"Wow, you're black!"

Yes, this is what my Vice Principal said to me when I went to school to pick up some paperwork yesterday, and trust me... it was NOT a compliment!   The 1st grade teacher was sitting next to him and had a look on her face as if I had just had a botched nose job or something!   

Then, tonight I met Stella for dinner at the Kimbap restaurant down the hill, and the two ladies working there (who know me well) put one hand in front of their faces, in a circular motion, and frowned... saying something in Korean about how I don't look good with tan skin!   

I knew I wouldn't be faced with jealous Koreans, gawking at my beautifully bronzed skin (wink wink), but I definitely wasn't ready for the older one's incredibly open and honest disapproval!   That caught me by surprise, but makes for a funny story, so it's okay my me!  My motto is, if it's funny enough (and cultural) to put on my blog, then I'll be the butt of any insult!  So, enjoy, and have a couple laughs on me!

Jill's Book Club!

While I don't actually have my very own book club, or even belong to one... I do think I could easily see myself being a part of one!  I have scarily surprised myself with my new LOVE for reading!  

I remember, as a child, my mom would make me read for 10 minutes a day, with a timer set next to me.  I would watch the timer as if it were counting down the minutes until I was once again FREE and happy!  I hated every moment of reading and carried that feeling through my adult life (except for the few moments when a Nicolas Sparks book was laid in my hands)!  

Although living in Korea, and probably more so, my trip to Indonesia changed all of that for me!  When you don't have internet or a TV at your fingertips, or any Western form of entertainment for that matter, you tend to long for a good book!  In my case, I longed for 3! 

Yes, mom, I know you're surprised!  In the last MONTH, I have breezed through all 678 pages of these books!

#1 The Alchemist!  A great story of finding your life's purpose and doing everything to fulfill it!

#2 The 5 People You Meet in Heaven. (Same author as Tuesdays with Morrie... which I also read this year!)  This one was a quick and interesting read, but in the end, I probably wouldn't recommend it.

#3 Committed.  This is the sequel to EAT, PRAY, LOVE... but my gosh!  If you want to be forever scared of getting married or having kids, read this book!  It was fairly terrifying!  

Next on my list are Life of Pi and The Last Lecture.  Any recommendations for which one I should start this morning?!

Banana Conditioner!

Well folks... here's a very tiny preview of my new permed mess of a head of hair!   Yes, I tried the banana treatment!  It felt a little like I was on an episode of Double Dare from the 80's!  I think it's safe to say I'm desperate for help!  Because my hair is sooo damaged though, some of the banana wouldn't wash out (or should I say, couldn't wash out) because my hair is sooo tangly now!  eeeehhhh!  I've been picking banana out of my hair all day!  

I start work next Monday, and I'm hoping I'm allowed to wear a hat!  :)

Salon Day with the girls!

Jessica, Young and I met up for lunch and a girl day at the salon!  

We spent 4 hours there, primarily waiting for my perm to finish!  Yes, I said "perm!"  I'm not sure what I was thinking.  A girl with as much damage to their hair as I have, should NEVER be going and getting a perm!  

I will say though, it was a fun experience that I ended up not having to pay for (not by my choice, but by the hair stylists.  She is a perfectionist, and wasn't happy with how my hair turned out, so she wouldn't let me pay her.  I felt really bad, because I could tell she felt horrible!)  

As a side note, she told me I'm not allowed to do anything to my hair for 1 year!  (That's a nice thought, but isn't gonna happen!)  She also gave me a natural remedy for damaged hair, that I think is worth sharing.  1 full mushed banana, lemon juice, and honey (or sugar).  Mix it all up and put it on your hair for 20 minutes and then wash it out!  If I had a lemon, I would have tried it tonight!  I've never put banana in my hair!  Hope it works!  At this point, it needs to work, or I'll have straw for hair!  Wish me luck!

Day 20: 3 countries in 3 nights!

It's crazy to think I will have slept in 3 different countries in 3 consecutive nights! Ahhh, the life of a traveler.  I could get used to this!

So, as you can see, I made it through the night in our crazy Hong Kong hostel!   We both woke up early and were ready to get out of there and head out into town to see what we could find to entertain ourselves!

We both really hate to admit this, but we went to McDonalds for breakfast!  In our defense though, it was literally the only place open to eat at 8:30am and we were starving!  We noticed this "Say No To Straws" sticker on the straw dispenser!  Glad to know Mickey D's in Hong Kong is doing it's part to stay green!

After breakfast, which again, we hate to admit it, but it was delicious, we headed for Fa Yeun Street Market, which we heard had some good, inexpensive shopping, and noticed right away that you could find a lot of random stuff there...

There were one of a kind paintings...

One of a kind foods... (I have no idea what this was, but it smelled rancid!)

Traditional Chinese clothing for children...

Character thongs for men... Aaron thought the tuxedo one was pretty clever!  

Pig hooves... 

Full fried ducks...

Weird sausages of every shape, size, and animal...

Traditional Chinese party decorations...

Nuts of every kind and candy from all over the world...

and delicious tropical fruits!!!! 

I have to say though, my all time favorite find were these Victoria Secret-Roxy slippers, which were obviously in the midst of an identity crisis! 

We were able to play around the city for about 5 hours before jumping on the bus back to the airport!  As we were walking to the bus stop, we spotted this Popcorn Monster place that offered every disgusting flavor of popcorn you could ever imagine. You think I'm joking?!  You could buy anything from dill pickle cream to watermelon flavored... we settled for some caramel, which happened to be delicious!

We made it to our flight, with plenty of time to spare!  I'm now laying, comfortably in my own clean bed, in my welcoming and cheerful Korean apartment, sad to have said goodbye to Indonesia, but content with being home and enjoying the comforts that it brings, like warm showers!!

I speak for Aaron, and myself, when I say this.  Indonesia will always occupy a piece of our hearts, and the people of Lembongan and Ceningan Island will have an especially special place in them!