Cape Ann Photos

Also thought I would share some pictures from the past weekend. Trey's sister came to visit and we had a splendid time driving around Cape Ann and showing her the many nearby small coastal towns.

New Home, New List

I've been recently inspired to restart this blog. It was my primary outlet during my years living in Asia, but upon returning to the United States, my interest in it dwindled (see Carved to Adorn, the blog my sister and I write, for a glimpse of where my creative energies have been channeled).

With my recent marriage and move to the Boston area, however, I've once again transitioned to a new home and once again struggled to connect with my new surroundings. (Noticing a trend... hmmm?) My poor, dear husband has finally grown tired of me complaining about life in New England, so it's time for me to move past the "I-can't-handle-this-place" stage to one of the truly best stages - exploration and discovery.

So as I've done with the last 2 moves, I am going to make a list of 50 things I like about Boston and/or New England. I must confess, it seems a daunting task at the moment, but so did it feel every other time I forced myself to make such a list. It'll grow over the coming weeks and I anticipate, by the time I'm finished, I will truly be able to say "I love this place."

Here it goes...

1. Having a home with my husband
2. Apartment windows that look out onto trees
3. Neighbors who a) own horses, and b) ride their horses around the neighborhood
4. Living this close to the ocean - a first!
5. Mike's Pastry Shop
6. The Boston Public Library
7. Hearing Turkey's gobble out the apartment window
8. The commuter rail and the T
9. Finally having somewhere to hang my art collection
10. Lots and lots of used book stores - seriously could not ask for a city with more of them!

A Moment of Building Trust

A couple months ago, I had an experience that gave me hope for this city.

I hopped into a cab and gave the driver directions. He didn't say much in response and started driving. Eventually, I could tell we were not going in the right direction and the usual struggle arose within me. Do I start making a scene in order to prevent this man from cheating me or do I let him continue to drive in silence while stewing over the disadvantages of being a foreigner in this country? For whatever reason, I decided to keep my mouth shut. I didn't have enough fight in me that particular afternoon to decipher the local dialect and strive to make myself understood to someone who couldn't care less about what I wanted to communicate.

I thank God I kept my mouth shut.

Two-thirds of the way into the drive, we were stopped at a light and my driver made a surprised gesture. He then flipped off the fare meter. At this point, I panicked thinking he was trying to pull off the typical move of, "Oh, my meter is broken. You have to pay 2x the fare now." I started to protest, only to see him switch the meter on again from the beginning.

Very surprised, I asked him about it. He turned around and gave me a sheepish look saying that he had realized he went in the wrong direction and therefore wanted to start the fare over again in order not to cheat me.

This... NEVER... happens here.

5 minutes later, we were at my destination and he had lost the majority of his fare because of his honesty. Again, let me reiterate that I have never witnessed such honesty in this city. It felt like a glimmer of hope was peaking through the fog of humanity. I don't know if this man knew True Life, but I suspect he did because of how different he was from what is totally normal here. His face was spongy, his teeth were black and protruded from his mouth, his eyes were crossed, but he was one of the most beautiful people I have encountered in this country.

He glorifies his Maker and builds my trust in these fascinating people that the Lord is redeeming.

Pictures from Thailand and Cambodia

Picasa Vaca Album

Was It the Cambodian Sex Trade? I Don't Know, but It Looked Like It

During my vacation, I was unexpectedly stuck in Phnom Penh while waiting for my stolen passport to be replaced. Upon arriving in the city, my roommate and I didn't have a hotel booked and ended up heading to the closest hostel that seemed decent. Everything about it seemed fine - location was great, rooms were big and clean, owners were helpful - until I woke up in the middle of the night to hear English speaking men making a ruckus with Cambodian women. They were audibly very drunk and in the process of the completing the night by getting the women into their hostel rooms. The next morning, I sat outside my room in order to get a better wireless connection and witnessed one of saddest scenes. The two men where young Americans and they were in the process of paying and sending off the Cambodian prostitutes they had brought back in the night.

The women's eyes were bloodshot and though they laughed and smiled at the men as they said goodbye, the look of emptiness was unmistakable. One girl sat across from me while waiting for her friend and my heart broke for her. I don't know how exactly to describe her expression, but in addition to emptiness, it contained sadness, weariness, and hardness. It was not the face of a woman who liked herself. I felt repulsed by her, but hut for her; however, the real repulsion came when I looked at the men. Deep, deep anger, loathing, and hatred was inside of me. I felt nauseous. A very long string of curses came to mind, but I won't write them down. What misery for all involved. What evil really does exist.

A woman can legally work as a prostitute in Cambodia when she is 18 years old, but many are forced, or sold, into the work. I don't know what these two women's stories were, but bumping into them gave a whole new meaning to the anti-trafficking signs posted all over the country. Many hotels in Phnom Penh specifically state if they are "No Sex Tourism Allowed" locations and I quickly learned to look for such places when booking places to stay the city.

Please take time to watch the following videos. The third one isn't possible to embed, but please take the time to click on the url.

This is the largest form of slavery in our modern world. This evil does exist beyond your computer screen. I've seen it now first hand.






http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXlg9bacB1o

To the Mountains!

To the Mountains!

Sights Set on Angkor

Where I hope to travel during this winter break...

A Vagabond Song, By Bliss Carman

There is something in the autumn that is native to my blood-
Touch of manner, hint of mood;
And my heart is like a rhyme,
With the yellow and the purple and the crimson keeping time.

The scarlet of the maples can shake me like a cry
Of bugles going by.
And my lonely spirit thrills
To see the frosty asters like a smoke upon the hills.

There is something in October set the gypsy blood astir;
We must rise and follow her,
When from every hill of flame
She calls and calls each vagabond by name.

Last Graffiti Pics

More Graffiti Town Pics

Graffiti Town

The students and faculty at a local art school in my city painted their town. Literally. The equivalent of probably three or four city blocks in the US is covered with their graffiti art. Check out the pics - it's pretty awesome.

Funny Cultural Moment

Yesterday Talia and I climbed a mountain in our city. A friend told us where to find a smaller, less traveled path in order to escape the Asian crowds and stair-climbing. The path hosted more people than expected, and it order to stay ahead of the traditional folk song singing crowd, we hiked at a rapid pace. It was typically hot and we did not start climbing until almost 11:30am, so needless to say, we were drenched in sweat. By accident, we ended up on a random path that brought us to the top by way of trash heap.

All of this made for hilarious cultural moment when the two of us popped out of the trash heap, onto the road, and into two very surprised Asian men on a moped tour of the mountain. They stopped immediately, stared, and pointed at us. We had just broken every cultural norm, two big ones in particular: women don't sweat and no one strays from the concrete staircase when climbing mountains. We blinked at each other for more than a few moments before trying to communicate, both sides holding back the mirth of being either on giving or receiving end of laughter. Eventually they drove on a little way and Talia and I tried to figure out our surroundings. We wanted to find a quiet tea house in which to take a break, but did not immediately see one. Eventually, we saw our moped friends sitting at a table at the bottom of a hill waving at us to come join them. We sat with them for a while as they sipped tea and we chugged our water, both parties chewing on some local snacks made of peanuts and sugar. We still wanted to find a tea house, so Talia and I decided to move on.

But of course, the meeting could not end without the typical request by the men to take pictures with us foreigners. We agreed and cell phone cameras were whipped out. I can't imagine what those pictures look like considering I noticed upon standing up that we left wet butt prints on our seats from the sweat. And I can't imagine what they told their friends about us as the proudly displayed their pictures. I head something to the effect of, "Foreign women are so strange. They like to walk through the woods to be eaten by mosquitoes and look at the trash. Didn't they know they could have walked up the stairs to see a beautiful view? They have blue eyes and yellow hair, just like the movies, but they sweat just like men! It would be better if they tried to look more beautiful."

Two Worlds

I LOVE this billboard. It's a convergence of my two languages and worlds. Maybe one day Spanish will be in the mix, too! ;-p

Contrast

I just wrapped copies of C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity in Hello Kitty paper for friends who will seriously enjoy both. What a funny version of femininity. Guess what continent I'm currently on? ;-)

I Will Sing

"I will sing for the meek
For those who pray with their very lives for peace
Though they're in chains for a higher call
Their mourning will change into laughter when the nations fall

In spirit poor
In mercy rich
They hunger for Your righteousness
Their hearts refined into purity
Lord let me shine for them
Lord let me sing
Lord let me shine for them
Lord let me sing"

Sometimes I wonder how I ended up over here. But then I hear this song and remember my mom singing it at the top of her lungs along with Rich Mullins' voice coming through the stereo on any given day of my childhood. I am realizing more and more how much my parents shaped who I am and how I've carried on and out their values and beliefs. Listen to the song by clicking on the link below. It's beautiful. And remember to lift up your brothers and sisters around the world.

http://www.rhapsody.com/rich-mullins/never-picture-perfect/i-will-sing/lyrics.html

Wow, A Clear Day

I'm realizing just how bad the pollution in my city really is. Yesterday and today have been exceptionally clear and after almost 9 months of living here, I suddenly a) realized how close those big mountains are to my neighborhood, b) can see a tunnel in the hill just up the road, c) have a view of the downtown skyscrapers from the other side of the building. Crazy.

The World United By Street Music - I Wouldn't Complain

This made my heart really happy. I've always loved this song and appreciated street musicians. "If this video doesn't bring a tear to your eyes and makes you smile for the rest of the day, you are a cold hearted bastard."

http://gizmodo.com/5231112/best-video-ive-seen-today-will-make-you-smile

The Orphans

I'm not sure how to start explaining the orphanage. We took an old ferry across the river and disembarked into a dirtier, poorer world than even the one I usually experience in my city. I walked up the hill and around the bend surrounded by ducks, chickens, roosters, and dilapidated buildings. As we passed through the gate, I could see a brightly colored large play-set and was relieved to think the children were better cared for than I expected. We tried to see the infants and toddlers first, but were told they were sleeping. So we left the first building and my idea about the children receiving good care vanished.

We walked around back of the first building to the second. This other building was painted red and yellow, except for half of the top floor. It was painted white and metal bars enclosed all of the windows and balcony. From it, three or four older children flung their arms about wildly as they shouted unintelligible welcomes. All of these children suffered from Downs or cerebral palsy, among other ailments. These were the "other" children, tucked away from sight and contact. We passed through the metal gate which barred them into five rooms. Their ages ranged from infancy to about fourteen. One infant had severe brain damage and had recently started having seizures. His eyes rolled back and forth as he remained unresponsive when held. All of the children just wanted to be held and touched, even the shy older boys eventually warmed up. All of the children had dry snot crusted to their faces. A two year old boy from this part of the orphanage died last month. His short life was spent tied to a toilet-chair because there were not enough workers or diapers to meet his needs. Others are spending the entirety of their developmental years in this same predicament, including the little boy with seizures.

Two rays of sunlight shine in this section of the orphanage. The first is a fourteen year old girl with severe cerebral palsy who knows the Son. Someone once shared with her and she believes. Now it is her mission to love every child she lives with. I am often prone to exaggeration, but I have never met someone like her. She has a difficult time speaking herself, but she works to translate for the other children, putting their grunts and groans into words. She has started to learn sign language so she can translate for the deaf girl. Her hands struggle to move as she wills, but she desires to serve her friend and trains them to speak a language none of the workers know, even with their motor skills fully intact. She is the mother for the five rooms of children and the Son is with her. His hand is upon her life and He uses her to make the warmth of His heart felt amongst the cold darkness within the metal bars.

The second light is a young woman from the city who has come to serve these children with education. Special needs education is unheard of in this country, but she felt a burden for this kind of work and found a pioneering couple in the city who could train her. The children love her and she loves them. She given up money, comfort, and the approval of others in order to engage these children's minds. Her love for the Lord radiates through her as she holds the children, listening to their stories, giving the attention for which they starve.

After we sat with these children, we ate lunch and then went to work cleaning a room full of physical therapy equipment. A large room full of good and useful things to aid the children sits unused since there are so few people to help the children, and of those, most do not understand how to help the children train their muscles with the equipment. The windows were left open in the room and a layer of soot from the city's pollution coated the play mats, exercise tables, cribs, etc. We swept and then mopped three times before the floors started to look clean. The orphanage has a wealth of equipment, but a poverty of people and so the room is left mostly untouched.

The day was almost finished, but first we returned to the infants and toddlers who reside in the nicer, first building. These children at least have the possibility of adoption being deemed more acceptable and less handicapped. I expected to find happy and content children who do not feel immediate need. I was mistaken. We set foot inside their rooms and were immediately surrounded by about fifteen toddlers who were all desperate to be touched, starved for attention. Some of them were soon wound up with energy. People! People who will throw us in the air, tickle us, and play games! Others were quiet and content to simply lie in our laps being touched and held.

Even though most of these children are not severely handicapped, I realized they are not all well. One precious little boy was sitting in a pile of blankets in a box. I laughed and commented on how cute he was and then someone told me he probably cannot walk and this is a way for him to get out of his crib when there is no one to care for him. The only infant in the room is sound asleep. He has a heart problem and therefore no one will adopt him - only perfect babies find a home. I found one little girl who seemed about two years old and looked forlorn. She let me pick her up easily, but would not look me in the face when I did so. I tried to make her laugh, pet her hair, hugged her, but she was despondent. Holding her, I sat down with the others among the rows of cribs and held her for a long time, stroking her hair, her hand. I believed she was content to sit with me and she even snuggled a little closer to me, but I never witnessed emotion in her face.

Maybe these are the "acceptable" children, but they are suffering from their own brokenness. They too are neglected and there are barriers beyond the physical which prevent them from receiving a home. Most of the children are girls, perfect and beautiful, but simply not the gender of their parents choosing. One little girl is particularly lovely and the woman who brought us to the orphanage lamented that her paperwork has not been released. Usually paperwork in order is all that such a lovely girl would need to find a home, but somehow it never seems to come together. And the older she gets, the harder it will be.

We left the orphanage and on the boat ride back across the river, I started talking about the day to my friend who took us. She has seen many horrible things within the orphanages in our city. Most of the orphanages are closed and secretive to foreigners, only putting the best foot forward when they do open up. But she has stumbled across things which can only be summed up as the implementation of survival of the fittest amongst the very weakest in society. She explains that maybe the worst of the atrocities are fading away, but the philosophy remains strong. Why would you provide good care for a child with cerebral palsy if she will never carry her own weight in society? Resources are limited, so limit those who will require use of the resources.

Forgive us, Father. Forgive us for our arrogance when we deny you and plan society on our own. Forgive us for treading on those in whom you delight. Forgive us our pride for assuming the weak are helpless, for forgetting that you are calling them to yourself as much as any of us. Forgive us, forgive us, forgive us.

Droves of Filipino Women

Recently, I was traveling with my friend Sarah in Hong Kong. We were walking through Central on our way to ride the Peak Tram and we came across swaths of Filipino women sitting on pieces of newspaper in bus terminals, parks, and church steps. There were literally hundreds of them everywhere and we could not figure out what they were doing, especially since they were calmer, politer, and better dressed than prostitutes or the homeless tend to be and they seemed to have a strong sence of community amongst themselves as they read, played cards, or styled their hair. We researched it once we returned home and this is what we found. Yet another amazing situation of Asian distress which breaks my heart. After reading this, Hong Kong's sheen started to wear off a little and I realized that while Hong Kong's wealth may far exceed my city or other cities in this part of the world, it might not be too different from the rest conerning its inability to care for the weakest in society. Immigration is rough for all involved, but hardship doesn't have to be a done deal.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE2D61F39F93BA1575BC0A966958260
http://ezinearticles.com/?Women-of-Faith---Hong-Kongs-Filipino-Domestic-Helpers&id=1868537

50 Things I Like About My Current City

1. The view from my living room window seat
2. Porch nights with my roommate
3. Starbucks mugs are actually cute here
4. Reading ridiculous Asian fashion magazines while eating raisin zhou on slow mornings with Talia
5. Sitting on the little blue square of foam at the front of the party bus because all the seats are gone
6. Christmas parties with brothers and sisters
7. Watching the building under construction across the way get higher and higher every month - how tall will it be in the end anyways?
8. The blind erhu players downtown
9. Watching people do random stuff on their roofs
10. The fabric market in all its craziness
11. The bright lights downtown
12. The skittles building
13. Crazy taxi rides with the windows rolled down on a hot summer night
14. Yummy street food in my neighborhood
15. Carlsberg drafts at the beer garden
16. How quiet the tea house is (most of the time)
17. Pork strips at Asijen Ramen
18. The graffiti art neighborhood near the arts school
19. The red sparkle hot pot restaurant
20. McDonald's chocolate sundays
21. Looking at the city lights from my roof
22. The fresh produce market across the street
23. The lack of other foreigners
24. Cameron and Ben, some of the most awesome little kids
25. The foster kids I get to play with
26. Headwashes are brilliant and cheap
27. Being able to bring my own DVD to watch at the pedicure place
28. Hong Ya Dong - especially the pirate ship and sitting outside at the bar in nice weather
29. Bowling
30. It makes me happy that they have an ice skating rink, but it is a horrible rink, so I'm conflicted on this
31. Oh my gosh, how could I have forgotten about it until number thirty-one?? I LOVE the flower market!
32. The little gang of neighborhood girls who have become my friends
33. The daily surprise of never knowing what interesting thing has appeared in the square over night... especially when a circus comes through
34. The old ladies dance club
35. One song dance parties in the elevator
36. Back room DVD sales
37. Playing Russian roulette with every bottle of red wine I buy
38. Watching fireworks hit the building next store
39. 奶奶们
40. Flying kites at the point
41. Buying fresh mangos, bananas, and apples at the fruit stand
42. Cheap massages

Ok, so maybe I really can only think of 39 things, although I have been working on this list for five days. I will keep adding to it, though. I trust that eventually I will make fifty.