So much has happened and I am going to try to sum it up and then be more diligent about writing each day. After Narla arrived he was tired, but fought it well. I didn’t let him rest much as we only have two and a half weeks and a lot to get done! We stayed the first night with Jo and Toby in West Sac, we wanted Narla to feel at home and have rice so we went to Panda Express:

He now thinks that’s what American rice tastes like…coincidentally he hasn’t eaten any more since!

Friday morning we were up and at ‘em and heading into town for a West Sacramento Rotary meeting. It was a pleasure to be able to speak to the club and I am really impressed with the work that Rotary is doing in their community and around the world, it was fun to be able to share our story with people that really care. Narla did fantastic in his first presentation and I was so proud of how relaxed and interesting he was, it was inspiring!

Narla is blown away by the homes here. He just says over and over again, “they’re so nice, its amazing, they’re just so nice, so new and amazing.”

We drove that evening back to Tahoe and got to see the kids who were thrilled to see Narla. The weekend was a bit of a blur, we just relaxed on Saturday and caught up on some sleep, then on Sunday my mom and dad threw a great get-together at their new house in Tahoe. It was fun to meet their new Tahoe friends and we told them about JWOC and what we’re doing in Southeast Asia and the support was amazing! We have people that donated, wanted to volunteer and wanted to visit and volunteer in Cambodia! That night we drove back down to the East Bay and I introduced Narla to an American icon…

We spent the night with Dawn, one of our great board members and she and Narla even did some work:

She also introduced Narla to a great American staple, the American breakfast:

So it was a busy weekend, but really productive, when I asked Narla what the highlights were for him it was:

1. Meeting such nice people
2. Being able to talk about JWOC
3. Seeing the amazing houses and all the cars
4. McDonalds

Not in that order, MickeyD’s was sadly a lot higher!!

… Read more »

Narla’s American Adventure
Part 3: (insert word here) is HUGE!

 

He’s here:

 

 

Narla arrived in San Francisco and the adventure has officially begun. The tour of hugeness started at the airport…”this airport is huge”, then we got on the freeway… “wow, this road is so huge”, crossed the Bay Bridge, “this is the bridge? It huge!” and saw a cow…“that much bigger than the Cambodia cow, why?”

 

 

Everything was bigger and fancier and more than what he had ever seen before, here were some of my highlights and some things that make you go hmmmm:

 

1. He thought it was funny that none of the Lexus’s and Land Cruisers had their name spelled out in big letters on the side as it is in Cambodia, he asked if it wasn’t a big deal to have a Lexus here. I explained that it was still a big deal, but it was a bigger deal if you didn’t make a big deal about it.
2. He thought Vallejo was beautiful (I thought I should write their Chamber and let them know, it might be a first)
3. At one point we had been quiet for a while, having spent the first couple of hours catching up on all the B&B gossip and future plans. “You know,” he said, “I am going to have trouble describing this to my friends back home.” I advised him to take a lot of photos!
4. Out of no where he said, “I would like to go to the Taco Well, Brandon say it what make him fat.” Oh yes my friend, we will go to the Taco Well, we will go.
5. As we came through Sacramento he asked where all the people were. He said if it wasn’t for people in cars he would think there were no people in America. I realized that he was right. In Cambodia I don’t think I’ve been anywhere where you couldn’t look around and see people walking, riding their bike, playing games, or napping in a hammock. The country is just outside a lot, out in the world for all to see. I realized that in America we tend to go from car, to work, to shopping, to home and spend very little time out front. With relief as we drove through Brandon’s parents neighborhood where we’re staying the night I saw a family sitting in their front yard, “look,” I yelled triumphantly, “there are some Americans outside.” As we drove by and I waved, happy to prove that this wasn’t a people-free country, the kind Vietnamese family waved back!!

 

Narla is in bed, hopefully for a jet lag free nights sleep and I am heading that way myself. Tomorrow we have our first fundraising presentation and then on up to Tahoe where he may just freeze, he just described Sacramento as, “maybe the coldest place I ever been.” Wow, not after tomorrow it won’t be!!

 … Read more »

Narla’s American Adventure
Part 2: A little pick me up

I am writing this as I wait to pick up Narla at the San Francisco International Terminal and I have butterflies in my stomach, I can’t imagine how excited and nervous he must be. His impending visit is already affecting my perspective: driving on the freeway here I marveled at all the cars and how big the roads are, when I stopped for fast food I got excited to think of showing Narla the beauty of the drive-thru, the Bay Bridge, which I have driven over hundreds of times suddenly seemed an impossible length and I finally appreciated that it’s a double-decker bridge! All of these things that I take for granted are going to be shocking and awe inspiring to someone that has never left the third world!

I think beyond seeing his jaw drop at these ‘little’ things I really am excited to show Narla our country. He has spent so much time and energy showing Brandon and I, and all of our guests, his country, that it seems only fair I return the favor. I know he’ll take it in stride and appreciate this experience and I can’t wait to watch!… Read more »

Narla’s American Adventure
Part 1: Up, Up and Away

Narla left Cambodia today and is on the longest flight of his life (by far) on his way to the US. He has traveled with us to Vietnam and Thailand, but this is his first time out of Southeast Asia and to a developed country. He wrote me a message from Taiwan:

 

*** 

Dear Andrea,

 

I would like to inform you that now I am arriving Taipei, waiting for my connecting flight. 

When I depart from Phnom Penh have some Cambodia but few of them are going to San Francisco.

I am fine and everything is good.

 

Here is pretty big and so excited to see, so many shops selling alot of stuff : )

 

I’m looking forward to see you soon.

 

Best regards,

 

Narla

*** 

I can hear the excitement in his voice and can’t wait to see his big smile!… Read more »