Why Chiang Rai?

I'll tell you why! This weekend = crazy. Seven hours of driving for one day in Chiang Rai, Thailand's northernmost province. Though we didn't spend a lot of time actually there (it was a day-trip, after all), there were definitely experiencesof merit:

The White Temple, reminiscent of Gaudi's Sagrada Familia, is a modern Buddhist Temple with gorgeous architecture and an interesting depiction of hell.

Here I am, standing on the bridge over hell.

Ostrich Riding. My dreams of riding an ostrich since my days as a Swiss Family Robinson fan? Complete. The ride was surprisingly comfortable, but unfortunately this is just another animal abused by Thailand for white men's pleasure. I feel bad for the birds. But I had to ride one.



The Golden Triangle is the place where Thailand, Burma, and Laos meet. So, a seven hour bus ride and we visited three countries. Not too shabby! This place is also known for its illicit opium trade, but we stayed out of all that, no worries.

Thus, an eventful tenth week. I can't believe there are only three weekends left!

Jungle Adventures

Many apologies for not writing for so long!!! The past few weeks have taken place in the jungles of Thailand, and I haven't updated. Recent adventures include:

Flight of the Gibbon: Ziplining and rappeling in the jungle :). It was so fun!

Gearing up for Flight of the Gibbon-Emily, Me, and Jenessa

Swingin' through the trees like...a gibbon :)

2 Day trek with a hill tribe: We trekked across mountains, slept under mosquito nets, swam in quite a few waterfalls, cliff jumped, went down on a river atop a bamboo raft, and rode elephants. All in one weekend.

Rice Paddies in the hill tribes

The best way to swim

The best way to travel

At the end of that weekend, we celebrated the 4th of July by eating pizza, breadsticks, and chicken fingers, and going out for ice cream.

Happy Birthday, America!!!

Thais that Bind

Well, you've heard the rumors. You've asked for the story. So... I'm officially blogging my engagement.

Once upon a time a girl served her mission in Toulouse, France. On her mission, she met a lot of incredible people and made a lot of friends with other missionaries serving in Toulouse, France. One of them was Elder Kelley. She didn't know him that well, but thought he was an incredible missionary and a good soccer player. Because he was and is.
Toulouse, France ended, and the girl went home. And she missed her mission so much that every time she had the chance to hang out with other people from her mission, she did. She became friends with that Elder Kelley, who she found out was named Tyler. They became good friends over the summer and pretty soon he was asking her on dates. She said yes because she liked him.
These kids dated off and on all fall semester.
They became "exclusive" in January.
This girl was going to Thailand for the summer. She didn't know what was going to happen. Tyler didn't either. They talked about it. They talked and talked. And decided...they would just see! So the girl got on the plane for Thailand.
They talked and emailed. Then, one skype evening, Tyler told her he had decided he wanted to marry her. She asked him, "Are you proposing to me?!?!?" He said no because it was lame to propose on skype. She still counted it as a proposal.
Two days later, when he was at Yuba on vacation, she texted him "Yes."

After a little modern technology love magic, Briana and Tyler are getting married September 24 of this year. I count myself the luckiest of girls. Tyler is simply amazing. He makes me laugh. He makes my life an adventure. And he makes me better. He's the kindest, most wonderful person and I am so excited to spend my life with him!

Ancient Cambodia Lovin

We left Phnom Penh early the next morning and traveled 4-6 hours to Siem Reap, the tourist town adjacent to Angkor Wat. On the way, we experienced our first encounter with Khmer children. I was suckered so many times by these kids, buying their bracelets and postcards. "Only one dollah! You buy from me. Was your name?" They even got me to put a tarantula on myself (that one was for you, Hailey dear)!


Angkor WHAT? Angkor Wat.
We arrived late that afternoon, and after a dish of Lok Lak, went to Angkor Wat to catch the sunset.The next day...
was spent entirely at the Angkor Wat complex, the largest religious complex in the world. It was enormous; for a complete tour, I would suggest you fly here and visit. If you can't afford that, find me when I get home and I will give you a slideshow tour with all of my pictures. Until then, here is a taste of my favorite views. Seriously, the experience was just...soaking it all in. I loved it.















































Angkor Wat = Incredible.
And this trip was amazing. We left Monday morning and drove all day and all night, safely arriving at 2 a.m. in Sankamphaeng. Other highlights of the trip:

• Buying way more than I planned. They are good salespeople, the Cambodians!
• Eating at a Mexican Restaurant, in Cambodia, watching the World Cup- Nigeria v. Argentina. Can it get any more international than that???
• More great movie flicks.
• SWENSEN'S!!! The best ice cream this side of the equinox. I think it matches Coldstone.
• The longest trip ever.

Now I'm back to Sankamphaeng, back to work. Hope everyone is doing well where they are! Until next time :)

Cambodia (love)

O Cambodia
Getting to Cambodia itself was quite an experience:

• We leave the afternoon of June 9.
  
• 30 + hours of transit (on bus). This was only one way.
• 1 Lord of the Rings, extended edition marathon (what else were we to do on such a long bus ride? Rhetorical question)
• Missing my sister the day I was supposed to see her. This caused a lot of stress and sadness, but I didn't lose all hope.
• We arrive in Phnom Penh the night of the 10. We have KFC for dinner, and we pay in dollars.
• The next morning is jam-packed with Phnom Penh experiences. I will try to express everything I can, but it's hard.

Phnom Penh Morning: Tuol Sleng and the Killing Fields
As many of you know, between 1975-1979 Cambodia was ruled by the Khmer Rouge, an extreme Cambodian agrarian socialist movement that resulted in the death of over 2 million Cambodians through starvation, forced labor, and political executions. The regime's impact is still seen in Cambodia today. We visited two sites that have been preserved so the world can remember the genocide that occurred a little over 30 years ago.

Tuol Sleng (or S-21) is a former high school that was converted into a prison camp. Over 12,000 innocent individuals were held and tortured here during the Khmer Rouge. It's hard to describe what I felt as I walked through the prison. It reminded me a lot of Dachau, the concentration camp I visited in Germany. It was oppressive, heavy, and overwhelming. I cannot understand how individuals can hate so much, can hate even their brother and neighbor. I cannot understand and a part of me doesn't really want to. Why understand hate when the world has yet to grasp understanding and love? Why study hate when we haven't accepted the moral obligation to never let these things occur?

We also visited one of the Killing Fields, where the prisoners of Tuol Sleng were executed. Mass graves were discovered here, and each year the rains expose more bone and clothing of victims that come out of the ground. It was pretty jarring to witness, but for some reason, this place had a more peaceful, hallowed feel. Perhaps it was the surrounding nature, or because the victims finally escaped the suffering, but there was a liberating feel in this memorial and graveyard for the sufferers.


Lunch with My Sister Harlan :)
That's right! After an incredibly sobering morning, I got to spend one blissful hour with my sister and her companion, Sister Vo. It was wonderful. Sister Harlan is brown, skinny, and full of the Spirit. She's doing great. We talked about everything from my boy to her investigators, and everything in between. She sent her love to everyone, tells her sisters she loves them so much, asks how Rachel is doing, and tells everyone hello and that she loves them.
This was the highlight of the trip. I couldn't believe how lucky I was to dine with my missionary sister in Cambodia.
Phnom Penh ending
I was joyous the rest of the day, as we saw

• Wat Phnom
• The Royal Palace
• And a barbecue and dance party afloat a boat on the Mekong. I love you, Phnom Penh!
  

Out of the pond, into SEA

Five weeks have passed! I can't believe I have been in Thailand for over a month. My bad journal writing habits continue, as do my adventures :). Let's catch you all up on recent happenings. I think I'll have to do this in a few posts, because the emotions and experiences of these past few days have been pretty crazy. They need separate entries. But let's start with

Week 4:
Spent with other girls in the program and resulted in a movie night (with winners such as Monster House and Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief) and sleep over. We also attended a Thai cooking class. I successfully cooked six courses and ate them all. Feast your eyes on my masterpieces:



Don't worry. They gave us a free cookbook. :)

Other good news from the Thai front. I began my internship at the Municipality in Chiang Mai! I'm so happy. It's going to be an awesome experience, too. I'm working in the Foreign Division, the Public Health Division, and the Social Welfare Division. I get to go out with different teams and visit senior and disabled residents, as well as children and those on welfare. The people I'm working with are incredible as well. They are also so laid back. It's a very cool experience to experience government from the Thai side. Don't worry, I'll have pictures! Unfortunately I was only able to work for a couple of days because we left for Cambodia in the middle of the week. Oh, Cambodia. That deserves a post in itself. And so it shall have one.

House and Roommate

Many have requested pics of where I'm living!!! We have a great set up. There are four students living in the same place; Our Maa and Pa own a Preschool and are quite well off, so they have five different buildings. Jenessa (my roommate sipping coconut with me below), David, and Daniel are all in the same place. As you can see, our room is HUGE. The bathroom is typical Thai style...sink, toilet, and show just above. Quite the experience. We use the bucket when there's no water pressure. And luckily, we have toilet paper. halelujiah. (most places just have sprayers? A weird concept, I find).