"They came to Penang from all over the world." [ Malaysia ]

Rewind to September 1st...

After a ten day return to the land of the morning calm, I found myself all packed up and ready[ish] to move on. I'd taught my last classes, shipped my last boxes and paid my last bills. I took one last look around my Korean abode, grabbed my pack, and dreamt my way through a last ride into Seoul. Getting off the subway at Hongik University Station, I knew exactly where I was and where I was headed, a drastic difference from a year prior when my first venture into the city left me feeling disoriented and lost in a sea of neon and noise.  One last night with the chingus was necessary, as we all tried to temper the impending separation anxiety. As it was, we had a fab evening eating one last round of bbq, drinking one last round of soju and mekju, and taking some rad group sticky photos. Even those of us who thought we were a little too cool for such antics.

After a few hours of photos and drinks and tears, Ali and I said goodbye to our chingus, promised to send post cards, and boarded the airport express bound for Incheon International Airport. Seeing as we were on a midnight flight, we breezed through check-in and security, cried a bit more, and before we knew it were waving goodbye to our temporary homes, our friends, and our lives in Korea. When we opened our eyes in the morning, we'd already started a brand new adventure. We were in Malaysia. It was Day 1.

[Kuala Lampur, Malaysia] Kuala Lampur has roaches and rats and streets that smell like pee. I has men who leer unashamedly at western women and copious amounts of sludge in the streets. BUT, if you peel the grit away and let it fade into the background, KL has some pretty rad stuff going on. There are stunningly peaceful mosques, and extravagant Hindu temples. There are the vibrant and bustling (albeit a bit overwhelming) Chinatown and Little India, each filled with piles of merchandise, beautiful fabrics, and delicious street food for about a dollar.

Ali and I wandered, and shopped, and explored. We braved the fish-spa-pedicure tanks once more (Ali's idea). We even managed to order a meal containing no less than twelve chicken hearts (Yes, I counted. No, we didn't eat all of them. They taste like blood.)

 

A quick hop on the subway brought us to the Batu Caves, a Hindu shrine built into limestone caves which to get to one must climb 270+ steps, bypass an enormous gold statue of Lord Murugan (a Hindu deity), and evade packs of greedy and decidedly not shy monkeys. If I may, and if you intend to visit, I would encourage you NOT to feed said monkeys and, if you must, feed them all the food you have. Withholding food from non-human-fearing-monkeys never ends well. You know what it ends in? Rabies. That's what I hear. Just saying. (To clarify I did not get bit by a monkey or contract rabies...but it could happen.) If you are lucky, and we were, not only will you not get rabies, you may even get a peek at a Hindu/Indian wedding, which was one of the most beautiful ceremonies (and brides) I have ever seen. The Batu Caves in itself was one of the coolest religious structures (?) I have ever visited.

Being a Muslim country, Malaysia doesn't exactly have a rockin' party scene. So, having spent hours wandering the streets, temples, markets, etc. Ali and I spent one evening relaxing around the hostel, noses burried in books. The evening we did decided to venture out on the town, we hit up the super swanky SkyBar (where we had absolutely no business) drank super swanky mojitos, and (most importantly) caught this super swanky view of the famous Petronus Towers. Pretty legit.

Three days in KL was about enough and, while I can't say that it is my favorite city I've ever been, or number one on my list of places to return ASAP, I do think the places we saw were interesting and unlike anything I've ever seen before. The food was amazing and, when things got a little too raw, there was a lovely, clean, and peaceful park to stroll through and escape the city. There was time to read and wander and relax and a few days to absorb the fact that for the foreseeable future, Ali and I had no responsibilities beyond ourselves (and keeping each other out of trouble). In hindsight KL was pretty sweet, even if it took some coaxing to get beyond the grit.

[Pulau Perhentian Kecil, Perhentian Islands, Malaysia] I must preface this tidbit by acknowledging that only in retrospect it is an ridiculous/hysterical story. At the time I suppose it was a bit (a lot) questionable. Such is life. Moving on. We've left KL right? Right. Were on the first of many night buses we will take over the next few weeks. Not really a big deal. We board, people are loud, we sleep-ish, and we roll into Kuala Bessut, enroute to beachy paradise at about 6am. It's still dark out. Fine. Everyone else has gotten off of the bus at previous stops. Fine. We are dropped off, not right at the pier, but in a large empty parking lot. Ok, still fine. We get out, grab our bags, and notice a slightly worse for the wear man standing near by. He is the only other person in the parking lot and promptly spits out the standard, "Where you go?" which, after essentially a month in SE Asia, I ignore. I instead ask the bus driver where we can buy ferry tickets to the islands. Said bus driver proceeds to look at me like an alien and points to our welcoming committee, who is now producing a business card. Awesome. Ali and I check out the mans business card, which indicates that he is part of a legitimate enterprise (in theory)  and ask him how much the tickets will be. Seeing as we don't know where we are and have little other options, we decide to follow our new friend down the street. All of this is a little less fine. After a short walk through empty back streets, during which I was creeping 5 feet away trying to figure out whether the object in our friends hand was a pen or a knife (it was a pen) and Ali was lurking 10 feet away preparing to drop her pack and throw down if this little adventure went sour, we reached a totally legitimate tour office where we could buy our official tickets to and from the island. Great. Awesome. Fantastic! Note to our chaperone: lurking in the dark by yourself and grunting "Where you go??!" at young female travelers is not, in fact, a great business model.

So we get to the island, right? Wait. Not quite. First we have to follow a different young Malaysian man from the office to the pier, which happens to be closed. "No problem," says our newest friend. We can climb over the wall. Most boats dont leave until seven; but, seeing as he has to pick a group up first thing in the morning, we can leave early. Fine. An hour later, one luggage theft scare, one boat break down in the middle of the ocean, and one lovely instance in which our boat driver asked me if I thought he was trying to kidnap us (only a little...) Ali and I finally arrived on Perhentian Kecil Island for a few days of beach and sun and food and beach and sun.

Literally, that's all we did. Deciding we needed a little extra time than originally planned, we spent four lovely days walking from our hostel (to those wondering, Shari La does in fact have AC dorms they don't advertise) to Long Beach, a beautiful stretch of white sand and crystal water. We befriended a slightly socially awkward, sun sensitive, and extremely friendly British man slash snorkeling-enthusiast, with whom we spent the next few days swimming, laying, eating and snorkeling. It was a glorious friendship except for that time we convinced ourselves that Michael had hung out with us and convinced us of his innocence as part of an elaborate ruse in an effort to steal all of our belongings by way of offering to lock them in his locker for a few hours after we checked out. Turns out this was not the case, he simply got sidetracked talking about snorkeling on the way to the beach that day. Oh well. No harm no foul, right? Friendship intact.

After an amazing and necessary post Korea-moving-KL-madness stress reliever, Ali and I finally pealed ourselves off the glorious white sand and embarked on a lovely boat-taxi-bus-ferry journey. During the next 12 hours we would meet the half Malay half Australian married man of our dreams (and his wife), hang out in an A+W Root Beer drinking floats and hanging out with some ten year old Malay boys for a good three hours, get stalked at the bus station by a creepy creepy man ( "I see your stalking, and raise you a preemptive assault" - A.W.) and finally find ourselves in our final Malaysian destination.

[Penang, Malaysia] As an introduction to Palau Penang, Malaysia I shall once again quote my Korea Seoul-mate, and travel companion Ali, "Penang is the most delicious place I have ever been." 

 

As the result of a less than stellar night bus ride, during which I was pretty sure my human-pretzeled legs were going to end up permanently attached to both my pack and the seat, Ali and I arrived in Penang in dire need of a nap. We literally passed out on the couch in the lobby of the guesthouse and had to be shaken awake when our beds were ready. It was awkward. After a few hours spent sleeping on pillows I swear were made of baby angels and rainbows, we decided it was time to wander. And wander is what we did for the bulk of our time in Penang. We spent hours strolling through the streets of Georgetown, enjoying the remnants of British colonial architecture, poking our heads into various temples [Chinese Buddhist, Hindu, Mosques] and absorbing all of the wonderful cultures and communities represented on the Island.

As a former crown jewel of the East India Trading company, and an important trade post for goods traveling to and from Asia, Malaysia is home to a wonderful blend of cultures, unique to the region. This blend is highlighted perfectly on the Island of Penang,  and even more perfectly in the local cuisine. (I should stop pretending like eating isn't my favorite part of travel...) In between a visit to the Penang Cultural Museum, and checking out the various temples, we stumbled upon a pamphlet describing the various dishes available, a note that Penang had the best food in all of Malaysia, and a wonderful map dictating a few street food tours of the city. We were in. Obviously. Thus began the first chapter of "Emily and Ali eat their way through South East Asia." Over the course of one afternoon, in lieu of lunch and dinner, we decided to hit up a circuit of the noted street stall establishments. We worked our way through Little India sampling one of everything. Including, but not limited to, some sort of mung bean coconut porridge, salted roasted chickpeas, a cold rice noodle, palm sugar, shaved coconut concoction and tea (teh) tarik, a delicious frothy chai-esque tea.

 

That was all before we found this man... 

and the most delicious samosas I have ever had in my life. Seriously amazing. Hot and crispy on the outside. Curried deliciousness on the inside. We ate about a million. And the man laughed a lot when we came back multiple times (and days in a row). Ali swears she can never eat another samosa in her life because nothing will every be as good. I can only hope (and assume) I will find some wortthy competetors in (Big) India. Ali, alas, will be left broken hearted (unless I can sneak some through customs) because, in a cruel twist of fate, we left Penang on a Sunday. And Sunday, my friends, is apparently Samosaman's day off. Nothing else could have thwarted our plans of buying a  giant bag full to carry us through the 20 hour train ride ahead.

 

Having given it the once over, I am not actually sure I am doing Malaysia justice with this post. Yes there are parts that are dirty, yes there are places where people stare. But, such is true of almost everywhere I have been. Final verdict? Malaysia was a bit raw at times but, in reality, was under-ratedly-awesome. Not really knowing what to expect, it was like nowhere I have ever been before. It was an amazing blend of cultures [ Chinese, Indian, and ethnic Malay] all pressed up against each other, simultaneously mixing and remaining separate and distinct entities. I certainly don't regret going, and there a some parts I would certainly revisit should I get the time/opportunity/ca$h-mon-ee. This time around, 10 days were just enough. We had our fun and, as it was, had an important appointment to keep in Bangkok.

See you back in the Land of Smiles my friends, 

Emily 

WAIT!

Don't go yet!!!

Before you go back to work (I know you're at work) take a moment to check out some lovely original artwork here! I will only be selling prints for a few more weeks and awesome photos are the perfect gift for all those people who you forgot about this holiday season! Make sure everyone knows you still love them, even if holidays make you a little spazzy! Promise they'll forgive :)

Ok, now you can go. Bye friends!

Malaysia Travel Links :
http://wikitravel.org/en/Perhentian_Islands
http://wikitravel.org/en/Penang
http://oldpenang.com/ 
http://food.malaysiamostwanted.com/venues/penang-special-samosa-queen-street
http://www.airasia.com/my/en/home.page
http://www.seat61.com/Malaysia.htm

Vietnam in a [large] nutshell.

[Editor's note: I started this post before I left Korealand and my life got too craycray. My B. I'll be updating with some notes and photos from my further adventures over the next week or so. Hope you enjoy a peek at my life when it was a little more interesting :)]

So, remember when I said I was going to Vietnam AND Cambodia over summer vacay.... my bad. That was a joke. Really.

What I meant to say was that "I am going to go to the airport, only to realize that I made some gross miscalculations regarding bus/departure times and was drastically overestimating the level of clarity with which by brain was functioning the previous day. I am then going to do some serious reshuffling of visas, hostel reservations and plane tickets, hang out in my apt and blast the aircon for another day and then hop on a plane to Saigon." Good joke right?

As it was, that little situation was the only thing I could be upset about the whole trip. I had three spectacular, practically perfect weeks in Vietnam, and loved nearly every second. I didn't expect to fall in love with Vietnam, I didn't expect anything to be able to live up to Thailand. But I did, and it did. And I want to go back. At the moment it's not in the cards. For now I will do my best to share its glory with you people (assuming anyone's still out there... I was told my few month hiatus was underwhelming...Sorry, I'm not sorry ).

So, my friends, I bring you my life.
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[ 8/3-8/8 2011: Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), Vung Tau, Vietnam ] I'm reeling from an overnight flight through Shanghai. A steaming bowl of Pho is still sloshing around in my stomach and I am standing on a street corner. I have a destination in mind, the park on the other side of the road. There are benches and shade, that's all I want. I've been waiting on the same street corner for over 5 min; I just can't seem to commit. Every time I put a toe forward a sudden stream of motos comes rushing towards me, swerving, honking, weaving, not obeying traffic laws of any kind. Another few minutes go by before a roughly 900 year old Vietnamese woman grabs me by the arm. We take the plunge. Or, rather, she takes the plunge and drags me along for the ride. She weaves through oncoming traffic like a Frogger highscore record holder, holding up a hand to stop traffic and forging on, no hesitation. My savior deposits me on the opposite corner; I am forever thankful, but I haven't learned how to say so yet. I am in Saigon.

In the next few days, I will plunge forward across many a busy (understatement) intersection. I will meet some new friends and drink birthday beers on plastic stools in the street. I'll hop on the back of one of the aforementioned motos, close my eyes, and pray for the best. I will be approached to chat by Vietnamese University students, and spend hours watching middle age men play shuttlecock in the park. I will crawl through the Cu Chi tunnels where the Vietcong lived during the war, and learn more about 'Nam from the War Remnants museum than any US History course ever taught me. I will let a crazy old man drive me in a cyclo through Chinatown and will spend a day at the getaway beach for those living in Saigon. I will eat street-side baguettes, steamed pork and quail egg buns, and devour multiple bowls of amazzzing South Vietnamese Pho (beef and noodle soup) At various points along the way, I will meet up with my travel companions, and then we will hop in a van. 
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[ 8/8-8/9/2011: Can Tho, Mekong Delta, Vietnam ] It's early evening, almost five. My friends have acquired some bikes and headed down a path leading through the village. I am on foot; I've lost site of them. The first hundred meters or so, I am alone and its quiet. Quiet is a nice change from the constant laying on of the horn present during our 5 hour van ride from Saigon. A moment of quite is good; but, after a moment, I am not alone. I've wandered into the village, there are houses on my left and right, and friendly, "Hello's", and "Sin Xao's" shouted my way. Many of the homes are pastel concrete with open first floor sitting areas. Families sit on their steps chatting, or watching TV. Children play, hide when they see me, then run back out and say, "Hello." Many of them notice I have a camera, the children smile and pose expectantly. I take some of their photos and show them. Giggles and shrieks ensue. I crouch down and let some of them take pictures of their friends with my camera. It's a huge hit. I keep walking, taking it all in, eventually passing more homes, a few small shops, and a local market. One of my bigger fans comes running up with a giant slice of papaya. It's for me, so I smile and accept, and hold onto it for the next 30 min. I am pretty sure it will kill me if  I eat it.

5th and 6th photo credit to Mike William, thanks chingu!!

I am in a small village near Can Tho, the epicenter of the Mekong Delta. My friends and I have organized a semi-homestay with a man named Hung. We are staying in simple bamboo bungalows on farmland which has been in the family as long as Hung can remember. There are about 15 people in total staying with Hung, and his family welcomes us all with smiles and "Hello's." The kids are more than happy to play, and listen to music, and learn to take photos. In the evening we roll spring rolls to fry and enjoy a delicious Vietnamese meal. The next day Hung takes our crew out on a boat ride through the Mekong and its smaller tributaries. We have baguettes and coffee as the sunrises, and spend the morning visiting the largest floating market in the delta, and various local businesses. As the Mekong is the "rice basket" of the region, these include a rice paper refinery and rice mill as well as a stroll trough some nice paddies. We end the tour by getting caught in the most spectacularly refreshing five minute monsoon, after which we say goodbye to Hung, head to the airport, and jump on a rickety plane to paradise. 
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[ 8/9-8/12/2001: Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam ] Brilliant red mud is splattering left, right and center, as I pump the gas on my motor bike. On my right are miles of white sand beach, and clear blue ocean. Every so often the view is interupted by a store or house cobbled together with corrugated metal and bamboo. At other times, the shore is scattered with the skeletons of similar structures ravaged by the elements and time. On my left there is jungle and sand dunes, more homes, and open fields. Later in the evening, after a small monsoon, there will be heard of cattle walking, alone and silent, down the road. There are roads to explore, beaches on which to sprawl, places to snorkel, fresh seafood to eat, and waves to play in.  Like I said, paradise. Paradise mixed with raw, rural, real Vietnam. My point? It's amazing. Go to Phu Quoc. Now. Because in 5 years it will be a whole different ball game...

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[ 8/12-8/13/2011, 8/18-8/19: Hanoi, Vietnam ] So I am sitting in a bar, or rather I'm sprawled on pillows on the floor in a bar, with my friends and some fellow Korea-Based-Sconnies. A few minutes earlier one friend has stepped outside. No big deal right? That's what we thought. Except...remember how Vietnam is still a communist country?? And I am still in Vietnam; Hanoi, to be exact.
 
About that... One of the things we tend to forget is that countries like Vietnam impose curfews on their citizens. It's easy enough to forget in Hanoi, especially since the curfew isn't exactly strictly enforced, even more so in tourist areas. Enter our night out on the town. You can imagine that, even with the knowledge of this curfew, having observed on previous nights the number of establishments seeming to stay bumping well into the night, it came as a surprise when our bar of choice rolled down the metal gate over its entrance...while we were still inside...and our friend was still outside. After a good deal of confusion, speculation, and a conference with the friend who was left locked out for a good half and hour, we learned the following: after curfew the cops will turn up at the end of a street every now and then and poke around. At this point someone gives a heads up to the next street over, where all the establishments roll down their grates like clockwork, giving the impression they are shut down for the night. Eventually they will let other people in/back in. Once inside however, on the off chance you want to leave, you follow a different set of rules. In our case, this involved climbing up a spiral staircase through a maze of hallways and out an ally onto a different street. Totally legit. Such is life, I suppose

Outside of (and including) it's night time theatrics, Hanoi was really lovely. A few days were spent wandering the streets, admiring left over French architecture, draped with lush greens and electric wires, and talking about how much prettier it was than Saigon. We strolled through bustling markets, drank excessive amounts of killer coffee, acquired a hilarious Romanian companion, and enjoyed some Saigon Exports over delish Vietnamese barbeque (and pigeon?).  Hanoi was a place to simply be and enjoy. And enjoy we did.
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[ 8/14-8/15 Halong Bay, Vietnam ] The air is crisp and clean. The water is perfectly still, only disturbed by moving paddles. I am sitting in a kayak with a friend, jaw gaping, as the sun sets on a scene straight out of Avatar's Pandora. Beautiful, rocky, mossy cliffs jutting out of turquoise water as far as the eye can see. This cant be real. But it is. We continue to gape in disbelief as the sun sets, before paddling back to what we hope is our boat, drifting beneath a night sky interrupted only by the lights and music of other tours. Just before we climb aboard, I spot a bedazzled junk looking suspiciously like a floating norebang. After a quick shower and costume change I return to the deck of our evening accomodations, which is now anchored alongside two other large junks from the same tour. Then...Chaos.


Halong bay was like Pandora-wonderland meets MTV SPRING break. There is really no other way to describe it. A whole bunch of young travelers on three large boats, and later an island, adrift within some of the most spectacular scenery in South East Asia. Suffice it to say, a good time was had by all and everyone was looking a little rough around the edges when we returned to Hanoi a few days later.

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[ 8/16-8/17 Sapa, Vietnam ] My shoes are covered in water buffalo poop; something I have not yet realized will be a theme in my South East Asian adventures. In the last few hours my friends and I have walked deep into a valley, ribbed with looping, layered, vibrant rice terraces. I've taken off my shoes and waded through a small stream. I've made friends with a young mother named Vu. And I've taken an inappropriate number of photos of rice paddies. I have just arrived at the home of Bao, a young Hmong woman, and her family. Her children are checking us out, a group of gangly Americans, while some of the women who have led us here show off the handy-crafts they are selling. My friends and I are about it sit down to a home-cooked meal that I'm not entirely sure wont kill us.

My friends and I are in Sapa, Vietnam. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. It is the end of my trip, but I couldn't be happier to be spending it in this wonderful northern town. Its hard to say it not a tourist town, because it is. The only reason there is a town, rather than scattered farms and villages, is the influx of tourist over the last couple of years. In some ways it's wonderful, I may not be here otherwise and tourism provides a valuable source of income for the local Vietnamese and Hill Tribe communities. On the other hand, thinking about the detrimental effects tourism has on local communities and cultures is worrying. And thinking of some of the people who come through acting like the only reason this place exists is for them to see is even more so. It sucks to think about the problem, knowing you are part of it.

The later will be true throughout my Asian adventure. It's one of those things that's important to recognize. To know that while many communities will welcome you as a visitor, you must always aim to respect local customs. Remember to appreciate and observe and even to participate when invited, but not to invade, offend, assume, or destroy.

I like to think that if we can remember those things, then people like myself (and yourself!!) can continue to visit these wonderful places. We can experience customs, cultures, cuisines, and landscapes different from our own, and appreciate the gift we've been given without robbing people of their homes, their communities, or their wonderful local pride and willingness to welcome a bunch of gangly, goofy Americans into their home.

Like I said. I fell in love with Vietnam. Maybe you can see why. In the end I think it was a blessing that I got to see Vietnam on it's own with nothing to compare it to. I got to appreciate the things I loved, and take the gritty bits in stride. Maybe one day I'll get the chance to return to Vietnam; but, for the present I am left with nothing but a warm feeling in my heart for the skinny little gem.

NOW, while I've got you here... please take a chance to check out the original artwork on my 'Photo Sale!' Page! For those who have no idea what I am talking about, or those who need a little clarification, a brief review:

At the end of January I will be starting a three month volunteer placement in India, as a member of the AJWS Volunteer Corps. During my time in India I will be working (fo' free..hence volunteer) at a local NGO promoting social justice and international development. During this time my cost of living expenses are entirely self-funded SO in an effort to offset some of these expenses (room and board) I am selling prints of original photos from my time in Korea.

Buying some sweet original artwork will not only make you the best holiday gift giver EVER, it will also support yours truly in my efforts to fight poverty, hunger and disease in India, alongside the American Jewish World Service Volunteer Corps.

See, its a win-win situation we've got ourselves in!
Check it out!
Peace out Cub Scout!
Happy Holidays!
Emily

Oh heyyy [Update]

Heyyyyy friends! Where have you been??? Or, to be fair, where have I been? Oh, you know... around.

Enough of the conversation with myself? Fine. Where have I been? Welp, when I left you last I was hunkered down in a PC Bang, approximately 6556 miles over the ocean, having just pack up a years worth of life, wrapped up a years worth of job, and cried a years worth of tears. I will assume you all knew I was a huge cry baby already and did not pass judgement.

Moving on, since the end of August I've bounce around quite a bit. More specifically, I spent some time in Malaysia, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, before hopping on a plane bound for the good old US of A. It was a pretty rad few months, to say the least.

Upon my arrival in the land peanut butter and Diet Coke, I decided to spend a few days in sunny California with some lovelies, exploring a little bit of the lovely city that is San Fransico.  Three owl costumes, one hot fudge sundae and a creepy prison later, I found myself back in my childhood home of Buffalo Grove. For about a second.

A few weeks before I flew home, my dearest mother informed me that we had finally sold the house and would be moving into a rental on her birthday (17 days after my arrival).  This meant two very important things: One, I would arrive home to a flurry of boxes being packed, unpacked, repacked, hauled to the lake, sent to goodwill, labled for the move etc. And two, my mother would celebrate her birthday by having a brownie with a candle forced on her by yours truly, exactly as the movers showed up to start hauling furniture. Wohooo happy birthday mom! All things considered, I decided to be helpful.

Fast forward to the present (a few weeks later) and I am writing to you not from my own, but from my sisters childhood bed, in my new home in brand new (to me) Chicago suburb. The boxes are [mostly] unpacked, the fam is largely settled, Thanksgiving has come and gone, I even got my teeth cleaned.  I have no more excuses.

More lengthy and visual reflections on the past few months of my life will follow; but, for now, it's time to fill you all in on the events that will take place in my life in the near future.

Those of you keeping track at home may remember that a while back I shared with you the exciting news that I will be volunteering with American Jewish World Service as part of AJWS Volunteer Corps this coming winter.

I will be traveling to India to volunteer with a community-based non-profit organization. During my time abroad, I will be donating my time to assist a local organization working against poverty, hunger and disease. While I have yet to learn the specifics of my individual placement, I anticipate a very challenging and rewarding experience. I hope that donating my energy and skills will help advance the quality of life in the community where I will be living and working. I hope that by sharing my knowledge, I can help people create the world they deserve.

As I mentioned, my volunteer work is being organized by American Jewish World Service (AJWS).  

AJWS is an international development organization motivated by Judaism’s imperative to pursue justice. AJWS is dedicated to alleviating poverty, hunger and disease among the people of the developing world regardless of race, religion or nationality. Through grants to grassroots organizations, volunteer service, advocacy and education, AJWS fosters civil society, sustainable development and human rights for all people, while promoting the values and responsibilities of global citizenship within the Jewish community.

Basically, I am trying to use my skills to do some good in the world. And you know what? 

You can help!  Say whatttttttt!?

Over the next few weeks, I will be selling original photographs taken during my time abroad. By purchasing one of these photos, you will be helping me support international development and social justice. All proceeds from the sale of these pieces will be put towards cost of living (room and board) expenses throughout my placement. Any funds remaining at the conclusion of my three month volunteer commitment will be donated directly to the American Jewish World Service, in order to fund similar programs throughout the developing world.

I encourage you to visit my Photo Sale page (using the link under the Beautiful Commotion header) and check the original art for sale! Please feel free (and feel that I want you to!) share the link with anyone whom you think may be interested in either or both the photos and my volunteer efforts.

I am looking forward to sharing my experience, and spreading knowledge about the work AJWS does throughout the world, in the coming months. I encourage you to continue to follow Beautiful Commotion. I would also be happy to provide you with more information regarding the American Jewish World Service and Volunteer Corps.

Thank you so much for your support. Please know that you are making a difference! I am very excited to share this next part of my life, and the knowledge I will gain, with all of you!
For those in Chicago, I look forward to seeing you before I hop on that next plane! I missed you!

For now,
Emily