Awaited African Anecdotes

Well, dear reader, I would love to say that I haven't forgotten you, but that'd be a lie. But fear not! You've been remembered, and I have pictures to prove it!
When we last chatted, I was living in Costa Rica, working too much, and not doing anything I deemed blogworthy. But because my parents rock, I was able to visit Casey in the Gambia before her tenure in the Peace Corps ended. I should give my parents credit for their more than generous financial help and my sister credit for her excellent guiding.
The adventure started in San Jose with a canceled flight. Long story short, Spirit Airlines is not my friend. But a wonderful layover in Atlanta helped things. I got to see Dad, Grandfather Lawrence and Grandmother Mary, and CADEL!!! Also, there is this thing called autumn. It's quite pretty, but I wouldn't want to live there. But it was nice to be in Georgia while the leaves were changing, even if only for an afternoon.
I then flew to Frankfurt, Germany, where I had an epic layover and lunch with a wonderful German named Marko. We walked around the city, eventually meeting someone else for coffee. After a bratwurst, I headed back to the airport. Long layovers are starting to look like a good thing.
I had an even longer layover in Belgium, but was asleep for half of it. That being said, somehow I seemed to have escaped any ill effects of jet lag for the whole trip. Not sure how that happened, but cool!
Finally, I took the final flight to Banjul. The first thing we did was load up on a bus, then ride 100 meters to the terminal. Walking? No, that just wouldn't be classy. I then handed over my passport, as I had not yet arranged a visa and didn't even know my address (just the village name would have been enough, but I arrived totally reliant on Casey for these things). Sanyango (one of Casey's host sisters) was also at the airport to meet me, which was a nice surprise. We had ice cream and went to the Peace Corps transit house for two nights, in Kombo.
Kombo was a great experience. I got an unedited opinion of the Peace Corps from its members, including frustrations with administration, medical issues, and each other. Many might have thought that to be discouraging, but I enjoyed it. It gave me a picture of the frustrations that I may be dealing with when I join the Peace Corps, and none of them were much worse than anything I've had do deal with on my own. In other words, I'm pretty excited about this whole Peace Corps thing. But more on that later, because after the transit house, we went to Bakow!
Bakow was the only place where we stayed in a hotel. It looked over the fish market, which was great people watching. It was also a nice place to watch the moon rise and read a little when it was too hot to sleep. We walked down to the crafts market, which involved many people trying to sell things to the "happy couple" (my sister and I). After asking about where the homeless people sleep for the tenth time, Casey finally informed me that there really aren't any. "You just go to a compound and talk for a while. It's a small country, everyone's distantly related. You figure out how you're related, then they give you food and a place to stay." Great country, great people.
Finally, we got serious. And by got serious, I mean got away from paved roads. This stated by going to Brikama and waiting in the car park for several hours. But it was cool, we found a Senegalese place that made a wicked chockery (related to sweetened yogurt, and you put cous in it). Also, he had coffee. And cold water! Finally, our gelly filled and we set off again. Fun fact: as there are no Volkswagen Beetles, the Gambian volunteers have started hitting each other for every donkey they see. If you think it's a donkey but it's a horse, the other person hits you back once. Twice for a cow, thrice for a dog, and if it's actually a chicken they hit you with a stick. There is no rule for mistaking a fence for a donkey. I'm sure I got the details wrong, but you get the idea. Anyway, after a short nap we arrived in Kanjibat!
Kanjibat is where Lindsay Roe lives. It's a Jola village (village, in this case, is four compounds), but they all speak Mandinka. Sometimes. Helpful for Casey. I smiled and nodded a lot. We also saw trees where genies lived, more monkeys, and Yahya Jammeh!!!!!! His motorcade passed by, and he threw cookies! Biscuits in British English (they don't have proper biscuits and gravy in England), biscuit-os in Mandinka (formed by adding an "o" to the end of biscuits, and rhymes with "mosquito"). Reflections on Kanjibat: not having electricity means great stars, showering out of a bucket isn't as bad as I expected, and Lindsay Roe rocks.
After that was a night in Brikama. We stayed at Casey's boyfriend's house, but he was away playing Dungeons and Dragons. I think that's code for fighting crime, but I'm not sure. I also got an invite to an amazing dinner that the volunteers threw together, and saw the President drive by again. This time the threw hats, but the competition was too fierce and I didn't get one. Reflections on Brikama: Steve-0 (Mandinka for Steve?) rocks (also rocks for asking me how to drink coffee, he knows me so well!), PCVs can make amazing things with few resources (foodwise), hyenas are bigger in person (and best left in a cage), and chockery is amazing.
Finally, we went to Casey's village, Kartong (not Car Tongue, but close right?). But that's another post for another day, partly because I've written quite a lot, and partly because I'm technically at work and should probably work. But first, pictures!!!

Sunset from the beach near the transit house.

Fish market!

Sunset from the hotel.

Following Lindsay and Casey around the genie's tree!

The Monkey Park in Kombo. These monkeys were playing.

The Daily Grind

Apparently I haven't posted in about two months. How do I know? Last time I posted was in Turrialba, a few days after I got here, and yesterday marks 2 months in Costa Rica. Apparently, time flies.
As you may have guessed by the title of this post, I've found gainful employment. The bad news first: while it is, in fact, the rainy season, it is also the low season for tourism. This means no rafting jobs. Turrialba was a great place to hang out. I also met some people who seemed interested in hiring me, had there been some work to be done. I then went to Quepos. The rafting companies there said the same thing. The difference was that after getting turned down for a job, I went to the beach. It's not that I didn't like the jungle. I think the beach is just a better place to be unemployed. It makes lying around all day seem more acceptable.
So where did I find this job, you may ask. In fact, I found two. First, I stayed in the infamous Galileo Hostel. You can check out the web site, but the gist is that it's a party hostel. They got really excited to have someone who doesn't drink, because a teetotaler won't get drunk working the night shift. For a short time, this was entertaining and new. I even learned how to pour a beer properly (still a work in progress with the hoppy beer). Then came the second job.
I don't even remember saying it, but I mentioned that I had my TEFL and had been teaching in Asia. One of the local English teachers was drinking at the bar, overheard me, and offered me a job. So I trimmed the beard, bought some closed-toed shoes, and interviewed. My passport photo almost lost me the job, but I quickly explained that I'd been a rafting guide and that looking grizzled was a part of looking professional. I think what saved me was that I wore a tie.
Anyway, against their better judgment, they've hired me as a business English teacher. I teach 18 hours per week, including two one-on-one classes. So, at the moment, I'm teaching four days a week, waking up at 6 for my morning class with Nestor (the accountant who has a special leaf on his key chain). This has pushed me over to the morning shift at the hostel Friday to Sunday. In other words, I wake up at 6 during the week, and around 4 on the weekend. This has led to consistent and profound napping.
Today is pretty normal, as far as the hostel goes. When I started the shift, there were still two people up drinking. The hardest part of waking up today was that the cutest dog in Costa Rica had curled up with me. She started sleeping by my knees, but by the morning had curled up against my side, slowly encroaching and eventually hogging the middle of the bed. After three cups of coffee, I got the cleaning done earlier than usual, so I played some cribbage online. I also watched a disc of Family Guy and a few minutes of Sesame Street in Spanish. I'm about to reheat some leftovers (all I cook anymore is veggies with Asian sauces, served over white rice). I also have some pineapple. I also just chased a hummingbird out of the bar, which is much easier than chasing the chickens back into their pen (which I've already done twice today). It should start raining in the next half hour or so, and it'll rain on and off for the rest of the day. When I finish working I'll nap, then I'll see if anyone wants to venture out of the sanctuary of the hostel and see what the city has to offer.
So, for those who have been wondering: I'm not dead, just busy. The Spanish is improving, and the English school pays for my Friday Spanish classes. I'm still working on my Peace Corps application. The news on that is that they want to send me to Francophone sub-Saharan Africa as a small business advisor. Casey advised me to go ahead and prepare for Cameroon, as it wouldn't be right to send me somewhere that didn't start with C. I just hope I can get through all the dreaded medical forms and get my placement.
I think that's all the news. Stay posted. The next blog may include some interesting travel plans, as I have to renew my visa within the next 29 days. Can you say "Yay, visa runs!"?

Quick Update

¡Hola!

I´m back in the Spanish speaking world, which means I´ve crossed the Pacific again (staying true to the url of the blog) and have changed my blog´s title. How is it? First the bad:

The ¨y¨ sound is a j, like in Argentina. So ¨pollo¨ sounds like ¨po-joe¨. And it´s more expensive. I mean, a large meal is a whole $4 (sometimes $6!).

Okay, the good:

Before I even had a cell phone, I was standing on top of Volcán Irazú. I´ve already eaten at the Central Market in San Jose (seems so clean for a market!), as well as in a few ¨sodas¨, little food shops where they serve great beans and rice. I´ve seen a lot of the country, which involves lots of mountains, jungles, and rain. My host here just outside Turrialba lives on a farm with some jungle, so we´ve seen flowers, insects, birds, and coffee plants. Pictures to come, when I´m not at an internet cafe. And I think I´ve got a job interview tomorrow, so I´ll keep posted on that.

So basically, Costa Rica is exciting and beautiful. I feel pretty comfortable here, and could see myself being here a long time. I´m happy with the choice I´ve made.

Promised Pictures

It's true- I really did go to Angkor Wat. It was one of those "Oh no, I'm leaving the country and haven't seen the most famous thing there" kind of trips, but I did remember to take lots of photos. Also, I made friends with Brandy (see below), mostly because Eric and Mom went back to the hotel fairly early due to illness. So the first day I met her, I spent about 10 hours straight with Brandy. I'm surprised she didn't kill me. And with no further ado....This is a carving of Apsaras.
These are two real Apsaras, Mom and Brandy, posing in Bayon.
This is me in a similar window in the same temple. Whacha thinkin' 'bout? Temples.
This is a little tiny temple called Preah Palilay. It was short walk away, but there was no one there but the centipedes. Also, it was kind of falling down. This photo is taken from the room, looking out what used to be the front door (where there is now a tree growing out of the rocks).
Angkor Wat. A good place to reflect upon the famous silhouette.
Ta Prohm. AKA the Tomb Raider temple. Notice I'm in this photo, to give you a sense of scale. ("Sense of scale" here means "Wow, that tree's huge!")
Brandy hiding. Banteay K'dei?
This spider made my day. And ruined Brandy's.
Not a temple, but the cutest darn kid in Cambodia. Notice the pig tails and the porridge on her face.
Brandy climbing the sketchy, sketchy stairs. I can't believe some of the Chinese tourists climbed these in heels.
Anyway, that's the gist of it. I'll post more photos on Facebook. I can email the link of that album to anyone who hasn't given in to that particular evil.
In other news, I'm in the Denver airport, waiting to fly to San Jose, Costa Rica. I'll probably be there by the time you read this. Next step: trying to find someone to hire me. Also, I think I'm exploring a volcano tomorrow. Life is hard, eh?

Tokyo Thoughts

So here I sit in the Tokyo airport. For eleven hours. Fortunately, they have a free computer lounge. I will be enjoying the functional keyboard for about an hour, then I will switch to my computer and watch Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia until I fall asleep. With any luck, I can sleep enough to convince myself that today is a night.

So, what is to come in my next blog post? I promise pictures! Of temples! I realize I have not posted since Siem Riep, and you need to see that. I will also have pictures of Phnom Penh, and maybe one of my afternoon in Vietnam. If you are really lucky, I add even more to facebook. No promises. Topics of interest to look forward to? Tourist traps, swimming in the Mekong, teaching, why I am excited to be in the States, and why I am excited to leave again. The last of those may approach being political, and I apologize in advance.

Speaking of leaving again, the rumors are true. In a month, I should be living in Costa Rica. The plan is to get a rafting job down there, so if you know anyone, feel free to send me their email. I will be headed that way in late August. What I have realized is that, as much as I love it, I do not really belong to the Asian cultures I have experienced. I love love love the food, and I have greatly enjoyed the people, but it is not the place for me, long term. I just felt so much more at home in South America, and hope that Central America treats me the same way. I am also very excited to properly learn Spanish, as I have forgotten most of what I learned (and all that was slang anyway). Plus, rafting is more fun than teaching.

I should have pictures up in a week or so. Mostly temples, really. Maybe a tuk tuk in the rain. Speaking of rain, a final anecdote: On Thursday, my last full day in Phnom Penh, I got rained on. Hard. Twice. Caught on a bicycle in a downpour both times. Soaked from the knees down and neck up (but fairly dry in between). So yes, I have had the full rainy season experience.

Also, I just found the apostrophe on this keyboard. In case you were wondering about my lack of contractions. Anyway, see you soon!!!

Adorable Anecdote

Two posts in a week? I must be avoiding work!
I was at dinner a few nights ago and saw the cutest damn thing ever. It all started when the biggest grasshopper I have ever seen jumped on our table. Seriously, it must have been close to three inches (7 cm) long. He looked at us. We looked at him. We wondered what one does about the world's biggest grasshopper on an empty table. I think he would have stayed there forever in his uncontested reign, but he decided to hop (as grasshoppers tend to do), landing on the nearest wall.
That's when things got adorable. On the wall, there was a gecko hanging out (as there tends to be on walls in Cambodia). The gecko was perhaps slightly longer, but certainly not larger by volume, than the grasshopper. Even so, the gecko got the look on his face that says, "Dinner is served!" He started crawling toward his perceived prey.
Unfortunately, the grasshopper saw something shiny and promptly got his leg stuck in a speaker. But I really wanted to see how the little gecko planned to eat that grasshopper.
Maybe you just had to be there. Still, coolest gecko ever.
The following is an artist's representation of the gecko involved. Okay, it's a photo I took in Chiang Mai, but I don't have a recent one because geckos don't pose well.

New Semester

I started a new semester.... three weeks ago. Sorry, I meant to post earlier. But my keyboard, mouse, and battery have all essentially died, leaving my laptop with three wires coming from it at all times. The good news is that the combined cost of my new USB keyboard and mouse was $7.50. Better than a $25 repair bill, right? But no more taking the computer to the coffee shop.
The new semester is twice the size of the last one. Instead of teaching ten 1.5 hour periods, I'm teaching 21. Two high school classes, almost thirty kids each. And an 8 am class every weekday. It's been a slight change, but now I've gotten used to it and I'm chugging along. Also, napping a lot. But enough about work.....
The rainy season has officially started. Most days it's only a few minutes of rain, less than an hour. On good days I'm either home or in class when this happens. However, it doesn't seem to be one of those "every day at the same time" rainy seasons. So far I've only been caught once, but I have started carrying around a pair of dry socks in anticipation of the next time I'm 2 blocks from school when the skies open up. A bicycle might not be the best rainy season transport.
We had a screening of the Rocky Horror Picture Show at a local cinema. My friends and I dressed up, and I think Tim Curry would have been proud. Then we went, still in costume, to the club Heart of Darkness. The fun part was the moto ride to the club. Cambodians don't do costume parties as much as Americans, it turns out.
Aside from that, not much has happened, not much has changed. I've spend the weekends nesting here in Phnom Penh, enjoying not riding buses and knowing where everything is. I think a trip to Siem Riep is in the cards soon. At that point, I might stop being so lazy and put up some photos. No promises. Also, plans are coming together for the trip to the US in early August. Prepare your couches, and check FB for the impending shenanigans. Until then, stay dry, and don't eat the wrong kind of street food!