventures.
So if you're stuck in a rut, maybe think about what you can do differently. How can you shift your perspective, while still being honest with yourself? Honesty is okay. It's okay to feel like crap and look like crap and eat crap (sometimes) because that's life. Life is good but oftentimes messy.
If I haven't depressed you, sorry. I didn't mean to.
One another note, take a look at some pictures I have below. The pictures of tents are when we had a massive funeral on our street, pretty much in front of our house. I thought it was a wedding (who knew karaoke was a part of both weddings and funerals?), but our neighbor said it was a funeral. Regardless, I'm glad it appeared because it will be one of the things I miss most about Cambodia. It's exciting. The street shuts down (have mercy!), there is music (which isn't really a part of Cambodian culture), and sleeplessness as people wail into a microphone (singing or praying) until all hours of the night. Ah, Cambodia. How I love you so.
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