Foreign Chicken

Turkeys are not native to Cambodia, hence the translation "foreign chicken" in Khmer. This is a little embarrassing to ask, but are they native to the Americas? Anyway, in case you've ever wondered which Thanksgiving Day foods would be the most well received by Cambodians, the answer is mashed potatoes and turkey (they say it tastes like chicken - you know that's funny). They also liked Danielle's carrot souffle. It was delish!

Our invited guests included students, tutors, and friends. The meal was prepared by all and thoroughly enjoyed by all. No, we didn't fall asleep watching American football, nor did we play touch football on the street. WE DID teach our guests a little about the history of Thanksgiving and play board games while feeding our faces with desserts. We thought it important to keep some tradition :)

Water Festival - Sunday 11/21

The whole lot of us knew nothing of what to expect when we got to the Water Festival. There are many stories of walking for up to an hour to get there because it was thought there would be no parking close by. In actuality, to go in the daylight hours was quite pleasant and not so crowded. After having lunch with a friend and her family (trying seafood pizza for the first time), and being attacked by a 4 year old boy from behind with two balloons, we joined others by the river to watch the boat races.

The men in the boats were like machines. Some were in such tight rhythm together! Amazing! They raced two-by-two, one race after the other. There were over 400 boats. When they finished a race and rowed passed the crowds there was still such a look of exhilaration in their faces. Reminded me of how much I like watching raw competition.

I left after a couple of hours and noticed a little more of the festivities other than the races. It was so familiar to me, really. People were sitting in the grass talking and eating. Vendors were selling favorite foods and toys for kids. There were promotion booths playing loud music. As the t-shirts say, "Same Same, but Different."

Now the Ball's Rolling

Teaching has officially commenced! I teach 6 classes of 30-40 first year law students. Although back in Vietnam I became increasingly nervous about getting in front of the students as the time drew near, the Father eased my nerves tremendously all the days leading up to teaching d-day here. I'm pretty sure the students were a little more nervous about having a foreign teacher than I was about being one.

Library traffic is steady with an occasional jam. We nearly lost a couple students to overcrowding one day last week, but I was able to arrange for a couple more seats. Jennifer's doing a great job of helping first year students find their way to our doors as she's taken a field trip to the library on the first day of each of her classes. Way to go, Jen!

This weekend is the Water Festival in Phnom Penh. I haven't been to the riverside yet, but I hear there's live music and boat races. The teams are from provinces all over Cambodia and rumor has it some NGOs (non-governmental organizations) have teams, too. There are plans to join Mindy and her International Relations students tomorrow to check out the scene. I'm hoping to post some interesting pictures for you.

Speaking of pictures, I don't think I've taken many in the last couple of weeks. Let me see what I can dig up. Peace!

bed of nails for persistent night prowler - booby trap!

attempt to ask my tutor the word for green pepper

Bekah's eating "Yo Friend" cookies so don't tell yo friend

the view west from the tallest building in PP - 34 stories high

Visiting Beautiful Children

Last Friday was a holiday and Mindy organized a visit to an orphanage about 7 km south of Phnom Pehn. Some of her friends and students joined her, including me and Jennifer. The moto caravan ride there was a lot of fun. I took a little video of it that you can watch below.

The means the orphanage operates in are meager, but the love appeared bountiful. We met two full-time staff members that the children called "Mom" and "Dad," in Khmer of course. We also met a handful of volunteer staff. Our group was the first to visit since it's opening in August. Two of Mindy's friends led most of the activities, which included games, songs, and snacks. I got to try out my Khmer with three sisters.

The last video is of one young girl describing their typical day. They wake up at 4:30 to exercise, clean, and be out the door for school by 6:00. Wow, huh?

Honest Blog

It's not always a bed of roses here. While I thoroughly enjoy riding my bike, patience is tried when the rain comes and there are groceries in your basket and important paperwork in your backpack. And while being sweaty has become commonplace and expected, mixing damp clothes with sweat is far from a sweet aroma. Waking up to piles of sawdust on your wardrobe one morning because somehow termites appeared and decided to eat away at it can get under the skin a little, too. Or a leaking sink that you're not confident the landlord will fix so you put a bucket under it and you just know mosquitoes try to use it for a breeding ground...yeah, that too. Speaking of mosquitoes, have you ever woke up to a line of itching down your body and as you lose the stupor of sleep realize you've been bitten five times so you turn on the light and wait 10-15 minutes to catch the little bugger?

All that to say that life is life here, too. The exhilaration of adventure in a new country does not entirely mask the day-to-day annoyances of life that we're all familiar with. That's all I'm sayin'.

Praise be to the Father that joy is a choice!

An Ideal Day of Language

Thursday marked the greatest day I've had for language learning. A man next to me at lunch finally understood when I asked him where he bought a fried pie with banana (something I'd wanted to try for weeks now). My language tutor changed her teaching style to allow for more authentic practice. We only spoke Khmer the whole time and carried on normal, albeit broken, conversation. Then a woman in the market sat me down to teach her common greetings in English and I could because I understood a lot of what she asked me. Yeah. Yeah! Good language day.

Time spent at the university continues to pick up. Two more students have joined the staff, meeting our needed quota. They've cleaned the books and cleaned the shelves. Now they're warmly greeting visitors and helping us plan for classes. They are delightful, truly delightful.

Pop! Flap, flap, flap... [stop]. "Oh..." That's what happens when your bike tire blows. The inner tube was still intact, allowing me to continue on to school. I took it to a bike service station where I got a tire change, oil, and lube job for $3. My name is in their computer now so maybe I'll get some coupons for the next visit. Kidding, kidding...

The last picture below is just a glimpse of the sea of motos parked at the university. Motos: The Students' Choice for Transportation.

Rain Came Down and Flood Came Up

The rain fell over a 24 hour period and some change. Absolutely incredible. We ventured out by tuktuk one evening, deserting my bike at school for the night, to hear a guest speaker at our Fellowship. The tuktuk drivers charged extra for the hazardous conditions. Rightly so. I didn't accept that at first and that wasn't very cool of me. The one that carried us home was forced to take many detours and dropped us a little ways from our house because we didn't want him to try to get through the water. We waded through, I don't know, 6 inches of water in the dark. Not something you Write your mom about. Sorry, Mom ;)

Please PLEASE enjoy the pics and vids below. They do not do justice to the gravity of the situation, but hopefully you'll get a feel for what it was like. Two fun moments came from this rain.

1) As we pedaled through the high waters one evening my flipflop fell off and began drifting away with the current. I had to put my feet down in the water and chase it while still holding onto my bike. Bekah wanted to stop but wasn't in a position to help, so she unwillingly road slowly on.

2) BECAUSE my bike was left at the school, Bekah and I decided to kick it Khmer and ride one bike with two people. Yes, we fell once and she's got a wicker (for you, Bekah) bruise to show for it. We received many a curious glance from our Cambodian passerbyers. I don't know if that's what was meant by be a light on a hilltop for all to see, but we're glad they know we're here.

The library painting is complete! Opening day is Tuesday and we meet with staff on Mon. Again, this is a place I will take a lot of time developing and ministering. Quick story: a student walked in, wanted to help paint, and now we're getting together next week some time.

Deserted Streets

A bicycle ride through town is noticeably different when the country is celebrating a holiday like Pchum Benh. All but a few store fronts are closed and the streets are bare. From what I've heard, it's a time when ancestors are released from a place of eternal damnation so that they can gather food. Living family members travel to seven or more temples to leave designated food for the spirits in hopes they'll find some of it. Many people travel home to their provinces.

I visited a temple last Friday with my language school to observe the rituals of Pchum Benh. To prepare for the visit, they offered us the vocabulary used when speaking to monks. Words like "yes," "food," "thank you," and "sleep" are different from those of every day use. I don't know if it's for respect to the monks or reverence for their god. Along with leaving food for their ancestors, they light incense for the forgiveness of their sins. This lasts for a total of 15 days, the last three being the most significant.

The English library is still undergoing renovations to prepare for the new school year. We'll be brainstorming as a team about what we'd like to offer there once it opens. It looks like this will be a place I spend a lot of time serving and I'm really excited. Right now Bekah and I are co-managing it's operations. Sounds important, huh? We like to think it will be a very meaningful place for many students. We just need to get them to visit...

The third pic below is of our beloved market. It will be hard for you to accurately picture what it looks like or how things work inside. It's unlike what we know and we really enjoy going. The fact that it's named after a tree helps its appeal to me.

And the fourth pic, well...I don't think riding in the back of a pickup truck is the most dangerous thing we could do on the road, is all. There are so many great ideas here. WARNING: If you let your children view all the ways people travel in Cambodia they may suffer serious injuries by trying them out.

Rumor Has It They Eat...

...congealed blood in Asia. It's true. During a trip to our favorite market we stopped for lunch. As usual, we let them serve us whatever was communicated when we answered "yes" to their questions. As I looked down into my bowl I noticed some unidentifiable fragments. The exchange went something like, "Bekah, is this blood?" "Yeah." "Does is melt?" That's the new question. I couldn't tell if it was melting blood causing the reddish hue in my soup or some added seasoning. I don't know if I have the courage to find out. I have met my cuisine match.

The weekend was composed of a classical piano concert, learning to cook lok lak and spring rolls, and a birthday bash. All of those events included the company of Cambodian students or recent graduates that were befriended by Mindy in the past year and a half. What an encouragement to see how her relationships have grown to be so full of joy!

My work here has extended to co-managing the English library on campus. Bekah and I have the privilege of heading up renovations, hiring student staff, and planning programs to promote its use. It's a fantastic way to serve the university, which by the way is becoming more familiar to us every day. We've been manning a table to provide info on a new English-based major each afternoon for the last two weeks. Now we're able to smile and greet a few acquaintances as we walk through the halls. Ah, the signs of building community. So nice.

Enjoy the picture of the over-sized preying mantis. Later that day we only saw its legs lying there. Something had some good eatin'.

A Series of Update Blurbs

The loss of quick and easy access to the internet is the reason for the lapse in regular blogging. Since so much time has passed, I'll let some pictures over the last week and a half guide the long overdue update.

Our move-in date was determined by the date we had power hooked up to our brand spanking new building. What you see above is how the powerline is fixed between the pole and our home. I laughed out loud when I saw what was about to happen. Dad, I hope you salute their ingenuity because I thought of you as they were fixing it up. You'd fit right in here. It's a fine job. Fine job.

The celebration of my 28th birthday included pizza, coffee, and the traditional cake and icecream from the team. Turned out to be a very sweet day. Oh, and a killer storm blew in while we were at the mall. It came down in sheets. AND Bekah and I rode our bikes super fast all the way to the mall under a cloudy sky, keeping us from the scorching noonday sun. Yep. It was a very suh-weet day.

Food! And not just any food. Home-cooked food in our home! We're not boasting that it was amazing or anything. Actually, Bekah's words were something like, "I don't want you to think I know what I'm doing here"as I looked over her shoulder to watch her stir the fry. The important thing about this meal is that the ingredients were from the market. Buying vegetables, meat, and especially spices for some reason, was very tiring for us. I'd say it takes 10x the mental energy used in Publix or WinnDixie to pick up food in a market in another country.

Cambodia has beaches and we went! I confess that I did not take full advantage of the beach; I only walked it a couple of times. We traveled out there on a four hour bus ride that put Greyhound to a bit of shame. It was spacious, clean, and they served a snack. The trip was meant for team time as the year kicks off and before our schedules pack out. We got to know each other more, create some memories, and explore the meaning of community. This picture was taken on our last night on the way to dinner. Mindy and Lyle are on the moto behind us. Yea, that guy with the black helmet is Lyle.

Gettin' Around Town

These bikes are taking us everywhere! We met up with a new friend, Grace, on Monday to visit the river. The river is running north right now, but come October, as the rainy season comes to an end, it will run in the opposite direction and Phnom Penh will celebrate with a Water Festival. Grace says there will be many boat races. We'll probably get the day off from work so we'll get to watch.

Below is a picture of our bikes parked outside of the Russian Market. You can buy, uh, pretty much everything there. Many of my clothes have met their end since I left home, starting with my favorite pants ripping back in Colorado. I've already picked up a few shirts and a few pairs of shorts. Danielle mentioned that many of our students would be amazed at all the clothes we have in our closets; we usually have much more than we need. Something to remember as I begin to make impressions upon my students with the way I choose to live.

Got A Sweet New Ride

I'd like to apologize for not introducing you to the youngest and most adorable member of our team, Carson. Who, by the way, is expecting a new brother or sister come February. Carson loves to figure things out, has a great throwing arm, and lights up our days with a killer smile. Everyone, meet Carson.

Days start really early here and breakfast is a very social time. If I remember correctly, it's so you can get a good bit of work in before it gets too hot. A traditional Khmer breakfast includes bbq pork and rice or a noodle dish in broth. I'm not doing the food justice, so just trust me when I say it's delicious.

Big news on the street: We've got bikes! Jennifer is still holding out to make sure it's a mode of transportation that will be most useful to her, so just Bekah and I have them right now. Hers is Texas orange. It used to be Danielle's and Vandenn loves that school (understatement :) Mine is, as Joe calls it, a beautiful oxidized blue. They have baskets, bells, and a tire-powered generator for a light. I rode mine home from the store and took a video while on the street. Too much fun...

Bekah and I offered to ride to the supermarket to pick up dinner. Vandenn and Danielle graciously allowed us, but then waited nearly 2 hours for us to come back. Things started off well. We found the mall, paid to park our bikes, and explored the grocery aisles for ingredients. But then we missed our turn on the way home. We've concluded that the city looks very different in the dark. Some people tried to help us, but that blasted language barrier made it hard :) Things were figured out and we arrived safely.

We gave directions in Khmer to a tuktuk driver tonight after dinner. Hooray for language lessons!

Things are Moving Along Here

Whew.

Moving to a new country is a lot of work.

But things are moving along here and we're super excited! The apartments we found are becoming more familiar to us as we spend time cleaning them and stocking them with large appliances. Although still quite bare, they're taking form and we can see the promise they hold for hosting students and friends. May many, many wonderful relationships begin and grow in them!

Streets and landmarks are standing out to us. We even know which way north is :) In time we'll have our favorite street vendors and markets (or even shopping malls), but for now we gladly rely upon the recommendations of our teammates that have lived here for much longer than 3 days.

We had our first language lesson yesterday! We're beginning with learning to get around town by way of a tuk tuk. It's the motorbike-powered carriage I mentioned in my first newsletter. We're learning the names of key landmarks, how to give directions, and how to bargain the price. The lesson was arranged by a thoughtful teammate and two smiling students. We're looking to begin lessons with individual tutors very soon.