No it ain't Christmas, this is just an exclamation of 'you wouldn't believe what's happened between now and then"!
A total 'about-turn' is what's happened. Anyways back to that in a mo...
Itinery since Pakse...
Arrive Pakse. Stay in overpriced shabby room. No mosquito nets. Run by Asians from India. Discovered the one next to 'Jasmine'. 'uuurrggghh' (the funny noise Homer makes when he's in food ecstasy!), drool, dribble - the BEST curries I've EVER had!! Share room 3 of us. (No, none of that!) Bus (to my total disappointment - i.e. not boat) to Sii Phan Don (4 thousand islands). Arguements. Boyfriend attracted to girl we're travelling with AND tells her (without me there of course), but then tells me too.... Arguements.
Pakse again, by bus AGAIN. More curries. Motocycle for me - Brilliant! To 2 beautiful waterfalls. Then to Champasak by motorycle from Pakse, crossed river on raft with bikes, to see ancient ruins ex-Hindu temple converted into Buddhist one. Pakse to Tha Keak (I think)by bus. V tired. 5 day idyllic motorcycle round trip from TK. Mahaxai ('ma ha chai') met land mine (UXO - unexpl ordanance) disposal workers. Grubbiest GH EVER. Cockroaches (paid no rent). Peeling wall paint. Hairs on sheets of last person. Ban Thalan. I joined volleyball game with locals in pm. 5 punctures. Non town where ate across street & saw mkt. Then 2 nights at most excellent caves, 3 or 4 kms long, in boat with spot light. Homestay with locals. Great sticky rice. Vientiane. Dom ill. Bored. Luang Prabang. Street mkt. OK GH. Lamp shades. Local theatre. Boring caves with small buddha statues.
That's enough of that for now. I came here to discuss other stuff, but then I realised I hadn't done my itinery.
So yeeeaaahh,
Things I have learnt over the last 4 months (briefly)
* I need to give myself time
* I'm coming to terms with bad stuff (no, will not explain)
* I didn't deserve what I got (again, will not explain right now...)
* I don't have to please everyone all the time
* I don't have to like everyone all the time.
* Not everyone has to like me.
* It feels great, awesome, fulfilling to CHALLENGE YOURSELF - JUST DO IT - TO TEST IT - TO SEE IF YOU LIKE IT, TO SEE IF YOU DON'T, TO LEARN ABOUT YOURSELF - TRY IT and see.
* I'm a bit calmer
* I've affirmed that I respect other's opinions.
* I'm fun, I make ppl laugh with my spur-of-the-moment jokes
* I give everyone the benefit of a doubt. You don't know them. Where they've come from. What they've experienced. It might be less or more informed than yours.
* I'm a bloody good inspiring teacher when I know how.
* I give myself and others credit where it's due
* I'm not arrogant
* I'm getting older........ 
and that's goood.
What I personally need to do to keep this in mind:
* Meditate
* Challenge myself
* Write myself a letter about how I am, how well I'm doing.
* Write problem ppl a letter who have upset me (not to be sent) to say how I feel, how I've been affected by them, what limits I'm going to set on how they treat me
So yeeeaaahhh,
For 'challenge yourself'
- I'm now 'demi-vegetarian' - I believe animals are being mistreated in the UK and the USA generally speaking & unless I know that's been a happy cow, in a healthy place and been..
slaughtered without hiccoughs, then I'll eat it with a conscience.
I still eat fish though, but responsibly. Only species that are not on the endangered list or being threatened in some way. Hence 'demi-vegetarian/ pescerian' or I could pee off some devout veggies out there.
- Something I can't say here that I'm sorting out
- I'm APALLED at the crisis in Burma. Did you even know that in our 'day and age' there's a genocidal tyrant killing his own ppl, driving them out of their own country, raping kids & women, destroying homes. And this has been going on for surplus 20 years???? These ppl have nothing. The gvt isn't providing health care, nor accessible education in it's own ppl's language. In fact it's taking money from humanitarian orgs meant for the ppl. Well anyways, I'm a teacher at a refugee place for these Burmese kids who are either orphans, kids of underpaid migrant workers, or just refugee kids fleeing. I'm buying a couple of refugee artist paintings too. And they're damn good. Did you know that although Thailand has camps, it denys refugees 'refugee' status to avoid having to give them a basic education, basic healthcare, etc, etc. NIMBY I guess.
So yeah, you know, I'm enjoying doing things I care about.
