The AC and washing machine have now been installed. Yay! Our appliances are a mishmash set from varying countries and languages: the fridge is a Toshiba - with instructions in Chinese. Microwave is a Samsung with instructions and icons in Thai. The washing machine is a Panasonic - with instructions and icons in Thai. The crockpot is an Otto -with instructions in Thai.  The range is a "Lucky Flame"  with instructions in Thai. The toaster (no instructions needed) - came in English. We are adjusting to no hot water in the kitchen, and the need to Clorox wash everything, every day. To our children: NEVER AGAIN WHINE ABOUT UNLOADING THE DISHWASHER.

Today (Sunday) we went to church for the first time in Cambodia. We went to the Kampong Cham 1st branch, which started at 8 a.m., then to the 2nd branch, which started at 2 p.m. The people are so gracious.  The room hushed as we walked in, and people came up to us like we were deity or something (which we're NOT!). They gave us an honorific greeting (palms and fingers pressed together, about nose high), and we responded in kind - but with our hands under our chins. We tried to mimic their greeting (nose high), but were scolded that people of our status shouldn't stoop to the nose high kind. Who knew! We were moved when a lady with polio in both legs crawled into the chapel - dragging her useless legs behind her. She was dressed in her Sunday best and participated in all the meetings. She would not allow her disability to keep her from worshipping. And here I am, whining about the AC. Sometimes I'm really pathetic. There was also a baby blessing in one of the meetings. Usually LDS members do a baby blessing within the first month or two of a child's birth. This "baby" looked to be nearly six months. Fully alert, head up and reverent during the whole experience.

During each meeting set, we were asked to introduce ourselves. We had missionary translators nearby, but we did our halting best to share our feelings and testimonies in Khmae (Cambodian). The audience buzzed as we butchered their language, but it was a buzz of appreciation for the effort, not the outcome. We are getting better at recognizing the pronunciation nuances -even though we still have very limited vocabulary. I've learned to be a little careful when speaking in Khmae. When I say a little (and I'm VERY proud of myself), the person assumes I know a LOT, and bullets off a blur of Khmae words in return. I sit there like a carrot - rooted to the ground and unable to speak. So now I use the term "tik tik" - which means "a little." It usually works.

After the service, there was a baptism. A very faithful lady (who was demonstrably terrified of water) entered the font and followed the example of Jesus. It was a wonderful experience.

Baptismal font outside the church building

Arrived in Cambodia!

After 28 hours of flight time, layovers, waiting and customs - we arrived in Cambodia at Noon on 5/25/16. We were greeted by these delightful senior missionaries (old like us) who serve the Cambodian people through Humanitarian Service, Self Reliance, Family History, Public Affairs and Member Leader Support (that's what we are doing). Some have been here nearly two years, others only a couple of months. The length of service ranges from 18 - 23 months.

The weather was cool by Cambodian standards - only about 85 degrees with about 80% humidity. Quite a change for us desert rats. But the people are friendly (even though most don't speak a lick of English) and the countryside is beautiful.

Driving is a 3rd world experience. Vehicles, bikers and motorcycles generally drive on the right side of the road. But the rules don't apply to "moto's." "Moto's" are scooters, and comprise 80% of motorized Cambodian transportation. Motos go wherever they want, so you have to always watch when turning or making driving adjustments. The culture isn't "hurry-up" like the US, so people drive/ride at a pace that won't get them killed. In the cities - no more than 15-20 miles per hour. Sometimes less. Motos carry as many people as the owners feel are necessary. We've seen a family of 5 on a single moto. I'm sure we'll see more in the coming weeks. They also carry livestock, produce, furniture and appliances - among other things. Yesterday we saw a guy carting two live pigs (they were drugged and stretched out on a board behind the driver). Unfortunately I couldn't whip out my phone fast enough to get a picture. But I'm told it happens often. The other 20% of vehicles include delivery trucks (usually open bed, so they can stack stuff up to the ozone layer) SUV's, tuk tuks (moto drawn rickshaws) and a few smaller cars.


First Tuk Tuk Ride

Right -of-way on the road is determined by vehicle cost and size. If you have a Lexus SUV, you own the road. And there are LOTS of Lexus SUV's on the road. Makes no sense to me - especially with a 110% tax on new vehicles (so a 70K Lexus costs 150K after taxes). But it appears that corruption pays well. In spite of all this, there are very few accidents. People watch out for others and aren't in a hurry. All this is theoretical for us at this point - we haven't driven at all. We get a car next week and I'm terrified.



I have much greater empathy for immigrants coming to the US who don't speak English. We can share our religious convictions, pray and tell people a little about us. But when I tried to dispose of garbage, I was speechless. They looked at me like, "it's just garbage you moron, drop it in the container." And trying to tell a WiFi installer where to place the router was totally humiliating. Pointing and grunting like a caveman is about our level right now. Oh, and some have said, "just learn to ask where a bathroom is." Well... that bathroom for guys is the nearest wall or fence. I don't know what the women do. We have learned to plan our work in 2-3 hour increments - never straying too far from home or a church building. We're told there are bathrooms in gas stations, but haven't had the guts to check it out. We complained (or used to anyway) that US gas stations are health hazards. No more.

Our Cambodian house is obscene -no other way to describe it. There were two options in our assigned town (Kampong Cham): a scruffy apartment that our real estate resource said she wouldn't put a dog in, and...our palace. And they weren't that much different in price. So they opted for the palace (they assumed we would accept). Duh!

The Palace

The palace is about 3600 square feet (1800 on each of two levels) with three bedrooms and three bathrooms). Polished tile floors, spiral staircase and lots of intricate woodwork. It's gated (you drive a car inside the gate - no garages) and VERY secure. Upstairs has what we've termed a "ballroom." A huge polished-tile bonus room reminiscent of European ballrooms.

The landlord, who lives next door to us, moved his 4 generation family into one home, then remodeled the other to rent out. He's REALLY nice, but speaks no English. So, we conscripted a couple of young missionaries (there are 10 in this town) to help us with translation. We'd be sunk without them.

Bathroom

Bathrooms are interesting. Everything is in one open enclosure with a drain: Toilet, sink, shower hose and hand-held spray bidet (they don't use toilet paper). No cabinets. We're still working on the bidet thing (trying to make it functional without spraying the walls and ceiling). We brush our teeth using bottled water (we have 10 5-gallon tanks and a dispenser), and do our best to keep our mouths shut while showering. I'm sure there will be inevitable Immodium moments, but so far so good.



Spiral Staircse


Fresh food and vegetables are cheap, but there is no sanitation control. We wash produce in a bleach mixture, then peel it (fruit) or cook it. We've loved the fresh mangoes (in season right now) and rumplestiltskins (can't remember the real name - but this is close). You peel off the hairy skin - leaving a white bulbous inside (has a pit about the size of a shelled almond). It's really good. We've tried a few other things, but not much so far.



Rumplestiltskins

Yesterday we went to a church members house out in the boonies (Hon family) and broke three mission rules regarding food: 1. Don't eat with locals because of sanitation concerns. 2. Don't eat with the locals because they are poor and can't afford to feed you (this is true, but these people are SO insistent - we are treated like royalty). 3. Don't have liquid with ice (assumes the water is untreated - which is also probably true). It was delicious - and no pepto side effects (so far). The house was a very humble concrete dwelling next to a rubber plantation. No glass windows (just bars - every house has bars on the windows), concrete floor and walls, and a couple of plastic chairs for the royalty old people (us). Everyone calls us "look taa" (pronounced "loke taah") which means grandfather and "look yay" which means grandmother. To turn down a "look taa" and "look yay" offering is considered offensive. These people are so wonderful and gracious. We can learn a lot from them (starting with treating us old people like royalty of course!).

The Hon Family

Welcome to our Cambodian Adventure blog! We will be posting soon!