Don't trust the big white Lexus!!

     Well it's 97 degrees. This is extremely hot without an air conditioner. Well the past few days have been nothing short of adventure after adventure! The other night I went down to dinner and found a HUGE bowl of soup and another huge bowl of rice and a plate with 2 whole grilled fish all set out for me. I started stirring the soup to try to find out what was in it. There were 2 entire slimy fish is this bowl of soup. Here's a little social math just in case you didn't already know I'm a nerd, ha. That makes 4 entire fish, 8 eyeballs, roughly 80 bones to pick out, and who knows how many scales. I started to panic. How on earth was I ever going to get this all down? Then I realized ma had stepped outside! I ran to the kitchen and found the pot of extra soup. WHEW! So I shoveled most of the soup back into the pot, haha.

     Well the next day I decided I need to get out and do something fun on my day off from work and I was dying for a burger. Only problem was my new friends were at the beach for the weekend, leaving me here alone on the weekend again. I found a wannabe McDonalds place called Lucky Burger only about a 20 minute walk from my house! So I grabbed my map and mapped out a route to walk along busy streets that would likely have sidewalks. I figured I'd be fine walking alone in broad daylight. So I set out on a mission. While I was walking a man in a big white Lexus pulled up next to me and then was slowly driving along next to me as I walked. Then he drove around the block about 3 more times and slowly drove by me each time. I moved farther and farther away from the street and my glares got nastier and nastier each time he came back around. (I'm giving you the Reader's Digest version by the way) Well I was waiting at an intersection when he drove by AGAIN and I glared at him and yelled out "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" I'm sure he understood me and was shakin in his boots...He turned right in front of me and stopped. I panicked. Several things were now running through my head: "Should I run into this little corner market?" "No then he might corner me in store." "Would anyone even do anything if they saw me get thrown into a car?" "Would anyone understand me if I yelled for help?" "Would anyone even care or be inclined to help me?" "What would I do if I got thrown into his car?" "I wish Lindsay had taught me some of her fighting skills ha" Well so I did what anyone would do. Naturally I ducked behind a sign and prayed and stayed there until I saw him finally drive off slowly. When he was out of sight, I ran off in the opposite direction and ran into a huge supermarket, conveniently named Lucky market.

     I did feel so lucky to have gotten away to this large place where he surely couldn't track me down! AND they had donuts!! Not so lucky, however: when I went to pay for my pastries, I saw the big white Lexus parked right in front of the store. YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME MAN! But I had to get my burger! So I asked the clerk where Lucky Burger was, and he pointed that it was next door (same chain I'm guessing??) I ran into Lucky Burger and ordered my meal and ate at a table in a corner where I wouldn't be in plain sight. Well this guy ruined my meal because the whole time I was watching my back, wondering if he was in there waiting for me. I called Thida to see if she would come pick me up. No answer of course. I was literally scared for my life! I got up all my courage and found a guy on a moped out front and paid him to drive me home, knowing a big SUV could never keep up with a moped in the traffic here. I've never been so relieved to have made it home safely. I still look over my shoulder for the white Lexus anytime I walk anywhere.

     Later that afternoon I found a movie theater near my house that advertised serving "buttery salted popcorn". Sold! Google maps said it was only a 2 minute walk from my house. I figured I could manage this and planned it just right so the movie would be over in time for me to make it home before it got dark. Well the street numbering system here makes about as sense as the road construction in Utah does. Nobody knows where ANYTHING is. Apparently not even Google Maps. (Maybe you can help me with that, Ryan?) I'll be walking somewhere and ask people with a stand along a street what street number it is and nobody ever knows what street they're on. Well Google Maps sent me in the complete opposite direction of my destination. I finally made it there after wandering around for 40 minutes. (It took me 5 minutes to get home afterward.) BUT I did make it literally seconds before a downpour! This was the coolest place! It's owned by an English guy and it's just a huge room with a projector and then a bunch of mattresses and couches, ha. It was so fun. I will definitely be going back. I watched a movie about Burma's history and ate popcorn and drank a Fanta in an air conditioned room. I am continuously amazed at how much some people have sacrificed in their own lives so that we can have freedom. We really are so blessed. God bless America! I'm really sad I'm gonna miss the 4th =(.

     Last night I gave my family the big box of assorted candy bars I brought them from the U.S. Ma was more excited than the kids, haha. However, no one opened it and ate any. A few minutes later I left to take a shower. When I came back in, they were all gathered around eating the chocolate bars! Not quite sure why they wouldn't eat them in from of me...ha but today, half the box is gone. Glad they like it!

     Well I'm headed to bed and tomorrow I'm off to the Koh Kong province with 2 women from RACHA and 1 from the World Food Program to see about expanding a food supplementation program out there. This province is on the coast near the Thai border, so I'm hoping I get to see a few things! Can't wait to get outside of the city!!