i dont even know where to start...
the past two weeks have been a blur of working a lot and welcoming Tara and Icon the Dog to Cambodia!
they arrived on 1 Feb., and we have been busy getting Icon (and Tara) settled in to the 'Penh. having a dog here has been eventful. this dog is incredible: an 11 year old dalmation, ready for anything, held her bathroom needs for 30 hours on the plane trip over, and has just been a total trooper since arriving.
walking the dog in a developing country has been both stressful and surprisingly easy. sometimes, we just put her in a tuktuk and take her to the park, and other times, we walk her around the neighborhood, eliciting a mixture of surprise, glee and fear from all the locals. she just jumps up into the tuktuk like shes done it her whole life, but she is a bit confused by some of our requests... Tara had really trained her to be really nice to all the dogs in NC, and now we want her to be really careful with all the dogs in Cambodia. she is probably totally baffled - Tara walks her in the neighborhood carrying a large stick to ward off mangy canine oncomers. one day she had to stab at a tiny barker that ran up to Icon, causing it to yelp and run back to its house, but other than that we've been lucky with other-dog encounters.
we have been trying to train Icon to pee in the concrete courtyard area at times in lieu of a proper walk, which really confuses her. one day, she fake-peed for Tara, squatting down and producing nothing, and then walking away like, 'what? i went! leave me alone already.'
her food is really expensive, so Tara has spent a great deal of energy in researching, preparing and providing whole food meals for the dog: broccoli, rice, carrots, raw meat, and yogurt, to name just a few ingredients.
Icon has been getting used to all the people who come and go from the house: the maid, the guard, and the roommate, who all love her dearly. (ok, not sure the maid loves her all that much, as she sheds a LOT in this climate, but at least shes nice to her and not afraid...)
Tara and i have been going to the gym, and i have been practicing yoga and even teaching sometimes at my favorite local studio, Nata Raj.
Tara had a lovely first personal training session, and has been walking with great difficulty since Tuesday, but its nice to have a beautiful swimming pool at the gym, and to be able to exercise inside....
this weekend is not only Valentine's Day, but also the Lunar New Year, as well as the Chinese and Vietnamese New Year. i asked colleagues at work about V-Day, and was told that it was a day to apologize to your parents for all the things that you have done wrong.
i will match that, and hereby formally apologize to you, Mom and Dad, for.......hhmmmm...... wait! have i done stuff wrong? if so, i beg your forgiveness with an open heart. feel free to email me with your complaints. do not post them on the blog, as i need to cling to my reputation of absolute perfection, online at least.
happy new year, and all lovely special feelings!
-Amy, Tara, and Icon the Dog
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