Adios PR!

So here I am, staring at all of these Puerto Rican, Daddy Yankee-looking dudes packing away my things. I'm wondering if they are like, "Wow, this chick sure does have a lot of crap." Today they are packing our things into boxes, and tomorrow they will packing those boxes into crates. They will then go to the shipyard to be shipped far, far, away...and I won't see any of it for about a month. This week has been stressful, and hectic to say the least. Allan and I are "trying" to make the best of our last moments here without making it all about moving. Yesterday morning we went to "our beach". We nicknamed the little secret spot 'Kudda Beach' because it has lots of little baby barracudas in the water, and that name has funny high school reference that some of you readers may know. ;) Hakuna Matata! Ha,ha... I hate making inside jokes on this thing, but I had to... It was a lovely morning full of fun in the sun, then we had to come back only to realize we had SO much to do. We are at least trying to balance it all out. Its a tad overwhelming.
AN-Y-WAYS, once again, like in Thailand, I am figuring out that I am really good at charades. I think it might be the actor in me, who knows? Either that, or the fact that I enjoy running around like an ape trying to get my point across to people who don't speak Ingles. Its loads of fun. Yay. These dudes could care less about what they are doing. You can tell they are hungover, and they are wrapping my stuff up in brown paper like its a race to see who can finish first so they don't have to buy the first round. There is no motivation...I just want them to take care of my things as if they bought it themselves with their $5.25/hr paychecks....Geez, that's all I'm asking for! My back aches, and I am a fancy Vegas-style buffet to the mosquitoes. Sorry, I am crabby. Guess I need to get to the grind and contribute my energy to something useful. I can't wait until this is over with. Buh.


P.S. I think one of the guys is super hungover and puked in my backyard.

Update from the PR

- I am back from Thailand, and I made it alive! No malaria.
- I FINALLY reunited with Allan, so you will no longer have to hear me whine and bitch.
- I have permagrin.
- Allan graduated from OCS, and looks incredibly handsome in his whites.
- We are back in PR getting ready for our move to PA.
- Its taking longer than we thought.
- I got a tattoo while in Houston
- I miss my dogs like crazy (seems that I am always missing someone these days)
- I will post pics of everything soon, promise.

Sorry So Short...Longer Letter Later! xoxo

4/6/08 BFD!!!

Can I go home now???….I am having a BFD! (Bad Fred Day)

4/5/08

We spent most of the weekend in Nong Khai. We hired a chauffer with a nice huge van, and my Aunt, Fred, my Mother, and I all headed northwest. We made the trip so that I could meet the rest of my family. It was about a 4 hour drive there, Thai time (with many relaxing stops). During the first couple of hours driving, the skies were sprinkled with a bunch of yellow confetti-like butterflies. It was beautiful! On the way there, we passed the town with all of the cantaloupe, another broom and handmade basket town, and the coconut town. I had many “Elaine” moments in the van on the way there; if you are a Seinfeld fan you may get this. (If not, there was an episode where she was on a crowded bus, and she gets very annoyed and was screaming her thoughts in her head-very funny stuff.) We finally get to Nong Khai and go shop at the outdoor market and had lunch. Fred was extremely hot and annoyed with the idea of shopping, so we took him to the hotel and checked him in. We went back shopping afterwards. The hotel was The Royal Mekong Hotel. It was okay; it is right on the Mekong River and probably equivalent to a Holiday Inn. It had an incredible view of Laos and the Mekong River and had a nice pool area. I crashed with my Aunt again, and hung out downstairs and attempted to use the Internet in the lobby. My Uncle and his family were staying there as well. It was so nice seeing my Loong (Uncle) Suchat for the very first time. I have heard so many stories about my Mom’s brother. When we first met, we both couldn’t stop staring at each other and we were giggling like little school children. He has a smile that beams like the sun. We all went to dinner: My Aunts, Uncle, his children (my cousins), and his grandchildren. We had a very nice time. At dinner my Uncle gave me a very special Buddha medallion that he wears around his neck, and told me to keep it to protect me. It was a very sweet moment; I thanked him in Thai as my eyes welled up with tears. I was so frustrated that I couldn’t really communicate with him, but I think he knew and could tell how grateful I was.

My cousin, Neung, married an older Englishman (she’s 33 and he’s 61!) that is an actor, writer, and teacher in the U.K. (Side note: Okay, this was odd because he’s a year older than my Uncle…Does he call him Dad????) Anyways, his name is Alex, and we spent majority of the evening talking about theatre and different shows that we have done, etc. It was so nice talking to someone that has similar interests as me. He is a very smart, and witty older man (old enough to be my Dad), and has an incredible resume at that. He has a book out on Amazon.com called, Bilingual Shakespeare: A handbook for teachers. If you know anyone that use this text- spread the word! He comes from a family of actors and artists, and says that Helena Bonham Carter is a 2nd cousin of his (that he “never keeps in contact with-but should”) Uh, yeah. You think? He uses great words like, stodgy, fellow, lovely, pompous, and says “right” all the time. I love it! He said that I need to come visit him and my cousin in England, and I just might have to take him up on that offer!
On the way home, we went a different route. We passed the corn town, the banana town, the Dr. Seuss-looking tree town, the pineapple town, the rubber tree farm (which my Mom kept calling out, ”Hey honey, look at the tire trees!” Ha, ha!!!! Every time we passed an Esso gas station, I’d miss Allan, Puerto Rico and the infamous papas wedges (aka: drunk food). Then we passed the Eucalyptus tree farm, and then last but not least, the live lizard, locust, and ant egg stand!!! Mind you, this is all for FOOD! Oh yeah, we pulled over--I’ve got pictures!!!! Don’t worry; I wasn’t THAT BRAVE!!!! YUCK!


It was a great trip; I shopped a little, ate a little, and played with my “new family” a little. I wish Allan were here to enjoy all of this with me.

4/3/08

So I have about 1 week left in Thailand (not counting the traveling days back to the States), and I have learned these things so far:

- Even though I have met my family for the 1st time at the age of 29, I love them unconditionally and feel like I have known them forever.
- This journey has been a true testament to my own strength, control, patience, and will power. Something that I have always needed to work on.
- I spent a couple of lazy afternoons reading Eat, Pray, Love. Thank you Amy for giving me such a perfect book to read on this trip. It was incredibly inspiring, and I will pass it on to you next. J I love you.
- Thai people are amazing and generous people, even when they don’t have much, they have so much to give.
- I have no qualms with drinking wine out of a box, but I do not like Thai wine.
- Distance really DOES make the heart grow fonder. I knew this before, but I feel I truly know it now.
- Mosquitoes love me whether they are in Houston, Puerto Rico, or Thailand.
- My Mother is like the earth, with so many layers that have yet to be revealed to me. This trip has caused me to be able to reach depths that I have never seen before, and a longing to learn and understand her more, until I reach her core.
- I want to travel the world, and see places that only I have dreamed about. This is only the beginning.
- Cold showers aren’t that bad.
- I am a far braver person than I had ever believed myself to be, or given myself credit for. And damn it, I’m giving myself credit NOW.
- I’m too happy in my life, and don’t have the time or energy to be angry with petty people. I’d rather focus on the one’s that I love, and want to be around. Mai pen rai. (No worries.)
- My hair is a curly pubis-like afro in Thailand, much as it is in Puerto Rico, if not more so.
- The empty place in my heart has been filled, and now I have a greater understanding of that “other half” of me.
- Not to sound all deep, and NO, I haven’t been smoking the “Thai stick”, but no matter where you are in the world, when you get to the root of it, we all speak the same language. We sleep under the same stars, we cry the same tears, and feel the same kind of love. <3 <3 <3

4/2/08 Wednesday

- Last night, I prayed, meditated, and listened to music before bed. It felt great! J
- Today was a cool, rainy, day; the breezy air feels so nice!
- I worked on my blog and watched a few slideshows from PR on my computer. I don’t know why I did that. It made me even more homesick.

- Today was a good day, I let all negative energy bounce off me as if I were a concrete wall and all of those negative thoughts or energies were those 25 cent super rubber bouncing balls from the candy machines. They are all bouncing off of me at great distances to never be found again. Just like the bouncy balls I had as a kid.
- Mom and I have been watching Indian folk-tale stories on TV. I find them interesting and extremely melodramatic; they could be easily mistaken for SNL sketches.
- My Aunt brought home the BEST Khao Phat (fried rice) today. It really pains me to say it, but it was even better than my Mom’s.
- My new favorite Thai dessert, which has always been Allan’s, is called Kanom Kok. It’s a sort of coconut custard that has a crispy edge and a gooey creamy middle, similar to a Crème Brule. They are made in little cast iron pans that have little half-moon cups that you pour the custard in. It looks like a cast-iron deviled egg holder. It is considered street food and is soooo yummy! For some reason it tastes way better here in Thailand than it does in Houston. Go figure.
- Chi Yo means cheers in Thai. It’s very fun to say aloud while pretending that you have a beer stein in your hand…Try it…Chi Yo!
- We went to dinner tonight at a place called the Green Corner, which was funny because it wasn’t green and it was in the middle of the street. My cousin P’Sang ordered the ant egg stir-fry. Yup, you read it right! I about gagged! This was something that I didn’t even want to look at. I didn’t want to be rude, and my Aunt asked me to pass her a bowl of it, and as it passed my face across the table, I think I may have puked in my mouth a little. I don’t think I could ever be brave enough to try that one. I’m sure its full of great protein, but again, umm…no thanks. I had the vegetarian soup, and a vegetarian rice noodle salad.
- I tried my first taste of Thai wine. I don’t think wine is their forte. It was very sour, almost vinegary, and fell completely flat for my taste.
- After dinner, we drove over to the Wat (temple) in town, and it was BEAUTIFUL! I have never been to a temple at night, and this place was beyond words to look at. The architecture of the structure was old, and part of it was being renovated. It still stood strong and tall, as if it was just built that morning and was ready for the whole world to enjoy its glory. There were multi-colored, ornate, mirror mosaics all over the temple, and multiple Buddha’s gilded in gold surrounding it. They all sparkled like glitter reflecting from the night sky, almost mimicking the stars and moon. It was like a small piece of heaven on earth. There was a funeral going on across the street, and you could hear the echoes of monks chanting across the whole temple. It was incredible!
- All in all, it was a great day.

4/1/08 Tuesday

- Today is April Fool’s Day…whatever; holidays like this don’t count in Thailand.
- Allan called this morning, I LOVE HIM SOOOOO MUCH! Ugh, I can’t wait to see him. It’s been way too long! This trip would be so incredible if he was here to appreciate it with me.
- It’s already off to an incredibly HOT day. It’s gonna be a scorcher!
- I’ve made the conscious decision that today WILL BE a good day.
- It was.