Cross Cultures

Greetings everyone!

So this time cross cultures isn't referring to me in my foreign land, this has become a beautiful home in every meaning of the word, but this time my parents coming to visit me in my foreign land.

I cannot describe my excitement to see them.  I arrived at the airport I was meeting them in much earlier, so I went around exploring Guam, a new place for me also, with a lovely old couple who I had become friends with on our overnight flight.  They picked me up from my hotel and showed a big part of the island and even dropped me back off at the airport at the end of the day, so I didn't have to pay for a taxi.  Then I anxiously paced, took the escalator up and down and then around the time, I went to meet them as they came out.  Silly me I made a sign as if they wouldn't recognize me or something, but as I was waiting I would go through spurts where I thought I was going to start crying (typical, I know), then I would get so giddy, I was just bouncing around, but when they finally came through those doors, I just had a huge smile on my face, but for the most part I played it cool.

We visited two islands within Micronesia, incredible diving, authentic people and the easy life with Ma and Pa.

Then after a few minor problems, we arrived in Cambodia.  As we were sitting in the tuk tuk, watching all the life pass by on such tiny vehicles around us, I couldn't fit it into my head that they were here with me in a place I have now made a home.  We saw the sights, showed them my tricks to haggling and taught them a few words in Khmer and they quickly learned the traditional greeting, hands together at heart center,  even found Dad a fabulous Cambodian-style shirt and shared some beautiful meals with some of the people that have made my journey so beautiful.

They got to see the colors of the city and the many fruits, the devastation of the killing field and Khmer Rouge, the heart of the school and the people inside and clash of people within the city and the love felt by all those we encountered.

My absolute favorite part was the dinner with my students, I had just arrived back in Phnom Penh and trying to get in contact for some of the girls to meet us for dinner, PIZZA. (Random Fact:  Cambodians eat pizza with ketchup...I guess they think its best just to fit all the 'barang' food together)   Continuing with my story, I didn't have all the numbers and about half way through the day ran out of money on my phone, but the contacts I had made I told them to get ahold of as many as they could.  We walk into the pizza place, not sure how many would be there, with ~20 smiling faces greeting my parents and acting all shy.  We drank our Cola Cola, ate our pizza along with our tuk tuk driver as well, the more the merrier, right.  My mom and dad surrounded by my students asking about their feel for Cambodia and if they recognized me after nine months.  One of my students had on her bracelet that my mom had made and sent for graduation and she made to point it out and say thank you.  They ended the evening by singing a song of thanks for dinner and for meeting them and then followed our tuk tuk for a bit on their motos.

I know I didn't share a lot, but most of the time, the pictures tell it all, so here you are.

My kind, kind friend that showed me around Guam

Yap, Micronesia--this is a meeting house

Mama and some stone money...they still use these between villages, but only for very important things

Trying some bettelnut

Chewing it

after effects

Palau, Micronesia--this is supposedly the island they filmed Survivor on for a while

good looking people

MANTA

the big one, curse is lifted...check these guys off my list

baaa dummmmmm

my mother, so fierce this pictures make her look

tuk tuk in Thailand

getting our fish massage was quite comical

Dad was really trying to get into the mindset

jellies