Wednesday, February 23, 2011

SAIS sports day

they divided the kids up by color. ty's group was yellow. there were all sorts of fun stations where the kids competed against each other.

i think rhett might have been one of the only younger siblings. i didn't see any other kids there. it's very common to have a helper here and sometimes i feel a little out of place when i bring rhett along. not today though. lots of things to look at and cheering too!
go ty!!!




we were going to live in the building in the background, but it didn't end up working out.

ty's friend lives there and they are still buds despite the habitual distance.

love my boys.

Monday, February 21, 2011

PHNOM PENH : tuol sleng genocide museum

we went to the genocide museum and walked the halls of this horrible place. it's mind boggling to know that things like this still happened so recently. people were tortured and killed, not only for disagreeing with this communist regime, but for being educated or related to someone contrary to the khmer rouge.

this stop was very sobering to say the least.




PHNOM PENH : the royal palace

beautiful grounds.












and a quick shot of the national museum at sunset.

PHNOM PENH

always room for one more.
walls are everywhere. i guess there is a huge problem with the government just taking land if there isn't a wall up to specify otherwise.
our mode of transportation. tuk-tuks at around $2 a ride. a fun way to see this quaint capital city.
i loved seeing the colored bottles of petrol dotting the street sides.
fried bugs anyone?
the streets of phnom penh.
don't give me the map though. :)

other things to remember:
people wondering what my heritage was.

this trip to cambodia will forever leave an impression on my heart. i have learned and been exposed to so much. i will never be the same.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

PHNOM PENH : food and shopping

we bussed back up to cambodia's capital city after the races.

after a yummy $9 steak dinner at Comme à la Maison, we wandered along the river in search of a cheap massage right into the night market. cambodians sure know how to have a good time! loud music, a lottery of some sort, and some great 80's dance moves, hair, and outfits to go with the hustle and bustle of a market. what fun!

stopped at the central market the next day.

the french colonized cambodia and the food there thankfully reflects it. along our exploration of this hip st 240, we stopped at an awesome little french cafe, the shop, and gorged on pastries and yummy salads.


i loved this table. what a fun idea!
i get a coffee table book as a souvenir everywhere i go. there was a ngo-run library along this street. i'll never forget the gratitude in the woman's eyes when we bought a couple of books. she took my hands and told me how much that would help them that month.


i'm glad we found this street in cambodia. chic shops. great restaurants. fun boutiques. just don't try on any chunky airplane necklaces and take a photo or a crazed french woman might snap. :)

Saturday, February 19, 2011

KEP : keptrio

i went to cambodia with some girl friends in february to do a charity bike|run to raise money for the village of kep.
it was so interesting to take the 3.5 hour bumpy bus ride out to kep from phnom penh and see the dry countryside, skinny cows, meat out in the open market, and beautiful people.

there were eight in our group this year. i can't wait for next. who wants to join in?


it was such a neat feeling to come over the last hill and see the school children all lined up on the road to the finish line clapping and cheering.




80 bikes were given out and at least $30K was raised to help this small seaside community. there were many donors, but that's pretty great for only having around 150 participants.
we got to browse around their school and mingle with the cute kids.
"how old are you?"
"what is your name?"

they even had an excel poster in one of the classrooms. steve would agree that excel is a very useful program to know.:)



i gave the bike i rode to this boy. he reminded me of my dad.

our group rented out the raingsey bungalows. they were so cute. everything in cambodia is cheap. especially compared to singapore. i think i paid around $35 for a night stay and three meals.


however, we did have to wait for the water pressure while everyone showered after the race. no problem. we'll take a dip in the pool. :)

dinner at the sailing club.

tiny toones break dancing crew that came out from phnom penh.


the 10K run the next day didn't quite go the way i envisioned, but we finished! thanks jessie for being such a sweet running partner!

this was such a great event. at the closing ceremony, they awarded the winners prizes for people in the community with things like a family well, community pond, new toilet, a cow, chickens, pigs for the community bank project, training course in food hygiene and packaging for tourists, training in fish raising, veterinary services, 4 family water filters, training course in leadership and management, and even a newly renovated home. pretty cool!
(thanks jessie for the list!)
we learned a little about their culture, history, and circumstance and helped in a very small way. ♥