Big City Stuff

When we began talking about our transition home, Brian said numerous times that he wanted to live in a bigger city then where we were living before we moved. In Cambodia, we lived in a bustling area. Motos flying down our streets at rapid speeds, vendors sauntering down the side of the road selling everything from rugs to BBQ'ed eggs. At night the roads cleared, people retired to their homes, then began their morning routines the next day at around 5 am.

I would often walk down the streets of Phnom Penh (when it wasn't as humid) to exercise. The smells, sounds, and sights were the things that big cities are made of: sidewalk restaurants open late, illuminated by a single light bulb; dust kicked up by the ox carts, pulling home goods for sale; exhaust and noise galore; and apartment homes stacked on top of each other. I got used to these big city things, although it used to be something I tried my hardest to stay away from. The sounds became music to my ears as I tried to sleep at night, and when we vacationed to quieter places, it felt foreign to me.

One week ago, we finally moved out of my Mom's home, which has been graciously housing us this past 3 months. We moved to a big city. We moved into an apartment. These two things are things I never wanted. Ever. Although I protested it in the past, I have LOVED these two factors in my life this past week! Tonight I took a long walk down a busy road in our busy city, and where the noises would have bothered me before, tonight they comforted me. As I walked under freeway over-pases, past buzzing cars, and through busy supermarket parking lots, I felt at home. The busy-ness of the past year in Asia, the crowded nature of living in the country's capital, all of this hit me in the forehead tonight, but here in California! It is interesting how you can come full circle after only a year of being in a place. Pictures to come of our new place as soon as we finish unpacking!

Dichotomy

dichotomy: noun
A division into two especially mutually exclusive or contradictory groups or entities.

This word comes to mind tonight as I sit and wrestle through my thoughts and feelings. The past few days have been hard; I feel as though I have hit a wall while trying to adjust to being home. A mere 10 weeks ago, all that was on my mind in Cambodia was coming home. "Everything will be so great, so normal," I thought. These past few days I have felt everything but great and normal. Tonight as I sat and thought about my depressed, lonely feelings these last few days, I realized I am living in a dichotomy.

Here in California, I am living a fast-paced life of wealth and ease. I am miserable because I feel like I have no purpose. In Cambodia, I lived a slow-paced life of poverty and daily trials...yet there, I felt full of purpose and drive. Why was I so naive in thinking my life at "home" would be so lovely and normal? I should have realized that, after living a year in a totally new environment, nothing would ever feel normal again.

It doesn't help that I don't have a job yet: I love what I do, and I love working with and being around kids. I want a job. I love teaching, and I want to keep it up. Regardless, I feel as if my purpose in teaching here will never feel like my purpose felt like in Cambodia. I know, I know. I need to find out what God's purpose for me is here, bloom where you are planted...right? I've always been good at that, but I still feel like my purpose here won't be as great, as needed, as fulfilling as knowing I could walk down my street and provide a meal for someone who hasn't had one in a week. Knowing I could give a homeless person a dollar that could feed them for 3 days. In telling someone about the love of Christ, and seeing the excitement in their eyes because they had never heard that news before...and knowing it could literally save their life.

Although the needs of the Cambodian people were overwhelming to me most of this past year, they were that way because they were new needs and ones that I felt unequipped to solve. I got used to the ease of meeting needs in Cambodia, and the needs were in your face on a daily basis: beggar children following you while riding your bike, a limbless man managing his way down the street, or a sick elderly person riding on the back of a moto with an iv drip connected to their arm. Whatever the need, it was readily able to be met.

Where all this is going? I have no idea. I just needed a place to write, vent, and get my feelings out. I need a job, and I need to feel like I live a meaningful life. Sitting around all day is driving me nuts!!!

Back to our Roots

We have officially been home 5 weeks now, and I think it is safe to say we are fully settled in: no more waking up at 3am and wanting to fall asleep at 4pm, no more jumpiness at birds (which move strangely like the rats we had in Cambodia), and no more suitcases full of things to unpack. We are overjoyed to be home, although we both have been truly missing Cambodia this past week. We have had a lot of neat experiences since we've been home: we have been on a short road trip to Yosemite and Fresno over 4th of July weekend, we have seen many friends and family we missed over the past year, we have taken nighttime summer bike rides, tried new recipes, gardened and played with dirt and plants, and we have delighted in the simplicities of life here in Los Gatos. I (Karie) am in my 4th week of summer school, and cooking with 80 kids each day has been a real blast! Brian is in his third week of school, and has his nose deep in the books each night. Here are some pictures of what we've been up to at home, as well as our new favorite summer recipe: Raspberry Lemon Iced Tea. Enjoy!

Oh gardening, how I missed thee!

The joys of picnics in the park and self timers.

Brian with the big rocks in Yosemite.

Yosemite Valley and my Mom

Leaving Yosemite National Park-the view from Glacier Point.

Hiking the Vernal Falls trail: we saw 2 rattlesnakes, a centipede, deer, and coyotes!

:: Raspberry Lemon Iced Tea ::

6 raspberry flavored tea bags
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup of sugar
8 cups of water

1.) Look out your window to see if you have a lemon tree, like this one! If so, pick 2-3 lemons off and juice them. If not, go buy lemons at the store.




2.) Boil 8 cups of water. Turn off the heat, put the tea bags in, and let steep for 1 hour.



3.) After it has sat, put the tea into your desired container (pitcher, etc.). Stir in the sugar until dissolved.

4.) Stir in the lemon juice. Allow to cool completely in the fridge until you serve it. Add a fresh slice of lemon to each glass of tea poured. Enjoy!

: : Home : :

Well yet again we have failed to update our blog in a timely manner. We appreciate your forgiveness :o) The last few weeks in Cambodia were hectic: boxing things up, cleaning all the nooks and crannies, finishing up school, doing report cards, packing and re-packing suitcases, spending time with good friends, closing bank accounts, making the "last trips" to local markets, etc. We finished well, although it was hard to close out one stage of life while anticipating the next one. It was my prayer to keep my "head in the game" until the end, not neglecting any part of Cambodia or our life there. We both were anxious to leave and travel to Japan, then home....however, we thoroughly enjoyed our last days where God had us.

Once we left Cambodia, we boarded a short flight to Bangkok. We met up with friends there, and had dinner in the city. We were taken back to the airport where we spent a sleep-less night, then boarded a plane to Japan at 6:50am the next morning. After an easy 6 hour flight, we landed in a place surrounded with more green then we'd seen all year. Japan was amazing!!! We re-enjoyed simple pleasures: walking on sidewalks with flat paths, smelling the ocean air, being COLD, wearing jeans and sweatshirts, eating street food that we didn't need to be concerned about, and public transportation. We stayed in Tokyo 1 night and walked around that part of the city. Next, we stayed 3,000 feet up in a mountain town called Hakone for 2 nights, and fell in love with the peacefulness and the scenery there. We spent our last night in a hotel near the airport, and enjoyed sleeping in and having a hot shower. All of our tuk-tuk, train, car, airplane, shuttle, and bus transportation had gone very smoothly up to this point.

When we boarded the flight in Tokyo, we were excited. See, we were flying on stand-by passes and were unsure if we would get on the flight in the first place. This was our LAST leg of a packed 4 days of traveling, and once this leg ended, we would finally be HOME. We were so lucky to get to sit in Business Class (1 step down from First) and we were enjoying the leg room and menu choices for the 9 hour flight. After sitting in the plane for 30 minutes past our scheduled departure, an announcement came over the loud speaker: "We are having some maintenance issues that will soon be resolved, we should be leaving shortly." We didn't care- we were in nice seats and were ready to try and sleep for the flight. Two hours went by, and the flight crew began pulling first class passengers off the plane; we knew something was wrong. All passengers with connecting flights began to be rerouted on to other flights, and we still sat. We were told by one of the flight attendants that we needed to stay seated even though the entire 747 plane would be asked to get off. We had no clue what was happening! Passengers were leaving, and as it turns out, the captain allowed all stand-by and employee passengers to stay on the flight. The problem? Five out of fourteen toilets were broken. They were going to just take the plane back to SF without anyone on it, but the captain knew the trouble it would cause the stand-bys. We were beyond blessed and extremely thankful that he was gracious enough to allow us to stay. Finally, after a total of 4 hours waiting on the plane in Tokyo, we successfully pulled out and took off for San Francisco. On a 747 plane that was originally 80% full, it was just us, an entire flight crew, and 20 passengers. We were so privileged to be given the seats on the plane and the chance to get home....especially after a long year of being gone.

We arrived 4 hours late into SF on June 4th...our 4 year anniversary! We are so glad to be home. We have enjoyed a great weekend full of family and friends, excellent healthy food, walks to town, having "Christmas" as we find the things we left behind for a year, and figuring out what our new life here will look like. Brian has started putting his name out there to do computer work, and I am pursuing a teaching job for the fall. We will continue to update this blog, but with a new flare: life back in California! We thoroughly appreciate your prayers, thoughts, comments, encouragements, and friendships. We would love to get together with you, so please don't hesitate to call or email us!

Life

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost

This sums up our journey here. We wish that we could have taken both paths, but God has sent us down the one less traveled by, and that HAS made all the difference.

Long Weeks and Coffee

We have this week off of work. We are finding it an interesting phenomenon. We have not had time off of work for a long time. I am not sure what to do with myself. We have a lot to do I suppose, getting ready for leaving, and packing up classrooms and whatnot. We have been sitting at the local coffee shop a lot lately, doing just random things. Trying not to work to hard. I have been actually pro actively trying to not do any work. I have my grades done, and I do not have a classroom to pack up. I was going to upload a random video on here, but it actually turn out to be quite large; something like 100MB. Normally that would be fine, but here that would take me like 2 days to upload or something. It's not that cool of a video for me to spend two days trying to upload it. If you are really interested send me an email and I will send it to you in a couple weeks, when we are back to fast internet.

The countdown is almost over - we leave Cambodia for good in about 18 days. We are heading out to an orphanage tomorrow, just to hang out with some of the kids and whatnot. We are sitting at this coffee shop where we literally have like 3 people who work here standing right by us, kind of annoying. I think they think that it would be rude if they did not stand right next to us - just in case we need something. Whats funny about that is the fact that when I go to Fry's I just like to wander the aisles, by myself...no people following me around. And on top of that when I do decide that I want to get something, or I need some help, I unable to find anyone! I much prefer being left alone, then pestered.

Nothing really profound to say, we are just working hard and trying to get things all in order for out long journey back home.

Your homework: Listen to Caedmon's Calls' album called Overdressed. It's unbelievable.

My Daily Muse

Well, my promise to write more frequently has been forgotten, and here I am updating our blog almost 1 month after the last post. It makes me sick, but we have literally been too busy to even think about blogging. Here are some highlights of our last 3 weeks: Karie turned 28, and had 4 full days of birthday celebrations; we have encountered more rainy afternoon storms, some bringing rain as deep as our mid-calf; we have officially changed our countdown to days rather than weeks (which we are currently at 22 days); Brian has become more and more sick of being here, and has resulted in wanting to go out every night with friends to get his mind off the fact that YES, we are STILL here; we have subliminally changed our diet to try to get rid of all Asian food, and supplement it with as much "western food" that we can find (sandwiches, egg breakfasts, chips, etc.); we have begun cleaning, organizing, selling, and getting rid of things at school and at home; we have begun packing; we are experiencing many favorites in this city, and realizing they will be the last time we do them; we are spending as much time with our friends here as possible; and last but not least, we are continuously thinking and praying about our return home. WE ARE SO EXCITED TO SEE YOU ALL.

Here in Cambodia, as you can imagine, life has become very normal. After all, we've been here almost a year now. Things that you might think are surprising and silly might still affect us that way, but we have learned to ignore them and move on. These things still capture Karie's eye, and she loves to try to catch these things on camera. She has begun going all over the city video taping all sorts of things. Below are some images that we enjoy on a continual basis, but that still amuse our hearts and eyes. We hope you enjoy these things, our daily musings here in Cambodia.

Monks are a colorful part of the scenery around here; always dressed in orange, and usually are spotted asking for offerings or praying a blessing over people.

No explanation really needed here: just a part of daily life. This does NOT factor in the high humidity factor, however.

Horribly translated and ridiculously hilarious signs add brightness to daily life. This is posted in a new frozen yogurt shop, large and bold and on the wall. My fav is #6. CLASSIC.

Yep, we ARE still alive!

Sorry, but it has been over 2 weeks since I have updated this blog. We have been SO busy it has not even crossed my mind. Well, I lie- it has crossed my mind...however, we were in quite a slump where there were no new stories or pictures to write about. Now, prepare yourselves. I have a ton to say!! Here is what we have been up to these past weeks in words; below are the pictures to prove it!

• Easter Musical here at school, with kids working hard to memorize lines, learn dances, etc.
  
• Karie got very sick, and missed 3 days of school; nothing conclusive, but seemed like a bacterial digestive system infection. The day she got better, she got a sinus infection. Was out for a solid week. Miserable.
  
• Went up to Siem Reap (home of the ancient Angkor Wat temples). LOVED it up there; we didn't even feel like we were in Cambodia. The small, quiet town is totally geared towards tourists. Things we saw that are not in our city: trash cans, a lovely river with a green grassy walkway, green TREES, friendly Cambodian people, clean streets. Totally opposite Phnom Penh.
  
• rainy season and hot season seem to be co-existing here: the heat turns up during the day, and CRAZY storms blow in at around 3pm in the afternoons. It doesn't cool it down however, just adds to the moisture in the air. Black clouds, wind, and flooding are common occurrences here again.
  

So happy to be off the bus! Do you see why Brian has a smerky smile? Haha..

Beautiful river walk area: Siem Reap

Getting ready for the most FUN we've had in awhile...

....sunset ATV ride through the rice paddies and villages!

The beauty of an impending storm.

Angkor Wat: built in the first century!

Fun climbing on ancient ruins! Ta Prom Temple.

Where they filmed Tomb Raider: Ta Prom Temple.

Sweet babes: Siem Reap

Our crazy storm yesterday! It was this flooded after only 1 1/2 hours of downpour.

In other news, we have less then 6 weeks before we begin our trek HOME. We are thrilled beyond belief to have made it through the adventure that is Cambodia, but in the same sense, sad to leave this adventurous life behind. One day soon, I will be walking around the beautiful neighborhoods of Los Gatos with my Mom...totally satisfied with where I am...but near the front of my mind will be the times we had here in this country. I am so thankful for these times, both hard and good. The kids I have in my class are beyond description, and I will miss each of them dearly. They have shown me what it means to be true learners. Some are learning all the school subjects in their third language. They are only between 9-12 years old. I love these kids.

In the upcoming weeks, we will be doing some of the following: packing up things, getting rid of anything we can, taking "last trips" to some of our favorite restaurants, pools, and markets in the city, celebrating Karie's 28th (ugh.....SO OLD) birthday, and finalizing our trip plans for our 4 days top over in Japan. We should be home around June 4-6th. Here are some ways we could really use your prayers:

• For our last weeks with our students: that we would continually show who Christ is to them, and how much He cares for them.
• For us to stay healthy, with all that we have to do.
• For Karie's job search: her ideal job would be teaching in a public school.
  
• For Brian's final details of getting registered for school, starting in the summer.
• That we would not rush these last weeks, no matter how excited we are to get home; that we would take each moment and treasure it.
  

Thanks for reading, and look for more updates to come! May God continue to bless you all!

The Terrace Cafe, a rainstorm, and the Good Samaritan

Oh yes, this is the Terrace Cafe. See why we like it so much? In the center of their sign is a traditional Apsara dancer...the most common dance in Cambodia.

Last night for B and I was truly delightful. We escaped to our favorite coffee shop in town (actually in our neighborhood), and we brought some school work and an iPod. You must understand that this cafe has been decorated with the highest effort to cater to its customers; there are plush seats inside, 2 very powerful wall air-conditioners, fruit out on display, colorful laminated menus, incredible freshly ground coffee, and about 15 people working at the same time....all there to serve your needs. Believe me when I say this place is not Cambodia. The owner went to Thailand to train in making exquisite coffee, bought a very expensive machine there, and hired someone incredible to decorate both the inside and outside of this place. This is not Cambodia.

Anyway, as B and I sat in the Terrace Cafe, we enjoyed good music, great drinks, and most of all....a powerful rainstorm that crept up on this country. We are in the middle of hot season, and with hot season, it is not rainy season. We have had rains quite a few times this week, and it has been the absolute most refreshing thing I have experienced in awhile. The rain washes all the dust and pollution out of the air and cools everything down. As we sat, the raindrops pelted the roof of the coffee shop with great strength. I walked outside to enjoy it firsthand. It was raining so hard that on the street, with each landing drop, a large bubble formed where the drop hit. It was incredible. I couldn't help but get nostalgic as I nestled down in my chair inside, and feelings of being at home, cozy, in front of a fireplace filled my mind. My entire body was in a complete joyous state as, for a few minutes, I pictured myself at home...all cozy.

I got up numerous times during the storm to head outside and enjoy its beauty. On one occasion, I looked to my right and saw a sight that wrenched me to my core. It was a sight I will not soon forget: two little girls and their father, wearing rags, and huddled under the awning of the business next door. They were clearly homeless, poor, and in need. I smiled at them, hoping what little I could give might show God's love in some way. They did not smile back. My heart began to break in many fragmented pieces. I started to think of my own father, and how he did all he could to provide for my sister and I when we were little girls. I began to melt inside, thinking that this father was doing all he could to provide for his little girls....which turned out to be an awning to get out of a storm. They do not have a house to go to when the rains stop; they do not have warm blankets to dry them off.

This week in the ladies Bible study I attend, we are looking at the parable of the Good Samaritan. It is found in Luke 10:25-37. The study hit me hard this week, as we are surrounded daily by prostitutes, beggars, those who have lost limbs because of land mines, and poor street children. How can I be a better neighbor to them? Why aren't people in their own country reaching out to be better neighbors to them? Why is there such a numerous amount of this country's population living in utter poverty?

"....which one of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise." -Luke 10: 36-37

The verses we had studied just this week, the people in the story....they were now standing face to face with me, dripping wet. As I had thoughts of coziness and sheer joy inside the coffee shop, they had thoughts of food, a dry place, and sheer fear outside the coffee shop.

Go and do likewise....

I had to do something, but what? How could I show God's love to this family who surely spoke no English? They must be hungry, I deduced, so I went inside to order them some food. The wait for the food seemed like an eternity, as my whole body quivered with the reality of the family standing outside. As the food came, I rushed outside to hand it to them. They placed their hands together, in the traditional Asian greeting, and thanked me with the only way they knew how. I prayed that they might someday know Christ's love, and that He might show Himself to them through that hot meal and dry ground.

I was so thankful to God for rocking my world last night. I was probably the most comfortable I had ever been here, and God did not allow that to last for long. I am grateful for that family, and so glad to be able to be a small light in their very dark world. Through my night last night, I would like to encourage you to read the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). "Go and do likewise" this week, and then leave me a comment as to how you were a true neighbor to someone in your world. Reaching out to others causes God to smile big, and it makes your own heart soften in a major way. Have fun this week as you look for ways to be a neighbor!

Cambodia the Beautiful

I find it interesting that as I looked over the past few weeks of pictures in my camera and saw the first one (below), the song 'America the Beautiful' took over in my head. I am NOT a patriotic song gal, unless of course it's 4th of July. I remember learning the songs in school as a child, but I rarely hear them or remember their lyrics as an adult. Funny that, as I sit here counting down the days until we leave Cambodia, and thinking that there is not much beauty to be enjoyed here, that this song came to my mind. Enjoy the following images, and sing along to the lyrics of what is truly a wonderfully written song.

(To be sung to 'America the Beautiful')

Oh beautiful, for sunset skies...

For Asian fruits of all kinds...

For blue pools, and days off school...

For flowers that bloom in March!


Cambodia! Cambodia! God shed His grace on thee!



And crowned thy good, with sisterhood...

From sea to shining sea!

It's ssssooo hot that.....

-You are dripping sweat after each 5 minute, easy bike ride to school at 7 in the morning.
-1 1/2 liters of water just doesn't cut it anymore to keep you hydrated.
-You feel like a slug every evening before the air-conditioner can be turned on, because all of your energy is long-gone.
-Shade is essential when outside.
-Air conditioned rooms/classrooms don't feel very cool anymore.
-Swimming pools aren't refreshing anymore, because the weather outside has heated them up to be too warm.
-When the power goes out, you know you will eventually DIE if it stays out for too long.
-You make it a goal to do everything either before or after the sun goes down.
-Cambodian nappy time is anytime people feel like sleeping during the day, not just 12-2 anymore.
..even if you are running a business.
-Karie refuses to drink anything that is not ice cold.
-Thoughts of home and perfect California weather, as well as dreams of being cold, come frequently.
-Sweat rags, no matter how unattractive, are a necessity, and must be carried around at all times.
-We refuse to go anywhere that is not air-conditioned.
-Any reason to leave the air-conditioned classroom during the day must be taken into careful consideration.
-Karie figured, if she is going to sweat anyway, why not make the most of it?! She goes for walks when the sun goes down, and sweats her lil' heart out!
-Showers are mandatory before bed each night.
-the shower water, which comes from a tin thingy on the roof, is pumping out warm water......even though we don't have a water heater.
-Sweaty everythings are a part of life.

What have we been doing besides sweating? Thanks for asking. I have had a requst for more pictures on the blog, sorry I have been lazy about adding them recently. Here are some shots from around the city.

A shot taken from the top of a friend's roof. This housing community live on a lake. Their houses are on stilts above a large body of water.

There's something fantastic about colorful laundry, and here, it hangs everywhere! No dryers for us Cambodians!

Good friends are priceless. This is us gals celebrating Dean's 40th birthday.

Nothing much is new to share, except that our Coming Home Countdown has made it to 11 weeks! Brian and I are looking forward to our 1 week stop in Japan, and we should be arriving in beautiful San Francisco somewhere around June 6th. We will celebrate our 4th anniversary in a beautiful town on Japan's coast, and we look forward to transitioning out of this 3rd world country and back home.

Please Pray

I ask for your prayers during this hard time for some of the youth at our school/in our city. On Friday afternoon, they were on their way to a Middle School retreat at the beach (about 5 hours away). The bus they were riding in struck and killed 2 Cambodian men who were riding a moto. The men had tried to dodge a cow who jumped into their lane; they lost control, and were hit by the bus the students were in. They were killed on impact. Many of the young children saw the accident and the aftermath, as they had to wait there over 2 hours until police came to take care of the bodies. The bus driver is a Christian, and is in complete terror and shock, although the accident could not have been prevented. Please pray for the driver of the bus, for the families of the 2 men killed, as well as for the youth of this city who witnessed the accident. Pray that God will move in mighty ways through this tragedy. Thank you,

Karie <><

Lord, Bring the Sneezes!!

The past few days have been interesting, frustrating, and amazing. Yesterday morning, our water cooler decided to freeze, not allowing any water out. Nothing freezes here, so I was amused as to what was going on. My hunky hubby got in there with a knife and chopped out the ice, and we were back in business. The same morning, I was cooking us breakfast (breakfast burritos if you must know), and mid-egg-scrambling the gas turned off. Hmm. Well I tried and tried to light the burner again, but low and behold, we had actually run out of gas. Oh well, eggs went down the drain and it was off to work we went!
Our insurance refunded us some of the money we had to pay out of pocket when B had Dengue Fever, so we were able to get him new glasses. Last night, B and I went in search of this "world renowned" eye doctor here in Phnom Penh. We found him, and B was given the most thorough eye exam with some of the most innovative technology we'd ever seen. It cost only $10. We then went in search of a new pair of frames, and found out we would only have to pay around $50 for frames and lenses. Amazing.
Today, as I was teaching my 27 happy 5th graders, the power went out. A big, "ugh..." came from the crowd. The teacher, of course, was mature enough to keep her "ugh" in.....NOT. I was also not mature enough to have a perfect attitude, as 1...then 2 hours passed with no power. After about 15 minutes, the room began to heat up immensely; it was so hot, it felt like the air conditioners were never on this morning. Sweat was dripping from every kid, all while their teacher was trying to teach them many wonderful things!

My one and only prayer at this time was, "Lord, now would be a great time to bring on a sneeze attack!!!"

Paper fans began to be folded, and quiet, peaceful activities were achieved. After 1 1/2 hours of braving our sauna of a classroom, I decided, after sticking my hand out the window, that it was cooler outside. Never in Cambodia are things cooler outside. Beside the point. Anyway, we took our work outside and set up camp. I laughed out loud when I looked around our campus, only to see 5 or 6 other classes doing the same thing. Teachers had even brought out portable white boards, and kids were working hard...outside....in the middle of hot season.

Oh the joys of third world living. My class is great, and they were so flexible today. I will miss each of them greatly when we set sail for home.....in only 12 weeks from today.

Our March Newsletter....for y'all in the blog world :o)

Dear Family and Friends!

Happy March to you! As the month of March has come upon us here in Cambodia, the weather gods have turned up the volume!! April, as it has been told to us, is the hottest and most miserable month in the year…and March is definitely bringing us closer to the hot season. Brian and I are doing well, health-wise, and are really trying to focus on our jobs and ministries here; we only have 12 ½ weeks to go! Although our minds seem to be wandering to thoughts of home quite frequently, we are passionate to “finish well” here. We have purchased our plane ticket out of Cambodia, and we will leave on May 30^th (the day after school gets out). We will make a short stop in Japan, as this is part of our route home. We are looking to arrive back in California sometime on June 6^th or 7^th. We cannot wait to re-connect, hug, spend time with, and talk story with all of you!

We want to write to you to ask for your prayer and support in an area that I know might be a burden to many of you at this time, and that area is finances. We are both well aware of the economic crisis happening in America, and that crisis is also having an impact on those living in Asia. Many of our missionary families at the school are having to re-evaluate where they’re at with support money, and some are even having to move home because a lack of monthly partners.

We have been so blessed by 5 families/individuals who have committed to supporting us monthly. Our immediate families have also blessed us beyond measure!! Brian and I are so thankful to these people, most of whom are making cuts in their own budgets in order to support what the Lord has us doing out here. I know you might hear this a lot, but we truly could not be here without the support these people have given us financially. We owe each of them a huge THANK YOU!!

Unfortunately, when living overseas, financial support is very much needed. The income we receive is ¼ of what we would make back home. Here in Cambodia, even with the support we receive monthly, Brian and I are still living paycheck to paycheck. There is no extra money; this has been very hard for us, especially living somewhere new where having some money might make things a bit easier. We have put all trust and faith in the Lord, however, and have grown immensely while seeing His provisions for us. That being said, we want to share with you our current needs, financially and personally. If you cannot help us financially, could you at least pray that the money would come in? We would greatly appreciate it!

Finances:

· We both need some dental work done here before coming home. This is VERY cheap to get done here, but like I said, we have no extra money. An estimated cost would be around $400.00 total for both of us to get cleanings, cavities filled, etc.

· We need some money to cover costs of coming home; this would cover the expenses of moving out of our home here, and it would take care of menial things once we get back home. We sold everything we owned to come here, and we will need a few basics once we get back to California. I don’t have an estimated cost for this.

· This is a more selfish request, but there are multiple things we have wanted to do and see in the city where we live, that we simply have not been able to enjoy because of our tight budget. We have a few more weeks off from school before the end of the year, and we would (selfishly) like to see some of the things around the city and country. I don’t have an estimated cost for this.

Prayers:

· When we get home, Brian will be going back to school full time. He will be working hard for the next 2 years to finish with his college degree. Please pray for all of the documentation and enrollment processes to go smoothly for him, as he is beginning this process overseas.

· Karie has begun looking for a job, and has not had many replies from people, even to say they are not hiring. She is looking for a teaching job, and if she cannot find that, she has begun to look at Nanny positions. Please pray for the job God has for her to show up soon! Bills don’t disappear once we get home, and we need to have the means to pay them ASAP.

· For our school here in Cambodia, Logos International School. They are still in the hiring process for teachers for this upcoming school year. Please pray that those who are called to live here would contact the school.

We appreciate you reading this letter, and partnering with us in some way or another… whether through prayer, giving financially, or even sending us encouraging words! We are grateful for each and every person we know! If you would like to give financially, please contact us for the address. If you would like to give to a specific need (mentioned above), or give anonymously, please indicate that with your check.
Don’t forget to take a look at our blog, which we update regularly! We love you and thank you in advance for your support,

-Brian and Karie Bourdet

Truly 3rd World

Because we have become so accustomed to life here in Cambodia, I sometimes "forget" we live in a 3rd world country. I know it might sound silly, but some of the 3rd-world-ness must be ignored in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle here. Because of this "forgetting", I tend to think we live somewhere normal. Until the following happens.... :

Yesterday I was watching TV after school in the back part of our house. All of a sudden, I heard a LOUD noise coming from near the street. I figured it was an old jalopy car or moto whose muffler had maybe fallen off, and this was the cause of the noise. I tried to ignore it, and I continued watching American Idol (YES!!! we get it here), but the noise didn't go away. I finally got up and walked out on our deck that overlooks the street. What I saw next horrified me.

There were tons of people who had also come out of their houses, stopped their motos, etc. to "watch" whatever it was making the sound. My eyes searched the street to find where it was coming from. Is it a funeral procession, with moto after moto filing down the street? No. Has a helicopter landed in the near vicinity? No. Finally, I spot the noise-maker. It was 2, normal sized pick up trucks driving on the very edge (in the gutters) of each side of the road. In the back of each truck were buckets of some sort of liquid, a hose and a fogger-like machine. Out of the fogger was being sprayed some green substance. I knew in an instant that these trucks were spraying chemicals up and down our street. My assumption was that the spray is for mosquito control.

There was no warning given to the people, like, "At 4:30pm we will be spraying toxic chemicals. Please stay indoors, and close all windows." No. In fact, the Cambodian people were standing in spray's path watching the whole thing!!! They were not afraid of the toxicity, they were not trying to get out of the way of the green spray...they were watching it, as if entertainment had just set foot on their once boring street. My heart broke, but my instincts also kicked in and I went inside as quickly as possible...closing all windows and doors. I could not believe that this country is not educated enough to know the dangers of spraying toxic chemicals into the faces and homes of its people. Or do I come from the overly protective country of America, where lawsuits over this kind of stuff are a dime a dozen? Ah, I don't know!!! It is hard to have lived in 2 such extreme places, and find the middle ground for what makes sense.

Education is knowledge, and knowledge is power. I am so thankful to at least be from a country where the people are educated. I am also thankful to be in a profession where I get to educate others on a daily basis. For now, me and my green spray-filled lungs need to get back to work.

:: You Know You're In Asia When.... ::

• Your rice cooker breaks, and you FREAK OUT and think, "Now what am I going to eat!!?"

• Everyone around you refers to their height in meters.

• Crazy drivers are not just a small fraction of the driving population, but the majority of the driving population.

• (specific to Cambodia) Police pull people over just to make a buck. And if you get into an accident, you simply assess the damages and pay the victim right there on the spot.

• Rat is on the menu at local restaurants, as well as running down any given street at night.
  

• Big, colorful fruits grow on most all trees.

• There is a "siesta" (nap) time everyday from about 12-2pm. All stores and vendors close down, and hammocks are strung up everywhere...full of sleeping bodies.

• Lizards are the size of small cats.

• Diaper-less babies are everywhere.
  

• Men stop on the side of the road to pee, not trying to conceal themselves from anyone at all!

• There are poorly, but hilariously, translated signs everywhere. (see picture below)

• You cannot, for the LIFE of you, remember if it is normal for steering wheels to be on the right or left side of cars.

• Your shower consists of a spout coming out of the wall: no curtain, no bathtub...nothing between you showering and the entire rest of your bathroom.

• Most buildings are adorned with fancy gold stuff.

I suppose that just as it has taken us this long for Asia to feel like home......it will be a weird sensation coming back to the "normalcies" of life in California. When we get home, if we crave rice, ask if we can set up rat traps in the house, are paranoid about large lizards, take naps everyday from 12-2pm, and drive all crazy like........please forgive us. We are officially Asian now, and we will have to become re-Westernized once we get home :o)

What Have We Been Doing?!

Warning: this blog is going to be completely random. There is no creative way I can cohesively get all of these bits to flow together, so, here you go. Here is what we've been up to these past few weeks.
Last week we had a Monday off of school, and that same day a large group of students and staff (including my hubs) left for High School Bible camp....about 6 hours drive from the city. The girlies and I decided it would be a perfect day for the pool, so we set off to relax and have some fun by the water. Here are some fun pics from our day.

My toes, the gorgeous pool, and some very Asian building in the background.

Two great women: Joanne (from Hong Kong) and Polly (from PA). I love these girls!!


Me and Jo, having fun with camera angles in the sun :o)

Here are a few pictures from our neighborhood. People are staring LESS at us now, because they see us around the neighborhood daily. I love to photograph the daily lifestyle of the Cambodian people, they are SO relaxed and live very simple lives: the ladies take their baskets to the market each morning around 7am to shop for the day's fresh produce and meats; the men hang out playing cards or checkers on the street corners; the children find random things to play with, and are outside in the mornings and afternoons, and the food stalls are hopping as soon as the sun goes down!

Some of our adorable neighbor children, playing unsupervised ALL the time.

This is the main corner in our neighborhood. People sell everything from used shoes to fresh fruit. The moto drivers you see spend their entire day waiting for potential customers.

This is the old railroad track: trains used to run frequently all over the country before the Khmer Rouge. Now, people have entire communities next to the tracks. They live here.

This last week, I (K) had the opportunity to visit a large school in our city that hosted a Field Day for all 3rd-5th graders. We took the kids out on buses, and they participated in numerous track and field events! It was a great day to watch them show off their athletic talents! Here are some pictures from our day.

All the different schools represented at the Field Day. We are the light blue ones!

Some of my beautiful girls! All 3 are Cambodian.

More beauties! From L to R: one of my Korean students, a Filipino, an American, a Cambodian, and a Canadian! Some of these guys made up our relay team, who ended up taking second place!

Brian and I had a fantastic Valentine's Day together yesterday! We celebrated by relaxing at home, taking naps, going out for a nice dinner, having Swenson's ice cream for dessert, and buying some new DVD's to enjoy. Basically, I could care less what we do on these somewhat silly holidays....as long as we're together. Here is a pic of us in front of our favorite fancy restaurant, Le Duo. They make fresh pastas daily, and have fabulous pizzas and salads, too!

A Day in the Province

Cambodia is a relatively small country, when compared to the United States. If the roads were highways, and there were no pot holes, cows crossing, flooded pathways, or millions of moto drivers.....it wouldn't be Cambodia. But, it also would take a lot quicker to get places! Cambodia is a bit smaller than the state of Oklahoma, and so if the roads were highways, I think it would take about 6+ hours to drive the thickest length of the country. Regardless, the roads are NOT highways....in fact, the "highways" here that take you from one major city to another are often barely big enough for 2 cars to drive side-by-side. It is a slow, bumpy, dusty, animal-filled, rice paddy traversed road to go anywhere outside of the capital where we live. That being said, I (Karie) LOVE to get out of the city because it is where you truly see the rural-ness of the Cambodian lifestyle. I truly find beauty in this side of the country! Of course there are plenty of animals I can look at and laugh at as well: chickens, running crazily around the road when cars pass by; water buffalo with their mean looking faces, wallowing in the muddy rice paddies; anacondas, crawling up the Cambodian peoples' legs...........ok, just kidding on that last one! Here's a great picture I found on the internet of a water buffalo: yes, they always look this ticked off.


All this to say, I love going out of Phnom Penh and into the areas otherwise known as the provinces. There the scenery is like none other: mountain peaks, lime green grasses, palm trees laden with coconuts, thatched dwellings, and LAND as far as the eye can see! I have had the privilege now twice to take a day and visit one of the surrounding provinces. See my previous post on going to the orphanage, which was in the ____________ province.

This past weekend, a friend of mine who teaches Kindergarten at our school, invited me to accompany her to the Takeo province, about 2 hours drive from Phnom Penh. I gladly took her up on the offer, and had an incredible, unforgettable day! Let me tell you the brief history of our visit: another friend of ours who is Cambodian grew up in this province, specifically in the village we visited. Polly (K teacher) and Srey (our Cambodian friend) visited this village last year; Polly's heart broke as she went to the local school and peered into empty classrooms. A school room with no books, no supplies, and some rooms even had no desks. It was from her initial visit that Polly decided to take action. With support from her church back home in Pennsylvania, she was able to get enough school supplies donated to create 500+ school kits for the kids in this rural village school. Wow. Her Dad and cousin flew out to Cambodia earlier this year with the kits in hand. This past weekend was the commemoration of a long, prayer filled journey to bring these school kids hope and joy.

So many stories came out of this day, but I will save them for when we are home and can tell them to you in person!!! (16 weeks and counting.......). Some brief stories I will share are that we were able to share the gospel message with these 500+ students, teachers, and even in front of a Buddhist monk! Some of the kids had never seen a foreigner at all; we got many stares and a few smiles! The kids were more beautiful than I had even seen, and they were so thankful and deserving. The classrooms were bare and the school has no electricity. The village is made up of traditional dwellings, up on stilts off the ground. There just might have been more animals in the village than people. I would go back in a heartbeat.

Here are some photos from our time. I cannot wait to show you the over 80 pictures that came from this beautiful day, again, in PERSON!

One of our 2 vans, loaded up with abundant blessings!!

One of the women selling sun-cooked meat to us when our van stopped at a local market area.

Beautiful school children, peeking out the windows of their school.

People come in different colors??!

This school was militant about straight, quiet lines.

Enjoying coconut milk with Soapon and Stephanie; they gave us each our own coconut when we arrived!

Passing out the kits to the grade 6 girls.

The small pond on the school campus.

The Kindergarten classroom.

Walking to visit some of Srey's relatives in the village: to our left are empty rice paddies.

Truly the simple life: I will miss this greatly when I leave here.

Shy, precious kiddos in the village.

Cows, loving the village life. Tied up to a tree all day with green grass a-plenty!