I'm no designer.

Truth time honesty hour.  Go.

I hate the way my blog looks.  I never enjoyed the flower photo, and I can't decide on one of my own photos to upload.  I'm unimpressed with most of the stock backgrounds on blogspot, and I'm struggling.

So, for now we are going with the wood.  It's simple.  It's not terrible.  And, most importantly, it's not the flower photo.

Thoughts?  Suggestions?  Erin?

Good Morning, Vietnam... Round Two

As you read in my earlier posts, I was on a mission to scuba dive.  Borneo was out of the question, so Vietnam is was!  On my last trip to Vietnam I was only in the north, Hanoi, Halong Bay, and Sapa, so this trip would be new and exciting.  My plan was to fly into Ho Chi Minh City, travel to Nha Trang, and possibly further north to Hoi An.  I found a place to stay online before I left, wrote down the address, and boarded the bus.  With only a two week trip ahead of me, I opted to only take my small backpack as a carry on.  I only say this because I continue to impress myself with my efficient packing skills.

I arrived in Ho Chi Minh City at around nine in the morning, got in a cab, and headed for the guesthouse.  When I arrived, the guesthouse was full.  I know that this is what I deserve for not booking ahead, but after a few sub par guesthouses, I like to see the place before I commit to staying there.  Luckily, the owner of the guesthouse had an aunt who owned a guesthouse right around the corner.  She walked me over there, but not before telling me to be careful with my purse.  She told me statistics of how many tourists have their bags stolen every day, and how people on motorbikes drive by with scissors to cut the bag off your arm.  She didn’t want me to carry a bag, or anything of importance or worth.  Ummm... okay.  Welcome, to Ho Chi Minh City, Meaghan!

I checked into the new guesthouse.  The sheets were clean, the bathroom was clean, there was hot water in the shower, a window in the room, and I was completely content.  I took a nap and a shower before finally mustering up the courage to explore the city.  Every new city is a bit intimidating.  There is so much going on, so much to see, and so many things that could go wrong.  After being told not to carry a bag, or anything at all, I was more nervous than I usually am.  

I didn’t carry much on me, but I was alone, I had to carry some things!  I had a few thousand dong (that’s not very much money) and my camera, and I just started to walk.  My first stop was the market.  But, I was so concerned that someone would pick pocket me, or cut my purse from my shoulder, that I couldn’t enjoy it.  I walked around, saw some of the sights and did quite a bit of people watching.

In the end, I only spent about two days in Ho Chi Minh City.  I didn’t love it.  I don’t know if I was too nervous and worried to enjoy it, or if I wasn’t a fan of how crowded and busy it was, or if it was a combination of the two.  I ate some delicious food, met some very interesting students in the park and took a handful of photos, but I was very excited to get on the train to Nha Trang.

Two bags (under 23kg) and a carry on

The day has finally arrived.  It is moving day in Khon Kaen.  I have moved plenty in Khon Kaen- from apartment to house, house to new house, classroom to new classroom, etc- but this one is for real.  I'm leaving Khon Kaen.  I'm leaving Thailand.

Everything about this move is bittersweet, and I'm struggling to put my thoughts and emotions into words.  Well, honestly, I am just struggling to control my emotions.

Back in September, Paul and I had our last day of The American After School Program.  Just as with every session, I made a slide show.  Paul and I both knew it was our last day, but we hadn't told the kids we wouldn't be having another session.  As we watched the slideshow I was beaming.  I was so proud of our amazing students, and so proud of what Paul and I had accomplished.  The slideshow ended, and Paul ruined it all.  He told the kids that I would be moving back to the States, and there would be no more After School Program.  Watching their faces drop in disbelief, and admitting to them, and to myself, that I was leaving, was devastating.  I started crying.  Paul laughed at the awkward situation, and eventually said, "will it be this easy to make you cry from now on?"  I promptly said "no.  Definitely not."

I lied.

There are a lot of reasons why it is hard for me to leave Thailand.  But there is no doubt in my mind, the relationships are the hardest to say goodbye to.  My friends are going to miss me just as much as I am going to miss them.  If I hear Pee New say "Meaghan, don't go to America.  I will miss you so much.  Stay in Thailand, I love you!" one more time, I might just have to stay.  But she isn't the only one.  All of my friends are calling me, texting me, writing on my facebook wall and stopping by my house just to spend a little more time with me before I go.  They want to have just one more beer, one more barbeque, one more trip to the mall, one more party, one more day at the dam.  It would be so much easier if they weren't as crazy about me as I am about them.  But then again, these years have been too great to be easy to say goodbye to.

Two years of my life have been packed up in two checked bags and a carry on.  It wasn't easy to do that, but I did.  It won't be easy to get on that bus, but I will.

It's bittersweet because of every great thing I have to look back on, and every amazing thing I have to look forward to.

So here I am, signing off from 625/ 55 Piman Chon 1.  I'll be back, writing from an apartment, a friend's house, an airport or New Zealand, but not from this house.

It's been real.  It's been fun.  It's been real fun.

Life got in the way.

Well, maybe the title is a little white lie.  Life didn't necessarily get in the way of my blogging, vacation did.

I know, I know, I was on vacation again.  Trust me, I know how ridiculous this is!  Reality will hit me soon and hard enough come December, so for now, I am going to enjoy the vacation(s).

I was very prepared for my trip to Vietnam and Cambodia when it came to blogging.  I had blogs ready to go and scheduled to post, and I didn't miss a beat.  This last trip- ultimate fail.

Heather and Ann Palmer spent the last two weeks in Thailand with me, and it was absolutely fantastic!  And there was absolutely no blogging.  I am now back in Khon Kaen for my last two weeks, and I'm cracking down and blogging.

You can look forward to posts about Vietnam (stolen bags and scuba diving), Cambodia (flooding and Angkor Wat), and Heather and Ann's trip (ohhh.... there is just so much to talk about!).

So, stay tuned for many exciting posts, and some less exciting posts.  Just get excited because I am posting again!  I'm pretty happy to be back.

Here is a teaser photo from Angkor Wat...