Wow, its been a while

So... I havent been on here for a forever.

Here is Point form of what I can remember:

-All the other volunteers left, including laura, adi, asahel, maya, and lara. Now kyle, myself, andrew and david are all that remain.

-many Parties for the leaving folk. Discovereed no one knows how to swim, therefore I am attempting to start teaching swimming lessons.

-Went to Phnom Penh for Khmer new year, went to the Killing Fields. Got attacked by demontors (yuck yuck yuck)

-spent too much money buying stuff.

-Tutoring the United World College applicants so they can pass their harsh exams.

-Had the flu for a good month, went away with antibiotics, but when I was healthy and stopped the meds, I got the cold/flu. Its gone now.

-Live in the large house alone, for the most part.

-Working on the healthcare stuff, attended a first-aid training.

-writing triweekly updates for the America office.

-Havent been taking Khmer lessons because the place where I have them, which also makes the best fried rice ever, has been torn down. Which is sad, becuase they are also an NGO who employs children who have been sexually assaulted and abused.

-Its stinking hot here- Hitting around 30-35 degrees before 9 oclock. and staying that hot until 9 at night.

-Rain rain. I like Rain.

PICTURES OF CUTE KIDDIES!

Cutest baby ever- She always yells hello from the store and then grabs my hand and swings around my legs. Its very funny.

Three of my Students, Sopheary, Nita, and Ratha, took me to Sampov Meas Island for the first time.
It Rained the entire time besides when I took this

Love you All
xoxoxox

Sorry its long- But I have a lot to Tell you

So Now that I am back in Pursat, here is a quick summary of the end of my trip…

Kampong Cham- Mekong hotel, Right on the Mekong Riverside. The hotel was a little sketchy, but it had English TV… I have never watched so much fashion television in my life! The next day, I rented a bike and rode out to see Phnom Srey and Bros, the Killing Field monuments in between, and Wat Nokor. The Bike ride was hot and long- almost all uphill going there. The story of the two mountain temples is as follows:

Men, traditionally, must ask his girlfriends father to marry her. A group of men wanted to change this rule, and challenged their girlfriends to a competition to see who could build the tallest mountain temple before sunrise. The team that lost would from then on be responsible for asking their future spouses father for permission. The two teams began to build elaborate and tall temples, but the women were losing. In a last-ditch attempt to win, they set a bonfire on the horizon. Seeing the fire and mistaking it for the sun, the men thought the competition was over, stopped working, and went back to bed. The women completed the temple till the true sunrise, and won the competition.

Okay- after checking out the temples, I visited the killing field that the Khmer Rouge established between the mountains. A lot of Buddha statues, didn’t see any bones or anything (They are at the Wat Nokor.) On my way back to town, I visited Nokor, but it was so hot and I was so sun burnt I didn’t find the bones and went back to town to hide in the shade. I spent the next day walking around, being lazy, and caught a bus to Sen Monorom early the next morning. The Bus got stuck twice due to the heavy rain and dirty roads, so I had to complete the journey in the back of a pick-up. I arrived at Sen Monorom hungry, tired, and wet about 14 hours later.

Sen Monorom- It rained a lot, sketchy little room but I grew to love it and the town.
Woke up early the next morning, and talked to Jack Highwood about visiting the elephant project... spent the day out there and since it was so last minute, the elephants weren’t there to ride and play with! So I got a free meal, and spent 10 minutes with one of the unride-able elephants named Princess... she was abused by her old owners, and broke her leg in what they think was illegal logging. Very sad, but very sweet animals. Loved seeing the project and love what they stand for. Jack didn't make me pay the $50 because I didn’t do what the tour included... so I got a free meal and a nice day in the jungle. I have some great pictures of the jungle but only two of princess... she is a little camera shy.

The next day, I headed out to see Bousra Waterfalls with my tour guide Nat... A 23 yr old Khmer person who speaks English, French, Khmer, Tribal languages, Chinese, and a few other languages. It was incredible! The falls were beautiful. Unfortunately, I stubbed my toe against a rock and sliced my foot...but we continued via moto. Went to a small hamlet 5 km from the Vietnam Border and ate lunch. I had river fish (full fish.. eyes and everything.. they are about the size of a finger) with mango.... and "Wild Boar Insides" which I think were intestines... they looked like intestines.... and didn’t taste too bad either.. Once I got past the fact they were intestines. But with rice they were fine. Then we moto'd off the beaten track to Nat's secret waterfall which was beautiful... and he said I am the first person he has shown it to... and only a few others know about it. Then it started to rain so we were stuck. I am so clever and brought a mini first aid kit with me to nurse my toes, and then Nat threw a foreign looking plant bud at me, but didn’t realize it had fuzzy looking thorns that were the thickness of a sewing needle, but a 3rd of an inch long... making it impossible to pull out... so I had to scratch them off because it hurt a lot. Then I got a bit of a rash, but I asked around and took pictures of the plant and everyone said that the rash is from scratching them off, not from the plant itself and that the plant is harmless and I won’t die. Anyways, the rain was so heavy that it turned the paths into thick thick mud, and the moto couldn’t drive through it... So Nat had to push the bike up the hill while I tried very pathetically to claw through the mud, and broke both my sandals and became a mess. At this point, Nat was getting sweet on me and was trying to convince me to let him carry me, which of course I refused. Then we stopped at a lone house to wash up, and they all thought I was his wife... which i illustrated was not true by beating Nat up... which a Khmer wife would never do. They got the picture and I think Nat did too. He still called me wife and darling where I would reply with old man and cigarette addict. Then we went back to SM where I grabbed a bite to eat and snuck back into my room without Nat spotting me... I wanted to eat alone because I like the solitude. Then he called me and we drank tea on the patio. Then he asked me to stay in Sen Monorom and be his wife. Which of course I said no and that I had to go to bed and gave him my email so he would leave me alone and went to bed... and turned off my phone.
Then I Woke up sickly early, paid my $9 for the 3 nights... went for breakfast all before 7 AM... went to the Elephant Project cafe for coffee. Jack offered a seat in his taxi to Snoul where I could catch a bus to Kratie, saving me 5 bucks and a more comfortable ride.

Kratie- I did a whole lot of nothing here. There are endangered dolphins you can go find, but the boats are what are making them endangered so I decided to skip it. The hotel was great, $5 a night and internet and a restaurant. I visited a market or two, walked around, memorized the consonants of Cambodian Script. Nothing too Special.

Ban Lung- Lakeview Guesthouse ($5 for 2 Nights!) Dusty. In Kratie I met a man who was going to Ban Lung as well, and he was Canadian and we decided to go to the same hotel. The hotel only had one room left, so they were like, “Hey! Why don’t you share a room?” I really didn’t want to, but the guy (Jerry) was all over it because the rooms were big and it saved him money. The next day we biked up to Yok Lam Crater Lake. It was neat; it was like being dropping at any lakes in Canada. We walked around the lake in like 45 minutes and got to see bamboo that was so so big it bent, forming arches all over the place. Then we saw a snake and decided to head back. Besides that and watching “Doom” twice and Stardust, that was about it in Ban Lung. Met two Swedish Girls (Emmelie and Ellinor? I spell their names wrong always) who were also going to Siem Reap. Hopped on a bus that back tracked down towards Phnom Penh to Skoul, then turned around and headed to Siem Reap.

Siem Reap- Wowee. What a cool place. I got a triple room with the girls and we spent our first full day at the markets, laundry, internet etc. Then we got a guide for the next day, our first day at the temples. Wowee what a sight! We got up at 5 am to tuk-tuk to watch the sunrise over Angkor Wat, and then continued afterwards to Angkor Thom to see the Bayon Temple and terrace of the Elephants. Then we went to Ta Prohm, where Tomb Raider was filmed and saw the giant trees. After that, the guide and driver told us we were done the tour, because he made an executive decision that we would not like the other two temples. We weren’t happy. We told him we wanted to see the Temple with the one huge face... similar but different to the faces at Bayon. He said we would have to pay more money because it was out of the circuit. We said okay and went to Ta Sohm. We looked around, bought postcards, but there was no face. When we asked where the face was, he said it was moved to the national museum 6 months earlier. That was a bit of a tick off, but we said okay and went home.

The next day, we made a last minute decision to have another day at the temples to find the temple with the Lions, the perfect face at Bayon, see if the big face was somewhere else, and watch the sunset. We slept in, only wanting to do half a day to reduce the cost of a tuk-tuk driver, found one around 12:30 and headed out. We started at Ta Keo, which we thought was with the Lions, but it was one we took a picture of the day before without going inside. It was really cool- but the stairs were steep with skinny steps. Most people don’t go up because of them. Of course we did though- we are adventurous! Then we went back to the Bayon temple and goofed around. Kissed the faces, picked their noses, broke a few rules but we got out okay. That was great because it wasn’t as busy because most people go early in the morning and then break for lunch and avoid the heat, which is when we were there. Had a long dinner and around 5 headed to Phnom ___ to watch the sunset. We climbed a mountain for 20 minutes or so, and got there just before everyone else did. Turns out the temple on the mountain was the one with the lions. Yay! Since the sunset was taking so long, everyone started to take pictures of each other which is always fun. Then, when I thought the sun was just going down (There were clouds so we weren’t really sure) the staff of the park kicked us all out. How rude! Headed home to get another bite to eat, and went to bed. Next morning, the girls were bussing to Bangkok and I bussed to Battambang, and was going to see if I could go straight there to Pursat. Bus showed up 45 minutes early to pick me up so I had to rush to get ready, but was then able to get onto a bus straight away to Pursat.

Pursat- We have two new volunteers Laura and Maya, who are both still in high school, therefore are only here for two more weeks. Adi is leaving Thursday, Asahel April 3, Laura before April 17: I am going to be all alone! I am now teaching the adult class 3 hours a week, and have a student evening class to teach every night Monday to Friday. I am excited to be this busy- First class is tonight! Wish me luck!

Much Love!

Emily

And I thought Canadian Beer was good...

Soooo I am back in Phnom Penh: Kampot and Kep were a little too touristy and boring for my likings. Here is an outline of my weekend of adventure:

Kampot- Stay: Blissful Guesthouse. $5 room with fan and bug net, share bathrooms. Bar downstairs, nice owner, interesting guests. Spent two nights there, and in between managed to visit a neat cafe run completely by deaf and blind Cambodians called Epic Arts Cafe, Highlight of Kampot. Went to a little bar called honey bar... where the drinks were too small and too expensive. Met a 63 yr old sleezeball who was trying to get me drunk. He didnt speak Khmer, so the lady bartender and I were calling him creepy and crazy. I Left, bought a book of Cambodian Folklore, had another beer at the BGH and went to bed. Awoke at 7 the next morning, and was on a moto to Kep by 9. Driver drove a little fast and i wrenched my back (combination of cambodian buses, motos, and bad plywood beds)

Kep- Stay: Kukuluku. $5 a night for a bed in a 6 person dorm. Full when I arrived so had to wait three hours until i could leave my stuff on my bed. It was too hot to explore because KU is a little away from the rest of nothing, so i napped till 3. Then I went exploring. Went to a crab market. First time eating fresh crab. I actually took pictures of her catching my mid afternoon meal. Then, as i was preparing to venture to some old ruins just by the beach ( I am not a beach person, too boring sitting doing nothing but getting burnt and attacked by bugs) the heavens opened and the torrential rains began. There was a nice moto man who picked me up to drive me home, but when I told him i would only pay him $1, he stopped. In the middle of the road, pouring rain. So then I yelled at him and said he had 15 seconds to get me home or i was going to tell all the tourists i am sharing a dorm with that he is the worst moto driver in town. Got me home, and was happy with the dollar. Hung around with a 50 year old retiree who was biking across SE Asia. then I decided i would try to explore again, becuase I knew i wouldnt last another day in a town of nothing. Got as far as the market again when it started to rain again. Hid in a little bead store, made a pretty bracelet for way too much money, but it was fun and kept me dry. Rain ceased for what i hoped was long enough to run home. Not a lucky person when it comes to chance, and made it 15 steps before it started to rain again. I am so glad i had a rainjacket with me all day, kept half of me dry. Ran to a bar and had some beers with the Bike man, 2 dutch people, simon-the kukuluku's owners boyfriend i think, and a tall blonde european named Tom. Tom, who is my age, works for an organization who does a lot of work with my organization so we talked for a while. He was bummed for me that it rained and offered to be my tourguide the next day if it was sunny. Then i went back to the ku and had a pleasant evening talking and drinking beers with the hippies. the guy walks around with a yukileilie? and wears a sheet for a skirt, and sings indian music all night. i went to bed at two. He thinks 9-11 was an experiment for a new nuclear chemical the states developed that turns steel and iron into dust instantly. it was interesting. Then I Called Tom this morning, since he was waiting to know when we would go touring because it was nice and sunny- but i told him his sparkling blue eyes werent enough to keep me in the boring town for another minute, and then I was on a bus back to PP before noon. Haha I laugh.

PP-Burley GH. Now i am here, with a ticket bought for 8:45 tomorrow morning to Kampong Cham, which i hope will be a little more exciting. There are a lot of cool temples i want to see and then I am going to bus up to Kratie.

Sorry for the lengthy blog, but i dont know how much technology there is where I am going.
AND THANKS EVERYONE FOR THE SUPPORT FOR THE PRESCHOOL IN TATIEM. WE ARE SO CLOSE TO THE GOAL- I DONT KNOW NUMBERS RIGHT NOW BUT I FEEEEEL IT!

oh, and dont expect many pictures of kampot/kep. a lot of bridges and rocks and tourist wearing obscenely little clothing. havent had the camera out much. saving space for something cool like temples and dolphins and elephants. lao beer and angchor may be the best beer in the world. mm in the last three days i have had 15 beers *no joke i bar hop, kept it out of my recap hoping most of you wouldnt make it this far*... paid for 4. I am not even that much of a beer drinker, but the heat and the deliciousness...... mmmmmmm..... where is the closest bar......?
xxoxoxoxooxo

I HAVE ARRIVED

Helloo! So here I go! I have arrived at my first destination (planned destination anyways), Kampot!
I am staying in a little guesthouse thats close to just about everything. And I got a "Kampot Survival guide"made by some locals, and it is absolutely hilarious:

"There is no corruption in Cambodia, none at all!"
That about all thats appropriate enough to post on the internet. I am only here for two nights, thats as long as there is a free room at "Blissful." Tomorrow I will most likely walk around the riverside, take as many pictures as possible because its so silly gorgeous, then I will shift downstream to Kep. We drove though it today and OMG hawaii has nothing on this place. If I were ever to elope to a tropical location for a wedding, this would be it! Plus weddings you get a lot fo money in Cambodia, and you invite just about everybody!

Anyways, Gotta run, i wanna get home reasonably early. I will only have street lights for so long!
Love to you all!

Yay.

Leaving Thursday or Friday
WooHoo!

Oh, and here is Kee-o the Bike:

They Grow Up so fast.....

"How 'bout the Serenity?"

So, here is the scoop. I originally wanted to travel to Vietnam and Laos and such, but I have decided that instead, I would go alll around Cambodia, and Spend my last week in Chiang mai, Thailand. Here is my itinerary (so far). I Hope to leave within the next ten days.

Enjoy.

TRAVEL AROUND CAMBODIA

Where:

1. Pursat – Phnom Penh
2. Phnom Penh – Kampot (3 Hours, 12 000 R, 7:30/1:15 with Sorya Transport)
3. Kampot – Kep (1 Hour, $10 RT, Moto Taxi)
4. Kep – Phnom Penh (Bus $5)
5. Phnom Penh - Kompong Cham (2 Hours, Hourly from 6:30 – 4:00,Sorya Transport)
6. Kompong Cham – Kratie (Boat ride?)
7. Kratie – Sen Monorom (Ask)
8. Sen Monorom – Ban Lung (Ask)
9. Ban Lung - Stung Treng
10. Stung Treng – Anlong Veng
11. Anlong Veng – Siem Reap (3 hours, find a seat in a cab)
12. Siem Reap – Battambang (4-8 hours by boat, $10?)
13. Battambang – HOME

Sights/ Accommodation

1. Phnom Penh- Top Banana/Burly ($9)
2. Kampot- Blissful Guesthouse ($10)
   Bokor National Park
   Phnom Chhnok (Ruins/Caves)
   Phnom Sorsia (Elephant Rides)
   Wat Chamcar Bei
3. Kep- Botanica Guest House ($7-$8) Vanna
   Kep National Park
   Kompong Trach (Khmer Rouge Site)
4. Kompong Cham- Mekong Hotel ($6)
   Wat Nokor
   Phnom Proh/ S’ray
   Wat Maha Leap (Wooden Pagoda)
   Prasat Han Chey
5. Kratie- You Hong Guesthouse ($3)
   Village Kampi (Mekong Irrawaddy Dolphins)
6. Sen Monorom- Couch Surfer’s Jack Highwood or Pich Kiri Guest House ($3-$5)
   Bousra Waterfalls ($10)
   Elephant Rides/Rehabilitation Center
7. Ban Lung- Mountain Guesthouse ($3)
   Yak Lom Crater
8. Stung Treng- Dara Guesthouse ($4)
   Weaving Co-op
   Boat Trips/Hikes
9. Anlong Veng- Phnom Dangrek Guesthouse ($3-$6)
   Pol Pot’s Grave/ House
   Ta Mok “The Butcher” ‘s House
10. Siem Reap- Mandalay Inn ($6-$7)
    Angkor Wat and surrounding temples
    Landmine Museum
    Angkor Hospital for Children
11. Battambang
    Er Phnom
    Phnom Banan
    Phnom Sampeau (Temple overlooking killing fields)

Time Frame

Phnom Penh: Maximum 1 Night
Kampot: 2 Nights
Kep: 3 Nights
Phnom Penh: Maximum 1 Night
Kompong Cham: 3 Nights
Kratie: 2 Nights
Sen Monorom: 3 Nights
Ban Lung: 2 Nights
Stung Treng: 2 Nights
Anlong Veng: 2 Nights
Siem Reap: 3 Nights
Battambang: 2 Nights

"I'm Just a Translator; How am I to know the difference between a computer outlet and an electrical socket?"

Okay, so I started a "photobucket" because I felt you needed even MORE websites to keep tabs on me.



The Username is: emily_gunn2
The Password is: cambodia09



I have added A LOT of pictures on here, including some from Tuol Sleng, so beware when going through them, because there are some graphic pictures on there... But then there are some pretty butterflies and cute babies!



xoxox

"I quit a meat factory to be on Canada's Next Top Model"

So this weekend, some barang went away to Phnom Penh. I wanted to get some sight seeing done, as well as shop, and Laura needed to see a friend. I visited the Tuol Sleng (S21) Museum since Comrade Duch's trial starts this week. I am not going to put any pictures online, but I do have some. If you want to see them I can email them to you, but I wont be putting them on here or on facebook. If you are curious about what Tuol Sleng is, or have questions about that "era", email me cause I can tell you.

I have pretty pictures of the city and of the National Museum. Ooooooo!

And for those of you who don't know, there is currently a Powerpoint being passed around Via my mother about the roof fundraising, as well as, from what I hear, a Bake Sale being hosted by Neil's grade 5 & 6 class. If you have questions on either of those, email my mother @ skgunn@telus.net.

But ooo lets oggle over pretty pictures!

*******************I was asked where my email is available on here: It should, for you, be written at the top (emily.gunn2@gmail.com)

I look like a Monkey

So I was sitting on the tracks last night planning to watch the sunset. Cause they are so beautiful here. And I had my camera... all of a sudden the cutest kids/family came and sat with me. Since I cannot speak Khmer, carrying on a conversation was hopeless... but they let me take my pictures. And then they laughed at me for being so white. Yes, I am a pasty one...

Bought a cell phone. Its funny being able to text people here...............

AND I MADE PEANUT BUTTER. at the expense of my hand.. its very bruised from crushing peanuts... I didnt find the mortar and pestal till after....

Kee-O! Son-Daik-Day!

So its been about a week. My last informative post I sounded moody. Things are changing. I think I had low blood sugar. I forgot to eat till like 7pm yesterday and I was moody and pessimistic alllll day.
But I had Milo and Homemade yogurt (You should all make some its delicious) this morning, and I went to the market to buy Son-Daik-Day and am going to make peanut butter so All is well.

A.) I have taken up listening to classical music. Canon in D Makes me homesick. But its pretty so I listen anyways. Chaconne is brilliant. I played it in band and loved every second of it.
B.) I bought my bicycle. I will get a picture of him on next week. He is shiny and blue, so I named him Kee-O, which means blue in Khmer (K-My, my as in my own.)
C.) Starting Monday, I teach an adult english class on Mondays and Fridays. Its fun because they are very advanced. Last week they discussed global warming. We are going to do Poetry and the Solar System next week.
D.) I found out last night that my bank card doesnt read at one of the ATMS here, I will try the other one tonight.
E.) Yesterday there was an accident. Then two hours later a dog got squished. I was not happy.
F.) Riding a bike is more trecherous than ever. There have been 5 or 6 crashes close to my work since I have been here. 5 people have died. Its very sad.
G.) I am going to start getting involved in the Health Development sector of SC. So I will be involved with my two future paths, teaching and Medicine.
H.) Riding a bike in the wind while wearing a skirt is a bad idea when people are already looking at you for being a Barang on a Bike (Barang is the word they use for white people, translates to French)
I.) When I ride past people on my la-or bike, people say Hello How are you?; I mess with their minds and answer in spanish or portuguese. I am scared to answer in french because thats the second most common language here.
J.) I miss cheese.
K.) I live off yogurt, rice, and crackers.
L.)Out of all the volunteers, I DONT have the curliest hair.
M.) I am getting a shirt made right now. I am definitely excited. The fabric cost $1.50 for 1.5 meters
N.) I am starting to ramble about useless things because I want to make it to Z
O.) I was totally unaware how different things are in the states.
P.) Wearing sunglasses on my head makes me feel cool and worldly
Q.) I need to learn more Khmer, people are laughing at me. I just learned to count.
R.) I listen to my music really loud to drown out the more important things in the room.
S.) Sweetened Condensed milk is disgusting. But I am addicted to adding it to coffee.
T.) I think some of my students have better english than me. But I am a faster typer.
U.) I have a rabid dog cane, to fend off the wild beasts.
V.) I am trying to decide whether to tell the classes that Pluto is not a Planet.
W.) I don't know if I told you all, But I want to go to med school. But I am scared that I will kill someone while being an intern. Grey's Anatomy will haunt me forever.
X.) I like to make lists in my sleep.
Y.) Africa by Toto makes me feel happy.
Z.) I plan on travelling for a month around Asia alone. It scares me but I am totally pumped to do it as well. Hopefully I wont get lost.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KELSEY KLIPPENSTEIN!!!!!!!!

Talk to you Soon! Email me. I like Emails. It gives me something to do!

Pictures! More and More Pictures!

Radish Field in Angkron Village

Kid From Angkron

Bananas. I like Bananas.

Floating Village Pictures. Smelled Bad.

Big Flippin' Spider. It ran Away. Some Cambodian Dancing Around Chinese New Year Tree

Yes, The girls got in on it too! Except We Can't bend our Fingers.

The house: Thats my Window on the right.

Train Tracks Behind the House
Why did the chicken cross the road? To play in my yard!
Naked Babies Playing on the ramp to our house.

Funny Kids.

"You said I must eat So Many Lemons, Cause I am so Bitter"

So I am just sitting... again. Like always. I am starting to get a little frustrated because I don't know how to help the Organization. I am doing the Online Bio's for the students, but I have to wait for them to finish writing them. And then there is my fundraising for the roof...



I think I will solve my woes by buying a Bicycleb. Then I can go anywhere whenever I want. Name it Spot, or the Silver Bullet, or whatever color it is. Maybe I will find some tassels and bows and pretty ribbons for it. Stickers and spray paint. yes.



I am starting to figure out where I want to travel while I am here. I think I am going for almost a month.. I am in Asia, and I want to see as much of it as I can. I am thinking of going Pursat to Siem Reap, j into Laos, hanging out around there, then into Hanoi, Vietnam... then visit Sapa, back to Hanoi, Hoian, Nha Trang, Ho Chi Minh, then Phnom Penh, then Back home to Pursat.



yes, that is what I will do.

:)



I can't get the PowerPoint on here... if you want to learn more about the Roof that I am trying to pay for, email me. Please! I only have until march 1. emily.gunn@hotmail.com



Can't wait to hear from you all soon!

<3

Don't Get Your Hopes Up... Not too Exciting

So I did it again... It has been a week since I posted on here last. But lucky for you.. I don't think a lot has happened since then...

Tuesday-Friday: Emily accomplished next to nothing. A lot of computer games.
Oh, but Rich and her added more Bio's... or atleast I think that was this week...
Azel and Miranda come to stay at the volunteer house for the week. Nice funny Aussies.

Saturday: Visit to the floating Village. It was neatoo! An entire village living on water. There was even a Tele! and Pigs...

Sunday: Chinese New Year!!! Free Meal at "across." Emily then spends the afternoon/night dying with the Stumach Flu. Wasn't seen for 12 hours. Didn't eat for 12 hours. Didn't Drink for 12 hours.

Monday: Spent the morning in bed. Miranda and Azel go to Battambang, Azel is coming back (He has been here for like two years), Miranda is meeting friends to begin travelling in Siem Reap. Ate some rice.

Bataboom batabing!
Hopefully next update will be a little more exciting!

So I haven't put a post up since getting here... Instead I have been sending out emails... (If you haven't received one, email me to get added: emily.gunn@hotmail.com)
Here is a brief timeline of events since getting here last Wednesday. It is long, might want to sit on a pillow, go pee, and grab your next meal...

Wednesday, Jan 14:

• Mum and I wake up and bus to "Poisat"
• We meet Summet, who we learn is a sweet man with a bad back who works in Phnom Penh for Sustainable Cambodia
• On the bas, a little boy sitting behind me stashes gum in my hair. That becomes a mess and is later clipped out with Nail clippers
• We arrive at Pursat, and end up confusing Andrew, who was waiting for us at the bus stop. Little did he know that Summet got the bus driver to drop us off at the SC building, not the bus stop. Very funny in hindsight. Andrew didn't think so.
• Mother and I get a tour, meet Mr. Ni, a very funny man. He handles finances for SC. We meet my housemate Laura, who was with the Peace Cor in Mongolia. Woah.
• Mum and I go out for dinner, where my abilities to draw chickens and moo like a cow order our meal. Which was very very good. Then we see a giant Rat. Giant as in I think it was chasing a cat...
• Bed time, with a giant bug net. Awesome.
  

Thursday, Jan 15:

• Mum and I awake, walk to the bus stop to buy her ticket for later that day.
• Mum, Laura, Torri (another volunteer who has been here since August) and I go for a farewell brunch before mother has to catch the bus.
• We have our heartfelt goodbye, and then mother leaves on a moto to the bus stop.
• After breakfast/lunch, I am given a list of things I can help with. I spend the afternoon with Laura writing a quick report to an Organization who gave SC money for bikes and instruments
• I sit in on the evening English class that Megan taught. The kids have mad English skills. Most of them remember the other Gunn's that visited. They were doing presentations on restaurants they made up. It was funny.
• We have banana leaf wrapped Amuk for dinner. Which was awesome. Laura, Torri, Megan (Another volunteer) and I read People's "Sexiest men of 2008." Since the three of them are in their mid-twenties, I filled them in on who the young ones were, and they reminisced about shows they know. We also discuss the differences between America and Canada. I am the lone canuck.

Friday, Jan 16:

• Laura and I get a pleasant breakfast of fruit and eggs, Heing is a great cook. Laura and I are off to the school.
• I am given the task to research a project SC was asked to take part of. Its a silly political petition that would have little effect with a corrupt government.
• I fill Phalla in on the project. I don't think he liked it either.
• Day is spent researching and sitting playing games on my computer.
• Sit in on the evening class again. Kids super funny.
• Bedtime.

Saturday, Jan 17:

• All the volunteers (minus Richard, who was sick) hop onto the back of motos and drive to Krevign commune to visit past and future SC projects. It was hot and dirty and I am definitely sun burnt.
• We stopped at many places, visiting family fish ponds, bio sand filters, and pass on pigs. We found a peanut field which was neat. I didn't know peanuts grew on roots underground.
• We eventually had a delicious lunch. Didn't ask what it was. Later, we try palm wine and porcupine. I don't recommend the porcupine. It is really really fatty.
• We eventually stop for the night at a neat part of the village. The community needs help building permanent wells, instead of re digging shallow well every week. and they need a preschool.
• A big meeting takes place with that area of the community, where I am introduced as the new kid. It was ballin'.Then I may have volunteered myself to find $500 for the preschools roof. By March.
• We have a delicious dinner. Well, I liked the Chinese radishes and rice. But I didn't enjoy the wild boar and tree ants. The tree ants poke your mouth and it is not pleasant.
• Spent a surprisingly cold night sleeping outside in a hammock. With a bug net. Mr Bong, the man who drove me there, rigged my sketchy hammock between posts. Very nice man. I am thinking of buying my own hammock for home. They are so handy dandy!

Sunday, Jan 18:

• We set off again to visit more sections of the village.We visit one that was confusing to find, and ended up in the middle of nowhere, walked through two rivers, and up what seemed like a mountain to visit this very secluded and sweet village.
• There was a meeting with the group about a preschool being made up there. They said they tried to make a school, but the land they planned on using they were told had sugar cane on it and they weren't allowed to build there. Not nice Mr Cane Farmer...
• We nap before trekking home. We arrive dusty and hot. A cold shower has never been so pleasant.
• Then I think Laura and I watched a movie, and headed to bed.
  

Monday, Jan 19:

• I woke up kind of late, and headed in. Spent the day on the computer, trying to figure out how I am going to get the money for the roof. I research teaching abroad stuff. Find I can get paid for teaching science in Rwanda. I wanna do that.
• Then Richard and I type up the kids sponsor Bios for the website. It was interesting to see all the kids describe their home lives... really interesting.
• Torri and I visit the Tele, which is a gas station/7-11. We get ice cream which was nice in the heat. Again, we compare the USA and Canada and Cambodia.
• I sit in on a Peace Cor teacher's English class. Whitney taught the group about poetry and different things like similes, alliterations, stanza etc. And we read Rain by Shel Silverstein. I like that poem.
• We head home for more Amuk. Torri helped Heing make it this time to learn the recipe, it was more as a casserole, without the banana leaves. Very delicious.
• Whitney and I talk about Peace Cor and teaching and such. She goes home, then Laura and I watch Heroes. That is a neat show...

Tuesday, Jan 20:

• Emily noticed that tomorrow for you guys, is Obama's Inauguration. I wanna see footage of that! It's weird being a day ahead...
• I spend my morning battling with the lazy Internet connection as I try to upload pictures.
• That's It.
  　
  So I am sorry it was so lengthy... I had to play a weeks worth of catch-up... I will try to get on here regularly.

Day One of Pictures

So getting pictures on here is a real chore, so here are some from the first day of temples! The internet was going funky so I couldnt get anymore on:

Bovorn Nivet Vihan Temple

Chana Songkram Temple
Our offering to Buddha. Three Incense and a Lotus flower.
The Grand Palace (Not the actual grand palace, but the prettier buildings on the site)

Last Day in Bangkok

So Jan, Mum, and myself went to MBK to grab out last few items, and visited the Jim Thompson house. For those who don't know him, he was an American who really put the Thailand silk into the spotlight. He disappeared into this air while on a trip in Malaysia. Very sad. Neat house.
Then, Jan and I went to Visit the flower market, where we saw funeral wreaths and prayer loops. Then we went to Wat Pho, the reclining Buddha (Dimensions 49m by 15m. yeah I know that's huge) which was wicked. Then we went to Temple of Dawn, where some students interviewed me on wedding customs, greetings, and food. While Jan was clarifying some things I said in Thai, turns out I had planted myself on a fire ant mound. Don't worry, I only got bit enough to get the experience... and besides, I am already covered in bites, I might as well make the bites different and diverse! Mum and I ended the night by visiting Khao San Road which is a night market, but everything was really expensive. Talking to Jan these last two days has been awesome, I never would have learned half the stuff I have in a Thailand for Dummies book! Like, that most Thai families don't cook, they just visit the street vendors. Anyways, mum and I fly out today. Next time I am on here will be in Cambodia, which may be a few days till I have Internet. Toodles.

Temple Day One

So today with our incredibly awesome tour guide Jan, we visited four different temples/Thailand Landmarks then went to a market that was so huge, it was larger than all of Cochrane. We went to:

1. Bovorn Nivet Vihan Temple


2. Chana Songkram Temple


3. Wat Phra Kaew and the Emerald (Jade) Buddha


4. The Grand Palace


5. Big Frickin' Huge Market Town

Now, of course I took pictures, but seeing how I am on a public computer, it is a little too difficult for me to upload them to show you. They will be up later, oh don't you worry. But in the meantime I will part ways with you with a couple facts/stories. I'll keep it short don't worry. I am just going to spit them out so bare with me.

Did you know, that every King of Thailand must at one point in his life serve as a monk? Yeah, and they can serve for however long or short as they want. And if a man became a monk, left and had a family, but wanted to go back they had to have the blessings of the wife. So if she didn't want him to leave, she going and prays to Buddha and he is forbidden to return to monk ship.

The Emerald Buddha is not made of Emerald, but of Jade, and has its clothing changed by the King or Prince (if the king is unable to do so, like with the present King) every four months to represent the different seasons?

Another sweet little story is of that little chubby Buddha we all know and love, the one Jan calls "Happy Buddha." He was just a regular old Joe (by Joe I mean Monk) who was incredibly Thin and Beautiful. So good looking in fact, that when we led prayer or taught or preached, people were so distracted by his pretty face that they ignored what he said. This man got incredibly fed up and went to Buddha and asked to be fat and ugly so that people would take him seriously. So that is why you see happy smiling fat Buddha's, cause his word is finally taken seriously. Wild, yes I know. I guess it's something to be Fat and Jolly.

So my last one, is about a story of Ramakien at Wat Phra Kaew. It's a mural that stretches an entire Mile! It's insane, let me tell you! Now, i did not read the entire story, that would have been silly cause I was wearing flip flops not runners, but what I did get from it was there was a Good Man, and a Demon. Demon steals the wife of the man, and the man becomes friends with some sort of Monkey God to get her back. So allll the buildings at Wat Phra Kaew had visuals of the Monkey God and the Demon.

Sorry for my less then perfect story telling, it was a long day. I have also discovered why I never got bit by mosquitoes in Africa, South America, and North America. I don't taste good to them. Asian Mosquitoes, on the other hand, like me quite a bit, for I have become practically a walking chew toy for them. My legs are absolutely covered! Okay, time to soak the feet. They are absolutely throbbing. Glad no one read this anyways... That post was quite a mouthful. Took me half an hour and 30 Baht to type.

Look Look Look!

Okay, I decided that since I had nothing else to do tonight I would put some random photos i google'd (They have google here you know) to let you in on the experience. Live Vicariously, if you will...

Okay, so here is le "Tuk-Tuk": Ridden by the Dangerously Adventurous Souls.

This is the hotel, the Lamphu Tree House.... It is not in a tree Don't worry we know that. But it is still quite cute.

This is the Seven Floor MBK Mall. We went into Every store/Internal Market. My feet Hurt. A lot. But they look smashing in my brand new Birkenstock's.

Democracy Monument.

His Majesty, Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX), the longest serving Monarch since 1946. This, obviously, a painting of his earlier days. You can't look this good after that many years in power...

Night. Bedtime.