...to riding camels in the Middle East.
Hola! Assalamu Alaikum! Namaste! Ni Hao!
Update: I am planning a trip to South America in May, which translates to more travel stories!
I'm a recently retired Peace Corps Jordan volunteer who's been trying to get rid of a contagious virus called The Travel Bug.
After serving in Jordan for two years, I took the long way home by traveling through India and Nepal until I got kicked out of the country (my visa ran out).
I love warm weather, sleeping outside, watching street vendors make bread and fry samosas, and eating just-picked fruits and vegetables. I miss dim sum and Thai food, running in Sugarhouse Park, sushi, eating Haagen Dazs ice cream out of the carton, and being naked. Hope you enjoy reading about my adventures.
Cheers to exploring every alley, tasting any- and every-thing, riding on the roofs of buses, and living out of a bright red backpack!

About Me

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Mindy Ko
I'm 5 feet, without heels. Spunky, spontaneous, and outgoing. Life goal is to keep my tastebuds happy. Still sleep with my baby blanket. Love Honda Civics, hate Hummers, Navigators, and Suburbans. Could talk all day about food. Atheist. Played varsity tennis for Rice. Love San Diego's weather. Have ezcema. Grind my teeth at night. Love cheese fondue. My dad used to tell me that if I kept on smiling as much as and as wide as I do, my face would split open. Used to pick my nose, but then again, everyone did. A twin sister has been the best gift in my life. My philosophy: Be happy. Be healthy. Appreciate family and respect your elders. Never stop learning! If you find yourself bored or knowing what to expect, change something. It's healthy to sleep naked. Wear colorful underwear and walk with confidence. Eat lots of cheese. Don't judge people who aren't like you.
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Saturday, May 10, 2008

Harbored Hatred

Arabic conversation between my neighbor, the best cook in my village, a 40-something-year-old mother of 7, and the first wife of a Bedouin farmer, and me, translated into English:
Me: "Did you hear about Myanmar from the news?"
Frial: "What's Myanmar?"
Me: "It's a country near Thailand."
Frial: "What about it?"
"There was a...what's the word? Like a tornado but it has lots of wind and water and it looks like this (I make a funnel shape with my hands). It hits countries next to water and kills people...lots of wind and water..."
"A cyclone!"
"Yes! A cyclone hit this country near Thailand."
"And?"
"And the first day after, they reported only 350 deaths on Al Jazeera, but today it's up to 22,000. And a US diplomat in the country says there may be more than 100,000 deaths. Isn't that scary?"
"Yeah...a cyclone...hm..."
"And it's such a poor country and they have no president or king, not like King Abdullah of Jordan or President Bush of America. They have a military ruler who oppresses the people. Like an army man."
"We call that a military president."
"OK. They have a military president who isn't letting in any international aid from organizations like the UN."
"Is this cyclone country close to Denmark?"
"What?"
"Is this cyclone country close to Denmark?"
"No...it's next to Thailand. I told you. It's in Asia."
"Is Denmark close to Asia?"
"No. Denmark is close to countries whose English names are Sweden and Germany. It's very north of where the cyclone country is."
"Oh." (disappointed look on her face and she loses interest in my news update)
10 second silence.
Me: "Why?"
Frial: "Why what?"
Me: "Why do you want to know about Denmark?"
Frial: "Because I hope that Allah will steer the cyclone that hit the Asia country to go to Denmark, but they aren't close to each other so the cyclone will not go to Denmark."
10 second silence as I remember that Denmark is on her hate list because a Danish newspaper had published caricatures of Prophet Muhammed, which enraged Muslims all over the world. It enrages me that she doesn't have sympathy for the citizens of Myanmar, doesn't know that Denmark and Myanmar are not neighboring countries (basic geography!), and hopes for a natural disaster (from Allah) to hit Denmark because it exercises freedom of speech and press.

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