...Chi Min City, actually. Sorry, that was a very bad pun. But I couldn't resist.

So, the CamTESOL conference is over. Amy and I successfully presented our first professional workshop. Final exams for our students have been administered and graded. Final marks for the first semester are handed in. And Sarah and I are hopping on a bus to Vietnam in just a few minutes to meet up with my dear friend and fellow SALTer Rachel Derstine for a week of exploring of the world outside Cambodia. Next week, there will surely be stories from those adventures. Until then!

Yes, it's been a fair bit since I've written, but not for lack of things to write about. I keep thinking, "Oh, this would be an interesting story/topic for a blog entry..." and then the days keep passing by, and "free" time to write them down never seems to present itself. In an effort to catch up a little on the happenings of the past few weeks without spending hours in front of the computer screen, I'll just give you little snippets about some recent events, and the issues they've made me think about. Appetizers, if you will. Just enough to whet your appetite. If you're curious about any of the fuller stories, let me know and I'll see what I can do. Anyway, here's a little of what I've done.

--celebrated the midpoint of the SALT year with Lauren and Sarah. We cooked an excellent dinner, ate brownies and ice cream (corn-flavored...even this ice cream lover will admit it was a terrible choice), watched a movie I had edited of the video clips and photos we've taken so far, read through our quote book, and laughed more than we have in ages. And marvelled at how incredibly fast this year is passing by.

--spent an afternoon with Jenny (my 10-year-old host sister) at her school's carnival. She was allowed to take one big person, and invited me because I was the most like a child. Compliment? Maybe.

--started assistant-coaching the high school girls' soccer team at Northbridge Internat'l School, a much-needed outlet in a culture where women's participation in sports is not generally accepted.

--administered a practice IELTS exam (similar to TOEFL, a test of English for non-native speakers) to finish up the IELTS prep course I've been teaching, and was once again reminded just how many obstacles face students who want to continue their education in a developed country.

--learned to make Cambodian dessert from my Khmer teacher, and several Malaysian dishes from a pastor down the street. Don't worry, I've been taking notes, and will be more than happy to cook for any of you who want to try some Asian delicacies upon my return.

--spent three days at MCC Cambodia's annual planning meetings/retreat, where I learned a great deal about MCC's partners (other local NGOs that each MCCer works with), sat in the same chair for entirely too many hours, and expended all that pent-up energy in late-night chicken fights and games of keep-away in the hotel's pool.

--came back after those three days gone, and realized I truly was happy to see my host family and be home again. Even got a rare Cambodian hug from my host mom to welcome me back. What a nice feeling, to have a home.

--experienced Chinese New Year without really experiencing it, and learned some more about the paradoxes of living with a Christian family in a Buddhist culture.

--went to a screening of some of the debates, and voted online in the first ever Global Democratic Primary. Ay, politics can be such a nightmare...but everything's relative.

--prepared, with Amy, to present a workshop on teaching writing through class publications at the CamTESOL (Cambodia: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) Conference, coming up next week.

--started attending a Cambodian Sign Language course twice a week. While I'm in the routine of learning languages, why not add another one? Our four teachers, all deaf, are fantastic, and it's been fascinating so far.

--printed copies of a book that the students in one of my English classes wrote about their favorite places. We're having our publication celebration on Tuesday.

--visited Carol and some other MCCers in Prey Veng province, and got better acquainted with the inter-province public transportation systems of Cambodia. In fact, I just got back, and haven't been home yet since the 4 1/2 hour taxi ride through "roads" under construction and a killer traffic jam, with 9 people crammed into a small car. Needless to say, I'm in need of a shower and some space to myself, so I think I'll wrap this up and head home. And if you're unhappily waiting out another gray, frozen North American winter, console yourself with images of me drowning in my own sweat here as the hot season approaches. Just wait until April...

Hello again! The most recent set of pictures is now up, complete with captions, on my Google site. Follow the photo albums link on the right to find it. The new albums include shots from Christmastime, Angkor Wat, two weddings, and some other random funtimes. Enjoy!