Saturday, October 20
Another longish day, which started for me at 4 am because I couldn't figure out an issue with the A/C and sleeping without it is impossible (unless you are Val, in which case sleep is possible anywhere, any time, in any position). At 7:15 or so, i wandered into the "courtyard"(and I use the term VERY liberally) of our guest house, where the staff were playing one of the first games of pool of their 100 or so daily games. To my surprise, one of the staff introduced me to our guide for the day. This was surprising mostly because I specifically told the manager yesterday that we did NOT need a guide today. Hmmmm. So, after much discussion, I said fine, he could work for us today, and we would wing it tomorrow. We planned the day, to go to Angkor Thom plus one other temple in the Angkor complex, and then to Tonle Sap (a floating fishing village maybe 15 km from Siem Reap).
Off we went at 8:00 am to Angkor Wat, and saw two more huge and interesting temples, one of which has been nearly destroyed by trees growing up, around, through, and out of it. There has been other destruction as well. Until recently, people would cut off chucks of temples and smuggle them into Thailand, where they brought a good sum of money. Now, police patrol every temple int he Angkor complex nightly. Sad, but true.
I have found that it's less expensive for me to just pay kids to take a picture of them, rather than buy whatever they are selling (and I have to carry less stuff around!) Of course, they are always surprised when i give them some money, take a picture, and given them back their trinkets. I'm sure they think I am one stupid sap. Possibly true, but a stupid sap with some cute pictures.
I learned today how this tourism industry has changed the country. People have more money than they used to (but still not enough), but they also have learned that the more they hassle people, the more money they make (evidenced by the guide today "showing up"even though I didn't need one). With anything good comes something bad. I wonder whether these people hate our guts because we come to their country, throw our money around, and invade their space. Still, it doesn't matter as much as I thought it would, because the guide told us that most Cambodians think ALL caucasian people are French (apparently, we all look alike). So, at least if they hate me, they think they are hating the French. No offense, Zeph. :-)
We went to Tonle Sap, which is a floating fishing village. We saw it by rented boat (another bunch of money to the boat driver). It occurred to me halfway through that I am getting used to the smells here. When I get back home, I wonder if I am going to just want to stay inside and sniff things all day and enjoy the lack of raw sewage. If my last post was asking you to hug your shower, I think this one should humbly request that you hug a plumber. Anyway, it amazes me how many adults exploit their kids by having them (on a school day) ride along on a fishing boat, begging tourists to buy sodas for a buck, or just to give them money. Ultimately, school will probably be more valuable, but I also understand that the more pressing immediate need for food has to take priority.
Oh yeah, and kids here do not wear diapers - most just hang around bottomless. I was holding Savong's baby yesterday for an hour or so, just waiting to be peed on, but nothing happened. Then, I realized that I had been watching this kid being held for a couple hours before that, and nothing happened then, either. It all came together, then - babies here are SO quiet, and I almost never hear or see them cry. I think they are just so seriously dehydrated that they don't cry, or pee, or care about much. Even the little kids who wave at me have a hollow look in their eyes. I wonder if drinking water is that precious? It's so sad that a baby under a year old would already be stoic and accepting of this life. It makes me want to cry.
Wow, I just realized this is getting depressing. I guess this has been a kind of downer day, just from the whole "if I make myself a total nuisance, then I can get $20 from you for being a guide"thing to the total poverty seen everywhere. Tomorrow will be a day to relax, maybe take some pictures of flowers, and rest up. Monday it's time to ride a boat down the river to Phnom Penh.
And oh yes, Sara, in case you are counting still, I intend to go get yet another massage tonight (my fourth). Heck, it's only 5 bucks here! Let's see, that will be four massages in 7 days, for a grand total of $35. How can I resist?
To end on an upbeat note: I have discovered fruit shakes - sort of like smoothies, but the fruit here is so fresh that they are incredible. Pineapple shake and rice for lunch, banana shake and noodles for dinner.... life is good.
Please be safe, my friends, and don't forget to hug a plumber today!
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Friday, October 19, 2007
Food is a Good Thing
Friday, October 19
Up at the crack of dawn (yes, again!) to go see the sunrise over Angkor Wat and walk around the temple for a few hours. The Angkor site is immense - can't even see it in a day or two. Today, just the main temple, then through the gauntlet of vendors to get back. Two girls approached me to buy postcards, and I said no. One asked where I am from, and I said United States. "United States capital Washington, DC!" she said. I stopped and said, yes it is. "What state are you from?" "California." "California capital "Sacramento!" Yeppers. Fine, I bought the postcards. Her little cohort also was spouting off facts, such as the population of the US (something kids in the US most likely do not know). ANyway, I showed them my little photo album, we talked for a long time, and eventually bought them breakfast. How hilarious, to see them ordering breakfast from,,,,their MOM (who ran the outdoor cafe). When she served them, she called them "VIPs"and all the other vendors were making remarks about it. Those two girls were so happy they couldn't contain themselves.
Nobody here has enough to eat. As far as I can tell, every kid is about 5 years older than he/she looks. Fifteen-year-olds are the size of the average nine-year-old in the states. They are mostly so skinny they look ready to snap, but they always have a ready smile and a loud, "Hello!"for you. In fact, tonight as I was getting yet another massage, the girl was actually singing to herself. It's amazing how people so poor can be so happy, but they are.
This afternoon, I taught two classes of kids at Savong's School. Some of these kids are smart as a whip, let me tell you. I had them in stitches, trying to teach them prepositions..."Where is the water bottle?" I would ask, putting it on top of my head. "ON THE HEAD!" they would shout. "on the wall...under the table...behind the chair..." I was a smashing hit, especially when I was testing them by picking up a pencil and saying, "Is it a dog?" "noooooooo" and then pointed at one boy and said, "Is it a girl?" That brought gales of laughter.
I had a long talk with Savong about the whole concept of "total immersion" language instruction. I think that the teachers speak too much to the kids in Khmer, but I'm no expert. I do know that once the teacher came into the second class I was in, the kids really relied on her to translate things. But, up to that point, we were doing just fine. I think back to my father, who spoke no English until he went to kindergarten, and then learned it in a matter of weeks.
Three classrooms at this school service over 300 kids, in shifts every afternoon between 1 and 8 pm. They come willingly at their appointed times, even though they have already spent their required time in the state school. These kids are so eager to learn, and it made me think of how much our kids in the US complain about school. Some of these kids ride a bike a couple miles each day, AFTER doing the same to get to their regular schools.
Speaking of bikes...motorbikes are everywhere, plus tuk-tuks (which are like a motorbike rickshaw), and cars, and trucks. Often, some combination of those vehicles is on the road 5 or 6 across. How there aren't accidents is beyond me, but I haven't seen one yet. I have to admit that I have closed my eyes a couple times and waited for a crash, but so far, so good.
Record to date of number of people seen riding on one motorbike: 5 (including an infant). Amazing.
Enough for now. It's already 9:30 pm and I haven't had anything to eat since breakfast (which was a pineapple pancake with honey on it - incredibly good - the fruit here is amazing).
Up at the crack of dawn (yes, again!) to go see the sunrise over Angkor Wat and walk around the temple for a few hours. The Angkor site is immense - can't even see it in a day or two. Today, just the main temple, then through the gauntlet of vendors to get back. Two girls approached me to buy postcards, and I said no. One asked where I am from, and I said United States. "United States capital Washington, DC!" she said. I stopped and said, yes it is. "What state are you from?" "California." "California capital "Sacramento!" Yeppers. Fine, I bought the postcards. Her little cohort also was spouting off facts, such as the population of the US (something kids in the US most likely do not know). ANyway, I showed them my little photo album, we talked for a long time, and eventually bought them breakfast. How hilarious, to see them ordering breakfast from,,,,their MOM (who ran the outdoor cafe). When she served them, she called them "VIPs"and all the other vendors were making remarks about it. Those two girls were so happy they couldn't contain themselves.
Nobody here has enough to eat. As far as I can tell, every kid is about 5 years older than he/she looks. Fifteen-year-olds are the size of the average nine-year-old in the states. They are mostly so skinny they look ready to snap, but they always have a ready smile and a loud, "Hello!"for you. In fact, tonight as I was getting yet another massage, the girl was actually singing to herself. It's amazing how people so poor can be so happy, but they are.
This afternoon, I taught two classes of kids at Savong's School. Some of these kids are smart as a whip, let me tell you. I had them in stitches, trying to teach them prepositions..."Where is the water bottle?" I would ask, putting it on top of my head. "ON THE HEAD!" they would shout. "on the wall...under the table...behind the chair..." I was a smashing hit, especially when I was testing them by picking up a pencil and saying, "Is it a dog?" "noooooooo" and then pointed at one boy and said, "Is it a girl?" That brought gales of laughter.
I had a long talk with Savong about the whole concept of "total immersion" language instruction. I think that the teachers speak too much to the kids in Khmer, but I'm no expert. I do know that once the teacher came into the second class I was in, the kids really relied on her to translate things. But, up to that point, we were doing just fine. I think back to my father, who spoke no English until he went to kindergarten, and then learned it in a matter of weeks.
Three classrooms at this school service over 300 kids, in shifts every afternoon between 1 and 8 pm. They come willingly at their appointed times, even though they have already spent their required time in the state school. These kids are so eager to learn, and it made me think of how much our kids in the US complain about school. Some of these kids ride a bike a couple miles each day, AFTER doing the same to get to their regular schools.
Speaking of bikes...motorbikes are everywhere, plus tuk-tuks (which are like a motorbike rickshaw), and cars, and trucks. Often, some combination of those vehicles is on the road 5 or 6 across. How there aren't accidents is beyond me, but I haven't seen one yet. I have to admit that I have closed my eyes a couple times and waited for a crash, but so far, so good.
Record to date of number of people seen riding on one motorbike: 5 (including an infant). Amazing.
Enough for now. It's already 9:30 pm and I haven't had anything to eat since breakfast (which was a pineapple pancake with honey on it - incredibly good - the fruit here is amazing).
Shake, Rattle, and Roll
Thursday, October 18
Up at the crack of dawn to get on a bus to Cambodia. I have to say, the Tales of Asia website was right on, even down to the window number at the bus station for getting a ticket to the border. Unfortunately, it was also correct about the hassles at the border, and the ripoffs attempted (one successfully). After a 4 1/2 hour bus ride, it was a 4 hour ride from the border to Siem Reap and out guesthouse. That's 4 hours to cover 90 miles. Why? Because the road is BARELY paved, with potholes the size opf moon craters. I think the ride may have taken 5 years off my teeth. Amazingly, as soon as we hit Siem Reap, the road was paved and perfect. The driver said that the roads are beuatiful everywhere in Cambpdia excpt for that one stretch from the border (Poipet) to Siem Reap. Why? There are many theories, but one is that the investors who bailed out Cambodia Airlines a few years back are deliberately paying the government to NOT fiux the road, as it would detract from air travel and take a bite out of the profits that the airline is making. Another possibility: The Cambodians are not very big on the Thai people. One Cambodian national suggested that, if the road leading into Cambodia from the Thai border were more passable, more Thais would come into Cambodia regularly. Hmmm. Of course, there is a huge casino just on the Cambodian side of the border. In fact, there were three HUGE lines for Thais exiting the country, but only a 4-person line for all other passport holders. Seems the gambling bug has hit them hard.
Anyway, after a bone-jarring ride in the cab, we arrived at our "guest house,"which is sort of like a hotel but smaller. There's a bed and a bathroom of sorts - basically, the bathrooms here are "wet rooms,"where the shower in on the bathroom wall and you close the door to shower, but spray everything in sight including the toilet and sink. Still, after that many hours in a vehicle and then 85-degree heat with probably 90% humidity, anything with a water nozzle is welcome.
Life here is so laid back it's almost at a standstill (or seemingly so). Order three things for dinner, and they will cook them one at a time. You might wait 10 minutes between the sandwich and the fries (OK, I haven't had fries, but you know what I mean). There are so many unfinished buildings, I wonder if people stop working on them from sheer boredom and want to move on (sort of like contrustion-related ADHD)? On the other hand, the average worker in Siem Reap works 12 hours a day, probably 6 or 7 days a week, for the equivalent of $15 per month (yes, month!) My job is looking mighty awesome right now.
Up at the crack of dawn to get on a bus to Cambodia. I have to say, the Tales of Asia website was right on, even down to the window number at the bus station for getting a ticket to the border. Unfortunately, it was also correct about the hassles at the border, and the ripoffs attempted (one successfully). After a 4 1/2 hour bus ride, it was a 4 hour ride from the border to Siem Reap and out guesthouse. That's 4 hours to cover 90 miles. Why? Because the road is BARELY paved, with potholes the size opf moon craters. I think the ride may have taken 5 years off my teeth. Amazingly, as soon as we hit Siem Reap, the road was paved and perfect. The driver said that the roads are beuatiful everywhere in Cambpdia excpt for that one stretch from the border (Poipet) to Siem Reap. Why? There are many theories, but one is that the investors who bailed out Cambodia Airlines a few years back are deliberately paying the government to NOT fiux the road, as it would detract from air travel and take a bite out of the profits that the airline is making. Another possibility: The Cambodians are not very big on the Thai people. One Cambodian national suggested that, if the road leading into Cambodia from the Thai border were more passable, more Thais would come into Cambodia regularly. Hmmm. Of course, there is a huge casino just on the Cambodian side of the border. In fact, there were three HUGE lines for Thais exiting the country, but only a 4-person line for all other passport holders. Seems the gambling bug has hit them hard.
Anyway, after a bone-jarring ride in the cab, we arrived at our "guest house,"which is sort of like a hotel but smaller. There's a bed and a bathroom of sorts - basically, the bathrooms here are "wet rooms,"where the shower in on the bathroom wall and you close the door to shower, but spray everything in sight including the toilet and sink. Still, after that many hours in a vehicle and then 85-degree heat with probably 90% humidity, anything with a water nozzle is welcome.
Life here is so laid back it's almost at a standstill (or seemingly so). Order three things for dinner, and they will cook them one at a time. You might wait 10 minutes between the sandwich and the fries (OK, I haven't had fries, but you know what I mean). There are so many unfinished buildings, I wonder if people stop working on them from sheer boredom and want to move on (sort of like contrustion-related ADHD)? On the other hand, the average worker in Siem Reap works 12 hours a day, probably 6 or 7 days a week, for the equivalent of $15 per month (yes, month!) My job is looking mighty awesome right now.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Can you Whistle?
Wednesday, October 17
Up at 0545, out at 0630 on a tour that lasted 12 hours...First, to the floating markets outside Bangkok. Loads of stuff being sold from boats - food, clothes, trinkets. I found my latest favorite fruit - somthing called (I think) Lngon fruit. It's sort of like lychee, tastes like a really good grape. Wonderful.
Then, we were all taken (by a minivan, with litle leg room - hours of this) to the Bridge on the River Kwai. Well, that one was bombed down, but we went to the rebuilt bridge and museum, which are on the site of the original. The things those POWs had to endure to build a bridge for the enemy were unreal. We also visited a cemetery for some of the POWs who died building it. In the minivan, I was in the back row, and suddenly started whistling the theme song form the movie. Within a few seconds, I had four people whistling along with me and one woman humming (she couldn't whistle). Hilarious.
Finally, back to the hotel, with time for another massage (same woman, same bone-breaking grip). I am now so realxed I can barely stay awake. In fact, I shall have to sign off, as I have to get up at 0300 to get on a bus to Cambodia tomorrow morning. I'm ready for a few weeks of a more lazily-paced life. Much more later....
Up at 0545, out at 0630 on a tour that lasted 12 hours...First, to the floating markets outside Bangkok. Loads of stuff being sold from boats - food, clothes, trinkets. I found my latest favorite fruit - somthing called (I think) Lngon fruit. It's sort of like lychee, tastes like a really good grape. Wonderful.
Then, we were all taken (by a minivan, with litle leg room - hours of this) to the Bridge on the River Kwai. Well, that one was bombed down, but we went to the rebuilt bridge and museum, which are on the site of the original. The things those POWs had to endure to build a bridge for the enemy were unreal. We also visited a cemetery for some of the POWs who died building it. In the minivan, I was in the back row, and suddenly started whistling the theme song form the movie. Within a few seconds, I had four people whistling along with me and one woman humming (she couldn't whistle). Hilarious.
Finally, back to the hotel, with time for another massage (same woman, same bone-breaking grip). I am now so realxed I can barely stay awake. In fact, I shall have to sign off, as I have to get up at 0300 to get on a bus to Cambodia tomorrow morning. I'm ready for a few weeks of a more lazily-paced life. Much more later....
Bangkok - First Look
Tuesday, October 16
Bangkok is crazy - it is HUGE, and also has a population of 10 million people. I think all of them are on the street at once! Motorcycles (little ones) are everywhere, and they weave in and out of the constant flow of traffic like madmen. Lots of shopping and just walking around looking at the sights and the people.
It's hard to reconcile the fact that lots of good food is sold from push carts on the streets, but under those carts runs (often) raw sewage. "Don't look down" has become my new motto.
Three of us took a trip during the afternoon to tour some of the canals that run around the outskirts of the city. How odd to see shacks made (literally) of cardboard next to temples that are highly-maintained and totally ostentatious. (And, probably, it was the people in the cardboard shacks who helped pay for the temple upkeep). I have great pictures of raw sweage being dumped into the canal, and kids swimming just yards away. They all seem healthy enough.....interesting.
Then, we were served a lot of different kinds of fruit, some of which I had never seen before. My favorite of the day" Dragonfruit, which looks like a red, angry dragon (including scales) on the outside, but is white with tiny black seeds on the inside. Sweet, very sweet.
At the end of it all, a traditional Thai massage (with oil) given by a woman who probably weighed all of 100 pounds dripping wet, but who could (I swear) have snapped any one of my bones with one hand. Pure pleasure. Afterwards, I went to the room to lie down for a minute and woke up two hours later. Who cares - I am on vacation!!
Bangkok is crazy - it is HUGE, and also has a population of 10 million people. I think all of them are on the street at once! Motorcycles (little ones) are everywhere, and they weave in and out of the constant flow of traffic like madmen. Lots of shopping and just walking around looking at the sights and the people.
It's hard to reconcile the fact that lots of good food is sold from push carts on the streets, but under those carts runs (often) raw sewage. "Don't look down" has become my new motto.
Three of us took a trip during the afternoon to tour some of the canals that run around the outskirts of the city. How odd to see shacks made (literally) of cardboard next to temples that are highly-maintained and totally ostentatious. (And, probably, it was the people in the cardboard shacks who helped pay for the temple upkeep). I have great pictures of raw sweage being dumped into the canal, and kids swimming just yards away. They all seem healthy enough.....interesting.
Then, we were served a lot of different kinds of fruit, some of which I had never seen before. My favorite of the day" Dragonfruit, which looks like a red, angry dragon (including scales) on the outside, but is white with tiny black seeds on the inside. Sweet, very sweet.
At the end of it all, a traditional Thai massage (with oil) given by a woman who probably weighed all of 100 pounds dripping wet, but who could (I swear) have snapped any one of my bones with one hand. Pure pleasure. Afterwards, I went to the room to lie down for a minute and woke up two hours later. Who cares - I am on vacation!!
Departures and Arrivals
Sunday, Oct 14
Left San Francisco, going through Tokyo. Flying business class is incredible; unfortunately, I don't think I'll ever be able to fly coach again! Besides great food (except for that belgian chocolate dessert that mysteriously disappeared while I was sleeping) and lots of leg room, I also had access to United's Red Carpet Lounge, which meant that I was able to actually take a shower during my layover in Tokyo! I needed it, though; Japan's security is so tight that they made us deplane, take all of our belongings, and go back through Japanese security when we touched down (even though we were on the same plane, same seats and everything, on to Bangkok). This means that they told me that I could not replane with the huge bottle of Grey Goose vodka that I had bought in Duty-Free in San Fran for my firnd Nils and his wife. I was a shade perturbed. Needless to say, I poured it out and pouted about it. But the shower helped....
Getting off the plane in Bangkok was like having someone throw a hot, wet washcloth onto my head. Humid, hot, and that was at 11:00 pm! This place is like a sauna much of the time. But it wa an easy cab ride to the hotel, the room was clean, bathroom had a real toilet (don't EVEN get me started on toilet stories!), and it was a blessing to go to sleep after being in the air plus layover for about 20 hours.
Left San Francisco, going through Tokyo. Flying business class is incredible; unfortunately, I don't think I'll ever be able to fly coach again! Besides great food (except for that belgian chocolate dessert that mysteriously disappeared while I was sleeping) and lots of leg room, I also had access to United's Red Carpet Lounge, which meant that I was able to actually take a shower during my layover in Tokyo! I needed it, though; Japan's security is so tight that they made us deplane, take all of our belongings, and go back through Japanese security when we touched down (even though we were on the same plane, same seats and everything, on to Bangkok). This means that they told me that I could not replane with the huge bottle of Grey Goose vodka that I had bought in Duty-Free in San Fran for my firnd Nils and his wife. I was a shade perturbed. Needless to say, I poured it out and pouted about it. But the shower helped....
Getting off the plane in Bangkok was like having someone throw a hot, wet washcloth onto my head. Humid, hot, and that was at 11:00 pm! This place is like a sauna much of the time. But it wa an easy cab ride to the hotel, the room was clean, bathroom had a real toilet (don't EVEN get me started on toilet stories!), and it was a blessing to go to sleep after being in the air plus layover for about 20 hours.
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Toxicity
I realize this has nothing to do with travel, but I feel a need to write...
This weekend, I had a visit from my friend, Jacqueline. Jackie is probably my most "unusual" friend, for many reasons. She's also the most blunt, outspoken, and brutally honest of my friends, which is probably why I adore her (gee, I wonder who she reminds me of?) In any case, I dropped her off at some dive bar on Saturday night so she could meet up with some of her SF friends and see a show. She was to get back to my house around 2 am, so I figured I'd be long asleep by the time she returned.
At about 11:30, while I was in the middle of reading a Newsweek article about a company that is producing $188 laptops to be donated to kids in underdeveloped countries (much more about that in my next blog!), I heard a car screech away and some very heavy footsteps on my porch stairs. After a brief altercation with the deadbolt, Jacqueline stumbled through the door and announced to me that she had missed the show, almost been thrown out of the cab because she was so sick, and had to bribe the cabbie with a double payment in order to be driven all the way to my house. She was mortified. Why had she had so much to drink? What was she thinking? How could she miss a show she had bought tickets for, and how could she let her friends down? Of course, the answer was obvious: she was having fun drinking, and even though she knew she'd regret it, she just carried on anyway. However, she felt bad enough that she probably won't do that again for a long, long time.
I suddenly had a light bulb come on over my head. "Wouldn't it be great," I postulated, "if the same thing could happen with people? If someone is really toxic for us, wouldn't it be perfect if being around them for any length of time, while seeming to be a fun thing, made us feel bad and throw up? Then, it would be so easy to remove ourselves from those situations, from those relationships that ultimately will do us no good and, quite possibly, a world of hurt." Somehow, in her stupor, leaning there against my bedroom wall and trying to act as though her world wasn't spinning uncontrollably, Jackie didn't see the huge wisdom in my words.
But I did, and that's really what counts. It shouldn't take getting physically ill for me to realize when something isn't right, but it's just so easy to keep drinking (figuratively) and have those few moments of fun (or ones that might seem fun) rather than face the thought of having to live without the crutch. So, for having shown me a sign in the middle of her sloppy drunkenness, my thanks to Jacqueline. And also, this week, to Bob, for doing a similar thing in a much kinder, gentler fashion. Now, enough with philosophizing. Time for more travel and charity writing!!
Be happy.
--Janine
This weekend, I had a visit from my friend, Jacqueline. Jackie is probably my most "unusual" friend, for many reasons. She's also the most blunt, outspoken, and brutally honest of my friends, which is probably why I adore her (gee, I wonder who she reminds me of?) In any case, I dropped her off at some dive bar on Saturday night so she could meet up with some of her SF friends and see a show. She was to get back to my house around 2 am, so I figured I'd be long asleep by the time she returned.
At about 11:30, while I was in the middle of reading a Newsweek article about a company that is producing $188 laptops to be donated to kids in underdeveloped countries (much more about that in my next blog!), I heard a car screech away and some very heavy footsteps on my porch stairs. After a brief altercation with the deadbolt, Jacqueline stumbled through the door and announced to me that she had missed the show, almost been thrown out of the cab because she was so sick, and had to bribe the cabbie with a double payment in order to be driven all the way to my house. She was mortified. Why had she had so much to drink? What was she thinking? How could she miss a show she had bought tickets for, and how could she let her friends down? Of course, the answer was obvious: she was having fun drinking, and even though she knew she'd regret it, she just carried on anyway. However, she felt bad enough that she probably won't do that again for a long, long time.
I suddenly had a light bulb come on over my head. "Wouldn't it be great," I postulated, "if the same thing could happen with people? If someone is really toxic for us, wouldn't it be perfect if being around them for any length of time, while seeming to be a fun thing, made us feel bad and throw up? Then, it would be so easy to remove ourselves from those situations, from those relationships that ultimately will do us no good and, quite possibly, a world of hurt." Somehow, in her stupor, leaning there against my bedroom wall and trying to act as though her world wasn't spinning uncontrollably, Jackie didn't see the huge wisdom in my words.
But I did, and that's really what counts. It shouldn't take getting physically ill for me to realize when something isn't right, but it's just so easy to keep drinking (figuratively) and have those few moments of fun (or ones that might seem fun) rather than face the thought of having to live without the crutch. So, for having shown me a sign in the middle of her sloppy drunkenness, my thanks to Jacqueline. And also, this week, to Bob, for doing a similar thing in a much kinder, gentler fashion. Now, enough with philosophizing. Time for more travel and charity writing!!
Be happy.
--Janine
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