The other thing they mentioned has to do with her hand sucking. She likes to stick the whole thing in her mouth. According to the Khmer this means she loves everyone. If she were to suck only her thumb then it would mean she loves only her daddy. The wait staff then proceeded to pass her all around so we could be on the internet. The other customers were holding her, and all the waiters and waitresses. They most likely think I am neglecting her to be on the internet and not doting upon her like everyone else.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
One more thing...
Ben is sitting next to me holding Regan and three of the wait staff at this cafe we frequent are surrounding him. They are telling him all sorts of different Cambodian beliefs about children. The first is that if a little girl looks like her dad then it is believed she will be rich and have a high position in life. A little boy should look like his mother for the same to be true. This would explain why everyone we meet here says she looks like her dad, I am not sure you can really tell, but it is nice of them.
a long time gone...
Hello there, it has been a long time, I know this and I am sorry. I have tried numerous times to post and the internet has not been cooperative. I think my computer is about to die on me too, which does not help. We never forget that there are people who wonder what we are doing and who are waiting for pictures of Regan. I promise we have been trying. The heat in April reaches a new high, and therefore the power outages seem to be more frequent, the water shuts off more often, and the internet is rarely functioning.
Our friends, Kiara and Andrew just left. It was great having them. It was much needed fellowship for our starved souls. This week ben proctored his final exams and once graded they will be returned and we will be on break for most of the month. At this time students go home to their families and celebrate for weeks on end. Cambodians know how to do holidays, there are 30 holidays on the calendar for which they take off work, and that doesn’t even count this incredibly long celebration month. We have mentioned before that we have tried to learn about the traditions of this celebration, and we are not finding it very easy. Ben has asked students, I have asked friends of ours in the city, and no one seems to be able to explain to us what kinds of games the people play. We will just have to catch some in action in the next few weeks.
Regan’s adventures in Cambodia continue. She is quite the conversation starter. We were at a birthday party last week and a Khmer girl who was about 25 came up to me and wanted to talk all about the fact that she was pregnant. Her boyfriend, who apparently was English, was not present, but she said he was very excited. She wanted to talk about morning sickness, and her feelings about being pregnant, which were mixed. Regan seems to like the heat still and sleeping under the mosquito net. She is quite a good baby.
We will continue to try to keep you updated. Hope all is well on your side of the ocean.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
We wanted to publish an update while we have a good internet connection. Ben reserved a nice hotel for my birthday this weekend so we have enjoyed ant-free living for a few days, which includes a bathtub (a highlight for me and Regan), tv, a swimming pool, a lovely breakfast, and nice air conditioning, as well as a sweet internet connection. A bonus perk: constant power and reliable water supply. It was a great birthday weekend and it was quite relaxing. Husbands: take note.
Ben also played in a soccer game this weekend. This is newsworthy because his team played a really good team and they tied. It was epic really, a tie of 1-1 for his team is an accomplishment against this particular opponent. He will most likely be sore all week since he has been off the field for a few months now due to our travels in Thailand, but I think it was worth it to him. He came home beaming.
We will welcome our dear friends Kiara and Andrew this week. Their visit is bringing us great joy and anticipation. We were talking this weekend, and I think the thing we miss most about the states is our amazing fellowship. We miss the friends and family that we know we are beyond blessed to have. I am trying not to count down, but lets say it is somewhere near 121 days until we get to see the good ole Rocky Mountains again and all your beautiful faces.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
NPIC all over again...
Well, we made it! We are finally back at NPIC and settled into our dorm life once again. Our students were really excited to see us and to meet Regan for the first time. Although Regan is average sized for an American baby, our Cambodian students think she is a monster. To compare: one of our Khmer friends had a baby two months before we did, and he is just now getting to the weight that Regan was born at! So, yes, Regan is rather large for a Southeast Asian. And, speaking of our child, she has a bit of cold, so I have been amusing myself with that little infant snot sucker as of late—who knew something like that could be so much fun?
In other news, it’s hot. I mean, really, really hot. Our students tell us that it only gets worse, but we really can’t wrap our brains around a weather that’s hotter than what we are currently experiencing. As if to mock us, what was once viewed from our third story dorm room as a lush and fertile rice paddy during the rainy season is now nothing more than a destitute and dusty dirt bowl. It has been an interesting process to watch as the paddy behind our campus turned from a vibrant green, to a harvested landscape, to a cow pasture, and, finally, to a meager and barren backdrop; needless to say, we are looking forward to July’s rain.
The Khmer New Year (or Chaul Chnam Thmey in Khmer) is right around the corner however, and will provide us with a nice two week break from the heat. It is much like our Christmas break back in the States, so teachers and students alike will be given a short vacation to escape from the heat. We still don’t know where we will be traveling, but our hope is that it is much cooler than NPIC.
I asked my students about the New Year and how they celebrated it, to which they responded, “Cher [a term of affection (I hope) that is short for teacher], we play games.”
“Awesome,” I said, “what kind of games.”
“New Year games.”
“And those would be what?”
“Yes, New Year games.”
“Hmm,” I pondered how best to phrase it, “but what are the games…how do you play them?”
They all looked around the classroom, as if one of them would have the right answer to my difficult questions, “No understand cher. The games you ask about are New Year games.”
“Yes, but…never mind; have a good weekend.”
So, I did some research (Wikipedia) on my own: The Khmer New Year is broken up into three days. Moha Songkran is the name of the first day of the New Year celebration. People dress up, light candles, and burn incense sticks at shrines, and for good luck people wash their faces with holy water in the morning, their chests at noon, and their feet in the evening before they go to bed.
Wanabat is the name of the second day where people are supposed to focus on giving charity to the less fortunate, and attend a ceremony to their ancestors at the local Wat (Temple).
Tanai Lieang Saka is the name of the third day. The Khmer will travel, once again, to their local Wat where they will cleanse the Buddha statues and Elders with perfumed water—this brings longevity, good luck, happiness and prosperity in life.
This is not all however, to my surprise; there are seven different Khmer New Year games that Cambodians play throughout the New Year holiday. I won’t bore you with the details now, but next week in my IT class the students will be teaching me one of their favorite games. I will tell you all about it in my next blog; I am sure it will be a splendid experience.
Until next time, we miss and love you all,
Benjamin and Andrea
In other news, it’s hot. I mean, really, really hot. Our students tell us that it only gets worse, but we really can’t wrap our brains around a weather that’s hotter than what we are currently experiencing. As if to mock us, what was once viewed from our third story dorm room as a lush and fertile rice paddy during the rainy season is now nothing more than a destitute and dusty dirt bowl. It has been an interesting process to watch as the paddy behind our campus turned from a vibrant green, to a harvested landscape, to a cow pasture, and, finally, to a meager and barren backdrop; needless to say, we are looking forward to July’s rain.
The Khmer New Year (or Chaul Chnam Thmey in Khmer) is right around the corner however, and will provide us with a nice two week break from the heat. It is much like our Christmas break back in the States, so teachers and students alike will be given a short vacation to escape from the heat. We still don’t know where we will be traveling, but our hope is that it is much cooler than NPIC.
I asked my students about the New Year and how they celebrated it, to which they responded, “Cher [a term of affection (I hope) that is short for teacher], we play games.”
“Awesome,” I said, “what kind of games.”
“New Year games.”
“And those would be what?”
“Yes, New Year games.”
“Hmm,” I pondered how best to phrase it, “but what are the games…how do you play them?”
They all looked around the classroom, as if one of them would have the right answer to my difficult questions, “No understand cher. The games you ask about are New Year games.”
“Yes, but…never mind; have a good weekend.”
So, I did some research (Wikipedia) on my own: The Khmer New Year is broken up into three days. Moha Songkran is the name of the first day of the New Year celebration. People dress up, light candles, and burn incense sticks at shrines, and for good luck people wash their faces with holy water in the morning, their chests at noon, and their feet in the evening before they go to bed.
Wanabat is the name of the second day where people are supposed to focus on giving charity to the less fortunate, and attend a ceremony to their ancestors at the local Wat (Temple).
Tanai Lieang Saka is the name of the third day. The Khmer will travel, once again, to their local Wat where they will cleanse the Buddha statues and Elders with perfumed water—this brings longevity, good luck, happiness and prosperity in life.
This is not all however, to my surprise; there are seven different Khmer New Year games that Cambodians play throughout the New Year holiday. I won’t bore you with the details now, but next week in my IT class the students will be teaching me one of their favorite games. I will tell you all about it in my next blog; I am sure it will be a splendid experience.
Until next time, we miss and love you all,
Benjamin and Andrea
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