Life in Cambodia

 Life as We Know It

Well, we made it.  On July 20th, we arrived in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.  Almost eight weeks later, I finally have time and energy to write a post.

The day after we arrived, we moved into our P'tay l'vang, which is a tall skinny row house.  We live on the first and second floors and four other teachers live on the third, fourth and fifth floors.  Our home is slightly quirky, but overall it fits us well.  We are still adjusting to living with bars on every window, "fabulous"gold flowery drapes complete with sparkly tassels (which might not last too much longer), and having to open 4 padlocks every time we enter our house.  Someday, I will actually take pictures to post, but in the meantime here is a view of our home from the gate.  We live on the first two floors, so the part of the house you can see actually see above the gate in the picture is the section where the other teachers dwell.



After arriving we were quickly thrown into the hustle and bustle of training and preparing for a busy school year.  I am teaching 4 history classes, 8th grade Medieval World History, 9th grade Renaissance through the French Revolution, 10th grade Modern World History, and a Modern Asian Studies class for a combo of 11th and 12th graders.  Overall, I am enjoying my classes and the students are amazing.  The course outlines and topics cover much more Asian and Cambodian history than I am used to, so I am having to brush up on my history as I prep lessons.  Needless to say, with 100 students, I keep busy prepping and grading.  I have to admit that I love it more than I thought I would. I am also a sponsor for the 11th graders, so I have already been thrown into fund-raising and planning for the Jr./Sr. banquet/prom.

Last weekend, Abigail turned 6.  In some ways, it seems like just yesterday that I was holding her for the first time, and in other ways, I really don't remember my life before she was with me.  She is a little go-getter and social butterfly, but she is a little bit more emotional than normal as she adjusts to our new life in a new country.  She quickly made a couple of friends and has even done a few sleepovers already.  In fact, she had three little friends over  for a sleepover to celebrate her birthday.

When we first arrived, we got around via tuk tuk.  Traffic here is crazy and sidewalks are for parking cars or motos, so it is difficult to walk anywhere.

However, after a few weeks, my independent streak came out.  I really wanted to be able to explore more of the city and get to and from school on my own time schedule.  I am not quite ready to purchase a car and drive through the crazy traffic, so I opted for a cheaper and more convenient form of transportation.  We got a moto, and for the most part, we love it (except for the occasional drenching in the sporadic daily rainstorms).

You can pray for our safety as we travel busy and sometimes flooded roads with unfamiliar traffic patterns and wandering dogs, cow, and chickens.

About a week after we arrived, Cambodia held its 5 year election for seats in the National Assembly and Prime Minister.  The current Prime Minister has been Prime Minster for 27 years and plans to continue for at least 10 more years.  However, the election was closer than anyone believed possible, and the opposition party claims they actually won the election, but due to election fraud and corrupt government control, they were denied the win.  The opposition party has been calling for an international investigation into the election results, but the ruling party has claimed the that election results are accurate and refused to consider international investigation.  To show their displeasure, the opposition party hosted several peaceful protests and has requested the King intervene.  Anyway to make a long story short, tension has been high, but thankfully violence has been low and people are praying for peace in the nation.  Please join us in prayer for the peace of Cambodia, especially as the new session of government is slated to begin next week.

Random Thoughts

•  I have come to appreciate the wonder of a well-placed fan.  In the past, I rarely used fans, but now I feel lost without one. 
• Those of you that know me well will laugh when I tell you that I wear a skirt at least 4 days a week and actually prefer wearing skirts to pants or shorts.
• When I lived in Colorado, I had one key on my key ring, my car key.  I didn't even have a key to my house of office.  I currently have 11 keys on my key ring that I use almost every day.
• I think I have consumed more rice in my two months here than I have in the entire rest of my life combined.
• It is a little bit ironic that for the past 11 years in the States I have not had cable or satellite TV in my home. In Cambodia, I now have cable TV that comes with my house.  (Although, I personally have not watched an entire show in the two months I have been here.  Abigail likes the cartoon network though.)

Prayer Requests

• As previously mentioned, pray for the peace of Cambodia
• Pray for us as we continue to adjust to life in a foreign country
• I have been specifically praying for two of my students who have shared some of their difficulties at home with me.  Please help me pray for them.
• The grocery store is about 1/4 mile straight up my street.  Along the way, we pass at least 10 brothels with incredibly young ladies sitting out front waiting for clientele, and it breaks my heart.  Please join me in prayer for the souls of these young ladies and their clients as well as an ending to the horrors of sex trafficking.   
• Pray that I will begin to rely more heavily on God's power and the guidance of the Holy Spirit rather than on my own strength and plans. 

A Walk in the Rain

Once again that time has arrived. This morning, I pulled out my suitcases again with the intention of beginning the packing process. 

After taking a deep breath and rolling up my sleeves, I decided to forget about packing and go for a walk in the rain.  

Equipped with an umbrella and flip flops, I went for a short romp around my neighborhood savoring the refreshing rain the feel of splashing through puddles.  In the process, I also tried the savor my last week in the Korea.  

Unconsciously, I ended up at one of my favorite places to savor one of my favorite smells, sights, and tastes and reflect on life.  

Ahhhh….the beauty of  procrastination

Snack Time

Old and New

One of the things I love about Seoul is the intermingling of old and new.  The stunning six hundred year old palaces stand surrounded by shiny new skyscrapers. 

 A stately old city gate is an out of place island in the midst of a bustling of sea of traffic. 

The intricate wooden carvings captured in picture form by the newest innovative technology.  Old and new dwell side by side.  In the heart of the city, the past intertwines with the present and the future. 

 

For me Seoul illustrates the role of the past in shaping my future. My beautiful and sometimes painful memories of the past are surrounded by the new life God has erected around the remnants of the old.  My life is moving forward, advancing into the future.  I am moving on and expanding in new directions and new lands, but the memories of the past still dwell nearby.  Occasionally, I find my mind wandering back to the past and recreating images from my past life before everything changed one February evening in 2008. I visit the old the grounds for a few minutes every now and again, but then I know I need to step back into the reality of bustling city of everyday life. 




Over the last couple of weeks, I have actually taken the time to visit the old palaces, both literally and figuratively.  Enough time has passed that I can look back and celebrate the beauty of the old without idolizing it.

 
 I can take a few minutes to wandering around the grounds, but God also gives me the strength to turn and face the uncertainty of the present and the future and walk away from the safety of the old palace walls into real life.  Having time to walk through the palaces has been a bit difficult but also beautiful and healing. 

Korean Princess

Thanks to an amazing gift from one of my Korean friends, I now have a sweet Korean princess wearing a beautiful Hanbok.

Falling More in Love

Today, I went on my first hike in Korea, and I fell a little more in love with Korea and her people.  About 5 subway stops away from our apartment is an area called Dobongsan.  Every time we take the subway to church, we have to stop at the Dobongsan station and transfer to another subway line.  Every time, I look at the mountain and say, "Someday, I'm going to hike to the top."  Well, today was the day.

View from the subway platform

Once Abigail left for school, I caught the subway and started my adventure.   One thing I love about Koreans is the fact that most of them seem to have an outfit for everything.  Hiking is no exception. Almost every Korean I encountered was completely outfitted in brightly colored outdoor gear looking like he or she just stepped out of a catalog.  Gore-tex pants, long sleeve polypropylene shirts,  topped with colorful North Face shirts, vests, or rain jackets.  Most outfits also included a hat or visor and a pair of gloves.  Most feet were clad with name brand hiking boots, and the hikers carried day packs and hiking poles.  I am pretty sure I even saw a guy carrying an ice axe, which seemed highly out of place on a 75 degree spring day probably at least 500 miles away from the nearest ice and snow.  Even better, many couples wore matching outfits.  I hate taking pictures of random strangers and posting them, but I just couldn't keep myself from snapping a quick pic to illustrate the amazing hiking outfits.

If for some reason a hiker is not thoroughly equipped with name brand gear, a plethora, and I mean plethora, of shops line the streets from the subway to the park entrance about a 1/3 of a mile away allowing hikers to pick up gear to ensure they meet the fashion standard.

If an unfortunate hiker does not have the money for real name brand gear like The North Face, they can always pick up gear at The Red Face or The Normal Face shops along the way.

Throughout the hike, I internally giggled at the amazing Korean hiking outfits.  However, I am sure that the Koreans were also internally giggling at the out of place, fat, foreign lady, huffing and puffing her way up the mountain clad in five year old falling apart tennis shoes, a ratty t-shirt, and capri length sweatpants straight from Wal-mart.  Oh, cultural differences...

Anyway, after an incredibly helpful park ranger armed me with a map and described the best route to get to the top of one of the peaks, I set off on my little hike.

The beginning of my hike meandered past beautiful streams and small waterfalls and made me feel as if I was taking walk in the Cumberland Mountains of Tennessee.

However, the four Buddhist temples and the random lanterns I encountered along the way definitely made me realize that I was not in Tennessee anymore.

Not too far into my hike, I decided that perhaps the Korean hiking outfits were a bit more practical than they originally appeared. 

After spending the final 1.5km of the hike climbing stairs, scrambling up piles of rocks, and clinging to cables and railings to pull myself up granite rock surfaces to reach the summit, I was willing to admit that I was envious of the spry 65+ year old adjumas (old ladies) and adoshis (older men) passing me like I was standing standing still and their hiking poles. However, the view from the top was worth every step. 

"

All in all, the day reminded me that...

• I am in love with Korea and the kind and helpful Korean people. I will miss this place.
• I love to hike, and I need to try to make more time to do the things I love
• Culture and traditions are not always right or wrong, they are often just different
• I am no longer the 21 year girl who is used to hiking 10 miles a day. I am now an out of shape 33 year old momma who is going to be sore tomorrow
• Psalms 19:1 "The heavens declare the glory of God, the skies proclaim the work of his hands."
• Romans 1:20 "For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse."

Coffee Cup Reminder

Today, I had a bit of time to relax and grab a bite to eat at a new to me little coffee shop.  As I was getting ready to leave, I noticed the saying near the bottom of the cup. 

 

The saying is typical of the somewhat cheesy sayings that adorn Korean stationary, but for some reason it struck me.  Lately, I have been contemplating my hate for saying goodbyes, my tendency to hold people at arms length so that it does not hurt as much to say goodbye. (Hopefully, a blog post on the topic will be appearing soon).  Anyway, the coffee cup helped me realize that by loving people well, you are able to really enjoy them during the time they are in your life no matter how long or short that time may be.

Loving people may lead to heartache and pain  but it also can lead to joy and make your heart smile.