Today makes one month and a day since I’ve been married . We did a small destination wedding at Siesta Key Florida. I never knew how emotional weddings were . I had been to several, but cried at few . I guess that’s why your own wedding is different . Here are a couple photos of the special day.
My sister Mikki and Ryan’s brother Rob were the only bridal party and it turned out beautiful .
We used Siesta Key beach weddings to set up and they were very accommodating.
If you’ve never been to Siesta Key Beach it’s beautiful. The sand is white powder and it never gets hot. Fun fact : it actually comes from the Appalachian mountains and trickles down to that beach .
Can’t believe I’ve been married a month already . Time is flying by . People say that about everything though …. soon we will be having our reception with all our family and friends together . It’s been very stressful getting all that together, but I’m still excited to see everyone come in from all over to celebrate with us. I’ll post more pictures of that later and share my professional beach pictures when I get them back .
It’s been a while since I’ve blogged. This past year and a half has been a very busy time in my life. I went to training to become a flight attendant on September 11, 2017. I had came home from traveling and really missed traveling, but I didn’t want to be so far away from home for years at a time. I had missed out on weddings, babies, birthdays, and anything in between. So I thought what can I do where I can still travel, make money, and be home. That’s when being a flight attendant popped in my head.
Do you ever fantasize about jobs and you think it will be your dream job then you get into it and you think ” Shit …. this isn’t what I signed up for.” I had thought that many times when I went to training to be a flight attendant. It was very hard and stressful. The challenges were demanding and it broke me several times. You had to score 90% or higher on every exam and you only get two retakes… I failed test 1 and test 4 …. this is when my first breakdown happened. You never know how bad you want something until you have to fight for it. Well this fight was one I wasn’t going to let beat me. We had emergency drills, test, quizzes, 14 hour days where we didn’t finish till midnight and had to be up early the next day. If you fell asleep in class you were kicked out. This was to get you used to those long days in the future I suppose. My class started with 60 some people and we graduated with 32. The struggle was REAL!! We had made it…. I really don’t think I would have made it without my friends and my roommate !
Then reality sets in and your like damn no one told me this or that.. how do I bid to make my schedule? I have to go sit “Hot” at the airport for 8-10 hours and only be paid half of the time.. I may get called out and I may not…Your shifts can range from 3 am to 3 pm , 7 am to 7 pm , or 10 am to 10 pm. I have the mentality of getting started early and get done early so I always chose to have the 3-3 shift. So that means when they call me at 3 I have 2 hours to be at the airport. I live an hour and a half away from the airport so I had 10-15 minutes to get up and get ready and out the door to make it there on time. Did I look glamorous? Probably not… was I on time ? You bet your ass I was. I have never been one for being late to work or being absent. One of my previous bosses told me being late is never attractive to an employer. Being on time is late, late is late, early is on time.
Social Life
It took me 9 months before I ever worked with the same person again. The social aspects for this job are hard because you work with different people all the time. Some of them have been with the company for 20 years while others are brand new. I found that the people who have been with the company for a long time will just go to their hotel rooms and shut the door. “I’ve seen it all before” ** insert my eyes rolling ** and the new people will want to go out and explore wherever you may be staying overnight. Fortunately I have been to a few long overnights and was able to get out and explore whether it be on my own or with someone new. Why wouldn’t you? One of my favorites was in New Orleans. Shoutout to Stephanie for wanting to go explore with me ! I was also able to swing by and check out Stephen Kings house in Bangor, Maine.
Obsessed with the sky
I have found that I am that person on the plane that wants to sit next to the window on most flights. Especially when there is a good sunrise or sunset. If you say “They are all the same.” Shame on you! They are not and I have the proof!! It’s seriously become my favorite things on flights! I have way more pictures of the sky but I don’t want it to look like I’m not working hahahhaha!
The Pay
I work for a regional airline so the pay starts at $17.49 and you work your way up but it takes 15 years to get to $35.00 an hour and that’s what some main line workers start at! So I went part time so I could pick up substitute teaching jobs, I work at a country club serving in the evenings, and I help this local company can hot pepper mustard and other canned goods. I did my taxes and to my disappointment I only made 23,800 for the whole year ! WORKING 4 JOBS!! No one should have to work 4 jobs to make that little of money. So I have recently made the choice to quit flying and start subbing more often. I feel very sad because it is a job that I really do enjoy. The wages just aren’t merely enough to survive. I not only want to survive I want to thrive in my job. I want to feel like I am working toward a better future. I want to have a better quality of life and on those wages I just can’t do that. I mean who doesn’t want to grow into something better ? If you say you don’t then you should probably dig a little deeper to find out why not.
Benefits
Don’t get me wrong the benefits are great IF YOU HAVE THE MONEY AND TIME TO USE THEM. You fly for free and by free I mean standby. Standby isn’t a bad thing if you aren’t trying to commute for work, you travel in the down season, and you have flexibility in your schedule. Otherwise you should just purchase a ticket… I was lucky enough to be able to use my benefits a few times to help me out over the last year or so. I went to Disney … well attempted 2 times and got stuck two times with no open seats …we ended up renting a car and driving to Orlando because I didn’t have much time off of work. Ryan and I were able to get first class going to Punta Cana. Susan and I went to Portugal recently and we scored first class on Delta One. Let me tell you if you haven’t flown first class on Delta one it’s unreal. The seats lay into a bed, you get a Tumi cosmetic bag with goodies in it. They serve So.Much.Food. I swear I didn’t eat until lunch time the next day! Unreal experience. Here are a few pictures from my trips.
So as I sit here feeling sad for not being able to fly anymore I feel so blessed at the same time to have been able to go the places I have. Meet the people I have met and gone through the experiences I have gone through. It probably wouldn’t have happened without the benefits of being a flight attendant. I am grateful for the opportunity and I am so glad I made the choice to go to that training ! If nothing else it made me realize that I am capable of anything I put my mind to. It made me realize that I am worth more for what I put in. It made me focus on wanting a better quality of life.
You may be looking at these pictures thinking ” It looks like a great quality of life.” Well until you sit countless hours in the airport, get your flights diverted, have passengers mad at you for things out of your control, get up at 2 am and get home at 4am, deal with working first class which is like people working the stock market. There is so much going on at once. You have people boarding, someone wants you to throw away their trash, someone needs to use the bathroom, people need a drink to take a pill, people are arguing over overhead bin space… and the list goes on. Just let me tell you that bin space is Not assigned to your seat space! Please throw away your trash before you get on the plane Especially if it’s an awkward shaped pizza box! We don’t have that much room for pizza boxes in the trash bin. Buy a drink in the airport or carry an empty water bottle through security then fill it. Please give us your trash 1 of the 20 times we walk through the aisle. We are the ones that have to pick up your things you leave behind! The next time you fly please be considerate to your flight attendants. Some of them haven’t been home in days. They may not have had time to get off the place to get something to eat throughout the day. More than likely they are probably tired!
So as of now I am putting away my wings. Maybe I’ll pick them back up in the future. We shall see. Now I am just tired physically and mentally and still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up.
You can go on living your life and move on from fear
but the words that scarred will always be near.
We live in a society that always moves on.
People doubt what makes us tick
but little do they know the heart is drowning by a flick, flick, flick.
Damaged hearts will always be worn, some may even be scorn.
Some may say the damage makes you stronger
but what would they know, because the heart will always ponder.
Ponder the things that it’s faced, because they are things that are untraced.
You may be thinking this is all very somber.
Yes that is true, but does it not make you wonder?
Wonder how people carry burdens so freely?
How do they determine how life will be;
once they are free and no longer drowning in the sea?
Why do we pass each other so carelessly?
Maybe it’s because of uncertainty.
Regardless of how your heart may be
everyone hopes for sort of normality.
Actually there are a ton of people who are abnormal
some just try to act formal.
Internally it’s all a different game. Some may feel shame.
Some may look for others to blame.
The heart is simply amazing.
Like a rapid forest fire spreading
you run and you run to get away.
Some parts turn grey while other parts fray.
But no matter where you go those wounds will always stay.
Wounds heal and usually leave a scar.
The scar makes a story that can be shared with those who look from a-far.
Your story can make a difference and make others perspectives a little more a-jar.
The heart is truly amazing.
There is still a fire that’s blazing.
Blazing and burning for something more.
Keep your head held high, and ignore the carnivores that try to eat you alive.
The harsh words and actions that may come out;
are often a defense mechanism to survive.
These repressed feelings are something you can’t ignore.
Go on now, the crowd is screaming encore.
Below are some photos that make my heart beat a little more.
My friend Lyndel is a part of a Non Profit Organization called Football For The World Foundation. They hold camps all over the world to To improve the quality of life of children through the game of football. Football For The World Page
Lyndel was able to get over 40 pairs of football boots,jerseys, balls, and vest donated and sent to Korea so she could hold a camp. I was fortunate enough to be able to help with the camp this time.
During the camp we did drills and games with the students.
They had a great time and at the end all the supplies that were donated to use for the camp were gave to the students to keep. It was a great day.
This was a stand when we arrived in the Philippines. This lady makes skewers of chicken and pork to sell for less than a dollar. She was so kind and welcoming.
This was the view from our hostel. I was amazed that we were so close to the beach. It was beautiful.
These were some scallops we ordered. I had tried scallops before and never liked them that much. I’m proud I gave them another chance, because they were absolutely delicious.
This was right before the sun came up. There has been a storm the night before but I liked the shadow effect it left.
The day cleared up and we did an island tour. It was breathtaking.
My travel buddy Alana! Grateful we could share this experience together.
This fella gave both of us a ride with our bags.. I would imagine we weren’t the lightest of the bunch. He did this each day for his wages. It made me appreciate him even more.
This was a flower outside of a resort we went to visit. Just up the road was the gate to the exit and outside that exit was a lot of poverty. I would like to think that those who face such extreme conditions can still find beauty in the little things.
This is my little sister Mikki. She went fishing and sent me this picture of her first fish. It made my heart smile.
My heart beats with scars on it, but thankfully I can still see the beauty in all the madness.
Your heart beats the same as mine. Give someone a little bit of your time.
These young boys were sitting along the road with three bottles of eels that they had caught.
While in Vietnam I planned a trip to go trekking in Sapa. I had been hiking before, but this was like no other experience I have ever had in my life. It was simply breath-taking. My tour guide was Son. She was a small but cheerful woman filled with all kinds of knowledge. I was lucky to have her as my guide. While hiking, trekking up hillsides, and tip toeing through rice terraces we had a lot of meaningful conversations.
Son has a family with five children and husband. Her kids attend school and her husband goes to the hospital twice a week for his kidneys. She has been doing these hiking tours for the last five years. While doing these tours her wages have changed since she started but not by much. Son gets paid 7 dollars per trekking tour. These tours can rage from a day to 3 days, and I’m sure longer if planned ahead. When Son first started doing tours she didn’t get paid and she couldn’t speak any English. She learned to speak English from all the people she has met by doing the tours and practicing conversation. She still can not read or write.
Haha.. Can we make it across??
Why yes we can!
Son has never left Sapa. She has lived and stayed there her whole life. Can you imagine never leaving your home town? She said she loves her job no matter how much she gets paid. Each person that did this tour paid through a hotel or agency. The cost was anywhere between 50-75 per person. Son gets $7.00 per tour she does no matter what the group size is. These tours aren’t exactly what I would call a walk in the park. I am young and able to do this and it was difficult for me. We trekked 26 kilo or 16 miles in the matter of 2 days. Most of the time Son was way ahead of us and hopping and skipping over the hillsides. She was such a strong woman physically and mentally.
Son took good care of everyone in her group with an honest heart. She had no secret intentions to get us to buy things. She warned us not to buy things from the kids selling bags and bracelets along the way because they weren’t in school, and they should be. Instead they were out trying to make money for their family off of all the tourist that were passing through the mountains.
We stayed overnight at a homestay that consisted of a family style dinner with rice wine…a little too much. I really think the group I was with was something special. I have been traveling and working abroad since last September and I have never felt so accepted and welcomed by such a variety of people in my journey alone. Being the only American with a mild twang … well you know how that goes .. haha. We had people from Israel, Australia, Germany, Mexico, Norway, Belgium and France. Everyone was so open and we shared a lot of stories along with personal experiences. So thanks to everyone who made me feel so welcome and happy. Our homestay was cozy and we each had our own mattress on the floor.
Son bought us ice cream once we were close to our homestay. We were grateful.
Over lunch the next day a couple of boys asked me if I was staying longer and I said no I had to be back for my flight. Son quickly spoke up and said “If she was staying I would invite her to stay with me.!” She then proceeded to tell me that if I did a “real” local homestay things would be different. We wouldn’t have wi-fi. I would sleep downstairs and the family would sleep upstairs. Theres a bathroom and shower but they both were outside of the house. If you want warm water you must heat it over the open fire. If I ever go back to Sapa or if you ever to Sapa. I would recommend just getting the over night bus or train and then planning a local stay once you get there. The money will go directly to them and it will be a great experience with the locals. Her name is Sung Sapa on Facebook or get ahold of me and I can get in contact with her. I couldn’t recommend the trip any more. It was my favorite thing that I have done during my travels and I wish I could have stayed longer.
It was clear that Son has overcome a lot. I’m sure that there is more to her story that I haven’t heard. Regardless she has left a huge impact on me already.
She walked up beside me while I was talking to a student and said “hello” I quickly replied “Hello, how are you?” Her response like so many other people when asked was “I’m fine, thank you and you?” I said I was doing well.
I finished my conversation with my student and went over and sat down beside her. I asked her if she spoke English and she said “Verrrrrry little bit!” We got to talking and she told me her nick name was p Toy. I asked her if she had been to see the students art display she said “No I have to finish work.”
She does three different jobs at the school including washing the dishes after breakfast ,lunch, and dinner, cleaning the toilets, and working with the students to help them set up for different events.
She began to open up and thanked me for taking the time to talk with her. She always wanted to speak English, but was scared. It turns out she speaks pretty well and it was easy to understand!
P’Toy had previously been married and lived in Australia and her Ex husband treated her more like a maid than a wife constantly screaming to make him something to eat or demanding work to be done. She was criticized for not knowing much English, but who would want to learn it when your being screamed at all the time?
She divorced and moved back to Thailand. She started working two jobs for real estate and for a cleaning service in a hotel. The money was good, but she was working long hours and didn’t feel happy.
I asked her if she liked her job now and she said ” Yes, I get paid little now but my heart is happy.”
It was so nice to sit and talk as she washed dishes and I think she like it because it made the time go a little faster. When I left Thailand she gave me a scarf she had knitted and a hand made wristlet.
I left Thailand to come volunteer and teach English in Cambodia. Only this time I am not teaching at a public or private school. I am teaching in an orphanage called Aspire Orphanage. It is ran by a man named Sean and his wife. The orphanage has been open since 2006, and they have made a lot of progress in the last ten years.
Coming to Cambodia on my own was exciting. I took the train from Thailand and it had some very nice views. It was my first train ride so that was a nice experience in itself as well.
I made my way across the border ….they only tried to scam me a couple of times.. Don’t pay extra at the border! They will try to get extra out of foreigners. I had read about this before going so I didn’t fall for it.
I was mentally prepared to sleep under a mosquito net or in a shack looking place, but actually the place exceeded all of my expectations. We have a padded mat on the ground with an air-conditioned room, a kitchen, washer, and wi-fi (sometimes) . At times we lost power for the day so we had to make due. As you can imagine it got pretty hot.
This is where the volunteers stay.
It was nice being in a room with other volunteers. You can to talk and meet new people from all over the world.
With donations from visitors and volunteers they now have a watering system for a garden, a new school for the children, beds for the children, and a new dorm in the process of being built. When complete it will have 8 rooms with two bunk bed sets in each. This will be room for all the children to have a bed and room of their own.
The start of a seedling.
This is where they catch their fish for dinner.
These are the boys beds.
This is the progress of the new dorm that is being built.
This is the stage where the kids perform their traditional dances for visitors when they come. On that same stage behind the sign is where a family of five sleep on one mattress.
After the students perform the volunteers usually bring small gifts for them. This time they got bubbles and were very excited!
This next room I want you to envision standing in the middle and rotating to each wall and taking a photo. This is where the girls sleep.
The ladies at the orphanage make clothing to sell.
This is where some minimal cooking was done if needed.
The building to the left is the outside of the girls room and to the right is the kitchen where the kids meals are prepared.
They cook over an open fire so it gets very smoky inside.
These are the bathrooms and showers for the adults and children of the orphanage.
This is the new school that was built.
These are the classrooms. We hung some of their photos they made, but I would like to see it more colorful in the future.
The kids that live at the orphanage come from all over. Some have parents and some do not . Some have already over came a great deal of obstacles, but somehow still thrive on the love of volunteers and others around them. I am glad I had the opportunity to come to Cambodia to volunteer and get to meet these lovely children.
While I was there some of the volunteers did a going away party for the kids. We made pancakes for all the kids the first night and the second night they made fried rice with chicken and vegetables for over 100 people. They also bought each child at the orphanage a new outfit to wear and wrapped them for the kids. During the day and into the evening they had a dance party and had their makeup done. Then they were treated with some pop. Needless to say they loved it and put their new clothes on right over top the old ones!
One skillet …tons of pancakes… challenge accepted…
We improvised with peanut butter and jelly haha.
So happy !
Teacher me…me..me….Everyone will get some, don’t worry !
Shower caps were a hit…
I have to admit upon first arriving I was a bit concerned. Once crossing the Cambodian border a tuk tuk driver asked me why I was here. I told him I was volunteering at an orphanage. His response was ” I hate to break my chest to tell you this but only 20% of orphanages in Cambodia are good places; People do it for the wrong reasons so just be careful.” This made me have a knot in my stomach, but I went with it to see how it was.
Work Away had stated that the stay would be 5 dollars a day to volunteer. I understand the aspect of helping with the cost of things, but then I arrive and he says it’s 2.00 more dollars a day for food when it was supposed to be included in the price. I paid the two dollars, but if someone were on a tight budget for an extended period of time then it would probably be concerning. The kids had hardly any supplies in the classrooms or in general to work with so we came up with different games to play with them.
Teaching feelings with skittles . They had never had skittles before .
A maze to practice giving directions.. left, right..no your other right..back.. They loved it.
Just when they thought it was easy … we threw in some eggs .. haha!
I also wanted things to hang around the classroom to add color so we started putting their activities and drawings up on the walls. A few volunteers went together and bought pencils, coloring books, stickers,posters, pencils sharpeners , colored pencils, sticky tak, balloons, scissors, glue sticks, paint, and multi colored paper. All of these things were a little over 40 dollars. Hands on materials are essential for the classroom and learning. They will improve their motor skills, vocabulary , and learn how to take responsibility for their supplies.
John and Bexs prepared the paint and showed them an example.
The younger kids did colors and we worked on finger painting a rainbow.
The older kids were working on the weather and painted a scene on their choice. As we gave them the paint we realized they had never painted before. As one would expect total Chaos it was actually the complete opposite. The class was quiet and they slowly chose which colors they wanted and carefully washed each color off when they wanted a new color. It was amazing to watch and witness them do something completely new. The painting was a success.
Even the teacher got involved =)
As time went on I tried to understand the aspects from a Cambodian point of view. Maybe it was the buildings that were more important at the time to show that they owned something. Maybe things were that way because they genuinely thought it was best for the kids at the time. When you give people money that have never had before it tends to change people and their view of things. Although I will probably never understand what view that is, the overall value and reasoning for the place are the children themselves; and they along with the classroom aspect should come first.
The garden is great for self-sufficiency . The fruit trees will help as well. But those things won’t appear over night. Things in Cambodia are still developing as a country itself let alone trying to build up a huge orphanage. From my point of view the investment is in the kids. If you invest in them and help them learn you are automatically improving their quality of life.
The kids are fed three meals a day they have somewhere to sleep. Their circumstances are better than some. It helps with volunteers being there to give love and affection. The kids love to be around the volunteers and try whatever they are trying. (Sometimes they will ask to play on your computer or phone… okay all the time haha) In time hopefully the dorm will be built and they will have their own bed and a room to share. I look forward to seeing the progress and changes in the future.
What do you do when you get some chicken feet soup??
Like I said before I am very glad that I had the opportunity to volunteer at this orphanage. The people in Cambodia have faced a lot of hardship but they are kind and always smiling. I hope to come back in the future at some point to visit the orphanage.
I found this graffiti in a bathroom stall. Just a daily reminder of how much privileged we are.
As I prepare to leave Cambodia I feel very emotional. I once didn’t have much and I can remember sometimes we didn’t have electric or internet or another bill was shut off. My grandma would always say “I’m robbing peter to pay Paul” It wasn’t until I was older that I knew what that really meant. She did everything she could to manage but sometimes it just wasn’t enough money. Even though the bills would pile up and some of the necessities would be shut off we always had games, t.v., coloring books, and movies. I think those tangible things made up for not having other things. It fills a void that one has. It’s something that isn’t taken away at the time, and for that time even if it’s for a little while you feel happy. So I feel sad that they don’t have their “own” things. I feel bad that they always see new people and have to say goodbye. Goodbyes are hard for a young child who doesn’t understand.
For these kids they don’t have much to play with they enjoy the company of each other and make kite figures out of sticks and left over material from the clothing that is sewn.
I want to see those kids have a bright future. I want them to be able to go out of the orphanage to experience things. I want them to have a lot of things that they have never had before. It saddens me that some may never have those “things” that make childhood so memorable. So in efforts to help a little I would like to send books to them, because they have no picture books or starter books. As children we all like things we can see and touch. Books in general are a great way to learn and see new things. After all if we can’t go places at least we can pretend through books and reading. It gives hope. If your ever in Cambodia and get the chance; stop out and volunteer and teach with the kids. They will appreciate any amount of time you give them.
If you have any questions about donating things to the kids please contact the following Sean Samnang or visit the website
While in Thailand I had the chance to visit this absolutely beautiful island called Koh Lipe. I have never seen anywhere like it in my life. The purest of white sand, clear blue water, and the most relaxing vibes. This is an island I would definitely suggest visiting if you ever get the chance. I had a hard time leaving!
Until next time….
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