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?