Home, Sweet Home!

It has been quite the adventure. Ever place I visited was wonderfully beautiful and rich with culture and people. I was reminded why I LOVE traveling so much. The only downside is sleeping...as in jet lag, beds and sleep deprivation ;-) I have been home for a week and never more happy to sleep in my own bed. It has taken a bit to get acclimated to this time zone again while trying to step back into work, unpack and basically get situated. I am closer now.

If I had to highlight the trip I would say:

1. The incredible reception I received around the world on behalf of President Obama (I felt like he was family)
2. Connecting with old friends
3. Singapore was a wonderful surprise
4. All the amazing food
5. Getting an idea of where I want to return to to spend more time

This will satiate my travel bug for a minute but in reality may have firmly rooted it in my being ;-) I have already pinned my map and begun daydreaming about the next one. Where have I not been yet? Hmmmm...

Anyway, I am not sure what will become of this Blog. I have thoughts to keep it going to share this first year with President Obama and my own own personal journey. We will see what manifest but for now, thanks for sharing my experiences with me.

Nancy

Sydney

I have been neglectful to this Blog while in Sydney. I arrived a week ago and none of my adapters worked here so my camera batteries died the first day (so only a few photos from Sydney), and William and I have been running around the city leaving very little time to write. Not to mention that when it comes to technology sweet Australia is a little behind. It is so expensive to have the Internet in general that most folks are still using dial up...you can imagine how long it takes to load newer sites and Facebook is a mess. They get charged by MBs downloaded so I generally tended to stay offline. Wireless is even less common, so I have been the relative hermit. Funny, I was sure Aus would be the one place I would have a regular connection.

Anyway, Sydney has been a wonderful trip. Seeing it as a resident far surpasses seeing it as a tourist. The food is lovely, the beach pools are cool, and the "bush" is lush and beautiful. I arrived during a heat wave, but without the humidity, it was bearable. We swam everyday at these really neat pools and and talked until we could no longer keep our eyes open. It has been 2.5 years since the last time I saw William at his going away party in SD. I have been reminded why I love him so much! Our time has been easy and relaxing...we have laughed a ton and had some deep moving discussions. There is nothing like being face to face ;-) I have been introduced to many of his wonderful friends and feel confident he is in good hands.

Unfortunately, Australia is in the midst of a tragedy with several bush fires burning around the east coast. Many lives have been lost unnecessarily. When I think that most of the fires were started by arson, I become so discouraged. I guess I will never understand how things like that are possible....it is truly beyond my comprehension. However, in tragedy we usually get to see great acts of kindness and that is also the case here. People are doing what they can to help the victims and there is a sense of "we are in this together," so everyone is pitching in. he weather has turned cooler in the last day and there has been a little rain which has helped a bit and allowed time for firefighters to catch their breath. My prayers are with them all.

Today I head back to the US and end this magical journey. I have experienced so many emotions on this trip. It has filled me up and offered me some insight into what my next step could be. I have reconnected with amazing people and have really seen how small our world is. I could not have imagined just how impacted the world would be by what Americans would consider a US financial crisis...if this does not prove we are interconnected then I do not know what does. We must begin to look out for and take care of one another...our future, our lives depend on it.

I Love Singapore!

I am in Singapore now, this was meant to be a short stop over to visit my friend Gina whom I use to work with at the JCCS. She left San Diego just under 2 years ago and moved back to Singapore with her family. It was on the way to Sydney and i wanted to see her...so I stopped. I came a day earlier than expected because of what I previously explained about Phuket...there was nothing there for me and another day with Gina would be worth the effort to make the change. It was a very good decision! It has been a full and rich visit. Gina is still as crazy, funny and sweet as ever, and Singapore is beautiful and diverse. I had the added bonus of finding my old friend Darrin Clarkin who also lives here with his wife. I have not seen Darrin since he graduated USIU in 1987...it has been a long time and he looks exactly the same. To make the world even smaller, while on my way to Singapore from Phuket a former student from CSUSM recognized me and said hello with his wife Amanda who was also a grauate of the credential program. They are living and working in Singapore...and loving it. We had a great chat and hope to stay in touch.

Gina has given me the tour of a lifetime (in 3 days), I have met her wonderful friends and got to spend some quality time with her mom who is a funny and wonderful woman. We have planned all activities around what we want to eat and have had extremely good weather on our excursions. The Singapore Zoo is a national treasure and someting not to be missed if you ever visit. I have one more day and will be sorry to go tomorrow morning...the only upside being that I will get to see my good friend William in Sydney which could brighten anyones day (if you knew him you would understand). I will post more pictures once I get settled in Aus...I can't believe this trip is going so fast!

Thailand - Phuket

I left Bangkok and went to Phuket expecting to find a remote beautiful place, with gorgeous scenery and clear blue water. I got everything but the remote ;-) Phuket, Kata Beach to be more specific, on first glance could be Cabo, Puerta Vallarta or any other Mexican destination you can think of. It is full of White toursit from Europe with really bad sun burns. I mention this because it was such a shock to me. When I go to England I expect to see White people so it is not necessarily something I notice because it is expected, I did not however expect it in Phuket especially after leaving Bangkok. The only Thai people around were those in service. I have been told that this was further so due to Chinese New Year, which is a massive celebration in this part of the world. It is the one time people really do take off work, close down shop and go to family. It is a wonderful tradition and a very happy and festive time here. But, if you know me you must know it is not me (unless the circumstances are perfect i.e. girls weekend, no boys and no kids). Ohn, a friend of my friend Steve, set me up in a nice hotel and arranged a boat/Canoe day trip for me. THIS was perfect. It was a relaxing outing on calm waters with cute boys taking care of your every need. Since I was traveling alone so I had my own guide named Sam who was very sweet and kind. He was full of useful information and quick to smile and laugh, which I think is common for Thai people. They are simply happy people and you become happy in their presense. It really is contagious. They ask all kinds of questions that Americans would consider inappropriate, they say what is on their mind (unfortunately for me this was usually related to my size, I am big in America...but I am HUGE here ;-), and they share easily. My ego got to take a much needed break and I got to enjoy a truly beutiful culture. I will return but will plan a little differently and get more of the culture and less of the tourist.