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Well, we will soon welcome my little sister Sophie to Cambodia. We are all very excited, especially Regan, she is dying to meet her aunt.  The weather is as humid as ever and we are battling the constant power outages which have been significantly worse this  month, but there is also a nice breeze in the air most days so it is okay.  The rains come in torrents daily now, but there is still a strange lack of water coming through our tap most days, and still our kitchen manages to flood on occasion too.  That is Cambodia, we are finally getting used to it. 

Ben has a soccer tournament next weekend which Sophie, Regan and I will eagerly cheer at despite the heat. There are always Khmer ladies who want to hold Regan and little kids who gather round to ogle at her light skin and blue eyes. They are sweet and they kiss on her, an allowance which I am hoping I won't regret.

We picked up some clothes we had made in the Russian Market today. They are beautiful.  I went to pick them up at 8am when they opened to avoid the heat, but it was already 34 degrees celsius, a balmy 93 degrees.  What really makes it feel suffocating though is that the air doesn't circulate.  The market is made up of corrugated tin and big tarps, so the sun just bakes everything.  They told me at the heat of the day it gets to about 47 degrees (about 117 degrees), they just sit at their sewing machines and work away, smiling all the way.  We got two pairs of pants for Ben, two for me, and two dresses for me made all for $31.00.  I went to one of the more pricey places too.  We also went to have some leather shoes made and each pair costs about $15.00.  The work they do is absolutely amazing.  

We had Ben's Internet Technology class over this week to play Pictionary.  They devoured our snacks and really got into it.  Each student took their turn kissing Regan and wiping her drool.  The child really will have incredible immunity.  All the students were so nice, it was great to be able to have them over and share a fun afternoon with them. 

We few, we happy few...

A year has come and gone, and seemingly overnight, we find ourselves on the brink of departure. In a few short weeks, Andrea will fly back to the States with Regan and Sister Sophie in tow, while I finish out the school year in Cambodia. The time is apt for reflection: it seems like only yesterday that we arrived in California for our entry level training, and soon thereafter landed in Hanoi for our licensing in TEFOL. The month in Hanoi flew by, but not without myriad opportunities to see the sights: Ha Long Bay, John McCain’s flight suit, Ho Chi Min’s tomb. We came, we saw, we then flew to Phnom Penh. We arrived on a hot August day greeted by Mr. Cho the foreign affairs liaison of NPIC. We piled our luggage into his Four Runner, dumped our gear at our transitional apartment, and later sweated through a Chinese lunch with him as he spoke of the many luxuries of NPIC. The moto-bikes shocked us, the humidity overwhelmed us, and the desire for a good burger was insatiable, but it was home—for better or worse.

The names and faces of the lives we have brushed up against will fade over time, but, for the moment, are vividly seared into our minds. There is Alex, our one time French roommate, who taught me the game of soccer and the value of a good baguette; Mr. Sivoun our English department chair whose quite voice, humble presence, and command of the English language handled all our university frustrations with grace and concern; Roat, a student I tutor, who just yesterday brought us a gift of minted sticks to share with Regan; and Allie, a young woman from Tennessee who is mired in the system struggling to adopt and care for an unwanted five week old Cambodian baby. There are more, but these few form a beautiful and relational mosaic of the vibrant lives that have touched us since living in Cambodia.

In January we flew to Chiang Mai to await the birth of Regan. It seemed an age that we were holed up at the Juniper Tree, but eventually she was birthed after thirty hours of labor. She suffered through an early infection frightening her new and naïve parents. She recovered however, and slept the two hour plane ride back to Phnom Penh on March first. In the wee hours of the night when she usually awakens and begins to cry, one of us will muster what little energy we have and take Regan outside on our NPIC balcony. Snuggled warmly against her daddy or mommy, one of us will walk her back and forth, back and forth, in the dampened heat underneath the starry night sky. From this vantage point, our dorm room’s third-story balcony, our eyes look out over the undeveloped countryside. There are no buildings, no roads, no sounds; only space. The rice paddies stretch out endlessly mingled with Cambodian oases bursting forth cool pools and lush palm trees. It’s a fleeting picture neither Andrea nor I will ever see again. And while the scene is exotically mysterious at night illumined by a pale moon, Regan loves the breezy warmth and quickly falls back into an infant’s fitful sleep.

The Khmer New Year came and quickly passed. April is the hottest month, and so given the time off from school, we traveled to New Zealand for a belated autumn. Three weeks passed quickly thanks to the hospitality of old friends, and soon we found ourselves once again making the trip on the potholed road from the airport to NPIC. The second semester has started, and this is where we find ourselves: teaching twelve credit hours a week, tutoring students, and developing relationships as we can. It has been a year of new experiences and growth; hardships and joy; incredible frustrations and new life. We are profoundly honored and humbled that you have chosen to share this journey with us.

We look forward to seeing you soon,

Benjamin John, Andrea Natasha, and Regan Elise

Beach Retreat

We have just returned from a few days at the beach with our teammates.  It was a nice getaway and we had a cute little room by the swimming pool, so we were able to sit poolside while Regan slept.  Unfortunately it was not all fun and games, we woke up the first morning and poor little Regan was covered with mosquito bites. She was wearing long sleeves and pants to bed but her face was left vulnerable. She had five bites on her head and face and one right on her eyelid, which was swollen shut by the end of the day.  She is better today, but the Cambodian lifestyle is taking a toll on her.  I have a picture of upload to my computer and then I will share her pain with you all. We love to hear from you, keep the emails and notes coming, we are on the home stretch. 

A&B&R

Happy Birthday to you, unnamed Cambodian monarch…

Yes, that’s right; it’s that time of year again: when all the little Cambodian boys and girls don their best celebratory garb and prance about in the masks of dragons in homage to their wonderful king (I made that up). Simply put, it’s the King’s birthday! And what does that mean for your favorite Cambodian dwellers? Holiday!!! I know it’s hard to believe that we are heading into another holiday break, but all of our students have gone back to their “homeland,” as they so aptly put it, and we ourselves are headed down to Sihanoukville for an ELIC team retreat. It should be a nice getaway from the big city; a time for our team to reconnect; and a time for me (Ben) to win some Settlers of Catan.  

On the NPIC front, we have started class—well, started class is a bit of a stretch. I should say we have been assigned classes, met with some students, and watched as a whole bunch of other students skipped their first two classes, because, after all, “next week is the King’s birthday.” We also watched as the rice farmers behind our dormitory planted this year’s coming harvest through the mounting heat and humidity. Now, Andrea told me to write something about the heat, but she also told me not to stretch the truth, so, seriously, it’s like 147 degrees outside with like 200 percent humidity; in a word, Hades. This, of course, makes sleeping through the night difficult, since we consistently have a nightly four-to-seven hour power outage that cuts off our air conditioner. All in all though, NPIC has been great. Why, just last week, Andrea, Regan, and I went out to Neo Suki with our Korean counterparts to eat some Asian fondue (boiled squid, octopus, and fish balls—yum!). We had a great conversation with Mr. Cho, NPIC’s foreign affairs liaison, about how the clothes of South Koreans are never dirty or tattered—amazing!

Oh, also, Regan and I are beginning the first steps down that long road called verbal communication. Our typical banter might go something like this: “Ohh, ahh,” Regan would say in her best high pitched voice; to which I would reply, “boo, eah,” my voice cracking in the upper register. This playful back and forth would usually go on for about three or four minutes before Regan, starting to cry, would be in dire need of a cuddle. Also, her poops are getting pretty crazy—whoa, watch out! It’s pretty neat. Regan’s really digs her First Focus book too; and who wouldn’t, it’s a book with nothing but pictures of cats, cows, and tractors—sweet!

Not that we are counting down or anything, but the day of our arrival on the beautiful and fertile soils of America is only about seven weeks away. Sophie, Andrea’s sister, will be coming to visit us the last week of our time in Cambodia, and both of us are really looking forward to seeing her in Phnom Penh.

As Garrison Keillor would put, “That’s the news from Lake Wobegon.”

I hope all is well with you,

Ben

pictures!!!

I was finally able to put pictures on the blog today. I have no idea why I was not able before but I thought I should add a few since the internet was being nice. We are in the city this weekend which could be part of the solution. It was a long week. The power and water are apparently worst of all in May. I thought April was going to be the worst, but for some reason no. We have had long periods of power outages this week and no water a few times. We just do our best not to move too much when that happens. Since Regan is still so little that is okay. We strip her down and put her in a hammock that we tied over the beds. She really loves it, she is such a Khmer baby.

Regan Elise Peters

Schooling in Cambodia...

Today I stood on our balcony and watched the kids who attend school at the Wat down the road walking home for lunch.  Everyday at 11am a stream of kids between the ages of 4 and maybe 14 head home for lunch.  Those lucky few with a bike whiz past the poor majority who have to walk down the hot dusty road.  I watched a boy, most likely 10 or 11 following a girl who zig-zagged away from him down the road.  She held her notebook up to block whichever side of her face the boy raced to.  He was taunting her in some way, and although I couldn’t understand what he said, she was clearly not happy about it.  I wished there was something I could yell that would get him to leave her alone, but there was not.  It dawned on me, after all this time here, feeling like I was in such a different world, that people face mostly the same stuff no matter where they are.  Middle school is a hard age for anyone, and we are always faced with standing up for ourselves and what we believe in, or tucking our tails and running, this little girl was trying so hard to be brave and ignore the boy.  Life sometimes doesn't feel that different here. 

Happy BIrthday Regan!

Regan was three months old yesterday. I would include a super cute picture of her if the internet would allow but it unfortunately will not. This is the second time I have tried posting today, the first one was much longer and more detailed but the internet is really getting me down so this is all I am going to attempt this round.
Missing you all...