Sunday, February 24, 2008

Happy 100th Post

Yes, for those of you who have faithfully been keeping up with the KSA Daily we have finally hit the big mile stone of 100 posts. But as I reflect on the last almost year and a half of blogging I realize that maybe the KSA Daily is a bit of a misnomer. A year and a half is roughly 548 days. That means I have posting something new once every 5 ½ days. Maybe I should rename my blog “KSA Every 5.5 Days” or the “KSA Occasionally”, maybe the “KSA Whenever I Feel Like It” or the “KSA Only If Something Somewhat Interesting Happens In My Life” would be closer to the truth.

Seriously though, I started the blog to help communicate some of what my life is like on the other side of the world. Since I have been home many of my friends have let me know that Blogging is so ‘out’ compared to face book. I will be taking a few weeks away from the blog as I go into the hospital for surgery. While I'm gone I ask that if you still bother to occasionally check the “KSA Somewhat Regular”, that you leave a comment to let me know weather or not this is worth my time and energy.

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Letting My Guard Down

Where I live in Central Asia my biggest safety concern is pick pockets. They are everywhere. I always have to make sure that my purse is shut tight and clasped closely to my side. I get use to watching my shadow to make sure no one is getting to close to my backpack, or keeping my hands on anything valuable in my pockets. But since coming home I have started to let my guard down a little. I will now hang my purse on the back of my chair at a restaurant without fearing that someone on their hands and knees behind me will try going through my stuff.

Last week when I was up in Cambridge my friends Becky and Tom treated me to a nice dinner at Swiss Chalet. We were all very hunger, but no one was apparently as hunger as their toddler Ben. When the waitress arrived to our table and started putting the full platters of food down, Ben was ready. Before my plate was even fully on the table he had nabbed one of my pieces of bread and had it securely in his mouth. For a girl on her guard I didn’t even see that one coming.

In the national language out there we talk about pick pockets and being small thieves, and Ben is certainly the smallest thief yet to get his sticky hands on my stuff.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Lost in My Own World

If you read my last post then you know I have done my share of travelling. I am familiar with hopping on and off trains, catching flights and being on the go. In fact one of my friends once said that if she was ever on the Amazing Race she would want me as a team mate. After yesterday they may want to rethink that decision

Yesterday I was scheduled to take the morning train home from Brantford to Windsor. Sadly to say I miss read my ticket and showed up half an hour late for my 8:55 train. I had to pay $15 to change my leaving time to 1 o’clock in the afternoon. The weird thing is that the Brantford train station closes for over an hour in the middle of the morning. I had to go to a local coffee shop and sit and wait (there was no Timmy’s within six blocks, so I ended up at some Kelly’s Korner Koffee, let me say it is just not the same).

Oh how the mighty have fallen, there will be no race across the world for me when I can’t even read a simple train ticket printed in my mother tongue.

Monday, February 04, 2008

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

I haven’t done much blogging over the past month but here are a few numbers to better help you understand what I was up to in January:

Planes = 25h 15 (not counting layovers of another 16h)
Trains = 57h (give or take a few minutes)
Automobiles = 20h (cars, taxis, buses, and sleeper buses all included)
Meeting = 47h 30m
Doctors/ Hospital = 14h
Different beds slept in = 12
Number of Boarder Crossings = 10

So how am I doing now… I’ll let you do the math.
12.25
16
57
20
47.5
14
12
+10
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