jessw

Greetings, blog subscribers! Things are happening here in preparation for our move. Along with all the other changes going on, I have a new blog address and format. TravelBlog has served us well, but further updates can now be found at On The Road Again. Come on over and take a look, and if you need any help figuring out the best way to keep up with new posts when they appear, let me know. ... read more

We spent our Sunday at the baray, a man-made reservoir. (In this case, "man-made" means literally that: dug by hand.) I’m not sure of its size; it’s certainly not Lake Champlain, but it’s a good-sized body of water, and it is an excellent place to while away a Sunday afternoon. On at least one edge there is a beach of sorts with palm-thatched structures full of hammocks and a strip of stalls selling fruit and cold drinks and roasted meat and fish. It seems to be a place where far more locals than tourists go, and we were eager for a little R&R - because our vacation is so exhausting, I guess. Even better than the “beach” is a small island in the middle of the baray, and we hired a boat to take us ... read more

I will say that you don't even begin to fully understand how ridiculous English can be until you try to teach and explain why we have so many rules and why so many exceptions to those rules. I learned that rule - change the Y to I and add ED - early on in my education, but I don't ever recall asking why we do it that way. The secondary school students we teach in the evening want to know WHY. And what can we say? "English is strange. You just have to remember." When they grasp the formula, then you have to explain why it's not always true. Study becomes studied, worry becomes worried. Then they expect play become plaied and you have to explain the difference. And fly becomes flew??? Come on...get outta ... read more

Those of you who have read earlier posts here may remember that Steve and my friend Miriam and I spent a day in Bangkok with two monks last year, which was quite an experience. Yesterday Erin and I went off on an expedition and unexpectedly found ourselves with a young, enthusiastic monk as part of the deal. We signed on for a half-day trip to Kompong Khleang, a stilted fishing village near the Tonle Sap Lake. After stopping to buy sticky rice cooked in bamboo, we stopped again along the road to get out and walk for a bit. The narrow red dirt road is raised far above the land on either side, which slopes sharply down to rice fields and water at this time of year. The houses are built tight to the road, ... read more

There are always new things to learn here, and new observations to make. Some things are big and important and even awe-inspiring, and some are mundane. Here I will offer you some random observations about life so far this week: Some things here are delightfully predictable. Little children still wave and say “hello,” sellers in the market still try to negotiate “good price for you, good price for me,” monks still wander barefoot up and down Wat Bo Road with their orange umbrellas, tuktuk drivers still try with a grin to talk you into using their services even when you have a bicycle: “Oh, but in Cambodia very hot! Ride bicycle, you too hot!” The kids who live here at the guesthouse (ages 4-6) still like to come in my room and play on my bed ... read more

Just a quick update (mostly for my mother!) that I have arrived safely in Siem Reap, and I am currently working on my goal of staying awake until a reasonable bedtime hour. As usual, the time spent on planes and in airports combined with the 12-hour time difference means that I hardly know whether I'm coming or going by now. I had a lovely 12-hour flight from Chicago to Tokyo on a plane that was only half-full, which meant I stretched out across seats 59D, 59E, 59F, and 59G and slept for a good portion of that leg of the trip. All was well until an hour before landing, when a flight attendant announced that a nurse or doctor was needed immediately. I always hesitate in situations like this. It's not that I don't want to ... read more