Get Your Kicks

First of all, I want to say congratulations to America for creating history this election season. It was exciting to hear the announcement of president with the other expats in Phnom Penh. The FCC was packed with Americans (and other interested foreigners) sporting their red, white and blue. Many cheered, others teared (at the way cheesy Hollywood music), and I enjoyed a free donut in celebration. Haha. It was like our own little American holiday in this Asian oasis.

Moving off of politics (as this is a non-partisan blog)... I went to have shoes made today!! A my friend Rachel, who teaches English at the university, and I ventured to the Tuol Sleng area of the city to a place called Beautiful Shoes, which is highly regarded for their custom made kicks. I'm in desperate need of some new flats, as the ones I brought with me I bought three years ago at JCPenny's for $8, and they are now getting holes in the toes.

I had such a hard time picking out my style, fabric and color. I decided that for my first pair I should go with something versatile, that will go with what I like to call my "black outfits" and my "brown outfits" (that is, outfits that require black shoes shoes and brown shoes). Opting for something slightly more edgy (but still versatile) I settled on a pair of ballerina flats with a soft, brownish grey metallic-colored leather. I think (hope) they will be cute, but I'm pretty sure they will be worth the mere $18 they are going to cost me. If they turn out good enough, I'm highly considering getting some "funner" colors -- maybe green or purple. Or they also had this cute leather that was white with tiny green polka dots! (Am I a girl or what?)

Anyway, when my shoes are finished in two weeks, I will model them for you. At this shop you can also get sandals made, starting at $15, and boots made, starting at $60. As a shoe fanatic, this is dreadfully tempting for me.

After our shoe making experience (which was a little stressful, I'm not going to lie), we got bubble tea at this place on Monivong Blvd. that I've been eying since I got here. And yes, I found someone who loves bubble tea as much as me!