jessica whitney

jessw

This blog is written to allow friends and family to follow our travels,
though all who stumble upon it are welcome.


Comments are appreciated -
it's nice to know that someone's reading this.

(You can subscribe if you want to receive an email letting you know when there's a new post.)









Travel Blog Posts


Working out the kinks

Published: August 24th 2010North America » United States
jessw icon
jessw
August 24th 2010

I'm still working out the kinks on the new Blog site. I thought that if you clicked on the "Follow" link on the new blog, you would receive email notification when a new post went up, but I was mistaken. (It seems like a significant feature to have been left out of the design!) After googling for solutions, I think I've got a work-around. If you want emails when new posts go up, go to this link: Jess & Steve's Blog Followers. When you get there, click on "Join this group", which you'll find on the right side of the page, about halfway down. If you don't have a Google account, you'll have to create one - which is so easy, even my mother did it. Her quote: "Go ahead, tell them 'if my mother ... read more



jessw icon
jessw
August 12th 2010

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



Doing the best I can

Published: March 7th 2010Asia » Cambodia » North » Siem Reap
jessw icon
jessw
March 7th 2010

No blog entries for a week; Facebook is just so much easier. I can upload a photo and update my status in a minute or two, and it seems more interactive. If you aren't my Facebook friend yet, maybe now is the time...But if you're still a hold-out, here is a little overview of recent events: We've had a busy week, in all the best possible ways (except for having to say goodbye to Erin, who we miss very much.) I taught the Knar students Monday, Wednesday and Friday night as usual. On Friday, I brought a new volunteer who will take on this class for the next two weeks. I thoroughly enjoyed teaching these older students, and their need to understand why we say and do things in particular ways in English provided me ... read more



jessw icon
jessw
February 28th 2010

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



jessw icon
jessw
February 27th 2010

My morning routine includes making coffee in my room. There is an electric pot to heat the water, and I have a French press that I left here last time, so all the necessary equipment is at hand. I bought Vietnamese coffee at the supermarket, and after a week and a half, I think I have finally figured out the right ratio of coffee to water. After I add the milk to my cup,the small black floating bits become more visible and I spend a few minutes picking them out. Sometimes I can’t really be sure whether they are bits of coffee grounds or ants. Probably both. The ants are everywhere here. They are tiny, and apparently tasteless, as I have eaten dozens but never tasted them. (Jaz claims they're bitter, but I haven't noticed.) ... read more



jessw icon
jessw
February 23rd 2010

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



If you want more photos...

Published: February 21st 2010Asia » Cambodia » North » Siem Reap
jessw icon
jessw
February 21st 2010

If you want to see more photos from our trip to Kompong Khleang, they can be found here. I'll work on getting some others up in the next few days.... read more



jessw icon
jessw
February 21st 2010

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



jessw icon
jessw
February 17th 2010

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



Here at last, here at last!

Published: February 16th 2010Asia » Cambodia » North » Siem Reap
jessw icon
jessw
February 16th 2010

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






Tot: 0.18s; Tpl: 0.006s; cc: 9; qc: 78; dbt: 0.0829s; 1; s:apollo w:www (50.28.60.10); sld: 2; ; mem: 6.5mb