new year, new haircut

It's hot here, people! Most days it is 90+ degrees with high humidity. Need I say more? This is winter, what am I going to do in hot season?

Interesting International Facts: definitions of "thick"

Did you know?

The word "thick" can have multiple meanings. In America we use it as a measurement of mass (he is thick) or a measurement of depth (it is thick).

At a recent lunch meeting someone said, "he is thicker than" so and so. An American said this to an Australian. The Australian looked surprised and almost offended to hear this because the person being referred to was her husband. The husband was sitting next to her and also looked offended. I was rather confused. Being an American I knew exactly what my fellow American was saying. She was referring to thickness as body mass. I was confused because this didn't seem like an insulting thing to say, because the husband was the thinner of the two.

The Australian quickly asked, "what do you mean by thick?" We explained. She then informed us that to Australians, when you call someone thick you are calling them stupid. Really? I find that surprising. How could we both (supposedly) speak the same language (English) and still have such vastly different meanings for the same word?

just read: Tuesdays with Morrie

It isn't often that a book makes me cry, but this one brought tears to my eyes (it's hard to keep reading with blurry vision). I really enjoyed the writing style of the author - great imagery with words.

This is a story of two men's life journey's - they met when one was a college student and the other a professor. Their relationship was rekindled when one is dying and the other saw him interviewed on television. This is considered their final thesis together.

The book is full of wisdom. It offers what everyone longs for, a mentor to answer the deeper questions in life. There are many good tidbits in the book, but there is one I have discovered to be true and would love to pass along in Morrie's words:

"So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they're busy doing things they think are important. This is because they're chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning."

I read all the time, but I only post the books I recommend. I give this book a recommendation of "two enthusiastic thumbs up." I hope you find it as inspiring as I did. It will be on my bookshelf for years to come and I plan to refer to the underlined portions in my copy whenever I am looking for a little inpiration.

thank God for girlfriends!

In case you haven't noticed from the tone of my blog, I've been having a rough time lately. Things at home and at work have been difficult. I am sure that moving to the other side of the world ranks pretty high on those stress level tests that rate difficult experiences. Here's what I learned, I am blessed with good girlfriends.

On Thanksgiving, after reading my less than enthusiastic blog post - I got a phone call from Africa to try and cheer me up. After a particularly hard week where I thought I had nothing left to give, a girlfriend said to me " you need a break." I agreed with her but admitted that I didn't have the energy left to plan time away. She reserved a room for me on the coast and insisted I go. When Kenyon refused to go with me, the same girlfriend who gave me a call from Africa hopped on a bus and met me at the beach so I wouldn't be alone. Being alone ended up not being a problem. My neighbor and girlfriend also stayed a few extra days to hang out with us. My first night there I was with a group of eight people eating the tastiest barbecued barracuda, listening to the ocean and in awe of how God surrounds us with people to meet our needs.

As I write this, I am grateful beyond words for the gift of girlfriends and the kindness they have shown me. It refreshed my soul. My circumstances still aren't wonderful, the struggles haven't ceased, but I know I am not in this alone. I am surrounded by amazing ladies. Thanks gals for the gift of your friendship! I hope to return the favor one day.

keep the change

The exchange rate of Riel (Cambodian currency) to $1 USD is about 4,000 to one. Sure, I like those odds in my favor. But, what I like most of all is there are no coins here. The smallest note is a 100 Riel which is worth a few pennies. The government did away with producing coins a while back. For some reason I don't really understand, the USD is also the preferred currency. So, I pay for everything in dollars. If I go to an ATM to get money out, it dispenses dollars. If they need to give me change back when I am at the store, I get dollars for the bills and Riel instead of coin. No need for exchange. And the part I like best, all paper money!

In my few short months here, I've learned that the lack of coins in my life is a nice change. I don't have to carry around a bulky or heavy wallet. A small, compact wallet suits me just fine since all I have are bills to fit in and they are lightweight and fold nicely. I don't know what kind of effect this has on the environment, but I can tell you it is an improvement in my quality of life.

On a recent trip to Thailand when they kept giving me Baht coins, I realized how much I have enjoyed living coin free. If it wasn't an amount worth hauling around with me, I would just politely say "keep the change."