Growth Hurts - But No Worries, Pain is Worth It. :)

A little while ago, I worked in SouthEast Asia with a incredible group of young women teaching them English. I only spent 2 months with them, but the relationships that I built with these students impacted me more than any of my students that I taught in the 2 years that I was in Korea. Crazy, I know. -But these women were so thoughtful and strong. One, who was secretly my favorite - or perhaps I wasn't so good at keeping my favorites a secret, wrote an incredible paper about growth of a dream that I'll never forget.She wrote...That growing at first is difficult, everything about it is hard, even just coming out of your seed and pushing through the ground hurts, and as you grow other plants try to choke you, yet slowly as you keep growing your seed takes root and you begin to sprout and grow strong until you become a beautiful rose that others enjoy.Great right? So keep pursuing your big dream because in the end your fulfilled dream will be the beautiful rose which others can enjoy as they walk through life.

Queen of the Chickens - Laos Market

Imagine this being the residence of your queenly crib. Right smack dab in the middle of your submissive subjects -- dead, raw, delicious chicken. She looks a bit like royalty amongst the chickens. Her mom works at this chicken booth in the market. Can you imagine all the different things that she sees everyday? An interesting childhood, not like most of us in the West experienced. That is one of the things that I love the most about traveling it gives me a glimpse of just how many different ways you can live life. Normal for her is nothing like my normal, but neither normal is necessarily bad or better than the other, just different.It is the funniest/saddest thing when a person goes to a foreign country and they try to change the customs to their own in order to 'save' the people and bring 'civilization' to their land. They don't realize that maybe that this country is just is different not worse or better. And that the people are more comfortable eating on the floor, and using a squatty potty, instead of tables and chairs and a sit down toilet <--- actually enjoying a squat toilet is a concept that I still struggling to comprehend.. But it is actually true! Astonishing, I know!But everyone is just different. Some people like cream in their coffee and others like sugar, no big deal. -- So stop worrying, there is no need to revolutionize the world by shipping tables and chairs with a few toilets to the jungles of Laos or Myanmar, it is much better to join their madness and get your squat muscles stronger. Besides the people will like you much better in the end. :)

Quote of the Day:

“When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable.” ― Clifton Fadiman

Picture note: This day my good photography friend Dave Smith and I went to the Vientiane market in with our massive cameras, looking for a good cup of coffee - with cream AND sugar, fresh vegetables and good light. We had a 100% success rate.

Forget Your Perfection - Stupidity is Preferred :)

This weekend I met a Chinese business man in his 50s or 60s, who decided last year that he wanted to learn English, and now a year later after hours of self-study -- he listens to the English-Chinese translation of the Titanic over and over and over again... Thanks to Jack and Rose, he now can speak English rather well. ha!I was impressed because learning a new language is the most embarrassing task you can set out to accomplish. Learning a new language will make a genius of a person sound like a 5 year old child in a second. Forget the romance of Ooooo La La and conversing in sexy French or becoming the next Latin Lover. It will take you 1000s of hours of stupidity before you hit this level. Sorry. It's true.It's like like learning to walk. - You fall so many times that you're not sure that your knees or your face will ever return to their normal color again. AND....what makes it better it that usually when you're making your most EPIC fall, EVERYONE is watching you. Great! because really, what's more entertaining than watching the cute baby fail at walking or the white foreigner blubber something that sounds somewhat like your language?I, for one, really can't think of anything more fun.  ha! ^^That is why this Chinese man impressed me so much. He didn't care if he said something childish, embarrassed himself or mispronounced something. He's forgot his pride. I think that is why he has been so successful in his business life. because regardless of his age, status, success - He owns some of the largest companies in China - he still isn't afraid to try new things and fail miserable. How cool. :)I want to be more like that. Right now and when I'm 50 and 60..So here's the question of the day... What are you not doing because you fear failure or looking stupid? Go for it!People will eventually forget your mistakes and stop laughing at them because you'll eventually become so brilliantly skilled at whatever you keep trying at. And then you'll inspire others to do the same. Just like this Chinese man. :)

Quote of the Month.... Leonard Cohen

Ring the bells that still can ring Forget your perfect offering There is a crack, a crack in everything That's how the light gets in.

'

Where should you go next? Thailand or Spain?

It was my first time there.Europe : the land of history and class or so everyone said...I was going there to photograph my dear friend My-Van's wedding. She's an American who I met while teaching in South Korea. We met in the immigration office just a few days after I arrived in Korea. The first time we met we looked each other over scrupulously and decided that the other was worth chatting up to make the day less painful.. Low and behold we ended up talking for the 2 hours as we waited to get our foreigner ID card. (Because I, of course, look so Asian that I need a card to prove my foreign status. That is sarcasm for all of those who don't know that I have a very Caucasian face. That makes me fit into Asia as much as a polar bear in blends into the Caribbean).Despite my un-Asian features, MyVan overlooked my flaws, and we became instant friends. Fast forward about 2 years later, and I am on a plane flying to France to photograph her lovely Southern French wedding and spend a lovely week with the newly weds and their closest friends.After living and traveling for almost 3 years in Asia (mostly in South Korea and parts of Thailand), this was my first taste of Europe. It was incredible and so unique from traveling Asia. Let me explain.Thailand is a beautifully, tropical inexpensive life. There I lived in Mae Hong Son, a mountainous region in N.W. Thailand with S'gaw Karen (an ethnic people from Myanmar living in Thailand). Their culture left an impression on me. They are so real, genuine, generous. They are willing to share and give everything they have to their friends and family even when they don't have much of anything. Their lives are centered in community, in sharing.While I was there, I was almost never left alone, people surrounded me constantly, always by my side, looking over my shoulder as I typed emails to friends or read books. This was not rude, but normal. We were a community without secrets or personal space, but I must admit this was an adjustment coming from my individualistic  'I love personal space/time' culture of the West., ha!

above: Saturday afternoon weaving with my Beautiful friends.

Here I slept on bamboo mats in a room full of students and friends, I learned that good relationships go before to-do list,  I went forging for food in the forest, ate with my hands, I learned to never walk alone - not because it was dangerous but because it was lonely, my classes were canceled classes so that we could go the hospital with my sick students, and we shared everything, everything - down the one bowl of soup and one spoon for the whole dinner table - (which sometimes resulted in a community with the common cold or worse- ha!) -  but the value of having a whole community taking care of me certainly made a few days of the sniffles worth it.

 above: my bedroom

above: Crossing the Homemade Bridge - "The most terrifying 10 minutes of my life - swing, swing, creek, crack. "

After Thailand, I packed my bags to see what Europe offered... One thing I appreciated immediately? The bridges there have a little more steel and little less DIY quality. :)

above: Gourds, France

I can't say that I've experienced too much of Europe. I know Asia better. but because I have have European blood.. - i'm a bit of a mutt, I have about 7 or 8 European countries running in this blood-- please don't judge, you know mutts have strong genes :D or at least that is what my parents told me to boost my self-esteem - .- So perhaps this blood makes me more of an expert on Europe than I think? I do know that I share a common pointy nose and eating utensils with the Europeans., - yes this definitely make me an expert. ;)I stayed in Europe for about a month - one week in France and 3-4 in Spain.. I traveled Europe a bit unconventionally - meaning I didn't really go anywhere, because I found the best place in Europe, didn't feel the need to move... By divinity, I ended up staying in the seaside town of Sant Feliu de Guixols, Spain, - an hour from Barcelona - where a Catalonian family took me under their wing, gave me a bed and the most delicious cheese, Spanish ham, wine, and Spanish experiences a girl could dream of. So I willingly parked myself there for 3 full weeks.I did however venture outside of the nest to take one trip to Barcelona to visit the Perfume Museum - A museum full of old perfume bottles dating back to ancient Greece, and they even displayed one of Marie Antoinette's bottles... after this then I went to the MIBA:Ideas museum. - full fascinating modern day inventions. I almost made it to the Chocolate Museum too, but time wouldn't allow for this. - Next time, perhaps.. :)Other then these 3 days in Barcelona, I stayed in Sant Feliu sailing, swimming in the Mediterranean sea, learning to steer a boat, practicing my Spanish and drinking my weight in Spanish olive oil. yum :)My main impression of Europe? One word. Refined.  The first night in Sant Feliu, Spain, I learned how to peel a plum with a knife and fork. Really, is that level of refinement really necessary in the human race; Do Europeans just do this to show off their mad skills? Or do you peel a plum with a knife and fork every night at dinner too?

above: European Forks and and Knives....

Europe vs Asia?  Where should you go with your hard-earned travel cash and passport? It just depends on which lesson you seek to learn first, Dear Grasshopper.... Do you wish to master the art of peeling a plum with a knife and fork without breaking a sweat, or sharing your precious imported chocolate bar with 5 of your best friends? The choice is all yours. Choose wisely :)A few helpful European Links :)A lovely Hostel/Pension in Sant Feliu, Spain Hostel NorayTravel by Air: http://www.ryanair.com/enTravel by Train: http://www.raileurope.com/european-trains/tgv/index.html

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Back to the Kitchen

Yesterday I spent a lovely day of cooking madness, helping my dear friend Net out in her vegan/vegetarian restaurant Mae Loe Gyi in Mae Sariang. In the process she taught me some of her most delicious recipes. It was a wee crazy busy but super productive. I even came up with a new salad to add to the repertoire.  It was a lovely day and worth every bit of suffering that comes with not having the time to eat breakfast or lunch on account of all of the customers clamoring to eat Net's delicious food. :)After a hard days work in the kitchen, we finally got a chance to rest our tootsies and enjoy Net's amazing Vegetarian Khao Soi and the new creation Salad. I included the salad recipe if you fancy trying it out.  But sorry, dear friends, the Khao Soi is Net's recipe which I am shamelessly hoarding. You may only taste it if you come to visit me in Thailand. :) And please allow yourself the freedom to experiment with the salad. Strict recipes zap all the amazingness out of cooking.  The Salad of the Day Recipe...1) Mix the following ingredients in a bowl.1 Onion sliced very thinly2 small chile peppers minced2 green onions sliced4 Tomatoes cut in 8ths1/2 cucumber chopped1 red bell pepper sliced1/3 fresh cashews or favorite nut.2) Add the following to your bowl of veggiesDressing:1-2 Juice of Lime1 Tbs. White Sugar1 Tbs. Soy Sauce2-3 Tbs. Hot Water.3) Then Mix in3/4 c. Deep Fried Mushroom Meat-substitute. It's delicious you find the right substitute brand or try your favorite meat in bite-sized pieces.4) Then mix in -->2 tsp toasted rice powder (optional) Look in a Asian grocery storehandful of mint leaves5) Taste it to adjust your desired sweet/spicy/salty balance...6) FINALLY.....Prepare a bed of lettuce,pour the salad on top of the bed and garnish with2 boiled eggs quartered, a sm handful of mint leaves and a sprinkling of toasted rice powder ENJOY! ^^ 

Laos Travels.....

I just got back from a lovely weekend in Laos with my dear Canadian friend Dave. He treated me to the best fruit smoothies in all of the land and let me crash in his fancy guest bedroom and sleep in for hours and hours. My bus-weary body thanks him so very much! This picture was taken while exploring the Mekong Riverside one evening.

Hello Sunday Procrastination...

I have emails to write and things to do tonight. A busy, busy night, with a cup of home-brewed Starbucks cinnamon coffee to keep me energized, like the bunny! but I thought I'd procrastinate first by posting a little blog.* caption: It's a big 'ole world out there, but our job is just to take one step at a time and enjoy every blessed moment. ---  And on that note, I'm off to take another step!

~~~~~

 p.s. a large gecko just ran up the side of my wall, larger than usual. Good thing it wasn't a rat. I might have screeched. But geckos they are just cool, so they have permission to run up and down my wall as they please.

Talented, Talented, Talented

Ok so have I ever told you that I have the most amazingly talented friends in the entire world? My friends are way more talented than other people's friends. It's just a life fact. Don't be jealous :)To prove my point... my dear friend Sarah Vied  made my Christmas so easy this year. Basically I emailed her and said I have X amount of friends in Thailand and can you crochet hats, headbands for them? I told her their sizes and said just to create exactly what she wanted: the color, the style. Because she's that good.  And boom! Like that.. Maybe 3 days later all of my beautiful presents were finished, ready for the giving. I am blessed, am I not? Well here are the ridiculously beautiful presents that she made for me!And if you want to be as lucky as me. Here is her website http://onlysarah.wordpress.com/ so you can get her to make you whatever you please, for yourself or maybe for someone you love too. That is if you can bare the thought of parting with your lovely new crocheted hat, scarf, or headband... :)  

Dear Liz Lauer. My life today... Jan 30, 2012

Liz Lauer, just so you know, today at 6:30am I arrived in Bangkok, Thailand after a 10-hour bus ride. I traveled 10 hours just so I could enjoy a latte, spinach&ham omelet, kiwi juice, my first motorbike taxis (so much cheaper and faster than taxis!) and ultimately go to a couple of meetings where there were lots of exciting ideas floating around. I am pretty sure that they were all inspired by the high caffeine content in the air! Tonight at 7p.m. I'm jumping back onto a overnight bus to see Ms. Mandy McConaha one more time before I head back to my little rice town, wish me and my neck luck!Love your friend, Ingep.s. Here are a few pictures from when I played around with filters near my home base of in Mae Hong Son, Thailand....   p.p.s. here is a song that my dad said reminded him of me when he hears it. What do you think? Do you think of me when you hear it? "I Wish I could Go Traveling Again" - Stacey Kent. 

Happy Birthday! May it be Full of Specialness :)

Happy Birthday to one of the coolest people on the planet! My little brother, Michael. I hope your birthday is full of magic, Oreo ice cream and good country music.Can you believe how old you are today?You know, I remember when were just five years old, and you about gave us all heart attacks because you liked to stick metal knives and forks into the electric sockets. I assume you wanted to check if they were still working. And our sockets, without fail, worked very well. They lit you up, but I guess you didn't mind because you would still try to sneak past Mom and go back for more.Do you think the unnatural level of electrons in your body is the cause of your brute strength? hmmmm.. Quite possibly, Maybe this was why you would always gain muscle mass 20x faster than I would at the gym even though we both worked out the SAME amount of time with the SAME trainer. Not fair!But regardless of your past unhealthy obsession with electric conductivity, I want to say that I am super proud of the intelligent, fun, kind person you've grown into, and I wish I could be there to give you a big hug and a kiss and lecture you on life. But instead, I'm harnessing all my magical powers, and I'm sending loads of blessings your way from Asialand. These should keep you nicely until I see you again in a few months. :)Happy BIRTHDAY, party, party like it's 1999! :) Isn't he just the cutest thing you've ever seen? (hehe, I hope I'm succeeding in your severe discomfort, Michael. On a scale to 1-10 how uncomfortable are you? Because I am trying very, very hard).

Fruit Angels, Papaya Skin and Beach Bumming

 Last week = Sunny skies, Ocean Kayaks, Pineapple smoothies, Moonlit swims, and Dark Chocolate ummmm... Are you jealous, yet? What if I added eight dollar beach massages to that list? Hehehe? Am I evil? Yes, I think so.Well then I guess you'll just have to visit me. Not to experience my evil side, but rather to partake in the Earthly heaven known as Thailand. When you deplane you will understand more clearly. There are practically wingless angels on every street corner, who sell fresh papayas, mangos, pineapple and watermelon. And Every time they sell enough fruit, they float into Heaven to get rewarded the prettiest wings in all of God's Heaven.So you must come to visit this 8th wonder of the universe. However, I won't let you in-country unless you promise to pack in ample HIGH-quality dark chocolate And sufficient cheese to last me for the next three months.  And if you succed in your mission, I will provide the above list of perks WITH a daily supply of coconut water and so many fresh papayas that your skin will turn Orange!Are you excited?I am normally not so generous with my Papaya. No, I usually guard it with my life. All Papaya thieves' hands are quickly tarred and feathered!But I have to change my tune, because, you see, I DID eat so many papayas that my skin has turned ORANGE. So orange that when I went to Americaland for Christmas half of my family asked me if I bathed in carrot juice in Thailand and the other half asked how much my full body tattoo cost me. Oooops! So I got their slight hint that maybe, just maybe, I needed to ween myself off my IV drip diet of papaya, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin deliciousness. I am slightly depressed from the lack of the 3 most important foods, but I'm using the patch, the 12 step cleansing program, and day-by-day I'm turning slowly, but surely back to my transparent state of whiteness. My grandmother would be proud.So in my new state of transparentness last week I spent the my days beach bumming, fruit shake slurping, kayaking, and just learning the value of being and enjoying the company three of the coolest ladies on the planet. Life is good.

Besties Reunite in Tropics :)

I’ve made it back safe and sound to the land of Sunshine and Smile. The 27 hours of plane torture were well worth the 80 degree weather and the .50 cent pineapples and two of my bestest friends who greeted me soon after I deplaned. :)I’m now in Bangkok for the first time! It’s not really as bad as I thought it would be. I had avoided this monstrous place for the past 8 months believing that I would be walking into a dangerous land of pick-pockets and hair pullers, but have been pleasantly surprised that no one has even once tried to pull my pony tail! The Thais are just such gentle people.But tomorrow we're leaving the big city behind and guess where we are off to? The beach! I’m pee your pants kind of excited. I know I’ve lived here for 8 months, but you see I’ve never ventured to the beach.I live in the mountains so I have not even once been to the south to stick my big toe into the salty ocean. Nope, never! Can you believe it? I can’t either! And tomorrow My besties and I are going to take a well deserved trip to the ocean. I don’t think I’ve been to the ocean for almost 2 years!We're bringing loads of Trader Joe’s sunscreen, UNO cards, flip flops and just enough money to buy an I.V. drip of fresh pineapple juice 24/7. Oh! This will be the best beach trip to date!