The Heat is On

Someone turned the heat up in Phnom Penh today. We understand that the weather has been unusually mild for April, in the mid 30's, but today it feels dreadful outside. When you walk outside, it feels like someone has a hot hair dryer on you, full blast. It's back to sweaty backs and legs weather. We just have to abandon the North American attitude towards sweat and deal with it. I don't sweat, I *glisten*.

This weekend is Khmer New Year and the streets feel eerily quiet out there. Greg thinks the roads are more dangerous than usual because no one is obeying the street lights with the light traffic. When I went to the grocery store today, it kind of felt like Christmas at home as I couldn't find a parking spot and the store was packed.I had my purchases all ready to go on the counter and a lady just walks in front of me and hands her groceries to the cashier, bypassing the line. Grrr. She knew what she was doing was rude because she said sorry to me, in English.

Greg had a trip to the village last month to evaluate one of the projects. Ratanak is focussed on preventing exploitation, protecting the vulnerable,helping the trafficked return home and seeing the survivors restored. The project he visited was part of the prevention piece, an education project in the village. Community leaders are taught, via flip charts, to recognize risks in their community and how to avoid and report suspected crimes. The leaders, called "heros", then teach the other members of the community. He was away for two nights with his colleague and enjoyed experiencing village life, although his eel dinner made him happy to come home to my cooking! 

Village heros learning how to prevent exploitation within their communities.

Boiled eel for dinner, freshly caught in the family's pond. 

I managed two nights on my own in our big ol house, which wouldn't have frightened me except for the many recent robberies in our neighbourhood. Thieves climb the gates and saw through the window bars to enter homes and steal electronics and cash. There was a lot of prayer happening those two nights!

I had a weekend away with my friends in the heart of the city, celebrating my friend's 40th birthday. (she's a just a baby!)It was great fun to explore touristy parts of the city and feel like I was traveling somewhere exotic. It was shocking to see the cost of products marketed towards the tourist. The clothing prices were more expensive than home and in USD. We lounged around the hotel pool, ate our meals out discovering a great Mexican restaurant, enjoyed aromatherapy massages, binge watched "This is Us" and experienced high tea at an upscale hotel that overlooked the city and the stinky canal. :)

I had a driving incident not too long ago that was apparently more serious than I realized. Talking with experienced foreigners here is always eye opening. I was driving on a busy night, turning left. The driver of a large truck was also turning left onto the road I was on. At home, I would have the right of way. There is no such thing as right of way here. It's a free for all. Admittedly, I was showing off to my visiting passenger, and I wouldn't let the big truck go, blocking him. Well, he literally shoved me off the road into the ditch and I made the huge mistake of flinging my hands up in irritation at him, only to see that the truck was a large, fancy, police vehicle. My heart sank. My friend didn't think I could get out of the ditch, but somehow I managed. When I relayed the story to numerous friends who have lived here a long time, I was told I was lucky I wasn't shot. I laughed at that, not believing it could be a possibility, but apparently, God was protecting me that day. Lesson learned. NEVER make a local lose face, and that rule is even more important when dealing with those in authority. I am grateful to have learned the lesson by getting off easy. 

On top of two statutory holidays, Greg took the rest of the week off and we are flying out to Thailand on Friday. It is their New Year as well and they celebrate with huge water fights in the streets. That should be an experience! We will spend a few days in Bangkok, where there is an IKEA...yay...civilization! Some people go to Thailand for pad thai and the beaches. I am going for steak at the Sizzler and IKEA. But seriously, we are off to the beach as well. We will take a bus to Hua Hin and then taxi to Dolphin Bay and enjoy some down time there. When we return, there are only 7 weeks of teaching lessons for me and then it's fly home time! Everyday I am closer to hanging out with T and J for 6 weeks. From there, we will figure out when they can come next and see Greg as well.

I sure hope it cools down by the time I come back home to Phnom Penh! :)

Mysteries

Just when we think we've got this place almost figured out, we are reminded that we don't! It makes me feel better that my friend who has lived here for seven years still can't quite figure out how her washing machine works. My other friend shared with me that everytime she returns home from driving any distance, she is amazed she didn't kill someone on the road. 

Cell phone service is not even close to the cost in Canada, so I am NOT complaining, but I don't quite understand how it works and anyone I've asked to explain it to me seems to be in the same boat. We purchase time from a booth at the side of road, type it into our phone and boom, we have both phone service and data. It's unclear to me how much of that money goes to data and how much goes to phone service because according to my cell app I have over $100 left of data but my phone service ran out last month. The other mystery is I've never paid $100 towards service on my phone as we usually purchase about $5 a month. As long as my phone keeps working, I'll happily purchase the nine digit number from the side of the road.

Everyone in our borey pays the security guards at a $20 service fee. There is one family who have never been asked for it and they've lived here for years. It's not like there is an invoice that comes to your mailbox, but rather a guard will run you down and ask you for that money. There have been so many robberies in our borey as of late, that some people are refusing to pay the fee as someone is clearly sleeping on the job. Our neighbour who moved here a few months before us had never been asked for the fee, but then was chased down a few months ago and was forced to pay up. We haven't been asked to pay yet. We drive through the guarded gate everyday on both moto and car and I always wonder if today will be the day. Our friends can't figure it out and wonder if our landlord is paying the fee. It remains a mystery! 

Our house helper Chenine comes every Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoon and I am very thankful for the help. Our home is three floors but we never venture to the third floor. It has two bedrooms and two bathrooms up there and it has housed overnight guests three times. (if we count our kids as guests) She arrives at 12 and is supposed to work until 4, but she is generally just starting to clean the first floor - the area we live in and that is dirtiest - by 5pm. I simply don't understand what she could be doing on the 3rd floor for so long. There is nothing to clean as no one is using that space. One of these days, I will garner up enough courage to walk up there and see what she's doing.

The other day when I was filling out a deposit slip at the bank and figuring out how the system worked, I was reminded that the adventure of life here lies in figuring out how to live in another part of the world. The fun is in not knowing how basic things work and learning to cope and fit in that world. Just when it seemed I got the bank process worked out, my kids phoned me with the news that the bank machine system in Ontario has gone paperless. When I return, I will not have put my deposit, cash or cheque, into an envelope or type in the amounts I am depositing...it's all automatic! It seems more mystery awaits when I return home for a visit in June.

Four Months

We have officially been "in" for four months. It sounds like a prison sentence, doesn't it? To be brutally honest, sometimes it feels like one too. However, we have left the "shattered" stage of culture shock and we are reentering our host country through more realistic spectacles than during our honeymoon period.

Reentering means discovering things all over again after losing our bearings for a while. Our routine has certainly helped us in leaving the distress of adjusting here in the past. Greg's routine is to rise at 7am, get ready for work, have breakfast and off he goes on his moto to work. He isn't a huge fan of the moto and feels rather unsafe on it, but we all know it's better him than me. He was riding around with a mere bike helmet on but once he realized even the locals were laughing at his expense, he spent the whole $20 for a real helmet. Well, real for Cambodian. He splurged for a helmet imported from Thailand, which we can only hope is a little better quality for his noggin. 

Greg is on active surveillance for his prostate cancer diagnosis. He was finally able to meet with the Thai urologist at the best hospital here and have his PSA testing and physical exam. His PSA was down 3 points, which is either a result of cutting sugar entirely out of his diet or a different system of calculating the reading. He will have this test every three months and will have another biopsy in June to be sure the cancer isn't growing.

He continues to be enjoy learning the role of M&E and is looking forward to a trip out of Phnom Penh soon to meet with a project. The projects that Ratanak is involved with are diverse and can be read about here. If you are interested in supporting justice work abroad, Ratanak is long established in Cambodia, well respected in the NGO world and is involved in world changing justice mission. His trip out of town means I'll be sleeping in this big ol' villa by myself, which I'm not too thrilled about. There have been a few robberies in our borey as of late, which makes me nervous. 

Living here means daily life is filled with the unexpected. The unexpected continually entertains me, which helps in adjusting to our change in life. Today an entire herd of cattle was coming at me, head on, while driving in the city. Some traffic lights are to be followed, others not. Drivers get mad and drive around you at some red lights. However, Greg was stopped by the police for going through a red at a broken traffic light. He was following the car directly ahead of him and he wasn't stopped but Greg was. Well, you make a decision. You go down to the police station, go through the paper work, try and explain the traffic light wasn't working, pay a potential fine, or you pay the police officer $5 to make your troubles go away. Some people say if foreigners would stop paying the officers off, the traffic targeting of foreigners would decrease. Others accept this is how it works. What would you do? 

Life with my house helper is incredibly entertaining. Some people have house helpers who speak English, have some education and are literate, but I don't. My helper, Chenine is older, a survivor of the Khmer Rouge and very poor. She lives in a slum and I was introduced to her by a wonderful Cambodian man who helps Chenine out. If you've seen the new Gilmore Girl's series on Netflix, Chenine and I are a bit like Lorelia's mother and her house helper. I carry on in English thinking she will understand something and Chenine talks a mile a minute in Khmer and I don't get a word. Not a single word. Over Christmas, I forgot to tell her we were going away. When we returned, she carried on with great animation about something that had happened. So, I phoned our mutual friend for translation, and apparently, the water from our pipes was red. She thought we had been murdered and the water was pouring red with our blood. At first, I couldn't believe she could be so naive to think such a thing, and then I remembered that she has witnessed unfathomable sights that she will probably never share with me. She lived through the years of genocide where a good majority of her population was wiped out.

 Today she asked me, via a game of charades, to teach her how to do the laundry. I am a bit protective of my laundry and don't want my clothes ruined by someone who has never used a washing machine. I felt an inner rebuke that could only come from the Spirit of God, questioning how I could come all this way, live with a new people and not be willing to teach a new skill to someone who wants to learn. She was amazed by the process, examining the machine. She felt so valued bringing down my dirty laundry and learning to sort it. God forgive me for my pride and selfishness. I usually just leave the clothes in sorted piles outside on the patio tiles because the area is covered overhead. But, she put the sorted piles in plastic bags. Smart one, my Chenine. 

So, we continue to be humbled and to learn from our host country. Greg begins language training very soon. I likely won't learn the language as in depth as he will, but rather take a survival course. He studies the language every night with an on line program and has been interviewing private tutors to help him. 

We have booked some upcoming trips. We are planning to head out to Chiang Mai, Thailand for a week during the Khmer New Year holiday. We have been there before and really enjoyed our time, but we will miss not having T and J with us. I booked my trip home to Ontario and arrive on June 14 and stay until July 31st. So, we're four months in and it's four months until I'm out for a home visit!

Oh the places we go...

You're off to great places,

Today is your day!

Your mountain is waiting,

So...get on your way!

-Dr. Seuss

Believe it or not, I can take or leave international travel. I am not a person who lives to see every corner of the world, but I do appreciate the incredible opportunity that God has given me and I am grateful for our travel opportunities. Greg, on the other hand, has lived life dreaming for this time. Every once in awhile I remark, "Can you believe you are finally living your dream?"

November brought an opportunity to meet up with a former choir student of mine in Siem Reap. He teaches high school in Korea and  had American Thanksgiving off.  Greg and I flew to Siem Reap and we were in the air a mere 30 minutes. Even though we were only a 30 minute plane ride away, Siem Reap felt like a different country. The travel vibe reminded me a bit of Nepal. It was great to connect with Calvin and to explore the many temples in the area, the most famous being Angkor Wat. As we walked around, I kept saying, "Wow - it's like we're walking through ancient ruins" and Calvin reminded me that's exactly what we were doing.

We appreciated the wonder of these man made temples and the incredible carving but I was relieved that I know the one true God and not stone statues.

December brought travelers to us! T and J finished their exams on December 16 and were with us by Dec 20. The anticipation leading up to see them simply walk through the airport doors was like nothing I have ever experienced. The minute I saw their faces, my heart burst with joy and relief and I ran to them crying. J pretended he couldn't see us in the crowd...not funny.

Our days and nights have been action packed. With the kids coming to us, our time was completely designated as family time and it was nice not to have to share the time with other obligations. We conquered the Phnom Penh tourist sites which we had been saving to see with them - the National Monument, the Royal Palace and Temple, the Killing Fields and the Genocide Museum. The Killing Fields and Genocide Museum are truly devastating and were avenues to discussion about the disturbing history of Cambodia, the social effects of that history and the opportunities Greg has to address those issues in his work. The horrors of learning the truths of what occurred only increased our love for the surviving generation and the new generation of the Khmer people.

On our way to the Killing Fields, which is outside of Phnom Penh in a relatively remote location, our tuk tuk broke down! In the end, Greg and the kids pushed the tuk tuk until a kind moto driver pushed us. It was hilarious.

Greg's cousin and her husband visited Cambodia the week before Christmas with a team from their church in Singapore. We were able to meet up with them twice that week and it was great to share our lives with them.

On Christmas morning, our usual traditions took place only in a much warmer climate. Later, we attended church together before enjoying Christmas dinner with some friends. The next day, we packed up and embarked on some more travel to Otres Beach, on the Gulf of Thailand.

Greg drove to Otres Beach, following our friend. He describes it as a huge game of chicken with the passing that occurs without much attention given to lanes. It was a bit stressful but we made it! On our way, I realized that I had forgotten to pack my three bathing suits and beach covers. This was a predicament because Asian sizing is small for average sized Westerners, nevermind this body! Unbelievably, I found a bathing suit that fit in the only hut selling suits along the beach. 

 The beach was lovely and reminiscent of previous beach trips to Thailand. For T's birthday, we rented a private boat to tour three island locations where we snorkeled, swam, fished with line wrapped over a water bottle, had a bbque on the boat but passed on the cliff diving. Other highlights were the glorious sunsets, massages and delicious fruit on the beach.

We saw the kids off today and I thought I was prepared for goodbye. I had offered to fly back with them and stay for a while in January, but neither of them wanted me to because they are so busy with school and life in Toronto. Saying goodbye, I felt like my heart was being ripped out and I could barely choke words out. But, I know that goodbye is only temporary and that we would probably not have had such intensely devoted time together if we were simply living life together. They are thriving in Toronto, love living together and have family close by if they need anything. The painful goodbyes will be healed with intensely joyous hellos in the future. God assured me He would provide for them if we followed Him to Cambodia and He keeps His promises!

It's New Year's Eve and there is a huge party right outside our gate, complete with tables and chairs set up, live music on a stage, loudspeakers and dancing. Happy New Year!

This traveler who can take or leave the trips plans to cross Laos off the list in April for the Khmer New Year holiday. We are deciding dates for a summer home visit and if Greg will come this year.

Culture Shock Musings

Like living through the stages of grief, it's almost impossible to avoid experiencing the stages of cross cultural adaptation. An ability and willingness to identify each stage is an important part of healthy adaptation or so I'm told. I remember our children having to construct bridges made of popsicle sticks that identified each stage in our cultural training pre-Bangladesh. 

The Honeymoon

Who wouldn't love a honeymoon? Everything is great. Isn't the food delicious, the cost of living unbelievable, the available products mind blowing, the taste of coffee better, the hot weather like an endless summer, the people fantastic? Noticing the differences between Cambodia and Bangladesh was downright euphoric! Adapting here was going to be easy compared to what we experienced adapting to Dhaka! Honeymoons aren't meant to last forever however, and I think ours might be over.

Distress

The differences that were exciting and new are now beginning to create a more negative impact. I would identify us as in distress at the moment, but Greg doesn't feel it in the same light as I do. I've wanted to hop on a plane and go home a few times in the last month. I miss my kids. Skype everyday simply doesn't replace a physical presence. The reality that I'll only see them a few times a year grieves my heart. I feel guilt in not being physically present for Tia's medical school years and Jahred's University years.

Adjusting to the heat can't help but make us cranky and it's the cool season! Some days are fine at 32 degrees with a nice breeze, but other days are terribly humid. Realizing these temperature are the cool season is enough to make me lose my mind. The tiffs we have because we can't hear each other over the humming of the ceiling fans is ridiculousness.

Being unable to communicate properly in the "outside" world is becoming frustrating. It's tiring to have to work so hard simply to have some music photocopied for a student. It annoys me that we paid to have custom furniture made and it's not exactly "right". We will begin language classes in the near future which will help alleviate some of the communication stress but for now, it's making me a little crazy.

Buying a SUV provided us freedom to go where we want, when we want, but the stress of driving in this mayhem has affected us both. Greg was very curt in tone on his first drive because it is stressful. He was not responding as he normally would but rather out of distress. I had to talk myself to getting into the vehicle for my first drive to work. It's not easy. The intersections make zero sense, people don't follow rules and I have to drive through mud and rocks to get to work. DISTRESS I tell you!

Reintegration

This is a difficult stage and one that can linger. I am not looking forward to experiencing these feelings. It's a time of rejecting the host culture and viewing it as inferior. It's a time of comparing the host culture to home and the host culture always loses. The new coffee I once loved now leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. The lok lak curry I adored now makes me want to gag. It's a time of questioning the original decision to move abroad and there are generally feelings of anger hostility regarding life. All of these feelings are normal and a healthy stage in adjusting to a new life. To avoid admitting the phase and its ramifications or to gloss over it to rise above only lengthens the duration of the reintegration. 

Emergence

This is the first step in acceptance of life in a new culture. The fog lifts and you are able to appreciate the differences from home without glamorizing them from the honeymoon period or rejecting them like in reintegration. It's a time of feeling like yourself again and knowing your place within the community.

Independence

You feel at home. You understand who you are in light of home and your host culture. You see everything in a new light, but a more realistic light. Finally, life feels in balance again.

Interestingly, one can struggle through a stage seemingly to the next one, only to slip back. I remember slipping back into the reintegration stage towards the end of our stay in Dhaka, not ever truly embracing independence. 

A few factors have helped make our culture shock less abrasive. The first is experience. We have done this. Greg has done this twice. (he lived in Pakistan for a year while we were dating) We also had stellar cross cultural training  and debriefing with our Bangladesh experience that also prepared us for Cambodia.

Secondly, Cambodia is just easier than Bangladesh. Dhaka often finds itself at the top of the world's least livable city lists and there's a reason for that. Daily life is much easier than anything we experienced in Dhaka.

Technology has a great impact on our experience here. Skype had just started towards the end of our time in Bangladesh and was unreliable at best. I literally Facebook messaged with Jahred as he Christmas shopped at the Eaton Center whilst climbing the stairs at Bayon Temple in Siem Reap. Unbelievable! I would be very interested to know the impact of the ease of communication with home on adjusting to life overseas. I'm sure there are studies on it.

We arrived in Cambodia knowing three people well. It was amazing to begin life in a foreign country with two friends around the corner and another friend just a tuk tuk drive away. 

Lastly, our thought out decisions based on past experience is making life more enjoyable for us. The big change is that we only hired one house helper, 3 afternoons a week. Obviously our situation was different in Dhaka in that we had the children with us and I was working far more hours. I grieved the loss of my kitchen in Dhaka and I have made it very clear that I am the boss of my kitchen. Greg and I do our own grocery shopping and I am enjoying cooking here. The other non-negotiable was that I wanted to have complete control over the laundry although as I type I realize that may have been a mistake. I literally just remembered I had laundry drying on the upstairs balcony and I went to bring it in only to discover it had blown Greg's shirts onto the neighbor's roof and down the bushes. Greg is currently outside trying to rescue them and he is not impressed! DISTRESS! Everyone has things that cause annoyance to their lives but the annoyance is heightened for us due to the very real stress of culture shock.

According to the classic stages, we've got some tough days coming but our children arrive in 23 sleeps and that's something to look forward to!

Kampot/Kep Adventure

This is my Father's world,

And to my listening ears,

All nature sings and round me rings,

The music of the spheres.

This is my Father's world,

Oh rest me in the thought,

Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas,

His hand the wonders wrought.

When we Skyped our children on our recent trip to Kampot, Cambodia, Jahred asked very flippantly if we ever work. Well Jahred... Cambodia has the most statutory holidays of any country in the world - 28 for 2016. With the incredibly low cost of travel, it doesn't make sense to stay at home for these holidays. And, so we dug deep into our pockets to pay for $6 train tickets to Kampot Province, a happening tourist hot spot for international and local travelers alike.

We left our home at 6am on a tuk tuk and headed to pick up our friend Carol before arriving at the train station. It was very straightforward as the train was already there. We simply showed our tickets and boarded the Royal Railway.There wasn't much royal about this carriage ride, although it was air conditioned with a clean, Western washroom, so I am not complaining. I have peed into a hole onto railway tracks in previous Asian travels.  It was a bit tight quarters with Greg's long legs and I wonder if it might be worth it to buy two seats per person next time since the cost is minimal. Many were boarding their motos and cars on to the train to have with them in Kampot. Next time, we will follow suit.

The sights along the way were fascinating as we saw much of the landscape, villages, farms and people living in utter despair along the tracks. We were captivated for most of the trip, there and back. 

Cambodians love to snack and eat out! Everyone buys take away food and the train stopped for snack time. I had my favourite - sour mango with chili salt and on the way back I tried grilled lime chicken necks and they were delicious, albeit a bit bony. |Greg opted for raw peanuts, which he disposed of when he got home. Not a keeper, that snack. Apparently the train is making improvements and adding a food car very soon.

We've traveled Asia enough to know not to have super high expectations for the word "resort". We stayed at Villa Medici, which is a boutique resort run by an Italian gentlemen with quite a few foreign staff. The only "off" thing was a funky smell from the well water in our bungalow when the air con wasn't on. The resort is built along the river, offers cruises and water sports, has a decant restaurant with the best baguettes I've ever tasted as well as a landscaped pool area.

 The view from our boutique resort.

One of the highlights was the sunset cruise, where we sat on the roof of the boat. We were amazed that palm trees line the shore line. Sometimes, you can see quite a fire fly display once the sun goes down, but they weren't performing for us that night. There was an unfortunate drowning after a firefly tour this week as a cruise boat hit a sand bar and went down. Four lives were lost.  Kampot is a fishing village so we saw many boats go by, the "ferry" to get across the river and adorable children jumping into the river before bed. We also saw many interesting resorts along the river as we cruised for 2 1/2 hours. It was extremely peaceful and far less built up than similar places we have visited in Vietnam. It was so peaceful that I fell asleep on the roof of the boat only to be awakened to an excited, "Dawne, Dawne, over here". I woke up and asked Greg if someone was screaming my name across the river and indeed I wasn't dreaming. A friend from Phnom Penh had spotted me. It was surreal to be recognized along the river of Cambodia. The town center along the river is very cute, lined with guest houses, a few shops and restaurants. We had a huge rib dinner with baked potatoes and salad and our bill was $10 for the two of us. No Asian town tour is complete without a good foot massage and pedicure for $4. 

Just a 30 km drive out and there is a completely different, less tropical landscape on Bokor Mountain. When we return for another visit, we will spend much more time on the Mountain. Many tourists brought their long boards to ride down the safe, well signed, newly built roads. French architecture is rampant on the mountain as the French once settled there to retreat from the sweltering temperatures in Phnom Penh. Their large scale homes and churches were abandoned twice as the Khmer Rouge reigned and during the Vietnam war. The mountain is well signed to avoid possible live land mine areas. It was fun to explore these homes and churches and imagine what life was like.

 

We had lunch at the Casino, which was Western fare, but we regretted that decision once we arrived at the waterfall. Apparently, the waterfall is the place to eat! There were swarms of people, enjoying the food stalls along the rocks of the falls, despite the signs that told them not to eat there. When we visit again, we will bring a mat and a book to enjoy the gorgeous scenery that reminded us of Northern Ontario. It was amazing to us that the landscape only 20 minutes away from the river lost all tropical flavour. 

Next we visited Kep, which is a favourite beach spot of the locals. It is on the Gulf of Thailand and is being built up more and more with sun huts equipped with hammocks. The shore line is rather rocky and not the greatest beach, but the view from the hill is lovely. A must do is the crab market, but because it was a holiday (the Water Festival), the line up of cars to get in was mind boggling. Our taxi driver called someone who could speak English to inform us that it was an impossible task to get there. Instead, we ended up at Veranda Resort and it was unbelievable! If any of you come to visit, you must stay a night or two here. It is considered very expensive at $100 a night, compared to our $40 a night, but it is well worth it. It truly is one of the most beautiful spots I have ever seen. It is all natural with raw wood decor, pebble stone stairs, butterflies and dragonflies all around the trees and flowers. Greg and I have promised each other we will spend a weekend here in the future.

When it was time to go, neither of us were ready. We definitely want to tour this region again and take the time to really explore and enjoy the nature. Our train ride back was eventful to say the least. Our 8am train did not leave until 9:50 and a 76 year old German Baha'i faith "missionary" sat beside me on the train bench and gave me his spiel. The poor guy spat every word out and had a cloth to wipe his mouth but it was getting all over me! I was ready to hurl. Greg was off somewhere watching at a distance, taking photos and not stepping in to help me at all! Thanks Greg. Finally, I told this old gentlemen I needed a mango in the worst way and I got up to purchase one, eating it far away from him whilst he claimed his next victim. On the train, we sat next to a lovely Khmer family with two teenage boys and two smaller children. The older boys were eager to practice their impressive English skills and kept us captivated in conversation. They shared many of their views on life, the future, Cambodia and I am sure the future for this country is good with a generation of young people like these two. As we got closer to the city, there was an announcement that the train would be making stops to bring passengers to the Water Festival! What? The train was full! Not Asian full, however. And so, at railway crossings, throngs of people, dressed for the red carpet, would file into the train, filling the aisles way beyond capacity. It was getting hot, long and uncomfortable but the Cambodians were delighted at my shock in the situation and it made the whole ordeal kind of fun!

We were unable to tour a pepper farm due to the road conditions following some rain. That is on our list for our next trip with one of you visitors. Kampot pepper was grown and exported out of Cambodia,  famous in French cooking. When the Khmer Rouge wreaked havoc on the country they all but destroyed every pepper farm, not wanting the country to advance. Much successful work has occurred to restore this industry and it and tourism keeps Kampot a hot spot!

Days before our plane left for Cambodia, a well traveled friend asked what there was to lure him to visit Cambodia. (as if I'm not enough, right??)What could Cambodia possibly have to see that he hasn't already seen? It was hard to explain without having seen the country myself, but the amazing temples, museums and history were not enough to interest him. Now that I've seen nature's largely untouched beauty that abounds here, I could assure him there is absolutely beauty to behold. There is a reason Cambodia is filled with Australian and New Zealand tourists. Their countries are beautiful, but there is more to be seen. I hope I never become so well traveled that things don't amaze me anymore! It's a wonderful world and seeing this part of it is life changing.

Next stop...Siem Reap to spend American Thanksgiving with my former choir student, now Seoul Foreign School teacher, Calvin! We are going to explore Angkor Wat...on his bucket list.

I do not take these opportunities to travel lightly. We feel incredibly blessed to be working here in fulfilling roles and to have the holidays and means to travel. 

My next blog post is answering questions people have asked via emails, FB messages etc. If you have a question about life and culture here or about visiting...hint hint... fire away so I have something to write about.