Flying Through the Tree Tops

We are back in Thailand, and what a treat it is. Beautiful beaches, the best mango sticky rice on the planet, and I finally have laundry that has been cleaned with actual soap and not just beaten upon some river rocks:)

While we were in Thailand earlier this summer we went on one other adventure I didn't have time to post, so I will post it now. We did the Jungle Flight- zip lining through the rain forest. It was a fun way to see the jungle from a very different perspective. Here's some pics and video clips!

Goodbye Jungle Book

Well, our time in India finished. It was a most excellent adventure. We met some really interesting and great people, enjoyed some of the most amazing grapes I've ever tasted and the setting could not have been better. Monkeys frequented our rooftops during the night. Elephants wandered down to the river for their evening drink. Rumors of crocodile friends circulated though I never saw one. The monsoon rains raised the river and covered the bank's quietly carved paths. I enjoyed the bounteous varieties of flowers and butterflies. It was a calm and renewing two weeks.

Ayurveda Retreat: A Hypochondriac's Wonderland Part III

Britnie
My husband has labeled my a food bigot. After this jaunt, he can no longer say that (although I'm sure he still will). The only reason I am able to swallow this food is because I know it contains no animal products, so at least I know it is from nature... but so is the stink of the sulfuric mud pots in Yellowstone, so that's a moot point. I was very open minded the first several days, even eating chunky onion yogurt. I have tasted the onions ever since and probably will forever more. I was able to wash it down with what the other patients here call “hot river water.” The river water is so refreshing. Apparently it is some kind of herbal anti-oxidant water. I think it tastes like cheap chap-stick; Justin thinks it tastes like a Christmas candle. Admittedly, it has grown on me, but I often find myself longing after a cold bottle of water and something fresh to brush my teeth with... like Coke. Or a Slurpee.

Last night we ate something I decided to call “stove top stuffing” due to the unidentifiable assortment of shapes, colors, and textures. I closed my eyes and masticated. Believe me, I would rather have eaten anything from a turkey's hind-end than that crap. Pretty much I've resolved myself to put food on spoon, put spoon in mouth, chew chew chew, swallow, put down spoon, chase down with hot river water. Repeat. I will say that there are some good dishes. I've eaten a large amount of fresh pineapple, watermelon, mango, and grapes. I also enjoyed a pomegranate and bananas that I smuggled in before the retreat began. One night there was also a dish that tasted like caramel with bananas. I keep hoping they'll serve that again, but that might be an exercise in futility. In any case, now I know where the inspiration comes from for the food served at old folks homes, airplanes, and public schools.


Visit with the Doctor

Doctor: “Did you go to karali today?”
Justin & Britnie: “No.”
Doctor: “I will set an appointment for you.”
Justin: “You said that the past 3 days, but there is still no appointment, but we actually don't want to do it, so we can continue with this lip service charade if you want.”
Doctor: “That will not do, it is part of your treatment. You will report to the guru at 2 pm tomorrow.”



Justin
Karali is a bit like karate and bit like personal training. It consists of a slightly larger loin cloth than the massage room, learning some high kicks while a man with a stomach the size of a beer keg shouts things in a language you don't understand, with the promise that if you do this well, in 6 days time, you will be able to use the weapons.

The first day we did kalari, Britnie didn't wear a bra. This may sound like an odd choice, but she only packed 1 for the entire summer and the laundry here takes at least 3 days to get back because they don't have dryers and it is super humid and quite cold. We also think they do the laundry by banging them on rocks down in the muddy river. But I digress. The guru kept asking Britnie and me to do random kicks and jumps and lap runs. I was fine doing this and was actually quite enjoying the workout. However, Britnie was not interested in anything that involved her ample bosom jiggling up, down, around, or upside down. The guru kept yelling at her to jump and work harder, but Britnie is not one to ask “how high” when told to jump. She folded her arms on her chest, looked him straight in the eye, gave him that stern teacher look I have come to laugh nervously at, and said, “no.” I'm sure the language barrier was not a problem, but the cultural barrier went into effect. I'm not sure that many people, especially the ones with bosoms, tell a guru man “no.” Needless to say, Britnie has not returned to kalari lessons since.

I, on the other hand, have gone about every day. I have learned some wicked-cool ways to strain my hamstrings and cause bruising on my ankles. I even did an exercise that made my pecs spasm so bad that I couldn't feed myself at dinner. Thankfully the dinner doesn't much appeal to me so it wasn't a huge loss. I have joined in with a few other of the, how should I call them, “patients” at the retreat. I consider myself a customer, but I think maybe “patient” is more likely. I have been having an educational time with my new British and Russian friends watching the skirt-clad guru do strange jumps in which his scrotum comes flying out of his skirt. It is difficult to not laugh hysterically when this happens, but one stern look from the guru and a swift karate chop within millimeters of my nose stifle the laughter.



The Town
Thank the heavens for the town 40 minutes away. We were able to find regular bottled water and Kit Kats. This is proof that Jesus only forsakes you for a short time, but always pulls through in the end. For more information, visit www.mormon.org :)

Ayurveda Retreat: A Hypochondriac's Wonderland Part II

Britnie
It wouldn't be way off base for people to call me prudish, but I wouldn't call myself that. If you look at my fashion sense, you can see I keep myself covered in many layers. So imagine my surprise when I walk into a room and 3 Indian women look at me and say, “Madam, take off all your clothes.” And while it's still quite hot in India, I still wear the layers, so that took some doing. They then proceed to dress me in a flimsy little lion cloth. I think to myself, well good, if at least my you-know-what and boobs are covered, I'll be okay. But alas, the girls are not covered and I am left with only the loin cloth.

The treatment begins with hair pulling. They start pounding my head and I am sure I'm gonna get a subdural hematoma. They classify this as head massage. I am then invited to mount the massage bed, which is actually a hard slab of wood, and lay in 99% of my glory. There are 3 people in the room, but only 2 actually help me. The third just stands around and I often find myself peeking one eye open to make sure she isn't taking pictures. I lay on my back, they bring out their freshest pot of vegetable oil and they generously apply and swish it all over my body. Apparently this is an ayurvedic massage. I'm pretty sure I am being prepared for some kind of feast.. They claim to be vegetarians, but I'm poised to be dropped into a deep fryer at any moment. The table is now so full of oil that I can't control where I move to. I slosh from side to side in the wooden bed. I am being tenderized like last week's pork chop.

This brings me to “Knife Fingers.” I'm not sure what extra joint exists in this lady's hand, but this protrusion is the bane of my existence. No matter how she touches me, it hurts, and she's only assigned to my left side, so day after day my left side is sliced and slashed. This is meant to be relaxing. Seeing as one lady keeps yelling out “Relax, madam, relax!” I guess I have not quite mastered the art of peaceful masochism.

The therapists notice that I have some nasal congestion and they decide to remedy that for me. They lay me on my back, plug a nostril while dumping hot oil into the other and telling me to breathe it in. Then they do the same with the other side. Then I sit up, loin cloth only half covering the downtown, and they light some kind of incense and hold it under a nostril while plugging the other. I have to breathe the smoke up one nasal passage and out the other. Rinse and repeat. This burns something fierce.


Justin
Have you ever been dressed in a patch of cloth, lain onto a wooden table, and been rubbed with hot oils until you are as slippery as a greased pig at an inbred rodeo? No? Then you're totally missing out! Not to mention that after the serendipitous rubdown, you get to ingest an assortment of garbanzo bean and lentil entrees with accompanying hot basil water and glutenous rice ball. Don't forget the cup of buttermilk ghee to wash down the medicine that makes green olive juice seem absolutely dripping in sweetness.
My treatment is similar to Britnie's but includes getting pounded with bags of herbs and trying to keep my junk covered while a middle-aged, overly smiley man named Baby gently dabs the sweat from my brow and says, “lubadubalubadubalubadubalubaduba” (tongue flapping like it's the Fourth of July ) and then he giggles like a nymphomaniac. Once the dab-giggle-nympho-fest is over, another therapist gives me a nasal treatment and the only thought I have is, “Why on earth would I want to be able to smell better whilst in India for heck's sake!?” KMN. Red spray, flies, and the Ganges come flooding to my cerebral cortex in a flash, accompanied by a fit of mental dry heaves.

Ayurveda Retreat: A Hypochondriac's Wonderland Part I

Written collaboratively between my husband Justin and myself.

Arrival
We decided to come to India to repair the psychological damage done by our first trip here 2 years ago. Upon the recommendation of a trusted friend, we contacted the Ayurveda Yoga Villa in Kerala, South India, and booked the retreat called “Yoga and Rejuvenation.” We envisioned daily yoga, daily massage, and fresh vegetarian food. What we got was that, but so much more.
The night we arrived, the realities started sinking in. At dinner, we learned that we are not customers, we are patients. You do not leave this place on your own free will, you are released. You meet with a doctor daily to discuss every ache, pain, throb, bulge, and imaginary ailment concocted by HA (Hypochondriacs Anonymous). Many of the other guests, I mean patients, sit with the doctor for hours discussing at length the incongruencies of their bodies and obtaining a variety of medicines and/or medical procedures to heal their doshas (whatever that means). The medicines have scores of random herbs and flowers in them and usually stink like cow manure or pickled pigs feet. The treatments range from grease enemas, forced vomiting, a diarrhea marathon, and soaking your eyeballs in butter; to oil massage (a loosely used term), steam box sweating, and milk baths.


Health Assessment with the “Doctor”

Doctor: “What is your favorite color?”
Britnie: “Brown.” He looks at her queerly.
Doctor: “That's not common.” He writes notes.
Justin: “Mine is blue.”
Doctor: “Correct.” And he smiles pleasantly without writing notes.
Doctor: “What sounds more pleasing, being hot and coming into air-conditioning or being cold and then sitting by a fireplace?”
Justin: “Air-conditioning.”
Britnie: “Fireplace.”
Doctor: “Hmmmm...” This time he eyes Justin maniacally and writes down the word “steam box.”
Doctor: “What taste do you prefer? Sweet, sour, salty, spicy?”
Britnie: “Sweet.”
Justin: “I have no idea. I am a food slut.”
Doctor: “Is that a medical condition?”
Britnie: “No. It means he just eats everything.”
Doctor: “Well, you need to choose your favorite.”
Britnie: “He likes spicy.”
Doctor: “Oh, okay, I have now done an in depth health assessment on your soul, mind, and body. Drink 5 caps full of this sludge,” he hands us sludge in a bottle, “take this pill at night for sleeping (just ignore the warning that says Do Not Swallow), and undergo whatever the therapists in the naked room do to you. If you do this, we might approve your release. Thank you and goodbye.”

We part, eyes downcast, with no handshake or returned salutation.

The toilet got our medications and it's never looked shinier.

Ayurvedic Retreat

We are in the middle of nowhere in India at an Ayurvedic Retreat. I came for the yoga- which is excellent.

By 6:45 I am sitting in a loft made of hardwood. The windows are open letting in the natural light, the smell of jasmine and the sounds of the monsoon rains. I begin each day with this and end each day with this. Sometimes I have a mid-day yoga session as well. I love it.

In signing up for the Ayurvedic part... I got a bit more than I bargained for. However, I'm not sure I should post all of that goodnes on here. So, if you would like the unedited version of the going ons between the divine yoga sessions, feel free to email me and I will certainly send that to you:)

Sorry for no pics- the internet is sketchy at its very best here.

Heffalumps and Woozles...

It was a great day visiting the elephant show in Thailand. I now would like to have a giraffe farm and an elephant farm one day.

Rafting the River Through Chiang Mai

Scenic and adventurous! The rapids were excellent, the company was great. It was a good day in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

An End to A Great Youthlinc Year

The projects are finished, the team has all gone and the Home Sweet Home Guesthouse is far too quiet. It feels good though. We got a lot of work done, met many amazing people, and I believe we made differences and differences were made in us. I'll give you a brief recap of what we were able to accomplish.


Construction: Installed 100 bio-sand water filters in families homes so they will now have clean water. We built a new set of bathrooms which included 4 new stalls and repaired the old 3 stall bathrooms at the primary school. We installed a fence at the primary school. Now, reading that sentence, as I did when our projects originally were assigned, I thought- no big deal, a fence. This fence however consisted of really huge concrete beams and heaps of hole digging. Lastly, behind the school there was a gaping ravine. The school currently has 3 classes being held under really sketchy palm roofed classrooms and one class meets under the trees. During the rains this just doesn't work. They want to use the ravine land to build classrooms on, so we filled it with dirt. Thankfully we had truck help on that one.

Medical: Taught loads of basic hygiene, dental hygiene and first aid in all of the classrooms. We also taught maturation and anti-smoking in the junior high. We worked with a group of mostly women who were participating in the micro-finance lessons and taught a variety of health lessons in conjunction with the business lessons. In all of our teaching we were able to provide take home supplies. Thanks to the Paradise Ward members for all of the great first aid supplies! We were able to send home a great many kits after providing training on how to use the supplies inside. We provided training and supplies to the local medical clinic.

Education: We taught many, many interactive English lessons in the primary school. We also stocked the library with simple English books and great Khmer books that the teachers requested. We donated over 200 pounds of school supplies to the primary school. Lastly, we took 70 school kits for kids at the Hope and Life Orphanage.

Cultural: We brought over shoes and clothing and we were able to each buddy up with a kid from the Hope and Life Orphanage and help them pick out new clothes, shoes and help them decorate their school bag. We organized a cultural panel with the junior high students. We implemented the Mondo Art Exchange project in which we taught different art lessons and had the students create art to send to another part of the world. To culminate the weeks of work, we finished off by putting on an amazing fun fair. Over 20 games were organized to accommodate the 600+ kids who attended.


Micro-finance: We were able to teach business/livestock lessons to 31 people and organize them into co-ops based on their livestock choice. Because of the great generosity of so many, we were able to distribute 25 cows, 5 sets of pigs and 1 flock of 10 chickens. We can't tell you how excited these people were to receive the livestock. At closing ceremonies the community leader let our group know that this project really has potential to change the lives of the families by providing them with a sustainable income.

Gardening: We were able to establish a demonstration/training garden at the primary school. We worked hard to create ownership over that garden with a 5th grade class. We taught the different skills necessary to maintain, upkeep and rebuild the garden when necessary. Because of the location of the school, the river floods the entire school grounds with about 3 feet of water. This means some rebuilding will need to happen after rainy season. We also did garden beautification around the school grounds. This was a lot of fun, turned out amazing and will hopefully help to really create some pride and a strong sense of place, for the students who attend the school.

This was a very successful Youthlinc year. The heat was scorching, the air was wet. It often down poured, leaving us working in the sticky mud. Despite the problems we had to work through, the crude tools we worked with, and the difficult conditions we worked in, the experience was incredible. The people are amazing- they have survived so much and it was a beautiful thing to be working along side them.

“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” ~Frederick Douglass

“Literacy arouses hopes, not only in society as a whole but also in the individual who is striving for fulfilment, happiness and personal benefit by learning how to read and write. Literacy... means far more than learning how to read and write... The aim is to transmit... knowledge and promote social participation.”~ UNESCO

I saw what rural literacy looks like today.

A great group had turned up for our livestock training sessions all week long. They came everyday. Why were they attending? Their answer was very simple- they wanted a better life for their children. For me, this was reason enough. After all of the training sessions were complete, this group of 31 members, would be organized into groups of accountability and problem solving. Each member of the groups would receive the livestock they had applied for- cows, pigs or chickens. The livestock loan would then have to be re-paid after a certain amount of time.

The sessions were shaky, but okay. It was our groups first time at this whole livestock thing. There was a language barrier. There were many unknowns involved in the process. Then it came time to teach record keeping. I knew the literacy rate was low, but usually in my past experiences, number literacy tends to be a bit higher. Out of 31 group members, 1 was able to record her own numbers for herself. This was a problem. We came up with a solution- bring someone in your family who can write for you.

We held the last session of training. Each member brought a scribe with them- a child- and many of these children struggled to write themselves. But this livestock was so incredibly important to the family, that the child would be trained in keeping records. A few of the members could not even produce a child of their own to write for them and so another member's child would record keep for both.

It was a hot room. There wasn't an empty seat in the place. We'd finished all the lessons, all of the training, all of the information had been covered. It was time to fill out the paperwork... loan applications, group agreements, etc.

I saw what rural literacy looked like today- when not one, no not one, could sign their own name to their loan document.

Instead, a red fingerprint was pressed next to their name- which someone else had written.

This was a most humbling experience. I can't remember a time when I couldn't read or write. I simply sign my name to all kinds of things, often times with very little thought to how powerful that signature actually is.

Once the documents had all been fingerprinted, the livestock recipients could not be prouder of being a member of such a group.

The committee who worked on this project was AMAZING! No matter what obstacle they encountered, they stepped up and figured things out. They learned a ton and taught me so much. I have nothing but great respect for the difficult work they did.

Thanks to all those givers out there who helped make this project a reality. Many people sponsored an animal for a family. Your donation is genuinely appreciated. You have made a beautiful difference that will only keep on giving!

A Lovely Way to Spend the Day, Biking Angkor Wat

A cathartic re-connecting to the world. It was dark out when I began my ride. Though it wasn't 5 am yet, the air was warm and sticky. Smells of yesterday's spices lingered in the air. The breeze blowing through me felt reviving. And so the journey began, biking my way through the Angkor Temples of Cambodia.

We raced the sun to get to Angkor Wat. The entire temple is art. Each column is carved with intricate images and ancient words of Sanskrit. Even the window bars were beautifully and meticulously shaped. Simple stacked rocks are altars reaching upward. Wandering the halls of this ancient wonder was awe inspiring.

Always an audience- even while trying to lock up my bike I was followed and watched by kids made to work by selling to thirsty tourists. After a relaxing stop at a cool cafe that included a bowl of sweet fruits and a refreshing tiger balm towel for the neck, it was time to ride on to the next destination.

A clumsy bus usually carries me down this road. This time I carried myself. The sounds were different. The monkeys were a little to close for comfort. The colors were too tempting to pass up and pictures had to be taken.

Angkor Thom is something out of a waiting adventure. Its ruins are magical. I could sit in one of the towers and wonder at the carefully carved faces that are woven throughout for a good long while. And I did. I enjoyed quiet conversation, watching from afar and just thinking about life- the simplicity and complexity of it all is a mess of tangled adventure.

From there it was time to find the elephants for a bouncy ride. Back on bikes again, back toward where we had come, a new path was taken. Though we had a map, somehow along the way we missed our turn. And then another. Lost. But it was good. A simple village arose where people were living their lives... Woven mats were spread wide working with the sun to dry the rice... Naked babies entertaining themselves with simple sticks... Uniformed students riding or walking home from a morning of learning... Car batteries being charged at a roadside stand in order to provide a home with electricity later that evening... Lush trees, brilliant flowers and an encroaching jungle lined the orange earth road. It was a lovely detour, a great place to get lost.

Finally we decided to get some directions- we were WAY off base. Three giddy girls with very little English looked at our map and pointed out where we were and which way we needed to bike to get to where we wanted to be. They did speak enough English to ask for a dollar for their trouble. Back down the beautiful road again. A right turn. And then another.

A last temple to see. My favorite one of all~Ta Prohm. The way the tree giants weave themselves through and around and over the buckling temple walls is enchanting. Colossal roots have overtaken the land and I feel small.

It's late afternoon and my stomach is ready for some of the best Khmer food I have tasted. A vegetable curry with a cold water and a cold soda is just the ticket.

But we still hadn't found those elephants yet... where did they get to anyway? So we had one more stop to make. Continuing on our bikes, a bit more sore than we were before lunch, we made our way to the elephants. They were huge. And harry. And we bumbled slowly up the side of the mountain to a grand surprise~ One more temple. Only this one has really steep steps, and I'm wasn't sure I had it in me anymore to climb another. But we decided to do it. We climbed sideways so as to not point our butts to the gods, as we were told on an earlier tour. And what a delicious treat for the eyes it was.

Up so high, a view all around of the below. Simple flags flapped in the warm breeze. The smell of incense burning for Buddha perfumed the air. A grand finish to a grand day.

Youthlinc Cambodia

It has been far too long since my last posting... we've been in the U.S.:) But now we are off on many summer adventures again.

First stop, Cambodia. I've traveled with 27 students, 11 mentors and we've added on two delightful girls from Holland that upon hearing of our projects, wanted to join. How could we say no?

I'm posting a link to a post that some of the students on my team created because they did a great job talking about the going ons of the trip.

Here's the link- check it out!