Culture Shock in September

Hi Folks,

Check out last year's wealth of experience
(or at least a few kewl photos):
September 11-12, 2007, Luang Prabang, Laos,
and Our Return to Thailand

And now, message from our sponsors (that is, our author at home alone writing short essays) ...

CULTURE SHOCK
A year ago today was the day after we arrived back in Germany from three months in SE Asia. We awoke from under the softest, fluffiest, whitest duvets on earth, our skin chill from an open window in a cool, Fall-smelling room a mile outside of downtown Dusseldorf in the NW country corner approaching the Netherlands.

The hot water from the shower didn't splash onto the floor but into an actual porcelain tub. Multiple-hundred threaded towels and bathrobes snuggled our bodies. A continental breakfast stuffingly offered us an unending feast of eggs, pastries, muesli with chocolate chips, fruit, coffee refills, meats, juice. The linings of our stomachs stretched from the pressure of our first big Western-style meal. Everything else was, well, comfortable.

The disquiet stemmed from the contrast in creature comforts, and how exceedingly nice these aspects of our lives, so taken for granted, were the dog biscuits of our biggest organ--our ski--covering the us body with sensory perception, our ability to feel every brush of a pantleg, every drop that falls, every hand it holds.

The loudness was gone. Shockingly quiet sans beeping and Bangkok bustle. We enjoyed our morning meal marveling, chatting about our thoughts, our next steps, how to make it to Munich before Oktoberfest, how long we could explore Berlin, and where to stay when we got there. We noted the time travel we'd experienced from full-on summer to the color-turning trees of Fall, so similar to home. How'd it get so chilly?

Now, back at home a year later, the days get shorter, the work weeks longer, the time warp of mental exhaustion sets in more often. My longing gets stronger as I am firmly planted upon American soil for an indescribably terminal indeterminable amount of time. Stagnation notwithstanding, my amazement of the contrasts in cultures, societal expectations, histories, seasons, these continue. Memory feeds thoughts of far away, wishing I was there, but knowing here is where I need to be momentarily.

Fall arrives tonight, offering the Solstice I've been craving. I shall work to release my longing and be happy for the stability and comfort of my home, my people, my Love, most powerful of all.

When I snuggle into my bed tonight, I will think of how blessed I am to have all that I have in this life. And to think about what I might be able to do to shock the culture out of someone less fortunate.

Thank you, the end.

PS--I wish I was on the other side of the world right now!

In love and light,

Martha & Dani

A Year Ago Today ...

A Year Ago Today, my dad turned 60 years old. Happy Birthday, Daddy! So glad to get to spend this year with you.

A Year Ago Today, we met Cindy Stew for the first time, joining her for a pampered tea party at the Oriental Hotel along the Chao Praya in Bangkok. We miss and love you, Cindy. How goes the continuing quest for self-awareness?

A Year Ago Tomorrow, we lost our roomate/friend Sheila at the Buddhist temple when a monk obsconded with her at Wat Mahathat in Bangkok. Dani, Cindy, and I attended a session on Understanding Buddhism. And we enjoyed the infamous Khao San street, ripe with tourists, touts, and trouble.

Today, I am happy to have the memories that I am blessed to carry. Happy Sunday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DADDY! LOVE TO CINDY AND SHEILA!

M&D

Glorious Summer Time, 2008

Dear Family and Friends,

Hello to you all! We got another post up, from the second week in September 2007, when we were still in Laos:
Festival! Luang Prabang, Laos

All is well here in New Jersey. Martha has gone full-time at her job now. Dani is learning about her new HR Director. Our garden is flourishing. We've painted the bathroom, planted a pear tree, grape vines, and blackberries among our echinacea, dahlia, impatiens, snapdragons, peppers, tomatoes, basil, zucchini, cucumbers, beans, and lettuce. Willow seems to have somewhat adjusted to our return and daily routine on taking the train to and from Philly.

We took our first post-trip vacation over the 4th of July, and it was amazing. We headed out to Michigan for the Rothbury Festival, which I must say was wonderfully orchestrated, visually astounding, fun, original, an excellent collection of music on gorgeous grounds. We hope to go again sometime!

Hope your summers are going just as well. God bless you all!

In love and light,

Martha and Dani

New List of Posts and Videos!

HAPPY MOTHERS' DAY TO ALL THE MOMMIES AND MOMMIES-TO-BE IN OUR LIVES! There are quite a lot of you these days!! We love you all dearly ...

OK, my peeps, we're finally working on the blog again. This page will host new posts of blog entries and videos!

AS PROMISED: A new blog entry, posted April 30, 2008 ... September 6-7, 2008 (The Road to Vang Vieng, Laos)

AND: NEW Viva La Musica, Havana Club, Leon, Spain
Ancient Ruins of Sukothai, Thailand,
Monsoon Rains, Bangkok, Thailand,
Peek at HaLong Bay, VietNam,
Houseboats of HaLong Bay, VietNam,
Traffic Video, Bia Corner in HaNoi, VietNam,
Mouse Circus in Stuttgart, Germany,
Street Performer, Sevilla, Spain, and
The Popular Music of Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Love to all,

Martha and Dani

Return to the Working World Eats Up Blogging Time

Dear Family and Friends,

We know, it has been a while since we've worked on the blog. Sorry for the delay in posting. Dani and Martha are back in the working world once again, taking the train to and fro downtown Philadelphia each day. It eats up a lot of time to commute so far, but it's a joy to hold true to our desire to either commute a short distance or use public transportation. Thank goodness we live in an area where it's possible to hold onto that hope and make it a reality. We love the train!

We are thrilled to be back making money and paying our mortgage, but it does sap the time away from blogging. Bummer. We will work hard to continue to post to the blog in the coming weeks! Please look for an update soon as we continue to finish our Asian adventure from last Summer, return to Europe, and even touch the tippy top of Africa.

Many blessings and love,

Martha and Dani

January 3, 2007: HAPPY BELATED HOLIDAYS!

Dear Family and Friends,

Happy Holidays to you all! Hope your time with family was wonderful. We are so blessed to have been able to share Christmas with our families and New Year's Eve with our friends in the area. We hope your 2008 is bountiful and healthy!

In the meantime, we continue with the ... eh hem ... three months of postings that we still need to publish. Here are the first of many to come in the next few months.

August 30 to 31 (HaNoi, VietNam: Puppets and Ethnology)
September 1 to 2 (Ho Chi Min, HaLong Bay, and VietNam Day With the Duck Ladies)
September 3 to 5 (Ba-Bye VietNam, Hello Laos!)

And a couple of housekeeping notes: Anyone who still has Martha's 732 phone number, please delete it as soon as you can from your files. She no longer has that phone or number. Also, if we have not yet called any of you since we've gotten home, we apologize and will do so as soon as we can. This 'post travel depression' that we heard would take effect has been a bit of a bear. (Time to hit the road again? I know, I know, time to get jobs again instead!)

Hope to see and talk with you all very soon!

In love and light,

Martha and Dani