Welcome to Walking Street! This Blog is rated XXX

Where do I begin? To tell the truth or not to tell the truth, that is the question. Well I feel I would be cheating myself and my readers if I sugar coated the evening I had. So before I begin, I must give a warning, this blog will be filled with some interesting, vulgar stories. These stories are not correlated with my life style, please take it with a grain of salt, and don't judge me. This is real life, and learning a new culture is what I came here for. 

Now that thats over with.

Thailand, The land of Smiles, I think I finally realized why this is their motto. Walking Street, is an area of Pattaya Beach that basically turns into a strip of bars filled with naked women, doing crazy things.(I use the term 'crazy' very loosely, but more on that later) It is called walking street, (I assume) because there are no cars on the roads, just people, walking. After being heavily warned about what we were getting ourselves into we decided to dive in head first with a lovely bar creatively named  "The Stairway to Heaven".

Taking pictures inside was not something I was willing to attempt, and was highly prohibited. So I will just have to paint you a very good picture. We were greeted at the door by this sweet little girl, she wanted me to take this, Thai's love seeing themselves in pictures, they get a kick out of it! 

Any way, back to the painting. So we walk up the stairs, open the door and sit down in front of a stage filled with stripper poles, and topless asian women with numbers on their panties. The crowd this place brings in? Fat old men from all over the world. [SICK] So you could imagine the girl's excitement when they saw 4 cute girls walk in. They came over to us like we were the main attraction, sat down, talked to us, some top less some in lingerie. Talked to us like nothing abnormal was going on..."Where are you from?" "Americaaa? Ohhh You Prettty girls" Somewhere between getting aquatinted and ordering my second drink we found ourselves being dragged on stage and dancing (normal club dancing, not stripper dancing) with 8 other naked women. It was so odd. They would giggle and have fun like it was nothing; like there weren't men, watching their every move wondering which one to "order" for the evening. It was almost like a girls night out, everyone was just dancing to the music and having a good time. Showing us some of their moves, which really weren't that sexy... half of them didn't even know how to dance on a stripper pole. I think it was there more for decoration. When one of the girls in our group did a minor spin on it they were so excited, and tried it themselves... hahah ( grain of salt, grain of salt) We were actually having a really good time at this bar, and about 20 minutes in the fact that the women were naked all around us was becoming no big deal. After a couple of drinks we decided it was time to kick it up a notch and head to our next bar. I must inform you that "The Stairway to Heaven" is a mom and pop run bar, everyone was truly friendly. And not in the I want to have all your money friendly, because I only had 2 drinks and it only cost me 4 bucks in American dollars. They were sad to see us go, and said please come back tomorrow. I think it was a nice break from the mundane. All the girls in all of the places we went to had one thing in common, a bored look on their face, like what was going down didn't phase them in the slightest bit. It was just another work day for them.

 On to the next bar, 

I must give another warning, the night progressively gets more X rated.

I can't remember the name of this next bar, but for descriptions sake, I shall call it "The Bathtub Bar". Rings hanging from the ceiling like a circus act was about to be preformed, with girls hanging all over them. Giant tubs filled with flowing water, bubbles and lots of loofas. It was really hard for Nick and I to sit at this place. In the previous bar there wasn't much touching going on other than the occasional butt grabbing. Which compared to this place was like shaking hands. A lot of gross things going on, men (and women) had the freedom to touch these girls where ever, and however they pleased. This bar didn't sit well with most of us, so after politely ordering 1 drink, we decided it was time to go. I gave the girls 20 Baht (about 75 Cents) smiled, and we left. Let your imagination go wild, because if you could think it, it was happening. Lucky for me, Nick was also grossed out, turned off and ready to leave. Unlike some of the gentlemen in our group who were like kids in a candy store. {Men} 

The next couple of bars were all pretty much the same, and by the time we went to the next one we were bored and unimpressed. Boy, was that about to change. 

We had heard stories about what goes down on these streets... and in all honesty our interests were peaked. Stories that involved, goldfish, ping pong balls, and darts....

Well, like I said we dove right in, and after talking the bouncers down from a 10$ cover charge to $5, and 1 free drink.. we were about to witness what all these stories were really about. So true to form, we walk in, sit front row and center, and see 1 female on stage playing with ping pong balls. When I say playing, I basically mean inserting them in her Hooha* and blowing them out into a cup. WTF!? 

The acts progressively got more impressive. The next girl came out with cigarettes, shoved them where the sun don't shine, lit them, and I guess you could say ... smoked them? 

Tough act to follow? Not really, one by one the bartenders started blowing up, and passing out about 5 balloons. What were these for I wondered, and before I knew it, I had one in my hand. [uh oh] 

The next girl waked out with a tube and some darts. I think you know where I am going with this one... With amazing accuracy the girl laid on stage, and literally blew darts across the room and popped each balloon... when it came to my turn, I held the balloon up high, ducked, and before you knew it, it popped! 

The next couple of girls followed suit. Once the bananas came out, we once again decided we had enough. Nick especially, he was actually very bored with all of it. I on the other hand was rather impressed, and taking it for what it was, an experience. One that I will never need to witness again.

The thing about it is, this is a way of life for these women. It isn't frowned upon, quite the contrary, it's respected. I've never been to a strip club in The States. (I love referring to America this way haha) But I assume the women are way more into what they are doing, and in our culture it's more degrading. I tried to sit there and be pissed off at what I was watching, but the girls were smiling and happy to be making the kind of money they were making. It was the creepy men that I couldn't handle; who thought they were badasses when they would throw their money around, when in all reality they probably just spent 9 dollars. Thailand isn't a third world country, but it's not very far from it. For these girls, it truly is just another day of work, and in the midst of it all were the street vendors, restaurants, and a temple literally up the road from all of this. 

It was an experience I wont forget, filled with crazy stories I can share at dinner parties for years to come. 

Sorry Mom and Dad. 

Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Cambodia anymore...

It was almost the instant we crossed the border from Cambodia to Thailand, life got better. The food actually had flavor, the scenery went from huts and cows on the sides of the road to beautiful homes/bungalow. Now don't get me wrong, I feel as though I left a little piece of my heart in Cambodia. There was just something about the simplicity in the lifestyle there that I just really fell in love with. Sure the food was bland, but when you are a country just getting over mass genocide, and all the people who could actually cook were killed off, and the crops were burned other than ones that would make the dictator money.... ya have to stop and think.. <3 (Promise to get pictures up from The Killing Fields soon)

Moving on, right after we crossed the border we stopped at this little restaurant, and saw this amazing view. Our teacher/tour guide Rick said to me "This is going to be the worst view you see". I was slightly amazed. After a 4 hour bus ride from Cambodia to Thailand we hopped on a ferry and went to one of the biggest island in Thailand, Koh Chang. 

As soon as we got here we went out to dinner, literally on the beach. The waves were coming close to our table! It was really funny we sat down at the table and our chairs and we were all lopsided from the sand, and before we could even complain about it, servers from the restaurant came behind each leg of  our chairs and evened it out so we were all sitting evenly.. quality service! After dinner we went to this little bar with a live band that Rick (our teacher/tour guide) said was the best guitar player he had ever seen. I was doubtful, but as soon as he started playing, I could see where he was coming from. Ya know its really funny and somewhat annoying, but I'd say that 98% of the music we've heard has all been American music, or typical music you would hear in any other tropical area or cruise line. IE: Margaritaville, Brown Eyed Girl, Hotel California.. etc. Except when you hear an Asian rock and roller singing it sounds more like " Bown Eyed Giwl" Makes me laugh a little inside every time. 

We then had the morning to ourselves and decided to spend the entire day with our feet in the sand. The Thai's come up and down selling fresh fruit we went for the Mango! De-lish! After my stressful day of sun bathing and wading in the water.. I decided it was time for my 3rd massage this week! (HAHA) Except this time, my view looked a little something like this ....

Not too Shabby... Oh yeah and it only cost me $8. Funny side story, after I was done with my massage I went to pay the lady and accidentally grabbed my "Riel" ( Cambodian Currency) and handed it to her.. Aside from the conversion being less to nothing, Thailand and Cambodia aren't on the best of terms right now.. the woman looked at me like I had 8 heads.. we chuckled and I ran back to my towel and got her the proper form of currency. (Thai Baht) 

I've never been to an island that had mountains so I was really taking in the views...

Hahahah All of them.... God I love Europeans! <3 Speedos!

Living the life! :)

Swinging over the water... 

By around 4 we met back up with Rick, and he took us to this Seafood restaurant on stilts. Here we watched the sunset over the water and did a little shopping! I successfully bought a cute dress for about $7, and haggled the woman down from about $12, all in Thai. It was a very proud moment, as I was practicing how to say "Discount for me please" all during dinner. 

After dinner the group decided to go back to the beach for a little hookah, fire dancing, and music! 

<3 

All in all, I'd have to say, today was a great day. Much needed relaxation before our busy week ahead. Tomorrow we leave Koh Chang and head off to Pattaya Beach where we will be for the next 2 weeks. Here we will finish off our training and observation hours in real class rooms, I think I mentioned that I have been assigned to Kindergarden. I was a little nervous at first, but now I'm just getting excited. They wont know much English at all.. but as I will be taking baby steps into this whole teaching thing, it will be nice to start fresh with them too! Tomorrow, we will head to Waterfalls, and eat lunch at one! Anticipate beautiful pictures! :)

Thanks again for reading! Cheers!

Khmer and There

Well, my time in Cambodia, has now come to an end. To be honest, im pretty bummed about it. The people here have been so welcoming, and friendly, it made being on the other side of the world in a 3^rd world country somehow feel like home.

Im sure my amazing group of classmates made this transition a lot easier. It’s crazy, it has only been 2 weeks yet we all made such a strong bond. Its funny, because you can see everyone trying to figure each other out, get each others “story” , and what we seem to have in common other than having the urge to travel, we all want more  our of our lives, and refuse to accept the norm.   On our last night we went up to our teachers bar to do some Karaoke and have some drinks, and spent the evening dancing the night away,creating priceless memories. I’m sad that the group had to split up, but as I sit on a bus riding through the winding roads I’m thinking, holy shit! It has only been 2 weeks and already I have gained so much from being here, and now we have a reason to come back to Cambodia and a place to stay, and visit those who are off to Vietnam.  And oh yeah, I’m finally on my way to Thailand!!!

We finally have a weekend free, and what better way to spend it then in Pattaya, on the beach! I’m excited to see what the next couple of weeks will bring, as school is not over. For the next 2 weeks, we will be observing/teaching our own class of students. I have been assigned kindergarten…  3 classes with 30 in each! This could get interesting!

I have a lot to catch you up on, the past week has been packed full with sites, and stories, and as soon as I get quality Internet, I’ll fill you in! For now, I shall continue to sit on my numb butt , and drive through the mountainous hills, to our next destination, Pattaya beach, Thailand. See you on the other side. 

The Killing Fields

Yesterday during lunch 3 other classmates and I went to one of the schools that the communist regime, Pol Plot turned into a torture place, it is now a Genocide Museum, but not the kind where everything is in glass cases, and there are velvet ropes. No the stuff is out in the open you can touch it if you want to, I took lots of pictures, but they are not for the weak of heart. I will be going to the killing fields today during lunch as my time in Cambodia will soon be coming to an end. We are trying to squeeze everything in that we can before we head to Thailand this weekend!! We finally get some time to ourselves!! I have been having an absolute blast here in Cambodia but with school, and homework, we havent been able to just breath for a moment! So I am excited for this weekend, but sad because we are at the point where we split up our class room... meaning the People destined for Thailand go to there, students teaching in Vietnam go there, and there are some staying here in Cambodia. My classmates really have become my family away from home, and im going to miss them.

Heading off to class <3 Much more to come, just need a chance to get it all done, and internet access that wont take 30 min to upload 1 picture! :) In the mean time, Wikipedia Pol Pot and the Khlmar Roughe, Click here, to learn <3

Siem Reap

Part 1.

This weekend was really amazing. In class on Friday we took 2 test, one part was grammar (yuck) and the other was Phonetics and class room management.  I was really nervous about the Grammar part. It was something I knew going into this I would have to face either way, I mean I am here to Teach English! We got our grades back today and to my surprise, I got a 92 on the grammar and 96 on the Phonetics, Nick did good as well.. getting a 95% on both! So after our stressful (and I use that term loosely) exams.. we packed our bags and loaded on to our ride for the weekend. A 25 seat 70's style bus, complete with retro style curtains. The bus ride there wasn't too bad.. It took 6 hours from the capitol of Cambodia, Phnom Pehn to the old capitol, Siem Reap where a ton of Temples are located. We got to visit 4 different temples or as the Asians call them, "Wats". Essentially, Nick could be referred to as Mr. Temple.

So I did it, I finally decided it was time to try some sort of foreign food. Being in Cambodia, I am surrounded by new things, but when I saw people trying Tarantula .. I knew this was it! To be honest, it wasn't half bad. Feeling adventurous I also dabbled in some stuffed frog, which was actually rather refreshing. It was stuffed with lemon grass, and it pretty much overtook the taste of anything else. Surprisingly, Nick was not interested in trying either! 

The ride there was pretty intense it went by fast but the view along the way was very third-world feeling. Huts along the roads with little kids running around naked, traffic jams cause by families of cows. Bathroom breaks were usually a miserable adventure,the fact that they don't believe in toilet paper I can occasionally put up with.. but when all I have to work with is a porcelain hole in the ground with a bucket of water and a scoop, which I haven't actually figured out a purpose for… It can really get to a person. After a while, squatting in a bush was becoming more appealing!  

On a classier note, the hotel we stayed at was really nice! Big king size bed, a fridge, AC, hot shower… to American standards probably about 3 stars, Cambodian about 4.  After a 6 hour bumpy bus ride it was just what the doctor ordered. After we settled in a little our whole group went to this place called "Happy Pizza" , Luckily I was informed ahead a time why the pizza was so happy. Basically, they can put a particular illegal herb onto any pizza, and you order it by how much you would like IE: a little happy, medium happy, and extra happy. I stuck with the cashew chicken, which was tasty! The food here in Cambodia is pretty good, but the selection of what ill try is not that extensive. Although I finally ventured into a curry dish which was really tasty, it had the same lemon grass that the frog was stuffed with so it was really refreshing and served over steamed rice. After that some party animals stayed out, but my bed was calling my name. We had a full day of Temples to wander around and I wanted all of my energy!

To be Continued....

(I am having a little trouble uploading and keeping up with my blogs because internet is turned off around 12 at night and doesnt come back on till about 7 in the morning.. which is right before i have to go to class.. not giving me much time, but I am doing the best i can at the moment, many more to come!) 

Siem Raep

Heading to Siem Raep for the weekend, Taking a break from the blog until then because I wont have the internet! <3

But I promise to come back with lots of pic and great stories <3

A lovely day in Cambodia!

I should have known by the way I woke up this morning that today was going to be a good day! It was about 7:00 am, I was half asleep and slowly waking up, actually attempted to snooze my alarm for about 15 more minutes. Then all of a sudden I hear my skype ringing, almost instantly when I log on! It was my sister and her darling boyfriend, had a great morning conversation. Exchanged plans for the day, and how their day was going. Then as soon as I hung up got to speak to my amazing Sorority Little Sister, Becky and her mom! I hadent even been awake for 10 minutes and had already spoken to three of my favorite people!  Then I got dressed, headed downstairs for breakfast and went to class. School went by quickly today. We get a nice hour or two in between for lunch, and we decided to try some where new and cheap! We settled on this grungy little place next to our Guest House, I ordered fried rice and chicken for $1. It was de-licious! 

After school a group of us decided on going for a walk around town. Since Nick and I arrived later than we had planned we missed the tour of the city and really hadn't done too much venturing out because we have had a pretty packed schedule! We wandered around for a good 2-3 hours and got to see the city! Since a picture is worth a thousand words here are some from our stroll: 

This is our University that we go to every day from 9-5:30, Its really nice inside and is 4 stories with a coffee shop on the roof, with an amazing view. 

The streets are pretty busy, but surprisingly it is really easy to cross them. At first I felt like i was playing the game frogger, but after you do it once, you realize that cars will slow down, and bikes will go around you. 

This guy is Straight Chillen!!! 

Motor Bikes are a main means of transportation!

Some of my amazing classmates! 1 Aussie, 1 Italian, and the rest of us are from different places in the ol' U S of A!

In the middle of the city, in a round about.

<3 

This is a Casino, complete with working fountains! It was gorgeous inside!!

This was the view when you first walk in. 

It was really nice to finally be able to go for a walk in the city. Until this morning I was still trying to catch up on my sleep, and last night I definitely accomplished that by going to bed...errr passing out by 10:30. Later on in the evening the wonderful company we are going through (http://www.languagecorps.com/) took us to a Karaoke bar, and we had some really good roasted chicken and sang and danced the night away. After I sang a Beatles song, (Twist and Shout) with one of the older members of the class.. my teacher called me out and made me join him in a duet of Summer Nights, Luckly I grew up on Grease and didn't have to go to the screen once for lyrics... :) 

Every day when we leave our Guest House there is a group of Tuk Tuk drivers waiting, and every day they ask us, "Tuk Tuk" and every day we say , "No, we're walking to school" But one of the guys is really funny and sweet! He has been teaching me Khmer ( the language of Cambodia) So today I went into the pub right across the street and bought him a beer, he was very thankful and said I was a "Nice Lady" He then followed with one of his "American Sayings" 

"How's it hanging dude!? Long and Hairy, hard to carry" He then proceeded to giggle his ass off, and apologize for using that type of language in front of me, and said he was only kidding. He is really sweet and I am starting to look forward to seeing him every morning. He knows Nick and I by name now, and greets us every day!! 

Well its been a long and lovely day but it's time for me to go to bed! 

Cheers!

"Western Goggles"

Before I came here, I viewed Cambodia as a poor, dirty, third world country. In the grand scheme of things, this is true. However, as I slowly learn the history of this great country I become more and more impressed by the people, and how far they have come. I assume the common American knows nothing about the history so I thought I would take this opportunity to enlighten you.

In 1975 Pol Pot was the ruler of the Khmer Rouge. To put this in laymen's terms. Pol Pot is to Cambodia, as Hitler is to Germany. Only this happened 36 years ago. Pol Pot's idea was, to kill anyone who was educated, wore glasses, had a job, and more often than not their family members as well. His only need for the Cambodian people was to work as farmers. People were tortured, and pictures were taken as trophies of all that were brutally murdered. When you look around this country you rarely see elderly people, and thats because more than 25% of Cambodia's population was killed off during Pol Pots reign. Mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers. Years later, Vietnam finally invaded and over through the Khmer Rouge, but supporters are still still out there .

When looking at this country in this way, it truly is eye opening how these people live their day to day lives. More than half of America is on Prozac cause we are "clinically depressed" when less than 40 years ago human massacre was everywhere. As I walk around the city I see smiles, happy and, friendly people I am amazed by their strength. I fear as Americans, we feel we are better than everyone (which basically true) But we don't take the time to learn about other people which makes us ignorant. When I told people I was coming here they thought I was crazy, and I understand, its really not our fault. Its the way we were brought up. If we just took the time to take off our Western Goggles we may see that there is more to life than having the nicest computers, or biggest house.

Cheers! 

The dog days are over.

I have officially, survived my first Cambodian day, and I  must tell you, it was not half bad. The place we are staying is really cool and about a 2min walk from our school. In the morning we all meet downstairs in what would be a "lobby" of a hotel but its nothing like that. It is very (for lack of a better word) quaint. It is basically 6 long tables where anyone just sits down at, it is open to everyone but if you are staying at the guest house you have your own individual book, and when you order food u write down in it what you want and at the end of your stay pay for everything. So far its the only place that Ive eaten because the food is soo good and cheap! For breakfast yesterday i had an omelet sandwich with ham, cucumbers, and tomatoes on it. But the menu has everything on it from Banana pancakes, to iced coffee. I am actually, Jonsing for the omelet sandwich right now, so as soon as i get dressed, and finish my homework for the day that is what i shall have. 

So our first day of class was yesterday, and it was nothing short of amazing. True to form we stood up and said our name and something interesting about us, just to help get acquainted. At first i was a little skeptical it would help but I'm horrible with names, but it really worked, definitely a tool i will be using in my own classroom to help remember my students name. Yesterday it actually hit me that i am going to be a teacher. Ya know the kind with kids, i will administer test, ill teach them simple dialogue " Have you eaten yet" "No I'm Hungry", I have to make lesson plans! 

We have 3 teachers and i really like 2 of them and the other guy is alright, doesn't really own the classes attention... but we make due. It is very laid back, but serious at the same time, our teachers are very informative and at one point before i leave i pan on buying them a drink and picking their brain so i can get every ounce of of wisdom out of them! 

Our day starts at 8:45 and ends at around 5:30, so i do have a full schedule, the fact that its 7:15 AM and Ive been up for an hour already is a little hard to grasp, but i like being in a routine. (Even thought this is only my second day haha) 

In class Nick and I had already made a name for ourselves being the "2 people who weren't there yet" everyone was worried and looking out for us! Its really reassuring. It was actually one of the girls birthdays yesterday and of course we all already knew (thank you facebook) and sang to her during class, bought her a card, and yes even had a party later that evening for her. I can only imagine, that she was pretty bummed that the first day she was here it was her birthday, assuming no one would care. But this group of class mates is really our family away from home. We bought her a card, and chocolate cookies since we couldn't find any cake, and all got together drank some beers and danced to what i now call the universal language " Michael Jackson" ! The Cambodians are very kind, friendly people and its actually funny how much they know about the world and people in general... they see Americans and say, "Hang 10 Dude", or " Alright BRO" or if you are Canadian, " hello AYE" , they seem to know All the stereotypes and have a blast just walking up to us and having a conversation! 

So far I have met some really really amazing people, from backpackers on the go, to people living here for years, but we all have one thing in common, the curiosity of what else is out there besides what we know, the urge to learn about the world, its really refreshing! 

I'm excited for what today has in store for us, there is a German pub right around the corner from our Guest House, and i think a couple of us were planning on going there after class today. Nick stayed out last night playing pool with some of the guys. Its somewhat hard being the only couple in the group, we want to stray away from being "That Couple" but so far i think we have made a good impression! Our teacher even asked us in front of everyone if we were a couple after the name game, and I said yes, and immediately followed with "But i promise we wont be lame!!" and i could feel a sigh of relief in the room.  

English is really everywhere, its crazy how much people know about America, its not all the horrible "Dumb American stereotype that i assumed would be here, I mean its still out there but its not All people know. People are intrigued by Americans, and seem to hate us, but secretly want to be us. I actually think I insulted a Canadian in my class when i over heard him saying " Just remember, we're on top" and i replied back with, " Or Piggy backers", I was joking. (Kinda) Even though i am on the other side of the world, I don't really feel THAT far away. I really miss my family and friends, and hate being on exact opposite schedules, but that comes with the territory i guess! 

Anyway, i have some "dialogue" homework to get to, and have to get ready for a full day of school! I hope everyone in America had a great day, As i am about to start mine! 

Much love to all, and thanks for reading <3 

(On a side note, I'm sorry i haven't been capitalizing my "i" , don't hate me for my grammar, Its 7 in the morning and its way to early to write properly every time!! )

We arrived! Monday, January 10th

Well, we finally made it! After what seemed like a never ending trip! Our plane rides whet a little something like this, 

We left JFK, NY at 10pm, after 5 hours stopped over in Vancouver, so contrary to what I thought we did not go over the north pole, instead cut across the United States to Canada. Dropped some passengers off, picked some up and continued our 15 hour trek to Hong Kong China, where we arrived 20 min too late and set back our entire trip. We then missed our connecting flight on the same airline to Bangkok, Thailand. So during our what is now our 3hour lay over we had to scurry around Hong Kong airport trying to figure out how we were going to get to our final destination, Cambodia. The current air line (Cathay Pacific) was no help, even though it was their fault we would be missing our 3rd flight, they did reschedule our 2nd one so that was somewhat helpful. We tried calling the 3rd airline, but have YOU ever tried making a telephone call from the other side of the world, not easy, not easy at all. In fact it was probably the most frustrating moments of our trip. Thank God for computers and the Internet or we would have been stranded! I'm not sure if its the millions of emails we sent, or if one of the girls in our class helped us out, but by some grace of God we did it. After we arrived in Bangkok and waited 3 more hours in the airport for our rinky dinky flight to Cambodia, we didn't know if the company was going to be there to pick us up and take us to our guest house or if we were going to have to figure it out on our own. I was really really really hoping it would not be the latter. By this point we ( and by we I mean Nick) was sleeping any chance he got. We had a game plan that we would switch on and off so someone would watch the luggage and we wouldn't get mugged while we rested up, but his blood shot eyes, and his deep snores made it really hard for me to wake him up, so I just stuck through it and let him sleep, but once we got on the plane it was LIGHTS OUT for me, NO, I do not want your microwave fish dinner, NO I do not want your carbonated orange juice, just give me my Visa application, I'm going to sleep!  Once we finally arrived in Cambodia we had no idea what was going to happen. After being hauled off the plane, herded and on to a shuttle bus to the airport, we went through customs and around the corner was the most beautiful sight I ever saw. A Cambodian man holding up a sign with mine and Nick's name on it. A HUGE sigh of relief. We could stop being responsible for just one moment get in the Tok Tok. (Pictures to come, but having a hard time uploading them) We flew through the city on what is basically a motorbike with a cabin and 2 wheels on the back loaded our luggage, and got our first look at Cambodia... Not tooo impressed. I could only compare it to what I feel Cuba looks like. Trash everywhere, run down buildings, and crazy Tok Tok drivers running red lights and only warning sing they are coming around the corner is an unpleasant "Beep Beep", or what we now call our 6am wake up call. We arrived to our room, which isn't half bad. Its no Ritz Carlton but its a one bedroom room, king size bed with 2 pillows, 1 silk sheet, a small tv (which actually gets HBO in English) and a toilet/shower/sink combo. After a few moments of Facebooking, I went right to sleep. 

It is now 7am, and we woke up pretty well rested! Nick turns to me and says " Its our first day of school, I'm gonna put on my nicest outfit!" Woke up took a shot of pepto, brushed my teeth and await our pick up at 8:45 to go to our first day of class, where we will finally get to meet the rest of our class mates who had the entire day yesterday to tour the city, and have a welcome dinner! So we are off, Nick said he thought he saw a sign for an American breakfast, but for now ill stick to my apple that our 1st friend Brad stole us from the VIP lounge in the airport. Excited for what today has in store for us. 

This is a Tok Tok, What picked us up from the air port, and what takes us around everywhere!