Anyways, bon jour . I am writing to you from inside of a proverbial rat cage in a psychology lab at "A Standard Chicago University". Earlier on in the summer, I was browsing Craigslist hoping to find a job listing titled "Hey, are you only going to be in town sporadically this summer? Looking to hang out with big dogs and cats that act like dogs who just want to cuddle? We will give you 10K! Bonus: Amazing coffee will be given to you at the beginning of every session and you will be accompanied by a handsome man with actual good intentions? Call today!"
Alas, instead I responded to an add titled: Are you a social drinker who has occasionally smokes marijuana? Do you want to earn a reasonable amount of money? No handsome men or dogs included"
(If you live in Chicago, interested in earning some extra cash and have some free time in the evenings, hit me up and I can give you the details of this experiment)
So here I am. The experiment? I have five sessions in a room where I am given four cups of liquid and asked to drink them in 15 minutes (average frat party timing) as I sit here for five hours while they ask me questions about my mood in 25 minute increments. These liquids could either contain a placebo or (x) (y) or (z).
So the last time I updated this blog, I was ranting about my FUCK IT year. This year has truly been the best of my entire life, however; I am about to return to the world of the
Truthfully, I am ecstatic to be returning to the classroom and Ho Chi Minh City, which strangely has started to feel like more of my home than anywhere else.
I am going to quickly fill you in on some pertinent details of the last few months:
March
In late March I participated in the first ever women's Australian Football game in Asia. Since it was Vietnam vs. Cambodia and I saw several friendly faces in the stands. The Cambodia Ultimate community came out to support the ladies, wahoo Cambodia Ultimate! We won the game and the boat race, which is the most important aspect, let's be honest. The party was also key because I discovered my desired attire for all events: over sized Hawaiian shirts. I once again forced myself on stage with a legit band and we managed to find decent tacos in Phnom
Penh so it was a wildly eventful weekend.
April
I feel as if most of you have seen plenty of pictures from the heaven that is Boracay Open. I've talked about it too much, so it's nothing like Fight Club...but kind of like Fight Club at the same time. You need to see it/feel it/drink it/jump off of it to really understand. As always, I encourage every single ultimate player that I know to come out for Boracay Open 2018. I honestly stand by the fact that if it doesn't live up to your expectations, I will pay for part of your ticket. Many new friends were made and several old friends ventured out for it, which means the world to me (shout out to Sarah, Ashley, Basia, Jeff, and anyone else I am forgetting). I ate at least two meals per day at Sunnyside Cafe. I paid for two separate hotel rooms. I kissed at least a million people on my birthday. It was excellent. JUST COME GUYS.
Another beautiful tournament in April is Chiang Mai Hat. Wonderful hosts, amazing food, and colorful celebrations. To be honest, some of Songkran was a little too much for me. I truly enjoyed the celebration of the New Year and spending time super soaking folks with my friends. However; wandering out of my hotel at 9PM, not expecting to be violently soaked with moat water is a bit much...or maybe I am just plain old. I feel as if this festival can be enjoyed by young and old alike, but is possibly embraced mostly by drunk tourists. Warning: If you are wearing a Lisa Frank tank top and have blond hair you are more likely to be ferociously engulfed. The tournament itself was fabulous. My team, Mean Girls, went undefeated but more importantly, was SO FETCH.
As per the norm in Northern Thailand, I mostly just ate Khao Soi and was oblivious to everything else (Do recommend: Women's Ex-Prisoners massages. Be careful, as often times normal in Thailand, boob massages are par the course, Ekk as a travel/food/life guide <3). #decharmedlife
#laterblog:
Now, I am not quite sure how, but I forgot a very important part of my April experience. Towards the end of April, I made the impulsive (is there any other kind?) decision to fly over to Taiwan for a few days to spend some quality time with some quality ladies. While in Boracay, I made friends with Jen, a friendly Irish (is there any other kind?) ultimate player who just happened to be traveling to Taiwan in a few weeks following the tournament. Jen is one of those people who I instantly wanted to tell me entire life story to over beers while dancing on the beach so I figured wandering around Taiwan together would be a fabulous idea. Speaking of friends that I immediately clicked with, it just so happens that my beautiful friend Jo lives in Taiwan. Shout out for the couch spot! Even though Jo and her awesome roomie were doing the Whole 30, I was a jerk and ate of the delicious street food in front of them.
Jen and I met up in Hualien to see the ever so gorge-ous Toroko Gorge. I will let the pictures speak for themselves.
When I wasn't busy eating at Din Tai Fung, I made it a point to soak in all of Taiwan's magic. It's a wonderful, delicious country full of dumplings, bubble tea and dumplings...I mean friends. I shall be back.
May
In May, I came home for my oldest friend's wedding. It was a beautiful day and most importantly, she passed out Old Navy flip flops as a take home gift during the dancing portion of the night. Everyone should probably start doing this. The night of her wedding, I learned a very crucial lesson: I am terrible at gambling. I lost 30 dollars and I don't think I will ever gamble again as I pretty much only ever have 30 dollars.May also marked the first time that my feet graced the seemingly perfect Canadian grass. I instantly felt safer as I stepped onto the lands of our friendly neighbors. Poutine, actual gun laws, Justin T, Tim Horton's...what's not to love? We took a ferry over to Victoria and then eventually ended up in Vancouver, where I could definitely see myself living if I somehow inherited millions of dollars from an old, undiscovered uncle. One of my favorite moments from that trip was spent laying in the grass, eating fresh fruit from the Vancouver market as a man's loyal golden retriever came up to us, looking to for some lovin'. The man simply said, "Hey, can you guys hold my dog for a few minutes?" and disappeared. Would this happen in America? I think not. I was hoping he would never return, as I could definitely use a new pup, but the trusty Canadian dog owner reemerged with a bowl of water and we hesitantly gave him up. I will forever remember Canada as a land of yurts, friendly dogs, breathtaking views, and fantastic beer.
June
I spent early June in Chicago, seeing friends and eating some much needed deep dish pizza. I also had the chance to play in my first Poultry Days tournament with the SO ILL alumn team which is always a pleasure. Camping out with my favorite dudes and ladies while surrounded by tents full of ultimate folks was truly something of dreams. I would wish that all weekends could be spent this way, but I might be dead as a result. Winner, winner chicken dinner. So many chicken puns!
Later I spent some much needed time up in Western Michigan with my family and slept at my favorite house in the world. We helped my cousin move, spent time at the beach, and just relaxed while looking at the lake (If you are ever in Grand Haven Michigan stop at Oddside ales, such good beer).
Late June was spent driving back to Portland in a moving van. A bittersweet trip that pried my eyes open to the obvious fact that dating isn't only hard in Asia. Despite this, I had a lovely time hiking, seeing my BFF Anna in Seattle, and spending [not enough] time at Potlatch with a super team of chingus, and going to a fabulous wedding. Portland's breweries and 4th of July fireworks did not disappoint either. I will inevitably look back on this time spent in the PNW fondly.
July
Returning to the Midwest has only solidified the fact that I am happy to know and love the best group of people that anyone could ask for. My parents refused to let me take an Uber home from the airport and picked me up at Midway at 1 AM. Nights at Summer Fest, late brunches, and dancing in Pilsen chased by tacos made my apathetic feelings temporarily disappear. It's easy to get discouraged sometimes, but not with friends like mine. Thanks guys. All of you.
I officially have two more weeks left in the US of A. Bring on Sandblast!
While I am mildly sad to leave, I am mostly filled with excitement to return to the mean streets of Saigon with a new perspective on living life in HCMC. I am ready to phokin' do this.
Feelin' some Rupi this and every day
Stay tuned!
Also, if you feel like watching some thangs:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJmpSMRQhhs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjCebKn4iic
Or listening to some thangs:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORnjmddtnH0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-Dur3uXXCQ
(Don't hate, this new Ke$ha song is legit)
Talk to you soon, on the other side of the world.
