Hospitalization and Anger (TMI if you don't like brief poop talk)

As most all of you know, I was in the hospital this last weekend for intestinal and stomach pain. Turns out, I had a non-mechanical blockage of the intestine--a paralytic ileus. Which is a pretty serious thing. I thought I was just gassy or something, but no, I was in a bad way with an infection that can be life threatening (but usually isn't).

Here's the thing. I wouldn't have gone to the right ER (the one where they actually gave a shit) if my mom (a nurse) hadn't pushed me to tell them it was probably an ileus. When I decided (at 4am) to go to the hospital because the pain was too much and I was worried I wasn't going to get any sleep and that I might be sicker than I thought, I sent my mom a text describing my symptoms and she sent back a frantic push that I needed to get an ultrasound or CT. When I stumbled downstairs and (doubled over in pain) made my way to a taxi to ask them to take me to a hospital, the driver laughed at me. Laughed at a crying, doubled over woman. He said something about Seoul, I'm assuming he was a taxi driver from Seoul and trying to tell me he didn't know where anything is, but that's no excuse for not helping someone in obvious pain. He could have called 119 or used his stupid GPS to find an ER. I could have called 119, but I wasn't convinced it was that serious. I got out of the cab, slammed the door and cussed while crying and clutching my stomach.

There's a small hospital across the street from my apartments, but I don't like it--I went there for an ob/gyn check up since that's the only English on the sign and I didn't like the doctor. It also looked closed. I jay-walked across the street, praying I wasn't struck by a crazy Korean driver that would come zooming out of no where. I was lucky, there was an attendant sleeping at the desk and the door was unlocked. I hobbled up to the desk and pulled out the Lonely Planet phrase book and pointed to the words "pain, constipation, diarrhea" which confused the attendant and I tried to explain "One year constipation. One day diarrhea." in broken Korean. He called the nurse and doctor and they hooked me up to an IV and gave me some antibiotics and were confused by my crying and whimpering when the needles came out (I tried to explain since the doctor spoke some English, but it just hurt the argument that I knew what real pain was) and then freaking out a bit more when the nurse hit a nerve and my thumb went tingly. ***Update: My thumb feels pretty weird and when I bump the place the nurse poked me the thumb goes numb*** I was put in a room and left there until I walked out an hour and a half later since the IV bag was empty and my blood was backing up into the tube. The pain was the same. There was no call button that I could see in the room.

The attendant (same guy as before) told me the IV makes the problem disappear and there was nothing to do now and to come back at 9am for outpatient consult with the doctor. I tried to tell him the pain was the same, the IV didn't make the problem disappear (this was all through a phone dictionary, his limited knowledge of English and my very limited knowledge of Korean). So, I hobbled out of the hospital, stopped at the steps and doubled over again because the pain was still strong and I was worried I wouldn't make it across the street. He just repeated to come back at 9am. It was 6:30am, I had to go home and wait it out. WTF Korea?

I Skyped my mom, since she's my mom and was the reason I decided I should go to the hospital in the first place. She told me that the hospital was crazy, I had all the classic symptoms of intestinal blockage, that it was a serious thing, and that I had to push for the tests to see what was wrong. I did, at 9am, I went back to talk to the doctor. He told me it was just inflamed intestines and that I had to take some pills and go home. I called my mom again to let her know what he said. She asked if they did any tests to look inside, I said no and she repeated that I needed to get them if only to rule it out because I had all the symptoms.

I brought my computer with a list of symptoms of intestinal blockage and a list of symptoms for the gastritis--pointing out that I had all the symptoms on the blockage list and only two on the other. The doctor said that those were "common symptoms" and I said, "Yes, of intestinal blockage." He said that I couldn't get a CT at that hospital (even though there was a room for CT and a room for xrays) and that there was an insurance issue. I said I'd pay out of pocket and flashed my American insurance at him. He finally wrote the order for a CT and said I would have to go to the ER at Sang Mo Hospital. I had to press him to write the constipation under the "symptoms" section of the order, and he said, "but that's not your current issue, you have diarrhea" and I had to explain again that this was only in the last 24 hours and that for a year I had been constipated on and off. He finally wrote it down.

I went to the desk and asked the nurse to write the name of the hospital in Korean so I could show the taxi driver. They just spoke the name and told me to get a taxi. *facepalm* I said "ssuda juseyo" (write please) like I do with my students (the geniuses are only 5-11 years old and understand the "writing" gesture and the instruction to write). The nurse wrote it down and wanted to the flag down a cab for me--pretty much acting like I was an idiot because I wanted her to write down the name.

I got to the ER feeling like an idiot because I was under the impression (from all the Koreans) that I was over-reacting. My co-worker had to come and sign me in because I guess I'm not allowed to do that myself? I was downplaying the situation with him because I was still under the impression that I was not in any danger. I continued to feel this way until 6 hours into my hospitalization when a new doctor finally showed me the images from my CT and xray and explained how my colon was 2-3 times normal size and both it and my stomach were filled with air. That it might mean surgery. That they should never have removed the tube from my nose. That I would have to stay for 2-3 days.


I still don't know if it was my fussy nature that made them release me. My mom said that she wouldn't have let me out until my first successful BM. The morning shift doctor said I could go though and that my xray from that morning looked "good." Whatever that means.

I'm still freaked out. Every burp feels like a warning sign, but they don't stink like they did. I'm having slight indigestion right now, so I'm trying to keep track of that to talk to the doctor about tomorrow. I am angry that I had to push to be taken seriously. That I was pretty much ignored by doctors and nurses while in both ERs, and that I just don't know what the heck was going on. I was trying to think of the closest English speaking country with good hospitals in the event that I just wanted to fly there. The American doctor (someone my dad knows) and nurse (my mom) who were consulted both said it was a serious condition, but the Koreans acted like it was a nose bleed.

So there's one more thing I won't miss about Korea-- crap communication with doctors and nurses. I don't understand why Koreans don't draw maps or use visual aids when talking to non-Korean speakers. Pictures help! Seriously, if I need to know where something is, draw a flippin' map! Don't just repeat your Korean directions. Ugh. If I need to know when to take pills, write the time or draw a clock. To the nurse's credit, she did eventually write the time on the pill pouches.

I am grateful to all the nurses and doctors who did help me out, and to the ones who tried to talk to me despite communication barriers. And my awesome roommate (who was in for a thyroidectomy due to stage 3 cancer--which made me feel stupid for whimpering over needles) who walked me to the place I needed to go to pay for the stay and explained when I needed to take my meds in her broken English.


Anyway, I'm feeling better but freaked out.

Scared...but Jubilant?

I don't know if it's just my nature to be discontent with the situation at hand, or if it's that I haven't found something that fits yet and inertia takes over. The focus is rarely on the present long enough for me to focus. I'm both elated and really scared and bummed out about having only 4 more days left as an English "teacher" and only a month left in Asia.

I'm having anxiety dreams--mostly involving money. I have fears that I didn't do the whole "living abroad" thing right, just like I didn't do high school and college right. I never pushed for that experience I really wanted, I just settled because it was easy. The fears that the 20lbs I've lost and kept off for a year will come back, that I didn't do enough self-improvement, that I'm not good enough are creeping (read: swarming).

I've been over-eating crap-ish food recently. Not good. When I get to Wonju on Saturday, I'm going to revamp the way I'm living to get back on track. I just feel kind of ill, over-stuffed and unsatisfied. Layers upon layers of redundancy.

I'm running from sleep. Playing solitaire games on the iPhone just like I did when I first got here. Tonight, I distracted myself from prepping lunches for myself by scrubbing off the mysterious grease spatters that didn't come off in any of the previous "OCD moments" I'd had through out the year. They finally yielded. Good. Now there's one less thing for the in-coming person to judge my slovenly housekeeping on. Maybe I'll feel less guilty about not providing awesome linens and kitchen towels, now that something has less of a yellow hue to it.


I'm excited about Thailand, but worried about everything after that. How do I visit all the people I want to see? I can't let myself even glimpse down the spiral of worry about petrol and travel. Slippery slopes versus experiences I've been dreaming up since I was a little kid? Experiences. I'm being selfish, for a bit...well, to a point, I am still considering others over myself. But that could be a selfish habit as well, self-deprivation in the name of not rocking the boat and not taking risks.

I'll feel better after I've gotten everything cleared out, cleaned up and settled in Wonju. Getting settled takes so much time, then uprooting seems to ambush me. Do I spend time nesting or do I purge my belongings and streamline my life? Can I become what I want and travel? Can I become what I want and nestle into a stationary life?

I'm grateful that these are the problems I'm contemplating, they feel big. They are big. But, I know I will never want for anything since I have so many wonderful people in my life.

I need to go to sleep. My adrenals and brain are already going to have a hard time kicking the glorious coffee habit.

Coming soon: Lists of things I will and won't miss about living in South Korea.

Fulfilling experiences to you all!
Sarah

Cherry Blossoms--Wow, Korea can be something other than grey!

This post is overdue. A nod to the more beautiful times of year in Korea--those fleeting weeks of Spring and Fall, yes "weeks."

During the 1-2 week period in which the Cherry Blossoms are in bloom, Korea seems very fairy tale like place of peace and beauty. The pink-white flowers seem to explode everywhere overnight, along with huge, white, fragrant magnolia blooms and yellow canola (or as they say here "rape" --no, not "rapeseed" just "rape," that caused some confusion in my adult class and I may have traumatized the housewives) flowers. The world seems like nothing could go wrong ever. The bees are out and quite happy, the world just seems like a beautiful place.

Friendships and Wanderlust

Korea is an intense experience. It's lonely in the deepest meaning of the word, many people cry to themselves and ache for some sort of human connection--any human connection. Then you meet some people you get along with and the world is awesome again. Until there's drama, and then it's aggravating but you still have some solid people in your life. Then you find a niche community of people you really, really click with, and it's time to leave.

All the relationships forged in the living abroad experience are strangely attached and non-attached. Some people cling to their new found friends and try to get them to move closer and work in their area, others are more free and understand that we're all parting soon but we can connect while we're in the same place. Most everyone in Korea is in transition, and that means that we have to build on a constantly shifting foundation. It makes for an interesting experience, one that mixes the difficulty of getting to know someone with whom you can open up with a time pressure that makes the soul-wielding occur at lightning speed or not at all. Friendships here can circle around meaningful or jump right in. Korea's got a time warp feel--it takes months to figure out where to go grocery shopping, but you can meet someone and within a week know their entire history and a list of their aspirations.

It makes it difficult for a person like me to focus on a single goal, I'm hearing about all these exciting things people have or are going to do and I've connected with some to an extent that I don't want that to disappear just because our respective contracts are up and our time has been served. I can't sit still for too long on one idea, but I want to dive into it all. For now, I'm committing to coming back to Southern California but my eyes and feet are looking at the road, rails and skies. Plotting the next adventure. I've had a taste of the world and I want more.

As I pack up, donate or sell off the winter clothes and items I don't need at the moment, I'm really glad I stuck it out and I'm thankful for everyone who reminded me that I was strong enough to do so.

I'm going to the Boryeong MudFest this weekend, so there will be updates with photos when I get back!

Cheers!

Trip to Cambodia - ACODO

I was super disappointed that Wendy and I couldn’t get the tuk-tuk drivers in Phenom Penh to understand where the supposedly famous Cambodian Dance Academy was, despite our use of a map and help from the hotel staff--I thought I was going to miss out on traditional Khmer dance. Luckily, we found Assisting Cambodian Orphans and Disabled Orphans (ACODO) in Siem Reap, and an evening trip to watch traditional dance turned into a moving experience that touched both Wendy and me.

ACODO is an incredible, though small due to lack of funding, orphanage in Siem Reap. The children range in age, from 3-21 years—typically the orphans leave the orphanage at 18, but the 21 year old currently residing there is a burn victim who started working at the orphanage because his chances of getting a job outside of it are lower than most and he does really love the other children. All school-aged children attend state school, and receive English classes at the orphanage from volunteers (I tried to see if I could help out for a day, but there was a miscommunication and I didn't get the opportunity to put my current profession to use for this worthy organization). In addition to the standard education and English classes, the children learn traditional Khmer dance, opera and how to play an instrument. The children are amazing -- very professional in demeanor and execution of the dances and songs. Even though Wendy and I were the only people who came out to watch them that night, they performed for us as if there were an audience of a thousand.

In between acts of the traditional ballet repertoire the director of the ACODO played a video demonstrating the needs of the orphanage--food, hygiene items, volunteers, and money--and their plans for expanding their grounds. ACODO is planning on adding a library with computer lab, and they are saving for land to start a farm so they can supply their own food and use the money they were spending on food to supply more opportunities for more children. The love in the eyes of the director was as apparent as the joy on the faces of the children.

After the performance, Wendy and I stayed to play with the children and talk with the director about coming back to volunteer later on. Wendy, ever the percussionist, whipped out her wooden spoons and taught the children how to play them. This very special organization deserves support and the bonus of being able to watch traditional Khmer dances performed by unbelievably talented children and teens should drive more tourists to ACODO—it’s far better than the overpriced dinner theater style shows that don’t give any money to worthy causes.

Trip to Cambodia - Floating village, lotus fields

If you take a trip to Siem Reap, I suggest skipping the Floating Village unless you know for a fact there's something awesome going on there. The cost of the boat out isn't worth the trip--$12 or something super expensive for Cambodian prices--and while it's cool to see buildings floating in a lake, it's not that cool.



On the other hand, for a donation of $1 you can walk through some pretty amazing Lotus Fields on the road to the floating village. I highly suggest that. It's on the same road as ACODO, so you'll pass by the orphanage on the way out of the town and you keep going (Wendy and I stopped on the tuk-tuk on the way out to the floating village and then biked out there again the next day on our rusty $2/day rental bikes). You can eat the seeds (ala 'The Odyssey') and walk along this huge field of sacred flowers. It's a really lovely way to spend a few hours. If you're into photography, you can get some pretty amazing shots there.

Buddha's Birthday at Bongamsa

Buddha's Birthday has always been a favorite holiday of mine, at UUCNWT we had a Japanese (and now I know Korean) style hana (flower) matsuri (festival) and celebrated the birth of Buddha with songs and readings about his life, but my favorite part was the flower alter with green tea. Every year, we erected this alter with a bowl and young Buddha statue (the one with him pointing one hand to the sky and one to the Earth) and surrounded the structure with fresh flowers from around Tucson and the bowl was filled with green tea. You were to pour the green tea over Buddha while sending off a wish/prayer. I found this extremely meditative and I loved the action of pouring the liquid over the statue.

My friends Allison and Erika joined me on a trip to Bongamsa, a temple (-sa means "temple") near Daejeon in central Korea which is only open to the public for Buddha's birthday. It was raining--just as the song written by Jeff Chamberlain of UUCNWT says it did when Buddha was born "And the story says the rain came down like tea"-- but we made it to Bongamsa around 1pm after traveling to Seoul to catch the bus at 10ish, we left the terminal around 11 though. I had packed a lunch of kim bab (nori rolls or sushi), carrot salad, spelt banana nut muffins and watermelon, we chowed down before hopping onto and while on the shuttle bus from the road to the temple. 'Twas tasty goodness.

We got to the temple and it was one of the more sacred experiences I've had in my life. Unlike my prior trips to temples in Korea, which were always beautiful and amazing in their own ways, this actually had a hushed and untouched feel to it. Maybe it's because I wasn't with a group of drunk and disrespectful teachers. Maybe it's because I already placed weight on the date. Maybe it was the rain. Whatever it was, all three of us felt it.

I got to pour tea on Buddha, like when I was a teen at UUCNWT but on a much bigger (and uglier, in my opinion--one of the bright pink and green numbers that you see in cheesy restaurants) statue. Sending off healing vibes to those in need and feeling this emptiness where the UU church used to be.

On Buddha's birthday, it's tradition to make wishes--I'm not sure why--and they are supposed to have more probability of coming true than other times of the year. There are several opportunities to do this, and we took advantage of all of them! For a (required) donation of man won (10,000 won ~ $10) you could write the names of the people you wanted to send a wish to/for on a paper that was to glued to a paper lantern and then hung among a large group of similar lanterns, or you could (for the same price) write the names and addresses of the people you wanted to send out the wish to/for on a tile that would be used in either repairs on the temple or when a new building was roofed.

I had trouble figuring out the address thing--you were supposed to write your home address, and I don't feel like I have one at the moment. I'm in a transitional phase and I don't really feel like I have one place I call "home." I talk about Tucson and Los Angeles (and at times Incheon, but not really in the same way) as "home."

Anyway, the temple. We walked around for an hour or two and then decided to head back into Seoul and get home. The rain was picking up too and our clothes were soaked through below the knees and on the sides of our shirts--umbrellas are useless in the wind. Our journey home was a bit more complicated, but we got there. There was a van taxi driving people from the temple into the nearby town, and we were ushered in that direction by the police managing traffic at the temple. The vans were unmarked, but we figured if there were hoards of people getting into them they had to be safe, right? Oh Korea, I'm so glad I have more street smarts than this at home. After every Korean in the van had filed out to their various destinations, it was just Erika, Allison and myself in the back of a van with an unknown driver. Did we feel unsafe? Hell no, we were nearly completely comfortable with trusting this stranger with our lives--though we did keep commenting on how we would never do this at home and how crazy this was.

We were dropped at the bus terminal in the small town near the temple, safe and sound, but we had to figure out how to get from this terminal to the one in the bigger town that had buses that ran to Seoul--that just took some usage of the ever-life-saving handphone dictionaries. We were wet, a little cold, but we were on our way home.

We got into Seoul really late--leaving the Daejeon area around 4-5pm, with rain on the road meant it took 3-4 hours to get into Seoul, then another hour for each of us to get home. It was a lovely trip though. I recommend anyone in Korea during Buddha's birthday check it out.

Trip to Cambodia - Ankor Wat and other Temples

Wendy and I got three-day passes for the temples at Ankor Wat, and took a tuk-tuk with a guide to the temples on the "long tour" for the first day. The trip to the temples was pleasant, it was a warm day and several flowers were in bloom and perfuming the drive through the country. When we got to the entrance of the temple sites, we still had a drive ahead of us and we bumped along the jungle and rice paddy lined road through villages and to the older temples. We passed so many banana trees! I was in heaven with the fresh fruit there and I'm drooling just thinking about two weeks in Thailand. Mangoes will be eaten!



Our guide was a bubbly man in his late twenties or early thirties (I can't remember) who had grown up on a subsistence farm in a rural part of Cambodia, when he was 18 he moved to Phnom Penh and started working construction by day and going to school by night. He eventually learned enough English and Cambodian history to become a tour guide (the tests are apparently pretty strict, and his knowledge of historical names and dates was really impressive), and he said his mother doesn't believe him when he says he works in the tourist industry.
It bothered me that subsistence farming was so looked down upon--especially since it's the kind of thing we need now and the Western world is slowly swinging back that direction--but I can see where the itch to get out of poverty comes from. Wendy was pretty into how long his nails were, and has some photos of his well manicured hands. I loved how he would laugh and gesture in a very friendly, bubbly, slightly effeminate way during our conversations. I had some fun trying to teach him the pronunciation of "ashes"--he had trouble with the "sh" sound and was saying "asses," which is harmless enough and I told him it wasn't an issue at all since his English was very good but he insisted on perfecting it.

Anyway, back to the temples. It was seriously like walking into a Indiana Jones film (I believe Bayon was used in the filming of one of them), except with less tunnels and snake pits, crocodiles or Nazis. And the Asian children were Southeast Asian and trying to sell us things instead of Northeast Asian and trying to tag along for the adventure. Oh, and we were the beautiful women but independent enough that we totally could have rocked fedoras and a bull whip (though, I don't know about using one). It was surreal to be climbing on and touching something older than anything in the States. I always want to touch the items in museums, and this was way cool because the whole structure was an artifact! It was crazy to imagine the people who built the structures, the wars they withstood and the changes in religious figures--the older temples started out as Hindu, and were converted to Buddhist usage after Cambodia became a Buddhist nation. Banteay Srey started as a Hindu temple and became known as "The Citadel of Women" when Cambodia became a Buddhist nation, because of all the goddess imagery.

Wendy even got to jam while we were in the temples! There was a band of landmine victims playing traditional Khmer (Cambodian) instruments and Wendy impressed them with her spoons. She traded instruments with a man who had no right forearm and made their day. She wasn't just a tourist, she was exchanging cultures and having fun. ^_^




The temples were of similar architecture (except Bayon
which has a bunch of contented, smiling Buddha faces carved into every facet of the building), but our guide (I feel like a terrible person for forgetting his name already) was pretty good about taking us to temples from different eras so I didn't get "templed out." We even got to watch the sun set over the jungle on a not-too-crowded temple.


The next day, we went to Ankor Wat, which is the biggest temple and the reason Jackie O went to Cambodia back in the day, but I was less impressed with Ankor Wat than with the other temples we had seen the day before. I do recommend going, if just to see the immense grounds, but I think Bayon was the coolest looking (followed closely by Ta Pohm, which is all overgrown with jungle)
and Pre Rup is the oldest and that was the most awe inspiring.

It was a pretty good two days.

Trip to Cambodia--Siem Reap! Day 1

I started off the day miserable. K-Nay had gifted both Wendy and myself with illness, despite the menu being vegan friendly. Wendy was sick the night before and I was sick for the entire next day. Fun. I was bundled up in 80* weather, and couldn't be further than 2 seconds from a bathroom at any given time. And in this condition, I boarded a plane from Phenom Penh to Siem Reap.

When we landed in Siem Reap, grabbed a taxi (because the hotel didn't send someone to pick us up) and rode to the hotel, it was clear Siem Reap is much better than Phenom Penh and there's a reason it's more touristy. The town isn't as crowded, the air is clearer and the overall feel of the place is much more relaxed and chill.



We got to the Golden Banana Hotel and it was beautiful! There was this great pool with a waterfall and wooden tables and chairs on a stone patio for lounging. Plenty of trees and flowers. The doors to the room were painted a dark red, and had iron handles--not the typical sterile feel of a hotel. Then there were the paintings of the laughing gay Chinese man. The Golden Banana is run by two Belgian expats and advertises as gay friendly. The artist of these pictures with laughing Chinese men (same man painted multiple times in the same painting) is apparently the new hot thing in Europe, but Wendy and I couldn't help but laughing.

There was a slight issue with finding our reservations, despite us having called the night before to make sure our arriving a day early wouldn't be an issue and the person on the phone had assured us it would be okay. We were shown to a room after waiting around for a bit, and it looked nice enough, but the bathroom was upstairs and the bed I was supposed to be in was downstairs. I had trouble walking up and down the stairs (as did Wendy who was experiencing some nasty side effects from the anti-malaria pills she was taking) and we asked if we could move to a room with everything on one floor, and told it would be available the next day. No problem, Wendy went out for a massage and I laid down on the bed upstairs and passed out for the next 3 hours.

I felt a bit better after that nap, but not top of my game yet. Wendy came back from her massage feeling more tense than when she had gone out. The "spa" at the hotel had a very choppy, rough massage "therapist." So, the hotel wasn't as magical as it seemed at first glance, but it was much nicer than anything I would have been able to stay in if I were in charge of housing. :)




Mexican food! For dinner, Wendy and I walked into the stretch of town with loads of shops and restaurants. There were a couple that sounded good, but we settled at a place with Mexican food. I was not disappointed, but it still wasn't as good as the real deal. I just get super excited when I can have beans and avocado. I still wasn't feeling too great, but I was able to keep the dinner inside. Progress!

After dinner, we decided to explore the Pub Street section of Siem Reap and all the small shops and things. It was crazy. Like a street fair at night, every night. It reminded me of Itaewon in Seoul, but not as seedy. There weren't enough meals in the day to try all the places to find the best pizza, mexican food or curry. The beer still wasn't good. :P

Early night in so I could sleep of the rest of the illness.

Trip to Cambodia-- Phnom Penh, Part 3

Today was animal day! We were venturing out to see The Phnom Tamao Wildlife Refuge, I was a bit wary but the websites all said that all the animals were rescued and even though it had the word "zoo" in the title that it was better than what a standard zoo is.




As we wrapped our heads up in our dust protection and mounted the tuk-tuk, we giggled and attempted to take photos of the crazy traffic in Phnom Penh--that I found to be safer than the stuff in Korea because everyone drove much slower in order to deal with the lack of rules, but in Korea it's official policy to honk your horn and switch on your hazards as you zoom through red lights or make illegal left hand turns. We rode through the city and out through the country for about out an hour and some change before we got to the zoo. We paid the $5 for foreigner admission (as opposed to the $1 local admission) and went in. No body was there to hand us a map, tell us where to go, or offer us an official guide. So, we did what the boys trying to get us to pay them $10 for a day of walking us through a huge park told us to do--we just went right in. With in seconds, Wendy and I were nervously laughing as we realized we were in an enclosure and that we had no idea what kind of animal was in there with us. Turns out, it was a larger enclosure around smaller, more depressing ones with lots of macaques. Lots of them. These macaques were used to being fed by dumb tourists who bought the sugar cane bits from the boys for 50 cents. I did not want to feed the monkeys as I know that monkeys have sharp teeth and attitudes. This all goes in to a later part of the day that Wendy finds amusing and I find terrifying and stupid. But I digress.

We were walking and laughing at the idea that we had no idea where we were going and how this would never happen in the lawsuit happy States, when we saw them. The macaques. A small family group of them, and they were approaching. Wendy and I started walking faster to try and get out of that area. Wendy grabbed a stick.
I started to retreat. Then our savior, a local kid (actually around my age) who went to school occasionally to learn English so he could do the tourism thing came in and was able to guide us to a place the monkeys would not bother us. He knew the names of the animals and their temperaments, so he was totally worth the $10 we paid him. Aside from the fact that he saved us the trouble of finding a clean hospital in which to get rabies shots should he have been 5 minutes later in intercepting us.

We wondered around the zoo, I was upset by the size of the enclosures for most of the animals. Particularly a sad, lonely, cateracted gibbon who was so starved for contact that it was safe to hold his hand.

Wendy paid the 50 cents for sugar cane so we could toss it to the monkeys, I was nervous as I didn't want them to get impatient and jump us, bite us and take the cane we weren't dishing out on time. We fed some deer-like things and all was well, until... We left the big enclosure (the macaques wander free through out the park) and started feeding them outside the gate. Wendy handed me the bag of cane ("Oh, shit, no!" was all I could think after I recalled all the warnings from my anthro class from 5 years back) and laughed as I struggled to throw the cane out faster than the macaques were circling. I did not enjoy my brief adrenaline rush.

I was happy with the Free the Bears enclosures, inside of the zoo there was something I would actually call a sanctuary. The bears had plenty of space

, and Wendy and I were able to watch some cubs playing and having a great time in their enclosure. There were lots of enclosures for the bears rescued from being used for their bile or other parts used in dirtier and cruel Chinese medicine (it's not all just useful herbs). Free the Bears is run by an Australian woman and is top notch.

The elephants broke my heart. They were taken out for walks a few times a day, but most of the day they were kept in stalls. They also make the elephants perform on Sunday in order to pay for a prosthetic foot for one of the young elephants. While I agree with the cause, there are better ways to go about paying for it. The elephants should have a bigger enclosure during more hours of the day, but I am happy they get to walk the park and bathe in the lake a couple times a day. I cried for the newly rescued bull elephant who was chained because he was so afraid of the animals who had abused him all his life (humans) that he had killed seven of them. I don't know if he's still alive, he was at risk of being euthanized if he killed an 8th person. His eyes were full of sorrow and fear.

The lioness and cubs were also an issue for me, the male lion was lounging comfortably in a huge enclosure, but the lioness and cub were in a small, concrete cell because the lion didn't "like" the cub. Supposedly, all the animals are rescues, so this place is better than where ever the animals came from but it could be run in a much better way.

The birds didn't have enough space to fly. This is one of my biggest problems with some of the best rescues, including Currumbin in Brisbane, Australia (I've emailed them and talked about the bird enclosures, the reps have offered to Skype with me to discuss their cages), the birds do not have enough space to do what they do. At best, there are a few feet of gliding space in a low enclosure. I understand wanting to keep the "attractions" where people can easily see them, but wouldn't seeing them flying be cooler than seeing them sit?

I don't really recommend this place, unless you're going to the Free the Bears place (their program is more expensive than admission, but I feel better about what they're doing).

On the way back to the road to get home, Wendy and I got sexually harassed by a girl who was picked up by our tuk tuk driver without our permission. She was trying to get money from us, was eyeing our purses and then started to try and massage Wendy and me on the knees and thighs...multiple times, after we clearly said "No." She popped my fingers and tried again with the leg grabbing and purse leering.

That night, we ate at a restaurant that was touted as being vegan friendly and awesome. Wendy got sick that night and I was sick the next day (like bundled up in 85* weather with humidity sick, and needed to be not five seconds from a bathroom at any given time).

We paid to bump our tickets out of Phnom Penh up to the next day, happy to leave the madness and disappointing nature of the so-called attractions of Phnom Penh behind. So worth it!

Plastic State of Mind

Sneak Peek!

Upcoming topics:
Adventuring in Siem Reap! Follow Wendy and me as we:
--> Climb ancient temples! (One of them was used in the filming of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Dooooooom!)
--> Help orphans by watching them dance and return the next day to teach them to play spoons (Wendy) and sweep up leaves (me).
--> Bike to a lotus field and stuffing our faces with lotus seeds!
--> Fail at getting good massages!
--> Visit a zoo (boo!) and sanctuary (yay!)

Buddha's Birthday! My friends Erika and Allison came with me on an adventure to a temple that is only open to the public for the night before and day of Buddha's birthday. It was beautiful!

My second temple stay! Allison and I stayed at a temple this last weekend, we did 108 bows and my thighs still hurt.

My current reading! I'm reading "Crazy, Sexy Diet" by Kris Carr and really loving the book (though, not all of the ideas are really easy for my gluten/sugar/caffeine/alcohol loving self to implement).

I promise to post at least twice this week.

Love!
Sarah

Trip to Cambodia-- Phnom Penh, Part 2 (aka "Don't look 'em in the eyes!")

More on Day One:
When we went looking for live music was pretty sad, we had just gotten terrible massages from Seeing Hands Massage and it was really awkward and the massage was not good. Despite what the reviews say, I would not recommend anybody go to this place. Wendy and I called ahead, to make sure they could take us and when we got there we had to wait (I should have known something was up given the odd vibes in the room, everyone seemed uncomfortable or anxious) we were separated--Wendy went upstairs and I went to this room in which three other people were getting massages, that's fine I thought it would be like a clinic at a massage school just in a room that looked like a prison shower or something like that. We were given loaner clothes to put on. I was told to put my belongings in a locker, but not told where to put the key, so I just kept it by my head. The massage therapist (they are all supposedly trained) didn't speak English so there was no, "What areas do you want me to focus on?" and since we couldn't gesture at each other to speak I just settled in to receive whatever I would get for my $7. The massage was okay, not great and not what I would expect from a trained masseur nor something that was raved about on websites all over the place. The massage therapists were chatting to each other as they worked on us folks, and occasionally someone would announce something over a loud speaker or come in and tell the Seeing Hands folks something (I'm assuming checking to see who would next be available as the guy working on me would check the time each interruption). At best, it was a subpar massage. At worst, an awkward way to spend an hour. So, not bad, but I wouldn't recommend it. Wendy had a more dynamic experience and would probably be happy to demonstrate the vigor with which she received massages in Cambodia. It's not pretty.

When we departed from the super weird massage place, we opted to check for the bar Equinox, which was advertised (yet again) on Lonely Planet's site as having live jam sessions. It was because of this recommendation that it jumped to the top of both of our lists. We got in a tuk-tuk, again thinking the driver would know where something was--especially since it was marked on a map--and were thankful that everything is a flat fee. The driver was asking directions and checking different streets for a while, before finally dropping us off at Equinox. When we got inside, it was dead. No music. >.< When we asked what time the jams started (on the Lonely Planet website it was listed as something like 6-9), the women working the bar informed us that the jam wasn't happening that night but the next night (the website had also said it was every night--it looks like it's been updated since). So we walked around the tiny street it was on to check out what else there was in the area--nothing. We followed the map we had toward a park we had passed on the way out. People were doing dance classes in the park! To crazy hip hop tunes! We had to check it out.

We bumped into two girls from Europe (one Russian and one German) who were looking for a restaurant in the area and we had to join forces to figure out where it was, the map wasn't that great, but I did figure it out for them. ^_^ And Wendy and I were off again to find the dancing crews.

We came to this large round about, I believe it was the Independence Monument or something, and couldn't figure out how to get across--there was no cross walk, no overpass nor underpass for pedestrians. We were stuck. Would we have to flag down a tuk-tuk just to get to the other side of the traffic circle? How did people do it?

While pondering these cultural questions, a German(?) man in his 50s (?) came up and asked if we needed help. We said, yes and that we had no idea how to cross this lane that led into the traffic circle and we just wanted to get to the park. His advice? "Don't look them in the eyes." He went on to explain that the Cambodian driver mentality was that if you made eye contact you were going to yield, if you didn't make eye contact, it fell on the other person to work around you. This stranger basically told Wendy and me to blindly walk into traffic! Wendy and I laughed hysterically thinking he was joking. But, no, he was serious. We asked him to join us on this death inviting action, and he gladly did. Stepping off of the curb and into four lanes of oncoming traffic. We followed. (Dad, please breath, I survived)

Sure enough, the drivers didn't hit us--I have no idea how close they got since I didn't dare look up. I was too busy scampering across the road, mentally bracing for impact and laughing and shrieking from the absurdity of it all!

When we got to the park, the dancers were gone, so we got a tuk tuk back to the hotel and crashed (fell asleep, not automobile accident crashed).


Day Two! The day to tour the major sites of Phnom Penh. Wendy and I went down to breakfast and made sure our driver was on his way. The servers were so sweet, the coffee was good, the fresh fruit delicious, and there was this astounding homemade jam (my favorite was, surprisingly, watermelon- it had something like cinnamon making it more savory than sweet). After eating our fill, we gathered our things to be touristy and see the darker side of the history of Cambodia. Neither Wendy nor I had known anything about Pol Pot before coming to Cambodia, but we quickly learned how nearly everyone 30 years or older had been directly affected by the Pol Pot regime and those in their 20s had siblings, cousins or other family members who had either been murdered or tortured by The Khmer Rouge. Our driver had a brother who was taken, since his father was a professor (or maybe a secondary school teacher) in a village. He was lucky to be left alone, since even toddlers were brutally beaten to death by this regime, and that his father was allowed to live.

We started our day at Tuol Sleng Prison and Genocide Museum, which used to be a school but was converted into a prison during the Pol Pot rule. The grounds were actually beautiful, there were magnolia and palm trees in the courtyard
and the skies were clearly visible and blue. The weather was warm and beautiful. The buildings felt out of place in the natural beauty of Cambodia.


Inside the rooms were photos of some of the victims, ranging in age from infants to the elderly, and in some rooms there were loops still sticking out of the tiled floor with bits of chains still attached (I kept tripping on them). Pol Pot killed an estimated 1.7–2.5 million people because he wanted to restart civilization, he chose these people as victims because they had shown some form of intelligence and free thought. All around the grounds where signs requesting people keep a somber mood (or that's what I'm assuming since I can't read Khmer):



In some of the rooms, there were cots and photos of how people were tortured and killed in the prison. Electrocution, burning, bludgeoning, bleeding and all sorts of forms of torture were used. Here's the (poorly translated) rules of the camp:



After this light-hearted affair, we went out of the city limits to visit The Killing Fields where trucks of people were brought to be killed and buried. There were many disturbing things in this area, the stupa
full of the bones and clothes of many of the victims found in the mass graves, the tree that was used to break the skulls of toddlers and small children, the ditches that were once full of dead bodies and the tree that was used to hold loudspeakers that would play music to drown out the groans and screams of the victims. We ran into the two Euro girls there, Phnom Penh has a small town feel if you're just hitting up the touristy things--like sites of mass murder.


Next, we headed back into town to see the Royal Palace, it was nice and big like palaces are, but I wasn't that into it. There was a Pagoda/Temple on the grounds that had silver tiles on the floor (This is the Silver Pagoda), but the tiles were mostly covered by rugs.Buddha told his followers not to make statues and riches in his name, but monarchs will be monarchs and they built this gaudy place to celebrate an aesthetic monk. Wendy nearly fell into a display case trying to stand in front of a fan, that was pretty awesome. ^_^ We were laughing pretty hard during the day--trying not to do so too much at the more somber locations, but not always succeeding.




Finally, we had planned on trying to take in The National Museum, but we opted for lunch then heading back to the hotel to try and catch the Apsara Dance performance again. We had lunch at a place that looked popular, again being underwhelmed with the food, not that it was terrible, the service was kind of shotty and they were really bad about the veggie thing.

We failed at going to the dance place, but we opted to go to a pretty awesome restaurant near The Tuol Sleng Prison and Genocide Museum, The Bodhi Tree. The Bodhi Tree had good food and good wine, it was directly across from Tuol Sleng, so that was a bit creepy at night, but the grounds themselves were beautiful and the service was pretty good. A little slow, but they were super chill and I think they were just hanging back to be non-obtrusive. They covered the tuk-tuk since I only had big bills ($10s and $20s) and neither the restaurant nor the driver could break them, and just added it to the bill. Pretty cool. I'd recommend this place to anyone looking for good food, it was a little pricier than other restaurants, but was delicious.

Blog Work Ahead

I'm typing up my first days in Cambodia. I didn't take enough photos, so I'm going to do my best to describe things, but I'm not a refined writer so work with me.


In the mean time, check out these cute animals!

Trip to Cambodia-- Phnom Penh, Part 1

Lunar New Year, the halfway point (nearly) of my contract! I had been looking forward to this trip to Southeast Asia since I found out the dates of available vacation time (and that I wasn't, contrary to the assumptions of all teachers here, able to just choose when I would go) and the plans were in the works! My plan left Incheon at 11pm, so I went home and dumped my work stuff, baked some no-sugar, hemp protein pumped banana bread and headed to the airport.

On the longer flight to Malaysia (all Air Asia trips are routed through there), I had planned to sleep, and did for a bit but the plane was super bright for a lot of the trip and everyone else seemed to be awake. I was sitting near a Russian family, so I was trying to eavesdrop and decipher their conversation in between naps. Oh, the exciting travelling I do.

Landed in Malaysia at 5 something in the A.M., and walked through their super low security airport, found a Starbucks--it didn't have chai in any form WTF?--the heavens opened and I grabbed a latte. For whatever reason, the woman checking passports in the line I was in, was super slow and five people in the longer line would pass by the time she opened the book of one person in ours. Whatev's. I got on the plane to Phnom Penh on time. On this shorter leg, I sat next to a couple of Aussies on their first trip abroad--they were 17 and pretty cool.

We landed at 7 or 8am--I felt like it was closer to 3pm, and I parted ways with my plane buddies. Despite Phnom Penh being the capital of Cambodia, its airport is super tiny--not many tourists hit up this city. I was picked up by a driver from the Le Biz Hotel (Wendy graciously made the hotel arrangements ^_^, so I was already pumped because I wasn't going to have to deal with potential hostel drama--rare as it is) and relaxed into the beauty of the surrounding area.

Then we hit the city. Holy crap. The traffic! It seems there are no rules in Cambodia with driving, but I still feel safer than in Korea because folks drive much slower and will stop if someone doesn't seem to be paying attention (more on that later). So many motorbikes and tuk-tuks (a motorcycle with a 4 person trailer on the back)! It was a sea of people and pollution. The skies were blue, the air was warm and everyone was beautifully brown. I felt like I was home.

I got to the Le Biz and they were touching up the breakfast spread, and they had an espresso machine! Oh the joy! After settling in, showering of the travel funk (in the simultaneously future and aggravatingly not separated from the rest of the bathroom shower with voyeur window), and doing a quick taking of the room, I went down stairs for coffee, fruit and baguette. I didn't need a parka. I didn't need thermals. I didn't need long sleeves. It was 80* at least. So nice, when I left Korea it was just below freezing. I sat outside in a skirt and tee shirt! Checked my Facebook and email using my iPhone and the hotel's wifi and waited to set out and collect Wendy that afternoon.

Phnom Penh seems most comparable to a touristy city in Mexico, lots of street vendors selling food, trinkets and such. Buildings not quite up to any code, teeming with life, clothing out to dry, cars and noise everywhere. I wondered around the area by my hotel, immediately felt that this area wasn't as safe as Korea but that I would be okay in the daylight. There were monks in saffron robes with yellow umbrellas weaving through the traffic of the streets to go pray and beg for food or money at the hotel and surrounding restaurants. There were several auto repair shops in the area, and lots of bakeries but nothing really worth checking out, so I went home after wondering down an alley that had tiny stands and shops. I accidentally walked through some sort of Buddhist (I'm assuming) ceremony (there were monks sitting on one side of the alley and a restaurant on the other with people folding fabric while others watched--I hope I didn't ruin a wedding).

I napped for a bit after working out in the room, then headed out to the airport to meet up with Wendy.

Wendy had had quite a trip already, and was telling me all about her adventures through Laos and Thailand--it all sounded pretty cool, and I'm hoping to be able to experience the massages and food of Thailand come August. ^_^ The hospitality of Thailand sounds like something I'll really enjoy, and other vegans have told me that Thailand is one of the easiest places to be vegan in the world.

We got back to the hotel and made a plan to take in the Apsara dance show after dinner, so we set out to find the recommended restaurants by the Mekong river. We couldn't find the restaurants that were on the map (later during the trip we did, but it turns out our tuk-tuk driver didn't know where anything was) so we just went to this huge restaurant on the side by the river with an extensive menu. I handed over the list of things I don't eat and they said "no problem," then brought out spring rolls with shrimp in them. Grr, shrimp was on the list. They switched them out (or removed the shrimp, I don't know) and Wendy and I dove in. The food was okay, the wine was alright but the company made the meal!

After eating, we flagged down a tuk-tuk and tried to get a ride to the Apsara Dance Academy touted as amazing in Lonely Planet, but unknown by any of the people at the hotel as well as this tuk-tuk driver. He didn't tell us he didn't know, he just drove around asking everyone for directions. It ended up being too late for the show anyway, so we went back to the hotel (or maybe this was the night we tried to find the live music, but I think the music search happened the next night or later).

So far, not the best tourist experience, but it was warm and I had a familiar face near me! I was enjoying myself despite the hiccups.

Eric in Korea: The Final Days

So, I'll just quickly sum up the rest of Eric's visit. I'm sure most of you have looked through the Facebook photos and heard about it via talking with either me or Eric.

The day after we came back from Jeju, we went to the DMZ. We had to get up at the crack of before the sun came up to get to the USO office in Seoul by 7am. We were tired during the outing, but it was a great experience any way. The snow added to the surreal nature of the DMZ. We were told of skirmishes and all the land-mines still buried under the preserved land. Our tour guide was a humorous Philipino-American who kept apologizing for his pretty perfect English. Eric and I were able to stand on North Korean territory, it was pretty cool. I napped on the bus rides and Eric crashed when we got back to my place at 2 or 3 in the afternoon.

The next day, Eric and I met up with my friend Allison to get lunch and hit up the Korean War Museum then the Picasso exhibit at the Modern Art Museum. Korea's war history is pretty fraught with losses, but the museum stands triumphant and proud as the people in this country. Our lunch was delicious Thai food in Itaewon. When we got to City Hall and found the Picasso Exhibit, it was getting darker and colder. We got some Ho Ddeok (cinnamon and sugar filled pancake-things) and entered--a palace? Turns out the Modern Art Museum is inside the grounds of a smaller palace in Seoul. The exhibit was pretty awesome. Loads of artists packed into a tiny three story museum. When we finished up at the museum, we stepped outside to a glorious view of Seoul. Skyscrapers lit up with scaffolding and flashing, huge television screens in the background, and directly in front of us the buildings of the old palace, tastefully lit so their traditional architecture and painting highlighted at night. On the steps of the art museum, viewing the hodgepodge that is Korea, the stillness of the snow and the silence of the palace grounds, as we exited our fairy tale land of painted interpretations of life, hit us as the encroaching and imminence of modernity roared in the not so distant outer world. I don't know if we got dinner, but I'm assuming we ate something. ^_~

Next day was New Years Eve, this was an epic adventure. Eric and I started out in Bupyeong with my friend Jeffery and his friend (whose name I'm totally blanking on) got dinner at the local (only) Indian (Nepali actually) restaurant. From there, we headed into Itaewon to meet up with a group at The Wolfhound (they have alright veggie burgers there--not that we were eating again-- and beer that tastes good!). After we had a couple beers, we followed Jefferey to City Hall to see the celebration he said happened there every year (I think it actually happens at Jongo 3ga, but hey, I trusted his experience). We got there and there was nothing happening. There was a giant digital clock, but no seconds. A small crowd of Koreans was gathering, so maybe there had been something there last year. Eric pulled out his iPhone and we counted down despite the lack of pomp. After trying to buy wine but realizing the store didn't sell corkscrews, we opted for cheap beers from the 7-Eleven (yes, they're here too) before heading to a rockabilly show in Hongdae (the partying place of Seoul).

The RockTigers put on an amazing show and I have a crush on the lead singer whenever I'm at the show. She's a Korean woman with short hair! Unheard of, the men like women with long, straight hair, so until they are safely married the young women straighten out their long locks--then chop it all off and perm it when they turn 50. And tattoos! Tattoos are taboo and illegal to get in Korea (though there is an underground community of artists here), so you know people with them are bad ass. All the band members have tats. They are great musicians and all the male members (everyone except the singer) have Pompadours. The bass player has an upright with flames painted on. Amazing.

After the rockabilly show, we followed some slightly annoying girl to my favorite place here (though, I've only been there this one time)--Club 500. 500 is like a scene from Matrix Reloaded. The club looks like a cave, you're supposed to remove your shoes usually but on New Years they had us keep them on, and there are little alcoves for the dancers to find sanctuary. Trance, dance and pop music blasted from the speakers and there were instruments for people to jam on. At one point there was a jumprope game using a string of flags someone had brought in. The only down side was the bar kept closing so the folks could take breaks, so I had to walk to the local Family Mart (or possibly a 7-Eleven) to get water.

After we were all (except me! and those I cared for enough to share water with) dehydrated and tired, we headed to a norae-bong (singing room) to wait for the buses to start running again (5:30am). They had some impressive music, "Origin of Love" and "Gay Bar" were two of my favorites. They had bad beer, so I was sober pretty much after The Wolfhound, I'm such a stickler for taste. I was exhausted though, and the company was not top notch at that point--we had picked up a few stragglers and a couple of them were pretty annoying, despite most of the folks being solid.

Eric, Allison and I departed from the Norae-bong at around 6am to find the buses. Allison used her mad knowledge of the subway (aka, her subway map and having been to the station we were near before) to get us to the bus stops we needed. Eric and I had to stand the whole 45-60 min home, Eric fell asleep standing up. We passed out just as the sun was coming up at 7:30. Woo. Happy New Year.

New Year's Day 2011. Sleeping until 2pm. Anxiety over sleeping when I want to be awake and spending time with Eric. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Meeting up with my friend Erika and her awesome boyfriend Lucas for drinks, then their friends Danielle and Lise joined us later. Then home again, home again to crash.

Sunday. Souvenir shopping in Insadong. A memorable anniversary (4 years! Crazy, right? I was 19 when this thing started, now I'm 23) dinner with Eric at Namsan Tower's revolving restaurant. They custom made a vegan menu for me. Everything was delicious except the main dish--stuffed red pepper--sadly, it was basically rice with some over-powering kim (seaweed) inside of a tasty pepper. We sat down to dinner just as the sun was setting and we got to watch Seoul light up as night fell. It was amazing. Totally worth the $100 a piece. After dinner, we had to rush back to Bupyeong to meet up with Allison to catch Tron. That meant I had to do my homework the day before and watch the original for the first time ever. I loved the original for not taking itself too seriously and it's complete adorableness. The re-visitation; however, left me feeling bleh and disappointed in the hype over the visual and music. I don't regret seeing it, just felt like it could have been done better. It was pretty and I'm sure Daft Punk had put more into the soundtrack than the overplayed overture.

Monday. The dreaded Monday of separation. We slept in, then ran around Bupyeong collecting random things from the Underground Market, lunched at First Nepal (I had meant for us to make it to Sandal Baram, but we didn't have time after waking up around 11). We got back to my place and had to head right back out to get Eric to the airport. Emotional goodbye.

Then I was a wreck for two weeks. Insomnia and depression hit like heavy-weight champ.

I'm all better now! I do miss everyone a hell of a lot, but I'm doing well out here. I'm gonna look like a rockstar next time ya'll see me in person.

<3

Veganism and the UU Principles.

I like how meat tastes. I love cheese, I love it so much I get sweaty and shaky just thinking about a good smoked Gouda or a sharp aged cheddar. I choose not to eat these things even though I like the way they taste and they were familiar to me. I have many reasons for this, but as many of my friends are UU I thought it might make sense to tie my reasons to the UU principles. But, let me be clear, I did not give up meat because of flavor, or an allergy. When people use words like, "Oh, you don't like this" or "You can't have that" it devalues the choice I make to not partake in an irresponsible industry. Okay, so, the UU principles and veganism...



Here are the UU principles and how veganism is the ultimate way you can bring these principles to life:

We affirm and promote:


The inherent worth and dignity of every person.

Veganism promotes the inherent worth and dignity of every living being, starting with those who cannot speak. By supporting the idea that all life is important and to be honored, you support the welfare of adults, children, women, men, young, old and animals.



Justice, equity and compassion in human relations.

Veganism is the biggest compassionate move you can make in your life, and after you start living the compassionate life that compassion will seep into all other aspects of the way you relate to the world. By using a vegan diet to recognize that killing is not kind and should not be accepted at any level--let alone the massacres that occur by the hour in the name of our selfish taste buds-- and that cruelty to animals often leads to violence toward people, you make the world a safer and more peaceful place.



Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations.

Many of the world's religions support non-violence. Veganism is a choice of non-violence at every meal. I don't know of any religion that openly supports and touts the killing of any creature. There is a great sense of connection that comes with not killing things. A respect that penetrates every meal.



A free and responsible search for truth and meaning.

Responsibility and truth are key in a vegan diet. Vegans take on the responsibility of standing up for the rights of beings everywhere, even if it means not being able to have that juicy steak anymore. Vegans are not afraid (though not always comfortable) at looking directly at the true conditions that animals are raised and slaughtered in. Vegans are responsible for continually holding up the truth so others may see it, even if it's just by being present at a dinner party and getting to show off tasty dishes people would have never thought to try before. Vegans have meaning in their everyday life because every minute of their lives is dedicated to activism. Simply by choosing to not partake in eating flesh or secretions of animals and not to wear the skin or use products that were tested on those who did not have a choice in the matter and who were maimed or tortured in the name of science when the results from mice are not applicable to humans.



The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large.

Vegans vote with their wallets and at the ballot box. We are activists by using our purchasing power to voice our opinion on the way animals are treated all in the name of food, science and fashion. Vegans boycott and support businesses based on ethics. Being vegan is one of the most politically active things you can do, it draws you into a world of activism that cannot be ignored.



The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all.

For all, that should really explain the connection veganism has to this principle. Peace is non-violent, veganism is a non-violent lifestyle. Liberty, freedom, is something animals do not have. Vegans are speaking for those who have been confined to crates, wire cages, and tiny boxes for their whole existence. Justice for those who were forced to walk to their own deaths by the prodding and electrocution and hitting and kicking and throwing of their frail and sick bodies. Those cows whose calves were taken away from them right after they dropped so the colostrum wouldn't be wasted on the babies but given to humans. Vegans often work for the rights of humans. Once you see the plight of animals, the suffering of humans is difficult to overlook.



Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

Here's a biggie for me. The world is being suck dry of drinkable water, is being warmed by gases and there are many people dying of starvation every day. Veganism is a solution to all these problems. A majority of the land and water being used in the world right now is for the production of grain. That grain is being used to feed the animals being raised for meat. The amount of water and fossil fuels used in the production of meat should be argument enough to stop eating the stuff. The Amazon is in danger, it's showing effects of global warming and it's being cleared to grow crops for animals who will be turned into food. This is a ridiculous cycle that takes food away from the hungry and uses it to feed those who greedily gobble up more than their share. Veganism will help preserve water, the Amazon, the world and fix the starvation that faces many.



Why vegan and not just vegetarian?

Milk, eggs, wool, leather, fur and products tested on and made from animals should not be allowed to slip through the cracks when it comes to combating the ills of the world.



Milk- The dairy industry directly supports the veal industry, as the only way that female mammals produce milk is when they have had a baby. Every year, dairy cows must have a calf in order to keep up milk production. Once the calf is born there are two main options: boy--veal, girl--dairy cow to continue the work of her mother. The life of a dairy cow is spent with utters infected with pus thanks to the machines that are constantly attached to her nipples. While not all dairy farmers are cruel, there are many who will abuse the cows they use. The cows do not get to walk around grassy fields. They are stuck in stalls with machines taking the nutrients meant for the babies that were taken away from them. And they will be force-ably artificially inseminated again and again. When their production goes down, they will be slaughtered--probably for dog food.



Eggs- There is no regulation on what "free range" eggs are. The "free range" egg "farms" have just as dirty conditions, with just as many hens dying from those conditions. The hens are debeaked without anesthetic and forced into tight quarters with many other birds. Male chicks are sorted from the profitable female ones right after they can be sexed. These chicks are thrown away, alive into garbage bins or ground up alive for "chicken meal" which will be used in various meat products. The hens used in egg production are housed in dark, suffocating conditions. When their production goes down, they are forced to molt and they traumatically are brought back into a producing state. They are malnourished and will end up as the same chicken meal as their brothers after their bodies are "spent."



Wool- Wool is not sheared in a way that is comfortable for the sheep. The sheep are thrown around, hanged from things and otherwise handled in a way that only inanimate objects would be okay with. The sheep are often cut and injured in the process of taking their method of keeping warm.



Fur and Leather- Fur and leather takes a terrible toll on the environment. (Not that pleather is perfect, but there are better alternatives) Flesh is meant to decay after the live being it was attached to is no longer breathing. In order to prevent this from happening there are many chemicals used to preserve the skins of these animals--with fur the animals are thrown out and leather subsidizes the slaughterhouses, though much of the leather in the world comes from India, ironically, so the meat there doesn't get used. The conditions of the animals raised for fur is atrocious and the trapping done is ugly.



Animal Testing- Animal testing is not necessary for sound science and often leads to unsound science because the biology of mice, rabbits, kittens, puppies and monkeys is not the same humans. Cosmetics do not need to be used to the point of blinding bunnies. For more information on why check out the Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine (http://www.pcrm.org/) It boils down to animal testing being done only for profit and not for research.



Animal Products in Beauty- Lanolin, milk and honey are often found in beauty products. Milk and honey, because they sound nice. They sound like these sweet and smooth things that will make your skin sweet and soft too. This is just wasteful. Lanolin is a product that might not jump out at you right away as something recognizable, it's the oil from sheep's skin. Lanolin is used in lip moisturizers. If you have ever touched a sheep, you will know that your hand is oily afterward, that's lanolin.



Recommended reading: "Eating Animals," "Fast Food Nation," "Diet for a New America," and "The China Study."



I highly recommend watching this video, but I don't recommend watching it alone or while eating.