I'm Back....

Before getting into all the photos and trip details, I need to write about what happened on the day I left. My cool brother, Taylor, received the Melchezidek priesthood and I was lucky enough to be there. We're all proud of him and what a good boy he is. He is so smart, loving, spiritual, funny and is an excellent uncle. Below are some pictures from the day (click on them to enlarge, if you so desire)

Trip blogging will happen this week. I'm exhausted.

I forgot to mention that the street we're staying on in Kuala Lumpur is basically the El Cajon Boulevard of Chinatown. Those of you from San Diego understand the reference, those of you not from San Diego should know that El Cajon Blvd is notorious for prostitution.

There are several ladies of the night who hang around all day. In fact, there is one who stays put all day just scanning for clientele. We believe her to be a lady boy, a shemale, a tranny of sorts. She's tall, wears a different colored sari everyday, wears WAY too much makeup and appears to do 12-16 hour shifts. Yesterday she was visited by a group of friends (?) and as we were walking by, one called out to me, "Where are your breasts?". Isn't that so lady like? I had several replies ready to go but I don't think it would be advisable to get in a fist fight with a tranny in a foreign country.

I have WAY too much to say...I should have been blogging everyday but there have been things I have wanted to do other than be in some internet cafe for an hour. I'm currently in Kuala Lumpur at a hostel in Chinatown. I absolutely love it!

Britta and I hae been traveling with Clarke, a Welsh fellow we met while in Phuket, and we have been with him for about 6 days now. He is a laugh and a half and is teaching us all about life in the UK. By the way....the UK has WAY better slang than we do! They really know how to make full use of their adjectives!

I will post pictures and things when I get home next weekend, I have already taken several hundred. Yesterday on a bus trip an old man in front of me came seriously close to falling on the floor several times as he kept nodding off. It was awesome. Also yesterday, Clarke was ever so kind about letting us cut his long hair into a mullet, he bought a beer tank top and we went out to dinner. It was quite a fantastic evening. I learned I have a talent for sculpting mullets!

On this trip we have met people from all over the world and most of them have been traveling for several months already and will continue to travel for several more. Apparently it is common (especially in Europe) to do this sort of world trip several times in your lifer. Everyone has been astounded that we are only out for 19 days, it's basically a long weekend to them! I feel like I've been gone forever but I like the way they think. None of them are in debt over it, they saved and are living frugally so they can afford this incredible experience. I find it inspiring!

More later,
R

Saturday 10am - Ao Nang

Britta and I stopped into an internet cafe so I thought I'd throw out a quick update for ya'll. We left the Phi Phi Islands yesterday afternoon and made our way to Krabi, by ways of a 2 hour long ferry ride along the most breathtaking part of the ocean I have ever been able to float on. We then took a quick car trip to Ao Nang and have decided to settle here for a few days.

This city is awesome! The shopping is incredible, the people are friendly, the food....I'm not sure. We decided on pizza last night and not local cuisine. How very American of us ;) We will be checking into different lodgings tonight. It is a resort with a pool and full spa service. We wanted a day or so of pampering before we scurry off to Cambodia. The room will cost 600 baht per night and hour long massages are about 200 baht. Just for a little insight into our checkbooks, 32 baht = 1 American dollar. Yes, we will be getting massages for about $6 and paying about $9 each for our room. Life is tough, don't I know it!

Backpacking is a cool and interesting experience and I definitely plan to see Europe this way. Tough it is difficult when it comes to shopping! I want to buy soooooo many things but I have such limited space. So far we have met some pretty cool people, including 2 Welsh men who met while traveling and figured out that they're from the same town, went to the same school and were only a year apart. Truly, what a small world!

More to come later! I miss you all!

For those of you curious about the blogging hiatus and who aren't in regular contact with me......


I'm in Thailand!!! It has been incredible so far, we got here on Tuesday (it is now Friday the 11th at 9:30am). We landed in Bangkok, immediately flew to Phuket (pronounced Poo-get) and the next day took a ferry to Phi Phi Island (pronounced pee pee) (seriously). We went on an amazing adventure yesterday that included feeding monkeys at Monkey Beach, snorkeling in the Andoman Sea and racing a rainstorm in a long boat. Terrifying but probably the most fun I have ever had.

More to come later! I'll be here until the 25th and I'm traveling with my good friend, Britta Larsen who I know from San Diego. I miss you all!

Thoughts on Interpreting

I'm going through some sort of quarter life crisis right now. School started last week and this is my first time in six years not being there on the first day with my pencil case, Hello Kitty backpack and schedule tightly clutched in my hand. I realized that about 90% of my friends are currently enrolled and the other 10% are moms. Meaning that they are busy, not that they are lame and don't want to hang out (except for you, Julie. Lame).

The crisis part is that I miss it!  I miss school.  There - I said it.  I have visited UVU twice already and I plan on more visits.  It doesn't hurt that I am treated a bit like a rockstar either :)  I love learning, writing papers and having the discussions/arguments with some of my professors that always got me fired up and doubly motivated.  Blah.  I never expected to miss it.

I am now working as a freelance interpreter and it is wonderful! I love driving around and doing a variety of appointments. I love meeting new Deaf clients and new interpreters. I love the challenges I face linguistically and ethically. In general, I love it.  I was made for interpreting (or law, medicine or politics but since this is what I do I'm saying I was made for interpreting).

Something I have only recently come to realize is how much I am in awe of my profession. I am so honored to be privy to the best and worst moments of people's lives and absolutely everything in between. It is such a privilege to be an interpreter and it is something I take very seriously. There is so much at stake and I am so grateful to have the ability that I do to be allowed to be a part of the delicate balance of this profession.  

For anyone who is not as familiar with ASL or interpreting, I can tell you it is not a charity service I do.  I do not help Deaf people.  Both Deaf and hearing people are my clients.  Often I am thanked for the "service" I perform or complimented on the beautiful language or asked a million questions about my background.  I know there is a lot of curiosity regarding ASL and it is much easier and more comfortable to ask the hearing person, not the Deaf, all these questions.  I do not interpret out of the goodness of my heart, I get paid.  It can be tiring but it can also be a great opportunity to quickly dole out some education to the otherwise ignorant public.

Anyway, I know that there are some interpreting students who check out my blog from time to time and I encourage all of you to not give up.  It is a crazy cool profession and it is so worth it!  I promise!

It's rare that a post two quotes in a row but I really liked this one....

"Anything's possible if you've got enough nerve."

- J. K. Rowling

"I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can't accept not trying."

- Michael Jordan

Soulmate

I became the luckiest girl alive the day that Julie Jenkins moved in with me back in our dumpy, dirty house in San Diego. It's not typical to meet someone and form an immediate connection, but we did. We spent many, many nights talking politics, religion, positive thinking and every once in a while, boys. She is a gem!

Friday night I got the opportunity to hang out with Julie, her cool husband Joby and their darling baby boy, Cru. I have not laughed so long our loud in a very long time. They never make me feel like the third wheel! It's good to know that after marriage and an awesome baby they are still the super cool kids that they were when Julie and I were roommates and Joby was the guy whose dog we took care of.

Julie - let's get lunch with Kalli this week so we can begin work on that manuscript....Remember, I told you I'm not funny in print! So we need to bring a tape recorder to get all the awesome anecdotes I drop over a sandwich or taco. Love you! (you too Joby!)

Upset

Boys II Men will be playing on the main stage at the Utah State Fair this year. The fair runs from September 10th - 20th. I will be out of town from the 6th - 25th.

Needless to say, I am extremely upset. No "A B C B B D" or "it's so natural, you belong to me..."

I'm devastated. Seriously. If you try to rub it in my face I might have to punch you in yours.

Cruise Activities

Ok, I refuse to do a day by day breakdown of what we did on the cruise because it's only interesting to me and Jerilyn. I promise. So I figured I could share my pictures and stories through categories! I am so smart! S-M-R-T!

Our first night there was a song extravaganza in the Savoy Theater.  It was awesome and tacky all at the same time.  

I had about 5 self serve ice cream cones a day on board.  I was amazing!

We ate lots and lots.  This was from an outdoor party on the pool deck.

I got lots of quality time with this awesome lady :)

There was a game show one evening and embarrassing the men seemed to be a top priority.  They are wearing women's bras, carrying a purse and have lipstick on their pretty puckers.  It was my favorite night!

We went dancing almost every night!  This is me with our friends Wormy and Peter Cook.  Peter is a really famous ASL story teller.  We had so much fun!

 

Every day while cruising there would be a reggae type band playing for us on the pool deck.  They were great!

We went to some pretty great workshops.  I had to post this picture because it is of Jerilyn and Keith Wann!  He really liked her sign song and asked her to perform it in front of the group!

Part of the group of interpreters and presenters

A parade in the middle of the boat!  

Jerilyn and I have decided to become cruisers.  Yep, we are giving into our addiction and are already looking at booking more cruises.  That is correct, plural.  We want to cruise over Christmas break and again next summer.  There will be another interpreter cruise next summer going to Alaska.  Come with us!

A QUICK Vacation Rundown

I will add more pictures later but I thought I should throw some up right now to give you a good idea of how I spent last week.

This is a beach in Mazatlan, it was amazing!

Me at a beach in Puerto Vallarta.  I know, my life is hard ;)

Dancing the night away with Jerilyn!

Free and delicious room service. Yum!

See you in a week!

Quick Early Morning Rant

Yes, it is early in the morning.  It is 3:57am to be exact and I have yet to go to bed.  My rant is not about sleep, no.  My rant is about boys.  Shocking, I know.

I would just like to send out a plea to the boys here in Utah.  

Please be better.  

Please stop sitting back and letting the girls in your ward drop off cookies for you.  It is making you lazy and unattractive to those of us who are not willing to waste our baking skills on you.

Please be good boys and be nice to girls, a lot of them are my friends.

Please, if you choose school make sure to go to for the right reasons (girl watching is not one of those reasons).

Please know that we expect a lot from you because you should expect a lot from yourself.  Any girl who doesn't encourage you to reach your full potential is a waste of time.  And believe me, you have more potential than you know so don't hide it!

I could go on, but I won't.  This is not because of any recent experience, just the culmination of living here for the past 2 years.  I'm sure I will get nasty remarks about me being jaded and bitter and that is fine.  I'm neither.  I have lived and dated on both coasts and in Utah and I feel as though I'm more informed than most.  

Alright, get going with the nasty comments.  I'm ready.

"The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight but has no vision."

- Helen Keller

(yeah Helen!)

What I've Been Up To....

Our amazing friend, Sariah, came back from a two month study abroad in Mexico so Eliza and I decided to throw her a party. I love any reason to throw a party :) Go away and I'll prove it!

I had so much fun that night and ended up spending most of my time with Shanna. Soon we were eating s'mores like champs and then we all started taking model pictures. It was awesome!

The delicious s'mores!

The "anorexic look" that got the ball rolling on a crazy night of modeling

One of my favorites 

Tonight I went to a place in rural Utah to burn things with friends.  It is an old mine shaft with a grate on top.  It was terrifying and amazing at the same time.  We'll be doing it again soon!

Me and my buddy, Luke

Check out those flames.  It went sooooo deep!  Awesome.

"The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes."

- William James

Toddlers and Tiaras

Season two of Toddlers and Tiaras began recently and it is already exceeding the hype/sequins/awesomeness/big hair/fake tans/ridiculousness/crazy moms/creepy dads/fake nails of last season. It's amazing how much these moms spend on the pageants with little chance of recouping any of it. 

Some of these little ladies are truly sweet about the craziness they are involved in but most of them are a bit too big for their britches.  Some of them say and do the nastiest things!  In 10 years they will be angling for a role in Mean Girls 2.  One of my favorite parts is any time they interview the moms (who vehemently deny living through their child) and they talk about how fun it is for the whole family and if the daughter wants, they can stop at any time.  Yeah mom, the screaming tantrums really make me believe that your child is delighted to participate.  

If you have not yet seen it, I highly suggest it....if you like televised train wrecks. Which I do. 

My dad sent this to me...I like it!