True Confession

Here is my most honest self.

The other day I was trying to buy something on the street. As I tried to communicate what I wanted with the man, I had to revert to my favorite (and most often used) phrase- "I don't understand you."

He looks at me, as if I came from another planet and said laughingly, "you don't understand me, you idiot!?!?" Ok, so the idiot part was my interpretation of his facial expression, but seriously, he could not believe that I wasn't able to communicate fluently in the language. 

I was just fuming. How dare he talk to me like that? Look, buddy, I'm sorry that I'm not fluent in your language, but before moving here I didn't even know how to say "hello." Get OVER yourself. Do you even know who you are talking to? I was a straight A student at a top university in America. I've worked on Capitol Hill, Parliament in London, written a 90 page thesis, published articles, written speeches for people of influence... People KNOW me. 

I mean, who are you? You sell FRUIT on the STREET! 

How dare you laugh at me. I'm... I'm... I'm... better than you?

There it was. Disgusting. I have no words to describe the ugliness that reared its head in my heart that day. 

Everyday I am struck with the hard reality: my resume means nothing here. I'm just a foreigner who depends on the patience of the salesman to help me make simple purchase, and honestly I'm the one who needs to get over myself.  All I can say is... how humbling.

Told you it was my most honest self.

Thank goodness...

So I was hanging out with one of my Asian friends the other day, and I was telling her about my vacation in Malaysia. She remarked, "I bet the sun was very hot. Thankfully you did not come back black. Oh, thank goodness." In her innocence and sincerity, she was expressing one of her culture's main values for beauty- fair skin. 

Meaning... My tan is gone. Tear. All that work. Haha. Oh well, this way my Asian friends won't reject me as ugly!

Bloggable

Thats my new term for things that happen in my daily life. And last night was one of those times. One of those precious, special times.

I was at one of my favorite expat havens for the best focaccia sandwiches this side of Italy, and the couple to my left caught my eye. Although at first site, they appear to be a part of an "adopt a grandparent program" what, due to the obvious age difference, they were indeed, a confirmed couple. For the entire evening they held hands without actually speaking. 

Actually, she was very proud of her boyfriend. We found out another fun fact too- it was his birthday and we were going to help her celebrate. Yup! We all sang to her ancient boyfriend who afterwards told us some myth about magpies who make a bridge once a year for lovers to meet. This was one of the most painfully awkward situations I have been FORCED into, in a long, long time. 

The thing is- it is not rare to see an old Western man dating a young college-age Asian woman. I'm not sure why this exactly happens this way- without it going the other way. I can not recall ever seeing a couple with an older female westerner and a young Asian man. Interesting, really. Must be something amazing about our western men.

One of my favorite things about living abroad is the opportunity to learn about other countries' American sentiment. So here's one indication I found in Malaysia...

On, and we were in Malaysia for the inauguration. When people found out we were American, they immediately wanted to talk about Obama. They have high hopes for him. 

A different kind of winter sport

Yup- you saw correctly. 

This is a llama pulling a sled on the ice. And a man on a ice bike. They are really quite fun! Not to mention easier for me than ice skating. 

Some of my favorite people...

I want to introduce you to some of my favorite people. They are people that I have come to care about deeply. 

A few times a month, I visit a very special foster home that cares for orphans with special needs. The home is run by women who met online and shared this passion: to care for the very least of society. So, they have dedicated their lives to rescuing these precious ones. 

They travel all around the country to different large orphanages and ask for the children in the very most difficult situations. They bring them back to their home and work to get them the necessary surgeries and find them families. 

This little boy is a very special person. He has experienced more pain in his short life than I can imagine. He never smiles, never laughs. Instead, he just sighs heavy with sadness. Each morning and each evening, the women at the orphanage have to break and reset his feet. If this did not work, he will need severe (and expensive) surgery on his legs. My heart hurt so much to see him go through that. Sometimes I doubt that my visits make any difference. But when playing with him- if we get even a little smirk, its a victory! 

Skipping ahead... the NEW YEAR

So, it has been a long while since I last posted. I blame being out of the country. But more on that later. First, I want to upload some pictures of the New Year. Its a big deal here, mostly because there are fireworks- EVERYWHERE. I felt like I lived in the middle of a warzone. My apartment was shaking from about 7:30 AM until midnight... for days. Thats right- days. 

The first picture- Notice that the fireworks are next to the window. Thats right- people set them off in the courtyard of the apartment complex. Normal everyday Joe Schmoe can buy and set up huge fireworks- the kind we would see at a community Fourth of July display. I am on the 18th floor and they are exploding at eye-level. Great view!

second- Now the scenery isn't amazing, just a man and his son participating in the festivities. However, notice the debris in the air. This is thanks to the last day of the festival. The smoke settled everywhere and made it difficult to breathe. A rare clear day turned hazy.

third - The remains in the courtyard. The apartment complexes set up these "fireworks launchpads" for residents. Yup, setting off fireworks around large buildings, pedestrians and children is encouraged.