Friday Evening Along the Mississippi

With no special plans in mind, several friends and I took a stroll along the scenic Mississippi River in Minneapolis this evening. One of our goals was to explore the city as much as we could before the torturing Winter arrives.

With Michael as the tour guide, we went to many awesome spots – places where we probably would have never found out if we were to do it alone. Thank you my friend for being such a great tour guide!!

We are planning to go to the Farmer’s Market tomorrow. I will post pics from there as soon as I get back!! Until then, have a great weekend, everybody!

Michael, aka George Clooney, our best tour guide ever

Liu Ya, Michael and Yang Li

Stop “hot” men at work! :p

The Mill City Museum

One of the most famous theaters in the United States, the Guthrie is a must-go spot. You definitely have to at least check out its Yellow Box, if not see a show.

Downtown Minneapolis from the Yellow Box

The Yellow Box

The Stone Arch Bridge at night

Human Evolution… Guess which one is me?

We went for some yummy Thai food right after..

And here is what happened to everybody after the dinner!! Thanks to naughty Michael, of course!

Columbus Weekend With Paul [Part 2]

The football game finally came to an end at 3 p.m. BC’s 55-24 victory over Bowling Green made our day even more special. Following the game, we decided to head to North End, where Boston’s famous Quincy Market and Little Italy are. Unfortunately,​we had less company this time. Only my old chap Brent remained with us. Marley, Harvey and Christina had already gone home.To get there, we took the ‘B’ Line to Government Center. We arrived to find there was a 1960s’ car display there. We were so mesmerized by how cool it was. Many of the cars looked so classic and fancy. I dunno how much attention their owners must have put on them. They looked unbelievably new. Suddenly, they reminded me of an uncle of mine who loves such cars. I imagined he would give anything to be there.

The BC trio

“Mind your head, Paul! This car might eat your head!”

SuperBrent pushing the giant truck! មិនបាច់ប្រឹងទេ សម្លាញ់! រុញវាមិនទៅទេ!​

Our reflection in one of the side mirrors of a Ford car

From there, we proceeded to the Boston Harbor, where one could see some of the best views of Boston.

Time to get funny.. Monkeys united!!!

“I’m sailing, I’m sailing home again, across the sea!”

See? The view is way too nice not to capture.

Friends forever..

To wrap up our evening, we went to a Korean restaurant called Koreana in Cambridge for some yummy Korean BBQ and Soju. This time, our company expanded. Marley and Harvey were back with us. Guess ‘cos it’s eating time.. hehehe..

Yummy BBQ!!!

Harvey and Sweet Marley

The “Chopsticks” Gang! :p ម្នាក់មួយកណ្តាលគេហ្នឹង បងធំពួកខ្ញុំ! កុំមកលេងជាមួយ! ប្រយ័ត្ន!

Columbus Weekend With Paul [Part 1]

I am back guys! Sorry for having been so inactive. My life has been rather tough this semester. I am taking three classes, doing two internships, and taking a comprehensive exam in three weeks. I’m just having too little of a time to do anything on the blog. Hopefully I’ll survive!!! Pray for me!

Putting all that whining aside, I got a very good reason to take my time off this weekend. A SSEAYP friend whom I haven’t met for four years is in the US for a conference, and he’s decided to visit me in Boston. He arrived on Friday night and stayed until Monday afternoon. A great host as always (beaming), I took him to some of the coolest places in Boston. So there you go! Have a look at his Bostonian experience!

BC Vs. Bowling Green Football Game

The first and probably most exciting thing we did was catching the BC-Bowling Green football game on campus on Saturday! It was Paul’s first time watching a live football game! So as you could imagine, he was very excited about it. That morning, we woke up very early, despite the jet lag he was still having, dressed up, took a good walk from my place up to BC, and joined my BC friends for the exciting day.

Tailgatin’. Out of a sudden, Boston College saw a sea of Eagle fans tailgating all around campus…

Not to mention a live music performance by a group of BC students, who sang..

Sweet Caroline

Good times never seemed so good..

I’ve been inclined

To believe they never would

Oh, Lord, no

The whole atmosphere was awesome! Regardless of who you were — young and old — every BC eagle just had fun!

The yellow army! BC rocks!

The Eagles in action! By the end of the game, we beat Bowling Green by 55-24. Way to go, Eagles! We are already in the top 4 nationally. Who knows? We could be the Champion this year.

Bruneian Eagle Spirit. Even though Paul is not a BC student, he’s full of support for the BC Eagles. His wearing of the yellow shirt clearly proved that.

Go BC Eagles!

A special parade during half-time

Paul grabbing some cold beer with my BC folks to celebrate BC’s victory!

To be continued!

Kuong Ly: The Proud Khmerican Truman Scholar

At 22, Kuong Ly of Woburn already has the makings of the human rights lawyer he wants to become. Drawing on his family’s experience living for seven years in Southeast Asian refugee camps before immigrating to the United States in 1990, he is determined to make a difference in the lives of refugees around the world.

Ly, a junior at Boston College, has immersed himself in human rights issues since his freshman year. He has advocated for affordable housing in Boston through the Asian Community Development Corporation, used a scholarship to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Cambodian genocide, volunteered with Never Again Rwanda through a fellowship, and conducted research through the Cambridge-based Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma.

Ly spent this past semester abroad, studying Mandarin and women’s rights at Peking University in Beijing, where he also interned at the United Nations Development Fund for Women.

Also this month, he became the only Massachusetts resident to be named a 2007 Truman Scholar by the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation.

Awarded to 65 students from among 585 nominees nationwide who are seeking careers in public service, the honor provides $30,000 for graduate study, as well as leadership training and internship opportunities in the federal government.

Ly plans to attend graduate school overseas before returning to the United States to attain his law degree. Ultimately, he hopes to help enact international laws governing the education of refugees and persecution of rapists who prey on women in refugee camps.

While refugee camps are designed as temporary living situations, Ly said his own experience demonstrates that families can languish for long periods of time. Because refugees can become dependent on food, clean water, and other aid in order to survive, they may lose the skills required to care for themselves when they return to society.

“I’m proud to be an American living in the United States, but all of us from privileged societies have a social and ethical responsibility to help others,” Ly said.

“Instead of seeing Africa as Africa, we should see its people as our own brothers and sisters. We’re all tied to these issues of human rights, and together we can find a solution to the problem.”

Source: Boston Globe

Big Congrats to Raju!

I got to know Raju during a KOICA-sponsored training session in Seoul, Korea three years ago. Although the program lasted only 10 days, Raju and I, plus almost 20 other programmates, were exceptionally close. Many of you wouldn’t expect such an intimacy from a 10-day program, would you? But we did. I still vividly remember how good and bad we were. I am missing so much of all the fun and jokes we shared, all the songs we sang and all the things we did together. We were so active that our KOICA program manager gave us two thumbs up for our youthfulness and group unity.

Today Raju sent me an extremely good news which she had kept secret until now. I couldn’t believe that my amazingly gorgeous friend had got married.

You really broke my heart, Raju! Did you know that I used to have a crush on you, dear?

Just kidding. I really wish I could get such a good news every morning. That would lighten up my day.

I am so happy for you and Amol. You’ve been together for so long, and definitely this is time you formally share your life together. May your love remain sweet and strong as always.

Keep Uncle Mongkol posted whenever there is a good news. I promise I’ll visit you and your kids in Nepal.

2007 Winter Ball

A saying goes that, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” And when at Boston College, do as the BC students do. Of course I did.

My experience at BC over the past 1.5 semester has been fantastic. Just like other American campuses, BC is so rich in events, mostly set up by fellow students, for us to shred off our stress. There are just so much going on each week; going to all of them is far from possible. There have been boat cruises, city and museum tours, student-mentor retreats, cultural shows and the like… You name it, you find it.

I finally got to join one of the largest grad student events of the year last night. Held at the Colonnade Hotel in downtown Boston, the 2007 Winter Ball gathered more than 300 students. Wading through the freezing winter chill and snow, flocks of hot BC guys and gals showed up in their nicest dresses and make-up… I could hardly recognize many of my female classmates because the make-up and dress gave them a completely new look. Not until they called my name did I know who was who.. Crazy me! :p

My classmates from previous semester–Katie, Christina, Marley and Erin

With Christina the Marilyn Monroe

Our devoted GSA event organizers, Mike, Jess and Nick.. You guys’ve done a great job! Kudos to you!

The Trapelo House hotties.. My roommates Farooq, Julian, me and Brian

My department mates. FYI, 80% of my classmates are female.. It’s probably because Higher Education Admin. is a female major. Hmmmm!

The sexiest lady of the night, Kajahl…

My bunch of close friends–Elizabeth and her fiance, Chenzi, Kerry, Yumi and me

After a happy chit-chat and buffet dinner, it was time to rock the dance floor…

Yo yo yo! Let’s go with hip-hop beats!

Chenzi rock-n-rolling with Andriy…

My turn with Yumi

“It’s getting hot in here… Let’s take off all your clothes…” goes Nelly.. By the way, sb is staring at your something, Kerry! Be careful!

Kerry: Hey man, what are you staring at?

Who says that the ball is only for young people. See? Even Isabel’s mother was there too.

And she even danced… Amazing mom she is.

The City of Brotherly Love

Our third day began very early.. It was so early that you readers might be wondering why we did it. Not to make you question any longer, our destination for the day were neither DC museums nor its suburbs. We were going on another one-day trip far out of town.. to the historical city of Philadelphia.

Instead of commuting by subway or buses, this time we rented a car. Costing approximately $80, our car came with fuel and a GPS, a must-have for any trips in this land of complexed road network. Since Chivoin’s friend François was the only one among us with an American driver license, he was our driver throughout the day. We all knew that he was so tired at the end of the day, but man we had no choice..

2.5 hours away from DC, Philadelphia or Philly is the largest city in Pennsylvania. The first American capital city, Philly is a city where history and modernity remain together. Dotting around its downtown are buildings that are as ancient as the American Revolutionary War days and as modern as you can imagine–the most remarkable of which are those in the Independence National Historical Park, where the US Declaration of Independence and constitution were drafted and signed.

The Independence Hall

Little Georgetown

After a full, tiring day trip in Downtown DC on the first day, it was time to explore what DC’s suburbs have to offer. Asking whichever locals you meet, you would be pointed towards Georgetown, a little neighborhood in the Western quadrant of the city. Formerly a separate city, Georgetown predates the establishment of the District of Columbia. It is one of the most popular hangout and shopping areas in town. Dotting from south to north are upper-class restaurants and stores carrying some of the most expensive brands you can think of. They are just way too pricey for budget travelers like me and my friends.

Unlike our first day’s, the weather that day really sucked. It rained and drizzled all day long… Occasionally we had to run into a nearby store to get away from the frequent showerings–sth I really hated and enjoyed at the same time. Had each of us not brought an umbrella, we would be soaking wet.

A strip of high fashion stores on Wisconsin St., one of the few main streets cutting through this little neighborhood.

After a yummy Lebanese buffet lunch on M St., we headed off to one of the hottest landmarks Georgetown is famous for. Can anybody guess? Think!!!! I am giving you 30 seconds to think…

TIME’S UP!!!

You would be wrong if your guess had been a church, a monument or a park. The pride of Georgetown, about which I am talking here, is Georgetown University. Ranked by the The Economist Magazine of London as one of the leading universities in the world, it is also the oldest Roman Catholic and Jesuit university in the United States, dating as far back as 1789. Georgetown’s schools of law, medicine, and foreign services are among the nation’s best. Many heads of state such as former US president Bill Clinton and President Gloria Maccapagal Arroyo of the Philippines are all Georgetown alumni.

A Wonderful DC Experience

We woke up rather late today. I guess we were still unable to adapt ourselves to the Eastern time zone after many weeks in the West Coast. By the time our journey kicked off, it was almost noon. Bong Edith was kind enough to make us a very nice brunch, understanding that it was going to be a long day today.

To reach downtown, we had to take the S2 bus, which unfortunately was late and had countless stops. It took us almost 40 minutes for a distance of 3.5 miles. Yet what could we do?

The Royal Embassy of Cambodia, our home sweet home in DC

Anyhow, our day wasn’t so bad though. We managed to cover quite a number of key places, including the White House, World War 2 Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, Chinatown, Capitol Hill and a brief coffee break at Starbuck.

To cut a long story short, enjoy some of our cool pics from today. Tomorrow we are going to visit the Pentagon and Georgetown. Hopefully, it will be as fun. Don’t forget to check back from more update, k?

Down in Washington, DC

The last leg of my winter journey is finally here. After ten days in San Jose, I am now in the United States’ capital, Washington, DC. Joining me here are two of my former colleagues, Chivoin and Virak. We have been fortunate enough to be put up by Edith, another former colleague of ours who is now working for the Royal Embassy of Cambodia here.

Though I have yet to visit any places, I am already deep in love with DC. Via brief views from the air and along the way from the airport, DC is incredibly nice. The city is well-organized and, surprisingly enough, very green. We can see trees and parks in almost every corner. Missing from DC’s skyline is high rise concrete jungle. Many of the buildings here at most are eight or nine stories tall.

According to Edith, other than being the nation’s administrative and political center, Washington, DC is also a museum city. It is home to numerous national landmarks and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the United States. Some of DC’s major attractions are the National Mall, which is a large, open area in the center of the city featuring many monuments to American leaders, the Washington Monument, the White House, the Pentagon, the Capitol Hill and over a dozen of Smithsonian and art museums. During our three days here, we really hope to cover most of the places. If possible, we plan to spend another day in Philadelphia, which is around 3 hours away, before heading home.

That should be all for now.. It’s been a pretty long day today.. Gotta hit the sack now.. More update later.

Two Days in the Sin City

Las Vegas is a world of megastructures… Many of the hotels there replicate famous world wonders and cities. This pyramid structure is Luxor Hotel.

New York Hotel

Universal Studio

Welcome to Universal Studio Hollywood!

Me pretending to be a football player

San Pedro Fishmarkets

I would say that my visit to Long Beach and Los Angeles this time is both a traveling and eating trip. Because Sopheap most of the time got hungry so quickly, we would eat almost every two or three hours… I know it’s funny because he is very skinny yet eats a lot.

After coming back from Hollywood, Sopheap and I went to pick Ranith, another friend of mine who currently studies and works in Long Beach, for a crab dinner at San Pedro Fishmarket together…

Hollywood: The Movie Capital of the World

My devoted personal driver.. It’s been very nice of him to have driven me all around during the past couple of days. អរគុណធំៗ អាម៉ាក!

One of the freeways to Los Angeles

And here we are in the movie land

Huntington Beach

On my second day, we traveled to Huntington, a beach city around 30 minutes from Long Beach. Known as Surf City, Huntington is a very affluent and touristic area. It boasts eight miles of scenic, accessible beachfront, the largest stretch of uninterrupted beachfront on the West Coast.

Downtown Huntington Beach

We first had our stop at an American restaurant from brunch.. On the same street where our restaurant was parked hundreds of expensive, luxury cars. You name them and you’ll find them there… Welcome to America, the materialistic world.

Hello Long Beach!

In the end, my Winter break officially began. Despite a pretty hectic morning, the journey has so far been great. I am now staying with my best friend Sopheap in Long Beach, California. In contrast to the freezing Boston weather, it is really warm here. The temperature hardly goes lower than 55F although it is now winter.

Unlike what I had expected, Long Beach is a very nice city. Located around an hour south of Los Angeles, this is where the largest Cambodian community outside Cambodia is. We did drive past the newly proposed Cambodia Town on Anaheim St. a little bit tonight. Just like in Lowell, there were signs and billboards in Khmer all along the way…  The only difference is that Long Beach has more Cambodian shops and restaurants. Many of the buildings here are newer and better organized. Yet I was warned that shootings are pretty frequent in this Anaheim St. area, esp. at night.

Shabu Shabu

By the time we finished our tour at the Science Museum, our stomach began to growl again… After a brief talk, we decided to have some Shabu Shabu, a Japanese hot pot soup similar to Sukiyaki, at a Japanese restaurant in Chinatown.

Kanika going through the menu

Kanika and Romny with her Kiwi juice

The Shabu Shabu soup… It is similar to Sukiyaki but is more savory and less sweet.

My surf and turf meat set

And some vegie to go with the yummy soup

 

Boston Science Museum

The entrance to the Science Museum

Giant grasshopper

Giant mosquito

Apollo

Me, Romny and Kanika making our names on the magnetic boards

Here are our works…

Fighting with the dinosaur

Show or Tell?

Indianapolis 500 Race Car

X’mas Dinner with BC Folks

My classmate Yun and her cute little boy William

Vichea (right) and my close friends Isabel (left) and Sutan (middle), a fellow Fulbright scholar from Indonesia

Fellow international students

Sutan, Vichea, me and Howard (Yun’s husband)

Vichea’s Visit to Boston College

Welcome to Boston College, the Eagle’s College!

In front of Campanella Building, home of the Economics Department

Gasson, the main landmark on campus…

St. Ignatius Loyala

Bapst Library

So gothic.. The architure that reminds me of Harry Potter’s Hogwarts

Window Shopping in Prudential

Today we’ve got Romny (left), another friend of ours from Ohio, with us.. This was taken on the subway to Prudential Center

Time for modeling.. Romny posing in Copley Square

Then it was Kanika’s turn… Cool, huh?

And then my turn.. My face is so big..

My favorite shot

In Prudential Center

Romny trying to be cool once again..

Kanika

Kanika and I

With Romny

Vichea and Romny

Exploring Boston with Vichea

My good friend Vichea arrived in Boston yesterday evening. Now pursuing an MA in Language Education at Indiana University in Bloomington, IN, Vichea is also a Fulbright scholar. We have known each other for a long time. We went to the same college and also worked for the same place after graduation.

His purpose for coming here is not only to visit me but also several other friends. Today we had a really fun day together. We began with a brief tour around Chinatown and Quincy Market and then visited his Japanese friend Yuka at Harvard University. Getting there, I was so suprised that Yuka also knows my Turkish friend Nese. Both of them are staying in the same dormitory and have been very good friends. Thanks to the two smart Harvard ladies, we managed to have a pretty comprehensive tour around their campus. While on the way, we talked and chit-chatted non-stop, trying to reminisce all the great memories we shared during our Fulbright orientation. Finally, after a light pizza dinner with them, we were picked up from Harvard by Kanika, another friend of Vichea from Medford. Because my stomach was beginning to growl once again, we decided to get some Kui Tiew Phnom Penh (គុយទាវភ្នំពេញ) at Elephant Walk Restaurant in Brookline​before concluding our night with a movie…

Tomorrow we are meeting another friend in Lowell for some more real Khmer foods.. Anyone wanna join?

For now, here are some of the pictures we took today.. Enjoy!

Let’s Explore Boston!

A Surprised Birthday for Yumi

A few friends of mine and I threw a small birthday party for our Japanese friend Yumi this evening. Although almost everything was done at the last minute, our surprised party plan worked. Yumi was so thrilled that she almost burst into tears. She must have thought we have forgotten it. :p Poor gal!

お誕生日おめでとうね、王女! We all love you! Hopefully, we can give you a more exciting one next year! Just watch out!

Happy Birthday, Yumi! Can you guys guess how old she is now?

Art Thomya: A Rising Superstar

 

Born and raised in Thailand, Art has lived in the UK and France and represented Thailand in various cultural exchange programs in Japan, Norway, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Brunei, The Philippines, Indonesia, and Korea.

Awarded first prize of Chulalongkorn University Singing Contest while being an engineering student, Art also won other two national-level singing competitions in Thailand, involving 11,000 contestants in 1999.

In 2002, he was selected to play a leading role in ‘A Different Kind of Truth’, a musical production at the University of London and took part in Bangkok production of ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’, a musical by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Cambodian Puppet Theater

A Cambodian puppet show titled the Story of the Dog rocked Providence, RI this Friday night. Another revolution in Khmer performing arts, the Story of the Dog is an east-meets-west piece newly co-set up by Cambodia-based Sovannaphum Khmer Arts Association and Sandglass Theater Company from Vermont, USA. Combining performers from both companies, the story integrates Sandglass’ characteristic puppet style with beautiful traditional Cambodian shadow puppets, dance, and music.

Coming with me were Beth, Walter and their kids–Harry and Sara. I am so glad that I made it there, despite the long distance from Boston. Somehow, the show has brought me closer to the Cambodian communities over here. Prior to and right after the show, I met so many Khmericans, some of whom, just like us, had travelled all the way from Boston and Lowell just to enjoy this masterpiece. I am so impressed by the tremendous support they, as well as almost 300 other American audience, have for Khmer arts and performances.

However, that’s not all. While we were waiting for the Q&A session with the artists, we noticed one white guy approaching us from the distance. Surprising us from behind, he said, “Hello Mongkol and Beth! How are you? Mongkol, how are things going with your study?” At first I thought he was Beth’s friend, but yet how did he know my name? Hmmm.. A big question, huh? Only later did I find out that his name was Decker and he was one of our regular blog readers. Decker is from the UK and currently resides in Providence. He loves Cambodia and viewing Cambodia-related blogs is one of his ways to get in touch with Cambodia. Well, what a coincidence! Nice to meet you, Decker! I hope to see you again sometimes. :p

Well, it’s 2 am now.. I guess I’ve been writing enough. That’s enough for tonight’s midnight oil. For now, please enjoy some of the pics and video clip I got from Providence..

Viva Cambodia! Viva Khmer Arts!

Our quick dinner at Whole Food Supermarket in downtown Providence before the show

In Downtown Boston With Praneth & Friends

This weekend was way better than the past one. I was lucky enough not to have any more papers to work on. Early this morning, I got a call from Praneth, a former student of mine who is now doing his Master in Computer Science at Bridgeport University in Connecticut. He told me that he had just got in Boston and wished to meet me. After a bit of discussion, we agreed to meet up at Quincy Market, a popular tourist shopping spot in downtown Boston.

Joining him in this trip were 50 other people, most of whom were Chinese and Taiwanese. By the time I reached Quincy, most of them have already split up. Meeting me there with Praneth were two of his friends, Lee from China and Chai from Thailand.

Praneth and I

Gifts from Thailand

I got a parcel from Rita today.. I was so surprised to see so many CDs in there. The fact that they all are my favorite artists took me further over the moon.

Those hot brand new albums were from Tata Young, Ai Nam (ไอน้ำ), Kala, Sleepless Society 2, Marsha, and Absolute Hotwave.

My new Thai collection

Among them all, Marsha’s was the most special. Since Rita’s company is working on a new movie starring Marsha, she has managed to get Marsha to sign on the CD for me.

Khob khun mak P’ Rita and P’ Marsha. ขอบคุณมากครับ สำหรับทุกอย่าง… I love you all. Hehehe… For sure I’ll treasure all these.

Higher Ed Welcome Retreat 2006

Following the boat cruise blast, Lynch School of Education and the Graduate Education Association this morning organized the 8th Higher Education Welcome Retreat at Connolly House, Chestnut Hill Campus.

The purpose of this Sunday meeting was to introduce new graduate students of Higher Education Adminstration to prominent faculty and alumni members so that they can start developing their personal expectations and career goals, learning how to make the best of their studies, and establishing their social and professional network with people in the same areas of specialization.

Indeed, that was another important aspect of student life at Boston College, the Eagle University..

Aline giving a welcoming talk…

Cruising the Charles River

 

As parts of its ongoing student activities marking the beginning of the new academic year, BC this past Friday organized a boat cruise along the Charles River. It was estimated that over 500 students went rocking the boat cruise this year. Charged at $25 per head, it was not a bad deal. We got to enjoy a wonderful night view of Boston, along with great food and music..

It was kinda exciting for me as it was the first big American party I’ve been to. During the past week, I’ve been drowning myself in tons of reading.. Talking about it, can anybody guess the amount of my required reading each week? Hmmm.. You what..? It’s 450 pages.. :p My life has been pretty tough and the cruise indeed was a fantastic retreat for me. Hmmm.. Thinking of reading, I kinda get scared now. I was told that it would get even heavier in the coming weeks…

Happy 4th SSEAYP Anniversary!

Nippon Maru, Home of the SSEAYP-ians

Dear SSEAYP & Fellow SSEAYP-ians:

Today marks the beginning of the journey of our lifetime. Today marks the day we crossed paths with one another. Back to the very first SSEAYP days, we would stick to our own kind because we didn’t know each other. Who knew that by the end of this wonderful journey we would become one true family? Who knew that we would always hold each other dear to our hearts? Who knew that we would always remember SSEAYP as our journey of a lifetime? Who knew that SSEAYP would allow us to discover ourselves, true friends, the world and meanings of life?

SSEAYP, you’ve given me so much, so far beyond my expectation. You have opened my eyes to cultures, some of which I had no ideas of. You have helped me hold mine even closer to myself. And most beautiful of all, you have given me the beautiful people that I met and now know. You have given me a new family outside my own. Without you, I would not be outgoing, confident and outspoken as I am today. No matter what, you will forever be close to my heart. You are the one journey that I will never ever regret taking.

My dearest SSEAYP friends, a zillion thanks for the wonderful love, memories and priceless friendship. You have made a very special difference in my life. I promise I’ll cherish them all till the last moment.

I love you all… Happy 4th Anniversary!!!

Till we meet again.

-M-

 

In Lowell With Beth

Walter, Harry, Beth, Sara and Me

It’s been a couple of months since I first started communicating with Beth Kanter, an American blogger based in Boston.. I could land in such a good place as where I am living now partly because of Beth’s help. It has always been my wish to one day meet and thank her in person. Finally the day has come, and I got to meet her and her wonderful family last Sunday.

 

Understanding how much I’ve been missing Khmer food, Beth and her husband Walter, along with their Cambodian adopted kids Sara and Harry, took me to Lowell, a little town around 40 minutes outside Boston. Formerly an important city during the American Industrial Revolution, Lowell has the second largest Cambodian population in the US, only after Long Beach in California.

The closer we got to Lowell, the more speechless I became as nostagia was strengthening itself inside me. Seeing all the Khmer signboards, stores, supermarkets and restaurants, I felt as if I was back in Cambodia. Lowell is truly a Cambodia outside Cambodia for me. It’s been weeks since I last saw a Cambodian. Now, here were the Cambodians..

Kai Overdance

I was browsing through youtube.com today.. So glad to find most of favorite Khmer songs there.. More special than that, I could even find my Lao friend Kai’s music video too.. For your information, Kai is a member of Overdance, one of the most popular pop bands in Laos. Besides having great beauty, Kai also has a great voice.. SSEAYP people are always cool.

Let’s check out one of her hot songs, Hoo Wa Huk Gun (ដឹងថាស្រឡាញ់គ្នា)…

Friendship Dinner

Before leaving Cambodia, I was so anxious and worried about how my new life in America would turn out. Many friends have advised that I keep myself busy and, if possible, make as many new friends as possible. And so far, following their suggestions, I’ve been doing really well down here, both physically and psychologically.

Thanks to BC’s many orientation sessions, I’ve got acquainted with several new friends from Canada, China, and Japan. I really hope to know more people when classes start.

Yesterday, I was invited by Zeena, one of my Chinese friends, to try her Chinese cooking at her place.. Joining me were my 2 other friends–Isabel from China and Yumi from Japan. Since the ladies were doing the cooking, I decided to stop at a convenience store and tag along a few bottles of Coke… By the time I got there, it was time to eat.. Oh man, they really knew how to cook. I, big eater as always, ate until the last drop.. :p Hmmm.. Talking about it, my mouth is watering again now. :p

Next time, we are going to try a Japanese dinner at Yumi’s place and following that probably a Cambodian dinner at mine.. Oh man, I gotta start practicing my novice cooking skill now, or I’ll lose face. :p

Yumi and Zeena smiling from the kitchen

Isabel working on her half-Japanese, half Korean sushi… :p

Zeena’s specialties

Isabel’s sushis