The Passion for Food: It's in the Genes

Every time I'm back at my parent's house in California, I fill up on all the home-cooked Burmese and Chinese food I can possibly stuff myself with. I consider myself extremely lucky that my mother is such an amazing cook and that from a very young age, I was exposed to "exotic" food (she was always getting recipes from her friends at work and trying them out at home).

Mom trying out fried sardines in Istanbul

Of course, at the time, my conforming child-self wished I could have meatloaf and TV dinners like all my "normal" American friends were having!

Now I see how fortunate I was. My passion for food and eating came from my mother. She showed me how flavors and colors can enhance not just your dining experience, but your life as well. Eating with my mother was always a social affair full of friends and family, stories, jokes, and laughter.

My mom and I traveling in Bagan, Burma

I love my mother so much for teaching me how to enjoy and appreciate food in and of itself, and for teaching me to share that joy with others.

For the longest time I had wanted to get her recipes down on paper and share them on my blog. Unfortunately, I was always traveling and whenever I visited, it was only for a short amount of time. This past month I was in California for several weeks and finally managed to get a couple recipes to share! Be on the look-out for them in the next few weeks!

Thanks, Mom, for having the patience to cook with me in your kitchen as I try to frantically scribble down the ingredients and take photos before everything burns! I'm sure my readers will also appreciate it, especially once they try your recipes!

© Connie Hum 2012

Montage Monday: Travels with Mom

In celebration of American Mother's Day, this Montage Monday features travel with my own mom! Thanks for everything, Mom! I love you!

The last time I saw my mother, we were traveling in Burma in January 2010 with my two aunts (my mother's two younger sisters) and my maternal grandmother to visit our family who still live in Burma. It was a fantastic month-long journey and I had a great time spending quality time with my family, especially my mother.

I flew my mom out to Istanbul to visit me when I was living in Turkey back in 2009. It was her first exposure to a completely different culture and she did well in embracing it. There were a few trying moments during the two weeks we traveled around Turkey, but all in all, I had fun showing my mom around Istanbul and Turkey. Here, my mom and I are walking across Istanbul's Galata Bridge, with the New Mosque (Yeni Camii) in the background.

My first major travel with my mom was to Burma in 2005. If you can believe it, this was also my first international trip as well! To be very honest, I didn't want to go to Burma and my mother basically forced me to go to Burma to visit family. I'm not sure why I didn't want to go to Burma since I was very much interested in traveling. I suppose it was because I wasn't sure what to expect in Burma and the uncertainty scared me. In any case, I'm glad that my mother made me go.

Just another reason for loving my mother all the more: She forced me to get over my fear of traveling to an unknown foreign country!

Where's the BEST place YOU'VE ever traveled to with YOUR mom?

© Connie Hum 2011

Meeting Family in Macao

When I told my mother that Matt and I were planning to go to Macao, she insisted that we stay with my "aunt" while we were there.

Let's be frank here, this "aunt" isn't really my aunt. She's my mother's first cousin from Burma who is now living in Macao with her husband (whom I've never met). My mother hasn't even talked to my "aunt" since we last saw her (briefly) in Burma a number of years ago. I can't remember ever exchanging a word with this "aunt." On top of all this, I was quite uncomfortable with the idea of Matt and I staying with a virtual stranger who was, without a doubt in my mind, going to report every single move we made back to my mother.

"Family is family" my mother told me and the situation was settled. Matt and I were to stay with my "aunt."

When we arrived in Macao, I was a bit nervous as I didn't know what to expect. I didn't even know if my "aunt" and I would recognize one another! As Matt and I came out of the Macao ferry terminal, my anxiety vanished as I instantly recognized my "aunt" and the big grin on her face showed that she had recognized me too.

Meeting my distant "aunt" in Macao

"You look just like your father!" she exclaimed and started taking bags from my and herding Matt and I towards the taxi stand.

The week in Macao with my "aunt" turned out to be a fantastic week and Matt and I both grew very fond of her and her husband, Stanley. The two of them showed us boundless hospitality and we really enjoyed spending time with them in their home sharing midnight tea, eating fabulous food all over Macao and gambling at the famed Macao casinos (revert to Matt and my gambling addiction blog). Stanley even treated Matt and I to a fabulously luxurious day at the incredible Malo Clinic Spa at the Venetian, complete with 180 minute aromatic massage and an afternoon in the jacuzzis!

Here are some of the fun photos Matt and I took while meeting and getting to know my extended family in Macao!

Tired after a day of walking around Macao

Do you see any family resemblance with me and my aunts?

Gorging at a local seafood restaurant

The new family portrait

Although I was a bit hesitant to meet and stay with my extended family in the beginning, I'm really glad that I did! Matt and I ended up having a great time and now we stay in touch with my "aunt" often. Now that we're living just a short ferry ride from Macao, Matt and I are planning to go back to visit them!

My mom was right: Family is family, no matter the distance and even if you've never met before!

Have you ever met distant relatives while traveling? What was that like?

© Connie Hum 2011

Montage Monday: Christmas

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE! This Montage Monday, share in my three favorite Christmas memories from years past.

This photo sums up Christmas in San Diego, California perfectly. Sunshine and beaches, with a little Christmas decorations to remind you that it's actually December! It's a bit strange for me to experience such a warm Christmas, but you can't really complain when San Diego is just so lovely this time of year!

I love Christmas in NYC! There's so many beautiful decorations around! Here I took a photo of Neil, Nathan, Nelson (wow, so many N-names!) and my reflection on a Christmas ornament in one of the shops in SoHo.

A White Elephant Gift Exchange is a fun Christmas tradition with my family in California. Typical White Elephant "gifts" for us include socks, Chia Pets, lava lamps, soap dispensers and last year's most coveted gift: the Slanket!


Where is your favorite Christmas travel destination?

© Connie Hum 2010

Montage Monday: Burma 2005

Take a walk down memory lane with me on this three-photo montage highlighting my best memories from past travels!


My first night in Burma and my extended family took me to the beautiful Shwedagon Pagoda. So much going on, especially at night, when the temperatures have cooled and you can leisurely walk barefoot (it is a Buddhist temple after all) without the pain of burning your feet like during the day. What an awe-inspiring and peaceful place! It's quite big as well so you have plenty of nooks and crannies to explore.


Riding through Inle Lake with my Burmese grandmother and my first cousin, Ko Ko Gi, whom I had never met before this trip! Inle Lake is such an amazing place to visit with traditional fishing houses and villages lining the perimeter, seagulls chasing after your longboats, Burmese fishermen rowing with their legs alongside you and the big, beautiful sky above you.


Yup, that's me in the middle. My mom really wanted family portraits, but why in ridiculous Burmese costume, I have no idea. Silly? Yes, but it ended up being a fun day at the photo studio with my parents, getting all dressed up and having people apply tacky make-up on our faces and fake hair onto our heads.

© Connie Hum 2010

Fortune and Doom

The other day I decided to go with my mother and her sisters to get our palms read. I don't really give fortune telling much stock since I'm a firm believer that you are in charge of your own destiny and that you can make your own luck, but I thought it would be a fun and interesting experience.

My fortune, as told by a Ph.D. in Palmistry (does that really even exist?) is as follows:

• I will meet my future husband this year (talk about pressure and expectations on every boy I meet!)
  

• There will be 3 suitors and I should choose the one my mother chooses (hmm...wonder if there was any bribery taking place?)

• I will get married by the end of next year

So if indeed my future is literally in the palm of my hands, everyone should be getting ready for a pretty awesome wedding party next year! Haha!

Now for the doom part. Don't worry, it has nothing to do with my fortune! For some very odd reason, my month in Burma has been plagued with inexplicable illnesses. This is rather puzzling to me as I usually do not get ill, especially while I'm traveling. So far, I've had three days of hotel confinement, moving only between the bed and toilet, a short but ferocious bout with dengue fever and now, a horribly itchy red rash spreading all over my body! The only thing I can think of saying in response is in Burmese: "Dohk kah beh!"

The year is still early so we'll just have to keep an eye out to see if my fortunes come true. Only time will tell. But then again, I too am a player in this game of life and my future will be what I want to make of it. In any case, this just keeps things a little bit more interesting!

© Connie Hum 2010

Little Buddhas

The other day I spent an afternoon at my family's temple in Sagaing, a city of high concentration in temples and meditation centers within a country already full of temples and meditation centers. A large group of children between the age of six and fourteen took a shine to my digital camera and started following me around, asking me to take their picture. They were absolutely over the moon every time they saw themselves on my little screen.

I taught them how to use the camera and they were each excited to have their turn at being a photographer. Unfortunately, the excitement led to my camera slipping between little hands and the result was a stuck lens. The little Buddhas looked at me horrified and apologetically. One of my cousins saw this and jokingly asked which stick he should hit them with for breaking my camera. The little Buddhas found the smallest stick on the ground and said to use that one. I laughed and the lens was shoved back into working condition.

The little Buddhas begged me to come back the following year and bring them printouts of their pictures. As most novice monks are there for only a week at a time, I asked if they would still be at the temple next year. They responded that they would. That was when I realized that they were all orphans that the temple had taken in. They would still be there the following year because they had nowhere else to go.

Most people in Burma are quite poor and lack the means to take care of their growing families so many children are left in the care of temples by parents who cannot afford to keep them. It’s such a sad situation and I really feel for these kids. There were about a dozen of these orphans at my family’s temple, but there are hundreds of temples like that in Burma. Think of how many children that means are abandoned by their families.

I promised the children I would come back soon to see them again and take more pictures of them.

© Connie Hum 2010

My Burmese Days

Before I left California, one of my cousins asked me, "What do you do in Burma? Just go to temples?" Well, yeah. There ARE a lot of beautiful gold-laden pagodas in Burma. That's true.
But there's so much more to Burma than just the temples.

Being back in Burma has been great for me. For all its faults and wrongs, I love it here. I really do. There's something about its peaceful chaotic-ness and the novelty in the everyday that I love about Burma. Every day, every thing, every moment is a (mis)adventure!

Taking a ride in the cars in Burma is a constant source of amusement for me. I find such joy and hilarity in sitting like packed sardines, bumping around in the cars whenever we hit the many potholes in the streets that I'm pretty much just laughing the entire time I'm in a car. Chinese fire engines have nothing on the Burmese! I've never seen cars and trucks filled to the brim like this before! Most times, I'm laughing through the fear that the people (myself included) will just come spilling off onto the road.

A majority of the homes in Burma do not have hot water to shower with. There's a basin filled with water and you take a small bucket, douse yourself with water, lather and rinse. Given that the air is rather hot and sticky, this is a refreshing treat. The only problem is that the first couple of douses are usually a bit shocking to the body. My aunt calls it dancing around and it's true. You're quite literally dancing around for the first few splashes until your body gets used to the cool water. Then it's pure bliss.

My favorite thing about being back in Burma though is definitely seeing my family that lives here. Since I rarely get to see them, it's always fun to hang out with them, especially my younger cousins.









© Connie Hum 2010

If You Didn't Read My Blog This Year

2009 is quickly coming to an end
So here's a review for you that I want to send.

What I did this year I can't complain,
Boasting and gloating I must refrain.
For the few of you who didn't know,
I quit my job almost a year ago!

Goodbye goodbye to my life in New York.
Goodbye goodbye to dishes containing pork.
Hello, Constantinople (as it's known to 'em)
Seven months later and Türkçe biliyorum!

I discovered the streets of magical İstanbul
With plenty of döner kebab to keep me full.
I taught English to two adorable girls:
Beautiful Mina and Melda with curls.

In Copenhagen and Stockholm with my friend from Italy,
I found out I know Matteo more than superficially.
Yachting around the Mediterranean was lots of fun,
Darkest shade of brown I've ever been from hours in the sun.

How did the summer pass by so quick?
Hop a plane, Jordan was the next pick!
The colors of Petra were an amazing sight to see,
Sleeping in a cave turned out to be well-suited for me.

In the calm crystal blue waters of the Red Sea
I received my advanced scuba diver degree.
Dahab I never wanted to say goodbye
But in the end, I gave Cairo a try.

Egypt was pretty rough and dirty;
The men were a little more than flirty.
Luckily I had my friend Ali to treat me right
Or else I wouldn't have lasted even a single night!

Mom joined me for two weeks back in Turkey,
Making me miserable and jerky.
It wasn't her fault and it also wasn't mine,
Traveling together just isn't our design.

London was my final stop before coming home to the States,
Buying a ukulele with Mark was decided by the "Fates."
Ah, back in fabulous New York is really where I belong
But I'm heading to Asia next year to live in a sarong!

Sitting in my bed of my childhood home in California,
The air's freezing cold. Oh sun, how I wish I hadn't scorned ya!
ALL MY LOVE AND BEST WISHES AS WE ENTER THE NEW YEAR!
MAY OUR PATHS CROSS SOON AGAIN AND WE ALL BE IN GOOD CHEER!

© Connie Hum 2009

2010 Plans and My Travel Challenge UPDATE!

I have purchased a ONE-way ticket to Southeast Asia! I'm very excited, but also a bit nervous about my potential YEAR of traveling abroad. My trip begins January 12, 2010 in Burma where I will visit family for roughly one month. After that, SEA is mine for the exploring!

I am really eager to do some humanitarian and volunteer work while I am in SEA . I plan to do various volunteer work in the region, but my main goal is to finally realize my dream of volunteering at the Elephant Nature Reserve in northern Thailand!

If anyone has leads and/or contacts regarding various volunteer programs throughout SEA, or simply general travel information, I'd love to hear from you about it! I don't really know anyone in the region (outside of Burma) and I need all the friends I can get.

Here's an updated list and map of my progress toward my travel challenge. The countries listed in bold indicate countries that I plan on traveling to in 2010. Just six more countries to visit and three more years to complete my travel challenge. Let's go!

A - Austria
B - Belgium, Bulgaria
C - Canada (Quebec), Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Cambodia, China
D - Denmark
E - Egypt, England
F - France
G - Germany, Greece, Grenada
H - Hungary
I - Iceland, Italy, India, Indonesia
J - Jordan
K -
L - Laos
M - Mexico, Myanmar (Burma), Malaysia
N - Netherlands, Nepal
O -
P - Peru, Poland, Portugal
Q -
R - Romania
S - Slovenia, Spain, Sweden
T - Turkey, Thailand
U - United States
V - Vatican City, Vietnam
W - Wales
X - NO countries start with X but I've been to the Greek island, Χίος (Chios). Does this count???
Y -
Z -

© Connie Hum 2009

Mom's Trip Highlights

Yes, there were some rocky moments in my travels around Turkey with my mom, but there were also some pleasant and even down-right fun moments. Here are the highlights:

• Sharing my love for street mussels in Istanbul with my mom. We ate so many each day because we both knew the opportunity to eat them again was running out with each passing day.
  

• Some silly Canadian woman asked if we were sisters. SISTERS! I was aghast with horror. My mom joyfully spent the rest of the day calling me "little sister."

• A Turkish boy kept asking me out but I kept saying no. When I told my mom what we had been talking about, she said, "Oh, it sounds like he wants to shake you." I guess that's what she's calling it these days.

• Mom and I hitched a ride to Efes from our hotel with a guy on a motorcycle. My mom held on so tight to him that he almost stopped breathing. Before taking off, he said, "Don't kill me!"

• In Göreme, we passed by a trio of old Turkish women, boiling something in a huge cauldron on the side of the road. I asked them what they were doing and they were making boiling honey to make a type of special honey. The mixture was ready and they asked us to help them drain the pot. Every day after that, the old women would say hi to us as we walked passed.

• Penis talk in Cappadocia. Come on, you knew that was going to make the list!
  

© Connie Hum 2009

Reconciliation

I suppose you can say that my mother and I have reconciled our differences. Really, this means we have just dropped the subject and moved on with the rest of our trip. This is usually how we "resolve" our issues. I really hate it because I know that all the bad feelings still remain, just further below the surface. I'd love to really hash it out with my mom, whatever it takes, but she's completely avoiding the topic.

Oh well.

© Connie Hum 2009

Growing Pains

UGH...My trip with my mother has been more difficult than I thought. I don't know why I imagined that all the past problems we've had would magically disappear simply because we were in a different country. Some things never change but I guess I was just wishing and hoping for the best.

There were a few moments where we seemed to be really getting along well together, some even where I felt we were finally connecting (such as when we were walking around Cappadocia and we were able to have a conversation about penises). But most of the time, I wasn't so lucky.

Being with her this past week has been exceptionally emotionally draining. There's only so much disappointment in her eyes that I can see before all my little insecurities and and self-doubt creeps back in and consumes me. It makes me FURIOUS that I've worked so hard to be the best person I can be, to bring myself up and out from all my parents' disappointment just to see it in her eyes every day. I'm not mad at her for the way I feel. I'm mad at myself for allowing her to get to me and for allowing myself to feel small, insignificant and unloved again. This ISN'T me! Self-deprecation doesn't become me.

We've got another week left before she leaves. I hope for the best, but I'm not sure what the best is anymore. Send your good vibes our way, we're going to need it.

Lesson learned: stick to easy topics such as penises when talking to my mom to avoid any future problems.

© Connie Hum 2009

Proud Mom!

I knew this would get your attention! To all my friends who keep wanting me to be pregnant (why, I'm not really so sure), THIS IS NOT A PREGNANCY ANNOUNCEMENT!!! I am NOT, nor will I be in the near future, pregnant! =)

I am simply very proud of my mother for deciding to fly out to Istanbul BY HERSELF and travel around Turkey with me.

This is a huge step for her and I really couldn't be any more proud of my mom! She is certainly full of surprises.

Now I have to plan. Which is very difficult for me because I usually do not like to plan my trips in the way that I will need to for my mother's visit. Here I go!

© Connie Hum 2009