Planning our first travel adventure: Siem Reap, Cambodia

A key factor in our decision to move to Doha was the opportunity we hoped that this experience would offer us to see more of the world.  This week we finally had the chance to take that opportunity and travelled to Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Being the Eid Holiday break we all had a week off of school and work.  However, we did not know if we would be able to travel or not because we had to send Maryn's passport to Kuwait (the closest Canadian Embassy) for renewal in anticipation of our Christmas trip to Sri Lanka.  Fortunately her passport arrived on October 25th so we took that as a green light to book our first family trip.

Because we were so late in booking, we struggled to find a trip that was available and reasonably priced.  We'd hoped to do Turkey, but found it to be far to expensive considering how short (relatively speaking) the flight was.  We looked into a packaged tour to Egypt, but it involved a lot of moving around and we just weren't sure the kids were up to it.  At the suggestion of Justin Walsh, we looked into Cambodia - Siem Reap - a place I'd never heard of prior to October 27th!!

In doing my research, I quickly learned that this was the home of Angkor Wat, the fascinating temples, a place that Andrea as well as Andrew and Shauna had visited. When we started asking around we learned of a few more ASD families that had visited Siem Reap and everyone raved.  One family had een stayed at the same resort we were looking at, and that really sealed the deal Relyingo n Expedia we found a decent flight/hotel package and finally "pulled the trigger" on booking.

Then a sweet coincidence occurred. The day after we booked our trip (both Pat and I justifying it from every possible angle in the way only we can) we learned that my long awaited income tax return had come through.  And wouldn't you know it, the return was the same amount as the trip!!!  A wonderful omen to begin our first big trip.

Thank you Government of Canada!

Day 1/2 - Aurora to Angkor Wat - November 3rd & 4th, 2011

Our flight plan departed Doha at 8:45 p.m. arriving at Bangkok, Thailand at 6:45 a.m. Friday morning.  Coincidentally the ASD service trip to Thailand, chaperoned by friends' Aaron Hollingshead and Chris Wolf, were on the same flight.  The 6 hour flight was not a big deal to us now that we are accustomed to the 14 hour flights home, however, Carter decided to gorge on movies and didn't sleep at all.  This did not bode well for anyone when we arrived in Bangkok with a tired and crabby kid.  After some tense discussions, and once Mom & Dad's Starbucks coffee fix kicked in, both Carter and I fell asleep in the Starbucks lounge.  We slept for about 2 of our 4 hour layover while Maryn and Daddy explored the airport.
Our 1 hour flight to Siem Reap departed at 11:45 and got us into Cambodia at 12:45.  From the plane it appeared that the entire country was submerged in water with tall palm trees rising up out of the depths.  Fortunately the air port was not underwater and we arrived at the cutest airport terminal I have ever seen.

Obtaining our visas was quick and simple (we simply had to provide a passport sized photo and pay $20 USD) and took only about 10 minutes. 

Upon exiting the airport we found a taxi that took us straight to our hotel for only $7 USD (a 10 minute drive).  The kids (and us!) were immediately fascinated with the roadside traffic - bicycles, Toyota Camrys and our first glimpe of the tuk-tuks.

Our hotel, the Lotus Angkor Resort & Spa was very nice.  Kind, welcoming staff, large spacious room and lovely grounds with a 25 metre pool, which was, of course, our first stop.

 We spent a leisurely afternoon swimming, sunning and relaxing and in the evening took our first tuk-tuk into the city of Siem Reap.

Bund, our tuk-tuk driver would become our regular driver for the week.  He dropped us along "Pub Street" a largely touristy area full of restaurants and shops.  The traffic of humans, tuk-tuks, bikes and even a few dogs was quite overwhelming for the kids.  We took a quick stroll around before stopping for supper at the Red Piano - a recommendation from Lonely Planet.  Maryn had fallen asleep in Pat's arms so we settled her on a bed of two comfy chairs, and Carter, Pat and I ate our supper.



I had an amazing plate of ginger pork and rice, while Pat had the sweet & sour pork with rice.  Carter stuck with the familiar cheese pizza.  Pat and I also enjoyed what would be the first of many Angkor beers - a steal at $1 per can, and super refreshing in the Cambodian heat and humidity.

From the Red Piano balcony we had a neat view of the Central Market area.  We could have sat for hours just watching all of the activity - street vendors, tuk-tuk drivers, restaurant staff recruiting hungry diners, massage spas recruiting weary travelers.  It was a sea of humanity.

After our supper Carter and I took a stroll after dark of the Central Market.  We were accosted by countless street vendors, tuk tuk drivers offering rides and the spas begging us to come for all sorts of treatments - namely massages and fishy pedicures.  Yes, fishy pedicures.  And it's exactly what it sounds like.  Clients sit on benches and dunk their legs into huge tanks of water that are filled with hundreds of tiny fish, all hungry to nibble on your dead skin.  Ya, eeeeuuuuuuwwwwwww.  But a bizarre attraction for many.  Carter and I were offered countless fish pedicures - "$1 for the boy, $2 for you lady!".  When we stopped to inspect one spot, the boy asked us where we were from.  I told him Canada and he said, "Oh, Ottawa.  Justin Bieber."  As we wandered away from this shop a group of boys wanted us to ride in their tuk-tuk.  When we graciously declined they looked at Carter and said "Hey, you wanna fight?".  They were laughing as they said it and I think they were just practicing what little english they knew.  Carter thought it was hilarious.

We found a little alley, aptly known as "The Alley" where we could escape the tuk-tuks and traffic of the street.  It was a narrow little laneway lined with shops, galleries and restaurants - most of which were Khmer BBQs a unique type of food preparation that reminded me somewhat of my parents' raclette grill.  The tables at these restaurants were fitted with butane or gas burners upon which sat a metal dish which looked like a large juicer - conical in shape with a shallow ring around the bottom.  Diners are served a plate of raw meat and another plate of raw vegetables and noodles and the server then poured water over the centre.  Diners then placed the meat on the top of the "cone" and placed the vegetables into the broth steaming around the bottom ring.  As the meat cooked, the vegetables and noodles steamed producing a wonderful complete meal!  So cool!

Carter bought the first of his souvenirs from a young many without legs who made his living making and selling embroidered bracelets.  Carter picked the colours and while we walked around he made one especially for Carter.  Our first lesson in entrepreneurship and the very different way of life for Cambodians.

Bund picked us up at our designated meeting spot and took us back through the still-busy streets of Siem Reap.  We passed countless restaurants, shops, tailors, mobile phone stores, along the way.

It was a great first day and a great taste of what was in store with so much to see and do in a very kind and welcoming culture of people.

September 9, 2010: So Long, Farewell!

After a month apart, our family was reunited in early September when Pat returned from Doha to attend my brother, John's, and his fiancee, Lucy's, wedding on September 4th.  It was a whirlwind final week with all of the wonderful wedding festivities - spa day with Lucy and her bridal party, tuxedo fitting for Carter, and my big responsibility - THE CAKE!!!  It was a dream wedding.  A dream to finally see them tie the knot, to see my brother so happy, to see Carter in his tiny tux and Maryn in her sweet dress and the wonderful chance to celebrate with so many loved ones.  Thanks John and Lucy for planning your beautiful and special day so that we could also say our farewells to so many people at once!

We spent our final nights staying with the West-side Desbarats - Andrew, Shauna, Ella and Lily.  They graciously let us take over their dining room with our many suitcases and all of the final odds and ends we were trying to stuff into them.  Oh the chaos!  But by 6:30 on Thursday evening all the bags were zipped shut and loaded into the two mini-vans that would transport us to the airport for our 10:45 p.m. flight to Abu Dhabi, UAE.

The Final Farewell came  in two phases.  The first at Andrew & Shauna's where we gave Shauna, Ella and Lily our final hugs. 

That was not easy!!


Mema, Andrew, Gammy and Papa were our designated airport entourage, helping us load, unload and check our 7 suitcases, 2 of which had to be re-packed at the counter because they were over the weight allowance!  The attendants were very kind and understanding, knowing we were moving and cut us a bit of slack on a couple of those bags too.

As we hugged our parents good-bye and watched them hold their grandchildren one more time the tears were flowing.  We know we are bound for great things, but we are also leaving really great things.  Loving family, a safe, secure and beautiful country, and so many other things we've grown to know and love.

The stakes are high, but the possibilities are endless.  For all of us.  Thank you to all who love us, who've supported us and who've made us into the kind of people who can take these kinds of risks.  Next stop: Doha!!

Year 1 in Doha: A Retrospective Series of Posts Comin' At Ya!

ne Year in Qatar!

As we approach the first anniversary of our arrival in Doha it becomes more evident to me than ever that I need to capture the memories that we made in our first year overseas.  So many new, interesting, frustrating, funny, enjoyable and rewarding experiences!

Fortunately, I was also hoarding email messages so this week I went through the process of clearing out my inbox and relived many of those experiences.  It has renewed and revitalized my inspiration to blog about these experiences, so that's what the next series of posts will be: retrospectives of our first year in Doha.

It will also serve to help me in the coming months when we need to decide and inform ASD if we plan on extending our stay here (meaning it's time for Pat to renew or conclude his contract).


So let's go back to September 2010!

Driving in Doha

For many reasons driving is a MUST in Doha.  Obviously, the oppressive heat during a good portion of the year is a major factor, but even when the weather is comfortable, you take your life in your hands as a pedestrian.  Doha was built for drivers, not for pedestrians.
I was determined to become the official navigator of Doha in our family.  Given that I was not working when we initially arrived I made a point each day to venture somewhere new in order to learn my way around the city.  But before I could begin navigating, I had to start driving.
When we visited Doha in March we purchased a 1999 Landrover Discovery from fellow teachers at ASD.  It certainly wasn't a pretty car, but it was reliable and something that could get us around.  Plus the price was right, and hey, how many people ever own a Land Rover?
On our third day here I summoned all my nerve and got behind the wheel for the first time.  Even though I consider myself a confident driver, driving in Doha takes nerves of steel and an aggression I had to dig for.  My first trip was to Villaggio, our local mall, and with Pat as my co-pilot and the kids in the back, it was a tad stressful to say the least.  As I was driving through the yellow light, Pat informed me that flashing green means "caution" or "yield" and that yellow actually means stop, before it officially turns red.  My first offence.
Other learnings about driving in Doha:  U-turns, for the most part, are legal and in fact common and necessary.  Because most streets are constructed with boulevards down the middle it is rare to be able to make a left turn into a shop or plaza.  Instead, it is necessary to proceed to the next intersection and do a U-turn at the lights.
Doha is also fond of round-abouts as opposed to intersections and traffic lights.  In fact, many round-abouts also have traffic lights.  The round-abouts took some getting used to, bu the best tip I got was from our friend Chet, who told us that when traversing a roundabout, you are responsible for what's in front of you - DON'T LOOK BEHIND.  Although strange at first (my tendency was to look behind me before I changed lanes or exited the roundabout), I am now confident with this and actually quite a pro.
I didn't feel like a pro in my first round-about experience.  It was our second week in Doha. Pat was back to work but Carter and Maryn had not yet started school.  Carter needed a phys. ed uniform so I decided I would take the kids and do this and a few other errands.
We left the Orange Villas and headed towards the Al Waab/Al Bustan intersection where we did a U-Turn at the lights and headed towards Decoration Round-about.  My directions were to take the first exit in Decoration Roundabout and then at the next Roundabout go right around to be taking the same road the opposite direction.
As we approached Decoration Round-about we found ourselves in a lot of traffic.  I told the kids that I was excited and nervous to be going through my first round-about which they found fascinating.  As we were sitting there, stopped dead in traffic, a small motorcycle was making it's way between the stopped cars.  Not only was their course interesting, but more interesting was the fact that the motorcyle was carrying a lawnmower on the back!?
Two thoughts entered my mind:  first, who carries a lawn mower on a motorcycle?  And second, who needs a motorcycle in the desert?
I pointed it out to the kids and we laughed and laughed.
Meanwhile, my eyes, and  more specifically my contact lense, were getting used to the dry, dusty, hot conditions in Doha and I was finding them  particularly irritated that day.  As I wiped my  eye for the millionth time my contact lense took that very moment to pop right out of my eye.  Just as the light turned green.  It was GO time.  Missing a contact lense, and it was go time for my first roundabout.
Stepping on the gas I entered into the round-about.  A feeling of exhilaration overtook me and soon I was whizzing right around that roundabout.  I went full circle.  As I pulled out into the straightaway I was overcome by a great sense of satisfaction.  I'd done it.  Successfully manoeuvered my first roundabout.  The kids and I both cheered.
It was only as we continued on with our travels that I realized it - I hadn't intended to go right around the roundabout, I was only supposed to go 1/4 way and take the first exit.  My dismay was shortlived though.  It just meant that I'd have to do it all over again and this time, I knew that I could.

Living with Less

In preparing for our move to Doha we decided to rent, rather than sell our house.  As luck would have it, and like everything else about this move, things fell nicely into place and we were quick to find a nice family to rent our house.  The catch was that they needed to be in before we'd anticipated moving out.  Specifically, they needed housing by the 25th of June and we did not leave until August at the earliest.

Because we felt so good about the tenants we felt no choice but to move ahead and rent to them.  This meant finding alternate accommodation for our family.  We had two easy options - Pat's parents' place in Oakville or my parents' place in Aurora.  Because Aurora is our home and closest to most of our friends and the kids' friends we opted to stay with my folks for the summer.  And they told us they were glad to have us.

Less than ideal was the fact that Pat left for a conference in Washington, D.C. on the 19th, the day after our shipment was picked up, leaving me to pack up the rest of the house by the 25th.  At least I had the sense to take the week off work, but even with that, it was one crazy, busy week!

Together, Pat and I had moved most of our belongings that we were keeping to storage in his parents' basement, but it was amazing what remained.  You never realize how much stuff you have accumulated until it comes time to move.  I found myself asking myself over and over again, why do I own this item?  What is the sentimental value it holds?  Do I really want my children to have to figure out how to dispose of this stuff someday?

We got rid of a ton of stuff, but I'm sure there is still much more that could go.  I hope that a big part of this experience is learning how to live with less.  To escape the consumerism that is so rampant in the 'burbs.  To teach my children that life is not about how much you have, but how much you do with the time that you have. That relationships and life experiences are more important than wealth and "stuff".

Wish me luck!

Moving On....

Saying Good-Bye

Saying good-bye for me was a very long, drawn out process.  And far different from what I expected.
When we began telling people about our plans, our adventures, I have to admit, I loved seeing that flash of envy cross peoples' faces.  Not because I want people to be envious of me, but because I know that I've worn that expression many times when friends or family have told me about one of their upcoming travel adventures.  I think for me that look in some ways validated my decision and buoyed my confidence to actually take the leap.  Since I knew that our risk had been very well calculated, it reinforced for me that these kinds of experiences are important for personal growth.

While we were telling people with feelings of great excitement and anticipation, I think many people started to say good-bye to us right away.   So for some people, the good-byes were long and drawn out considering we decided in February and didn't leave until September!  This often made things awkward and a little bit difficult.

On the humorous side, we could joke with people at Church, or acquaintances in town who we'd run into over the summer.  They would often be surprised to see us, thinking we'd already left.  So we would joke, "Nope, we haven't even left yet!" or "Can't get rid of us that easily!"

Then there were others who could only fixate on the thought of us being gone.  In some cases, I think it overshadowed our last times together, because they could not focus on making the most of the time we had left.  It was like the proverbial "elephant in the room" and it made a once normal and happy relationship awkward.

What's strangest of all to me is how relatively unaffected I was by the good-byes.  Yes, there were tears, but never once did I have any inkling of regret about our decision and planned move.  If anything, I felt guilty that I didn't feel any sadness about our departure.  I spoke to friends about this - one who is here in Doha, and one who has lived abroad for many years now - and they reassured me that this was quite normal.  Our friend in Doha, who is one of the kindest, most caring people I've ever met, was actually called a 'cold fish' by one of her friends.  Meanwhile, my jet-setting friend has just experienced the opposite, whereby a good friend in her new home country moved away and she was the one being left behind.  She agreed that it is much easier to be the one leaving, than the one left behind.  I found some comfort in this.

I have to think that a lot of it has to do with the nature of the relationships I've developed with my friends and family.  I'm blessed that many of the friends I have, have been friends for many years.  We've been through a lot together already and a few thousand miles is nothing for our kind of friendship to endure.  Becoming a parent has also had a huge impact on my friendships.  Those that can withstand the demands of parenting and understand that you take what you can get when there are little people in the picture, they really are friends for life!

As for my family, it's just an unexpected shift in the nature of our relationship.  Whereas I've always lived within a one hour travel radius of many members of my family, which meant frequent short visits, I now live many  hours, miles and time zones away.  In my mind this will just mean a shift to longer, more intensive visits that are spread out a little more (say, 10 months between).  And technology certainly makes things a little easier, with Skype, email, and I'm sure before we go home, they will have invented that teleportation device that would come in so handy in many instances!

I guess good-byes were easier on me because there were very few true good-byes, there were just a whole lot of farewells.  And like I've been trying to teach my  kids, your friends are your friends for life.  Moving to a new country doesn't mean losing friends, it means gaining friends that will result in a global network of friends.  Good friends never really say good-bye.

Aurora, CANADA TO Doha, Qatar

Goodbye Stuff!

On June 18th Patrick and I watched as movers came in and packed up  the belongings we'd carefully selected to ship to our new home in Doha, Qatar.  This was the first concrete step in what we hope, pray and dream will be the adventure of a lifetime!
You could say it all began back in  February when we agreed that Pat should accept the Head of Guidance and College Counseling at the American School of Doha (ASD).  Or take it another step further and say it started as a result of a casual conversation with our dear friends Colin and Tara Boudreau in June 2009 while they were home for summer vacation from ASD.
But it really began much earlier. The summer of 1999 when Pat first met Colin while taking their Phys. Ed AQ course in Toronto.  Who could have ever imagined that a casual acquaintance in a summer course would lead to a lifelong friendship that would eventually lead us to the Middle East?
Thanks to the incredible support, encouragement and support of Colin and his wife Tara, and our many friends and wonderful family members, we have packed up our home and will soon be moving to Doha,Qatar for the next 2 years.  While we are somewhat nervous, we are mostly excited about what this adventure holds for each of us and for our family as a whole.  Let the adventure begin!