Never Enough Time

I'm still kicking.

I don't have the time to blog like I once did. It's a shame really. It's such a nice way to keep in touch with friends.

Yes... keeping in touch with friends. I've noticed that I've not had as much time to do that as I once did either. That really sucks.

My life is work, school, homework, sleep. That's about it. It's good though, because I'm studying really interesting things. This term I'm enrolled in Ethnic Conflict and Intercultural Communication--both very interesting courses.

I'll get a week break from classes in March. Then I'll be swallowed up again until summer. Oh, the insanity!

Here are some pictures from winter break. Enjoy!

My new place. My new roomate! Loosineh!

A feast at Simon's house....Downhome cooking--Armenian style!

Enjoying the feast.
Jaime getting snuggly with Santa. Santa made a pit stop by Hanson's the Friday before X-mas.
Christmas morning at Jeff and Shelly's.

Christmas dinner at Mom and Dad's.

An intense game of Pictionary at Ameila's house.

And... an intense game of Pictionary at mom and dad's house.

Tom visits. Beers at the Front Range Inn.

Tubing at Fraiser.... and getting snowed-in for two days! Happy NEW YEAR!

It Snowed

Yes, that's right. It snowed here in D-town on Oct. 21. Beautiful! I've missed the Colorado winters. Yeah!!!

SE Asian Invasion 2007!

Hi. I said a while ago that I was going to post some pictures of my trip through Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. Work, school and readjusting to my new life has been keeping me pretty busy. So, I'm just getting around to posting some pictures now.

I'm not in a very chatty mood today, so I'll let the images pretty much speak for themselves.

Having dinner next to the Mekong in Laos.

Taking the slow boat down the Mekong. We crossed the Thai/Lao border and took a two-day boat ride down the river into Luang Prabang, Laos.

The town where we stayed to split up the boat ride.

Inside a temple in Luang Prabang.

The city of Luang Prabang doesn't appreciate french horns.

Here's the view from outside our bungalow. We stayed at a place called Thong Bay. It was probably my favorite accommodation of the whole trip.

We flew Vietnam Airlines from Luang Prabang to Hanoi.

We visited Ho Chi Minh's resting spot.

Coconuts on a moto bike.

Vietnamese beer.

Market in Saigon.

Self portrait. On the bus crossing from Vietnam into Cambodia.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Pol Pot--a dictator of Cambodia--carried out a genocide. The killing fields (where victims were murdered and buried in mass graves) have been made into a memorial. S-21, the headquarters and detainment camp which was housed in a Cambodian school has been turned into a museum. Some of the following pictures are rather gruesome. I'm putting them here because it's a part of Cambodia's history. Also because many of us--myself included--have no idea what genocide really means in the modern world. Our modern history is rich with them, and most of us only know of one or two. I would encourage you all to take the time to do more research on the Khmer Rouge's dictatorship in Cambodia and the torture they inflicted, as well as situations that are occurring today in Africa, like in Sudan.

One book that was widely recommended to me that I have yet to read is First They Killed My Father by Loung Ung. I'm going to check it out at the library today.

Anyway... Here are a few pictures.

Victims of the genocide.

Along with the very sad history of the genocide, Cambodia also holds onto some more positive moments of time. Cambodia is home to The Temples of Angkor. Like with the genocide, I'm not very informed about the history of Angkor and would encourage you to do further research on your own as to their origin and meaning. From the brief bit I read, I know that the temples were erected by kings in their own demi-godlike honor, or in the honor of Hindu/Buddhist Gods.

I've got many, many, many more photos, but I don't have time to post them now. I think I'll have to leave it at that for the moment. I don't have any pictures up of Thailand yet. I promise them in the second edition of photos.

Still Kickin'

It's been ages.

I'm sorry to have left you alone for so long.

It's been a little over a month since I posted last. I've been through a bit over the last five weeks. Tom and I took SE Asia by storm and rocked the pants off everyone in our path. Of course, I want to post some pictures of the trip--and I will--but I'm trying to get my head on straight after having moved back to Colorado. I think it might take me a little while.

I've been home for a week and I've been catching up with friends and seeing cherished spots around town and in the mountains. The food's also pretty good. I missed turkey sandwiches.

Besides getting readjusted, I've also been working on getting myself ready for grad school. I start next week and it's freaking me out. I've been to the campus, and I have a meeting on Tuesday with my advisor to discuss stuff. The only thing I'm still trying to figure out is how to pay for my "bling bling" lifestyle consisting of communication books and parking permits.

In other news: I bought a snowboard and bindings today! Here are some pictures. This purchase makes me happy and I'm very much looking forward to getting up in the mountains this winter. All I need now is some snow.

Isn't it cute?

I might change my blog again. I'm no longer in Nagasaki, so maybe I need to become "Big In Denver". I'll let you know.

Saying Goodbye

I'm booked solid. I've got parities every day this week. Tonight I'll be having dinner with two teachers from school. Tomorrow night, I'm having my going away party, which all the teachers are invited to. The next night, I'll be having yaki nikku (grilled meat) with a few friends on Dejima Warf, and Friday, I leave for Fukuoka and my amazing South East Asian Adventure.

In between the parties, I've got to get a massive amount of cleaning done. I've pretty much gotten things at work taken care of, but I've been neglecting my apartment. That's gonna be grim.

Although I've been going to "last this and that" since last week, last night was the first time I felt that twinge of how much it sucks to have to leave friends and amazing people in a place without knowing when, if ever you'll see them again.

Yoshino and her friends had a dinner party for me and gave me a nice gift. Part of my stellar present was a set of collapsible chopsticks. They told me that I should pull them out like a sword (along with making the accompanying sound!) and yell "Eco-Life" when I use them in DU's cafeteria. We had a good time. Yoshino will be the most likely of all of my Nagasaki friends to visit me, so it feels a little bit better to know that I'll see her sometime within the next year or two.

Last weekend, Mrs. Yamamoto and Mrs. Hamoka took me out to lunch at a bistro overlooking the river and close to the famous "Megane Bashi" (spectacles bridge). The food was delicious and they also gave me a gift of Japanese pottery.

Last Thursday, the Language Club met for the final time. We had a party. I brought some snacks in from my last visit to the US. The kids like the cereal, but weren't too fond of the Twizzlers. They were pretty happy to be going on summer break, even if they still come to school and go to classes. Koshiro, the second boy from the left, is actually going to Geneva to give a speech on peace to the UN in August. Nishi kids are a pretty amazing crew.

Last weekend, I also had my last dinner party with some ALT friends. I'll miss that cozy little apartment above the gas stand in Shinchi.

I also had my last judo practice with the kids last week. Yoshida sensei wasn't able to come to practice that day, but Kanaya sensei was there (top right).
I've still got a goodbye trip planned for Ojika in late August. I'll flying home around the 25th of August. So after my trip, I'll be able to have a little more NIPPON. Woo Hoo!