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 :)

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?

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'.