Sunday, December 21, 2008

Christmas on the Mekong River









For the HOPE school staff party, we rented a boat cruise. Don't let the word "cruise" fool you. It's a wooden boat with three folded tables placed in the middle. But it was a fun time. The Mekong is disgusting brown river that stretches forever and ever across several countries. The Cambodian staff wanted to go swimming! Luckily we ran out of time; so they couldn't!
We, the expat staff, brought food and drinks for the party. It was cute. There were probably 75 people on the boat. Food was a bit short because the staff brought their families. Those kids sure can put down some food! Something I ate really didn't like my stomach, but hey, I've survived several spells of food poisoning already. It won't kill me this time.
This party was also a chance to say goodbye to the staff that won't be returning. There are 5 staff members going home this semester. It was a sad thing to sit around and say goodbye. It's way too sappy for me. We prayed for them and gave everyone a chance to say something. If I had my way, I'd slap them on the back and say "good luck!" I hate emotional goodbyes. But I guess some people need to have that closure.
At the end of the party we exchanged gifts. We had Secret Santa presents to give. I had a cute Cambodian cleaner from school, and she had me too. She gave me a cute pink shirt, which I wore the next day to show her that I liked it! It was really fun! Scott, my American friend, got the best present of all!!!!!! a figurine of 2 girls swinging! :)

Around Town






Pictures from around Phnom Penh!
It's such a crazy place here. Sometimes I feel like I'm in another dimension because no one from home understands how crazy it is here! And this is the city! The largest city in the country! lol.
It's just so different.

Peter the Puppy: in loving memory



Peter has died. It was a very sad day when we discovered that Peter the puppy died. He was the cutest little darling. The cause of his death was abuse by an overzealous child. The youngest Cambodian boy of our household thought it was humorous to torture little Peter by throwing him or swinging him by his legs. But poor little Peter was simply too small for this treatment. Last week he started coughing up blood. Later on, he died. Poor Peter.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

professional photo!

Old Truth, New Discovery

This week I've been thinking about something. It may seem like common sense or an old wives tale, but it's so true.
DON'T DATE A GUY THAT NEEDS SOMETHING FROM YOU
yeah, I know... duh!
but seriously, I've been thinking about it.
Don't date a guy that needs a green card from you
Don't date a guy that needs a shoulder to cry on all the time
Don't date a guy that needs a cookies from you because he's in prison and the food there sucks.
Don't date a guy that needs a couch to crash on from you.
Don't date a guy that needs an income from you
Can I say again...
Don't date a guy that needs a green card and you're his meal ticket!!!!!

And to the confused male out in the big world let me say:
Don't try to date me for a GREEN CARD!
I'm not your international meal ticket!


Last week my friends and I went to get Khmer beauty pictures taken. We were told these “Glamour Shots” of Cambodia were hilarious to do with friends. That turned out to be very true. Bonnie, Corey, Kate and I went to a random photo studio and asked them to take our pictures. They start with an intense make over, which made us look like drag-queens! The make-up was insane! Next, they take your hair to an extreme level to match the crazy make-up. The puff up the back and insert hair extensions. The major problem with the hair extensions is that they were designed for Asians. So they are black. Kate was the only one with dark hair, but even her hair is only brown. They also put shiny things and flowers in our new hair too. Next came the dress. The top of the dress is a tiny piece of fabric, pinned together because we are much larger than their average client. The bottom of the dress is a large piece of fabric that we are rapped in tightly. Lastly lost of gross, gaudy, gold jewelry is draped on our necks, arms and legs. After we left, they superimposed a cool background and touched up our photos. With Photoshop, they made us skinny and white! Lol.
These pictures are normally used by Cambodian girls to find a husband. One girl asked up “Who do you need to show your true beauty?” True beauty?? Ha. It’s faker than the Coach bags for $10 at the market! But that’s how they get husbands! Lol.