New Students

"Hello."
"Hi"
*giggling ensues*

It must be the cool thing to do to say hi to the foreign teacher, at least I'm assuming among the freshmen. I've been greeted by so many people this week, much more than I remember last semester. Also I've gotten a lot of bows this week, which is somewhat odd when you don't recognize the student. I know some of them are from my classes, but clearly not everyone.

In the first few days it also seems that the giggles never stop from the girls. This is particularly true for my non-English major classes since they usually haven't seen me before. As soon as I walk through the door, they start. The giggles continue when I say good morning or tell them my name. Of course they start again when they find out how old I am, usually combined with mass whispering in Korean and statements about how I am handsome.

I'm not going to lie, it's great for the ego, but I hope it settles down next week so we can get to work.

Nervous?

While talking with my sister the other day, she asked me a simple question about starting a new semester. "Are you nervous?" I quickly scoffed at the idea since this is my second time around. I mean, I was kind of scared those first times walking into the classroom, and it's probably true that I didn't hit any kind of stride until after midterms, but now? Come on! I'm a pro now.

Yet here I sit, before my first class of this new semester, and I'm not gonna lie, I've got a few butterflies in my stomach. I'm not nervous about the same stuff I was last semester really, since I know what to do and generally what to say. No, it's more that I'm teaching some new classes this semester, which means new water to sink or swim in, which is always a bit scary.

So Rebecca, you were right. But I think after this week, I'll be in a routine again.

Footnote to All Prayers-C.S. Lewis

He whom I bow to only knows to whom I bow
When I attempt the ineffable Name, murmuring Thou,
And dream of Pheidian fancies and embrace in heart
Symbols (I know) which cannot be the thing Thou art.
Thus always, taken at their word, all prayers blaspheme
Worshipping with frail images a folk-lore dream,
And all men in their praying, self-deceived, address
The coinage of their own unquiet thoughts, unless
Thou in magnetic mercy to Thyself divert
Our arrows, aimed unskillfully, beyond desert;
And all men are idolators, crying unheard
To a deaf idol, if Thou take them at their word.

Take not, O Lord, our literal sense. Lord, in thy great
Unbroken speech our limping metaphor translate.

Pictures: Second Half of the Trip

Here's a few more pictures.

View of Nha Trang from Vin Pearl Island

Looking north on the beach

Rice paddies in Vietnam

Typical Saigon street traffic...motos everywhere. There's an estimated 4.5 million in the city.

South gate to Angkor Thom in Siem Reap

At the Bayon temple...my favorite of the Angkor ruins. All those towers have faces carved into them looking out at the four cardinal points.

A quiet spot around Angkor Thom.

My three comrades walking to the east (back) side of Angkor Wat.

At Angkor Wat.

The trees destroying man's work by wedging roots between the stones at Ta Prohm. The whole temple is like this, which makes it quite popular. Part of Tomb Raider was filmed here.

Banteay Srei. A tiny, but beautiful temple north of most of the ruins.

With our tuk-tuk driver Mr. Hant. He was our driver for most of our tour of Angkor. A tuk-tuk is basically a moto pulling a trailer with seats. We did most of our local travel in Cambodia in these.

On the (in)famous bamboo train in Battabong.

Moving one of the trains off the rails when you met someone coming the other way.


La Fini

Respect in Bangkok

"Umm...I think we're supposed to stand." Somewhat hesitantly, Andy, Ashley and I got out of our chairs while we heard giggles behind us. On screen were the words, "Please stand to pay respect for the king."

Part of the reason we were able to find cheap tickets was that the return flight included a 13 hour layover in Bangkok. Sitting in the airport for that long didn't really appeal to us, so we decided to go into the city, even though it meant we had to pay an airport tax. We went to a restaurant that Andy had been to the previous year, and then we walked around for a bit. Nearby was a mall, and we figured if the tickets were cheap enough, why not catch a movie? The showtime was 3:50, but we quickly realized that was the time they were going to let us into the theater. After the usually run of previews, they showed a propaganda piece on why their king was so great, told through the eyes of a little kid. Then there was a short film that seemed to be conveying a message that people shouldn't riot next week when they release the verdict on a former gov't official, because it disrupted people's lives the last time there was unrest. These were in Thai, but it was easy to figure them out. Then the words flashed on screen. Unsure, we hesitated until figuring it was the appropriate thing to do. Why else would they have it in English as well? What followed was what I assume was the national anthem with grainy old videos of the king through his life, helping the people and the country of course. I've never experienced anything like it. Sure, we pay respect to those in high positions, but only when they are there in person. More often than not, we stand for the national anthem or the like, which transcends an individual. An interesting encounter with monarchy.

Images of Siem Reap

The sun hitting giant stone faces, hundreds of years old. The monkeys fighting over scraps of food. Gray water buffalo standing in the mud. Thin white cows tied by the side of the road. Little boys peeing in full view of everyone. Barefoot children in school uniforms walking in the dust. Motos with whole families piled onto them. The smell of incense in the dark shadows. Bumping up and down, up and down as we throttle along, passing all the other tuk-tuks. Hearing stories from our driver of his relatives during the Khmer Rouge era. Linchen covered stone. Climbing up steep staircases carved ions ago. Land mine victims. Beggars. Vendors. Quiet, picturesque scenes in the forest. Loud, bustling, tourist areas. Fresh fruit. Looking over the jungle from on top of a pyramid temple and hearing languages from all over the world. Trees as living destroyers, tearing down man's stonework. Sweating. "Cold water? Our water is the coldest!" Singing acapella in front of a Cambodian church. Smiling. Dust. Heat. More heat. Seeing Hinduism and Buddhism clash/meld in somewhat confusion at the Angkor ruins. Houses on stilts. Realizing why people take siestas during the heat of the day. Being our own tour guides. Having a favorite cheap restaurant where the guy recognizes us. Bartering. Taking multiple cold showers a day. Marveling at the size and scope of the Angkor ruins. Thanksgiving to God for safety and this opportunity.

Some Pictures

Here's just a small sample of the trip so far.

First meal in Cambodia. We were the only foreigners in the market and everyone was staring.

Tuel Sleng Prison (S-21), the secret prison of the Khmer Rouge in Phnom Penh.

Killing Fields...words cannot describe.

Canoeing(?) on part of the Mekong Delta tour. The women paddling made me help, which I think was a form of fat tax.

A participant in the floating market on the Mekong in Cantho.

Looking northeast from central Nha Trang. It's beautiful and relaxing here.