Christmas Letter 2009

Warm and humid greetings from Phnom Penh, Cambodia. As you read this letter we are nearing the midpoint of our stay here. Our observations are a bit more seasoned with each passing month. Each of us has unique experiences from our time here. A Christmas overseas is in itself unique and special.

The Christmas story is itself the beginning of God's out of country experience. Jesus left his home in heaven to live among us. Ours is much shorter and hopefully less wrought with trials and temptations. As we celebrated Christmas this winter we needed to summon the inner Christmas reality because the outer trimmings are far too sparse to kindle our hearts. Hopefully the lessons of this year abroad will make Christmas be about “Joy to the World” and not snow, lights, and fancy wrapping paper.

A lot of wonderful things came together to make this trip a reality. Since this is our second sabbatical trip we are much more seasoned and our expectations lower. Packing up a house of belongings went very smoothly, although it is an awful lot of work, and Roseann welcomed the chance to rid us of much accumulated junk. Having a barn on the property made storage economical and simple. Except for our cars, everything stored in the barn was mouse proof. All the furnishings and clothes not mouse proof ended up in our finished attic playroom. I found a design for a mouse proof fence to put up around the cars. In six months I’ll find out if it truly worked.

Acacia had some serious knee issues in the spring. After many trips to many doctors we got the help and answers needed to feel safe about coming here for a year. We feared it was arthritis for quite a while, or maybe Lyme, but it seems it was a serious growing pain issue, not so uncommon in girls.

Our church helped with our going by setting up an account to fund our kid’s school cost, and throwing a fund raising dinner at church on our last Sunday in the US. MCC could not afford the cost and neither could we on a sabbatical salary. Thanks to the many friends and family who contributed to that. The children are attending Logos International School, started by Asian Hope. It is a Christian K-12 school that educates some Cambodian orphans along with other Cambodian and international students.

Renting out your house is a lot like selling except you have to fix it up twice. I did all the repairs to make it rentable and will repair it again when we move back. A good friend from church is managing our rental agreement all year. Thanks to Craigslist, the advertising was free. Having a renter was the final step to being able to go. Sadly we were still putting the final details of our move together as MCC orientation began. Meeting all the people who were going out for service work was impressive. With the global economic downturn we knew fewer people would be able to go. It was like we made the cut to be on the team. As we learned where others were going, we considered our assignment one of the safer ones.

Being overseas is everything they tell you it will be. Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. We have found this to be very true as our hearts keeps remembering the treasures we have in the US, both material and relational. Everything eastern is quite cheap here. Western imports, if available, are expensive. Breakfast at the neighborhood café for $0.75 and coffee for $0.50 are probably some of the better bargains. The highlight of my (Ron) year is getting to drive motorcycle. For a brief while I contemplated getting one when we returned, but as carpel tunnel started affecting my one good hand, I’ve had second thoughts. Traffic is impossible to describe. To survive I keep telling myself I am in no hurry, take no risks, brakes are safer than the accelerator. The majority of people drive motorcycle so I go with the swarm and shield myself from uncivil auto drivers. I have seen my neighbors laugh as I wait at a red light with no opposing traffic. For some reason, my neighbors think such behavior is funny. I teach English five days a week at a Christian drop in center two blocks from our apartment. The young adults I teach are eager to learn as it improves the possibility of employment. Class proceeds very slowly and the teacher talks way to fast. I had a great volunteer last week, Janaya. She needs service hours for school. I speak very slow compared to her. We are having a party on Christmas day…something no teacher would try in the U.S. Since it is a normal workday, I thought why not. One more day to try to explain the significance of the holiday.

Janaya turned fifteen this year and is a freshman at Logos. She enjoys being in a small Christian school. It would be easy to learn everyone’s name, if the names weren’t so unfamiliar! The majority of the students at Logos are Asian: Cambodia, Phillipino and Korean. Her most challenging class is Khmer. She enjoys the markets, the warm weather, and the food in Cambodia. Her favorite Cambodian dish is ginger chicken. She misses her friends very much. And as many of you know, she ended up in a Bangkok hospital for surgery and two weeks of recovery for a bacterial infection in her knee in mid September. That was a challenging time. It took a lot of mom and daughter physical therapy, but her range of motion has all returned. Still a little weak in that leg, however.

Austin is in the 7^th grade. Logos has given him some great opportunities as well: a chance to play basketball on a middle school team, and to learn trumpet for the band. Instruments were borrowed from here and there, and there wasn’t a French horn available. But Austin had already been asking to learn trumpet in the US! There school moved this last week to a larger facility and Austin was asked to help move and set up the new computer labs. Another great opportunity – of course there was pizza for lunch, and sodas during the day – things we don’t have too often here! His favorite snack after school is fresh watermelon – and it seems we will have those all year long! He also likes the sugar cane chunks sold on the street and fried bananas.

Acacia’s school year (4^th grade) has been the most challenging, as she ended up with a very strict teacher. However, things are much better now than they were for the first couple months. She has two good American friends at school. She will tell you that not having a big yard, and pets to play with is the hardest thing for her in Cambodia. We have tried the pet thing twice for her – a guinea pig, and a small rabbit – but they both died within a month. We don’t know what is going on there. She likes to ride on Dad’s motorcycle and in a tuk-tuk. She also loves the cold, fresh coconut drinks. She likes the markets as well, and can find her way out of the maze in the Russian Market much better than the rest of us. We were able to put her in a Saturday morning soccer program, and while it is weak compared to US standards, that chance to run around on a grass field has made a big difference in her life. She is, I think, also the star at her age level.

I (now Roseann) am working in chemistry at the Royal University of Phnom Penh. I am working to build up the capacity of the faculty by helping them develop new laboratory experiments, new curriculum, and new research projects, especially in the area of green chemistry. I have enjoyed teaching the department (faculty and students) how to use one of their brand new state-of-the art instruments, but on other days, I can’t find a simple piece of filter paper, or a beaker! I had been so happy to find in the lab the chemical that I needed to start my research project, only to eventually determine (and have the chair confirm) that it was actually something else in the bottle! Now everything is coming from Vietnam. Really, every day is fascinating. There are many foreigners that work at the university for short, and long periods of time – all in different areas. We have coffee every morning, and then eat lunch together as well. I’ve learned much about Cambodia and the world from them. It has been so encouraging to be part of that diverse team. I do bike to work – not entirely enjoyable in this traffic, but between the ride and the 125 steps up to my office – I stay in shape. I’ve also had the opportunity to accompany a community choir this year, and lead worship singing at our church as well. Other than the challenges of keeping my family healthy with all the new bugs here, I have really enjoyed Phnom Penh. (But of course, we haven’t gotten to hot season yet!)

Well, you know – since we aren’t printing this letter this year, we can afford to write more. Hope you are not getting bored.

We are not on vacation this year, so with work, church and school obligations, we have not traveled a whole lot yet. We try to find something fun to do every weekend, whether it be swimming, a local attraction, or a walk along the riverside. We don’t have a car, so any family outing requires a ride in a tuk-tuk. We all enjoy getting together with other MCC team members, whether it be for lunch on the roof at MCC on Fridays, a staff meeting, or a holiday gathering. Another great group of people we have gotten a chance to know this year! Most evenings we are all in the house by 6:00 – when it gets dark. So when there isn’t too much homework, we play games. In late August, we went to the beach for a short weekend. In late October, my parents visited, and we took a trip to Siem Reap – a smaller town in the northern part of the country that is the gateway to the famous ancient temple ruins – Angkor Wat. It was SO good to have my parents here. We had a chance to show them our lives here and the visit was just what we needed, coming just a few weeks after Janaya returned home from the hospital. We’ve taken a couple trips into the country – which is refreshing. The city is always busy. Today, Sunday the 20^th – we had a joint English service that included Anglican, Catholic, Assemblies of God and an interdenominational congregation. It was encouraging to look around and see so many Christian people working in Phnom Penh, gathered in one place. After that, we tried Korean food for the first time with friends from Logos, and then had a walk along the riverside. While many of you were getting snow again, we were grateful for the clouds that made the day bearable for a walk!

We will spend one week in Thailand over Christmas break, seeing Janaya’s surgeons for a follow up appointment, and staying at Christian guesthouses in both Bangkok and on the beach. We leave on the 27^th and are all looking forward to it! We have been blessed to experience many new things this year. While the work that Ron and I do is important, I am always so glad that my children will have had such an eye-opening experience, and hope that they will always see the world differently than before.

Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers on our behalf this year. We appreciate your continued prayers for safety and good health, and rewarding work and school. We will be home (in PA) again next July, but the date is not yet set. As we celebrate Christmas in a very different way this year, we also wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Ron, Roseann, Janaya, Austin and Acacia

Recent Birthdays

Three girls in this house have recently celebrated birthdays so I thought I’d tell you a little about them. Traditionally, Cambodians have not celebrated birthdays, as many of them do not even know when their birthdays are. However, that is changing, especially in the city. Wealthy families are known to celebrate with quite elaborate parties. A few weeks ago we knew there was a party in our neighborhood when we heard the western birthday song being played.

Acacia had a big birthday in October. She moved into double digits. There weren’t many things here that she really wanted, so we got a number of small things, and hid them around the house, made clues, and had a scavenger hunt. She always liked that, even in Pennsylvania. Good for us too – we don’t know yet where to buy wrapping paper! She followed clues to find several plastic animals, a hackey-sack like toy that Cambodians play with, a pack of six chocolate milk boxes, her own carton of chocolate ice cream in the freezer, a certificate for an elephant ride at Wat Phnom, and a certificate for her own Facebook account (much to Janaya and Austin’s frustration.) She chose egg rolls for her birthday meal here at home. Later she chose a German restaurant we have found within walking distance of our house. Now, she didn’t choose the place for the food, but for the cats that the owner has walking about. But as it turned out - one of the cats had just had kittens, and it wouldn’t even come out and see us. But the cucumber salad there is just like both of her Grandmas make, and it is wonderful. And she had a brat and fried potatoes (no rice!).

Next came my birthday. I turned 29 (again). It was on a work day. I had planned to go to MCC for lunch on the roof, but alas, it was cancelled. So, I decided to work through lunch to use equipment that later had to be used in a teaching lab. I ended up eating alone, deciding to try a “new” dish at the canteen for my birthday – sweet and sour pork. The meat looked great, but once you got past the breading, it was mostly fat, AND bone. Cambodians eat all of this, but not me. You know, I think sweet and sour pork as we know it is an American dish. Ron got me a beautiful bouquet of flowers – like the ones that would be used at a wedding or funeral here. I also got an orchid, and a certificate for a massage, which I cashed in on today (International Human Rights Day – a national holiday). I’ve never had a massage before, but they are cheap here. I didn’t go for the traditional Thai or Khmer version. I’ve heard they can be pretty rough. We haven’t found a chance to go out yet for my birthday, but I’m going to choose some ethnic food that we haven’t yet tried, maybe Lebanese, or Japanese.

Janaya turned 15 at the end of November, another big birthday. Her gifts were wrapped in the prescription gift bag that we got from the hospital in Bangkok! She asked for art supplies: colored pencils, colored paper and pastels, something to do when there is no TV and someone else is on the computer! Actually, she picked everything out herself. She also got two body sprays from the Khmer store near us, and again, her own tub of chocolate fudge ice cream. Her birthday was on a Sunday and I think the best part of it for her was the two hours she spent Skyping with all her girlfriends from Slate Hill. They had recently sent a package and Janaya opened it in front of them! Later that day, we took a trip out to see the new Logos campus, and then we went to church. She chose Indian food for her birthday, and we tried out a new restaurant downtown. Indian food is so good. We are beginning to wonder what restaurants we will find interesting after we move back to central Pennsylvania! Later that week, Janaya chose ginger pork for her special meal at home. That is one of her favorites. Her birthday will conclude with a Mom and daughter shopping trip for clothes, once end of the semester finals are over. There are 3 indoor shopping malls in town now, but we think we are going to try the new Golden Soriya. It is an outdoor mall, but new and spacious – as compared to the traditional markets – and it has a lot of little clothes shops!

-Roseann

Getting Chemicals in Phnom Penh

As I have written before, the research project I am working on this year involves the use of whole plant parts as reagents in organic synthesis. It is a great project for a place like Cambodia as one can explore the use of a variety of vegetables, bought at the local market, as reagents. Last time I looked, there hadn't been any research of this sort published out of Asia. It is also ideal in that as a green chemistry project, the reaction solvent is water, and there really are no other expensive reagents. The solvent used at the end of the reaction can be recycled and used again. All I needed to start this project was some interesting reagents from a chemical storeroom that could either by oxidized, reduced or hydrolyzed, a couple solvents and the vegetables. (Those will be the only chemistry words in this post.) The project was designed for a place like Phnom Penh!

I had been told there were a lot of old chemicals (Russian era) around the department at RUPP. Well, turns out, most of these are inorganic chemicals, and not useful in my work. Actually, for most of these, there are probably 50 bottles of exactly the same thing - something that was at one time donated or very cheap! In reality, there are very few organic chemicals here. But I did find the one I wanted to use most - the one reagent that would get me started and keep me going for quite some time.

However, I have spent the last several weeks trying to figure out if the reagent really is what the bottle says it is. I've got one new, very useful instrument here that has helped me conclude that this is not the case. I've tried several methods of purification, but none have worked as they should have. With additional interpretation from Anne, back at Messiah College, I have now decided to order new.

Meanwhile, I had ordered a few unique chemicals for my work that would take me further. Here in chemistry, the faculty take a couple trips a year by bus to HoChiMinh City to purchase supplies and chemicals. They went this fall, but alas, I never knew about the trip until the day they brought their "treasures" home. A Dutch colleague of mine ordered his research chemicals through a Vietnamese man in town, and I decided to go that route.

Placing the order was easy. Getting the chemicals picked up has been another. I was given a house and street number for a trucking company here in town. Last week I took a moto ride to this street twice, and looked for the house. (I do not yet find moto rides pleasurable.) The house numbers stopped one below the number I had been given! And best I could tell from the map, this wasn't a very long street. So, even if the numbers were not in order, I should have found it. I walked the whole thing twice!

I even gave my phone to my motodup driver, and he called the place. He wasn't able to communicate with them.

So I asked my Dutch friend again. Sure enough I had been given the wrong street number. And yes, I have no language skills with which to communicate with them. They only speak Vietnamese - no English or Khmer.

Today I got a call on my phone. I recognized the number. The Trucking Company. The only word that was spoken to me was "Vietnam." I'm hoping my chemicals are in. I'll soon be off with one of the national MCC staff, this time in the truck, to pick them up - hopefully to the correct street this time.

Nothing is simple here. Thank goodness for the arrival of my second care package from Messiah College chemistry yesterday! Better than candy and food. They are supplying me with many other things that have turned out to be hard to find in chemistry at RUPP, but not chemicals. Opening the box will be like an early Christmas for me!

- Roseann

Restaurants in Siem Reap

Curry Walla

Our bus arrived in Siem Reap at about 2:30 on Saturday, and we hadn't eaten much all day - a snack on the bus, and ice cream at the short stop we took. So after checking in at the hotel, we went to the closet restaurants, within walking distance. It turned out to be Indian food - something Janaya and I had wanted to have for a while. Chicken marsala, chicken korma, and of course, naan. We were all hungry and it tasted great! - Roseann

The Dead Fish Tower

This was the most unusual restaurant we went to in Siem Reap. A sign in the front said, "We don't serve dog, cat, rat or worm. Scary, but we still gave it a try. The restaurant has many levels all being connected by small, steep staircases. Food is brought up to various levels with dumb waiters and pulleys. It looks like an old barn, or something out of Swiss Family Robinson. You can sit at regular tables or sit on cushions and eat at low tables. The food they serve is Thai, Khmer and fish and chips. At times they put on Apsara dancing. We went there on our second day in Siem Reap. They had live crocodiles in a tank and chicks walking around the restuarant. I had fried rice, which is one of my favorites. It was very good. - Austin

The Blue Pumpkin

Many people had told us that the breakfast and fruit shakes were the best at this restaurant. Excited to have our grandparents taste fruit shakes (with safe ice), we went to this restaurant for lunch the second day. We ate upstairs in an air-conditioned room, decorated almost completely in white. Couches and trays were available for sitting around the outside of the room, but our group was too big so we sat at a table. Grandma and I tried something new - fish ravioli. The others had more western pasta dishes. When my meal arrived, I took a bit - spiccccccy! For desert we had fruit shakes, made of blended fresh fruit and ice. This is a very typical drink here, although it often has sweetened condensed milk in it too. It was a great place to eat. Next time I will have breakfast there. - Janaya

BBQ Suki

BBQ Suki is a cool buffet restaurant. At each table there was a big fryer with pork fat on top and chickn broth around the sides, all over charcoal. There was also a whole pig that the chef was cutting. There were alligator k-bobs that Grandpa tried. A chest filled with raw meat (including alligator) and a buffet of raw vegetables and noodles were waiting for our decisions. We cooked it all up and ate it all too. For dessert, I had my favorite coconut jello-like bars - like we often have at Slate Hill potlucks. - Janaya

Weekend in Siem Reap

While my grandparents visited us, we took our first trip to Siem Reap. Siem Reap is a tourist town known for its close location to ancient temples, including the famous Angkor Wat. We went there expecting a quiet weekend away from the city and got a bustling tourist town. From great and unique restaurants, to tons of hotels and plenty of massage parlors, you could tell how much of a tourist town it was.

On our first day, we went to see the temples. We started in the Angkor Thom complex. This used to be a big and busy city in ancient times. In this complex, we went to Bayon Temple, known for its large Buddha faces. A lot of the rock had crumbled, but it was mostly intact. Because of my knee, I didn't climb up to the upper levels, but instead (with the help of our guide) found a cool and empty place to sit and wait, with Grandma and Austin (who doesn't like heights). I knew that without the guides help I could have never found my way through the hallways and chambers.

The next temple we visited was the very popular Ta Prom. Featured in the movie, Tomb RAider (which was mentioned many times) it has gained a lot of publicity. It is known for the trees growing up, in and around the temple, slowly splitting the walls.

After lunch, we moved on to the most famous temple, Angkor Wat. It is in the best condition. It is a beautiful temple and is very photogenic, with a large reflecting pool. Interestingly, there are 4 swimming pools inside this very old temple, built at a time when Europeans would never have thought of swimming.

It was a long and hot day, and afterwards, Acacia, Grandma and I went to get a massage for our tired feet. Then we headed out to dinner at a cool restaurant, the Dead Fish Tower.

Janaya

Working in Chemistry at RUPP

Before Janaya got sick, I wanted to tell you something more about my work here. Now I will try. My assignment for the year is in the Chemistry Department at the Royal University of Phnom Penh. It is the top comprehensive, public university in the country, but still struggling to recover from the days of Pol Pot. On one hand, there is a brand new infrared spectrometer with all the bells and whistles in the room next door to me. But there is no running water in the bathrooms on my floor – only squattie potties, and large drums of water with buckets.
The department has three majors: Chemistry, Biochemistry and Food Technology. There are a lot of students in each class, who take a prescribed set of courses from beginning to end. They study many advanced topics in chemistry, but have limited laboratory experiences, and no electives. For all the college students reading this...classes here start at 7 AM!

As I started getting acquainted here, my first assignment was to assist the biochemistry professor in preparing a powerpoint presentation on nutrition for a group of Vietnamese and Laotian journalists. This was a good way for me to get to know him a little better and it was fun. Each day he would have pulled down a number of facts and pictures from the internet. I helped him to understand some of the western ways of describing things and helped to eliminate material that was not suitable for the audience. Soon after that, the new infrared spectrometer arrived, and I have become the resident expert on that instrument, training faculty and students and looking especially for ways in which the instrument can be incorporated into their laboratory program. I was impressed with the students who were here in the summer to prepare the room for this instrument, and sit in on all the training from the company representative. This happened in the summer – school wasn’t even in session! They swept floors, moved furniture, caulked windows, and learned how to run the instrument.

We’ve also been planning our research projects. Each year, the top seniors are chosen to pursue research, instead of coursework, during their last semester. I am looking forward to working with several students on a variety of projects. While Janaya’s illness has set me back a little, after looking through all the stockrooms here, I am preparing to order the reagents and supplies I need to study how market vegetables can be used to do chemical reactions. This area, called biotransformation, is of increasing interest as chemists look for ways to do chemical synthesis in a “greener”way.. In addition, we have written a proposal for funding to look at the amounts of PCBs and DTTs in the shellfish that is eaten widely here in the city. The latter project is part of a bigger body of work in which the chemistry department has looked for the presence of these toxins in both soil sediments and fish. We have both a GC, and potentially two HPLCs for this work. But not unlike the US, it is hard to keep these instruments up and running at all times.

I am part of a large group of Cambodian faculty here, many who are very young. Each year, the best graduates go abroad to gain master’s degrees, and perhaps Ph.D.s. The hope is that these students will return. Right now many of the best recent graduates are out of the country, so it is a challenge for the department head to get all his courses covered. (Same challenges at home...) In recent years, there have been foreign visitors who have worked with the biochemistry, analytical and environmental chemistry programs. I’m the first to come with an expertise in organic chemistry. The department has enjoyed a long relationship, perhaps 8 years, with an Australian chemist, who works full time in the department to improve every aspect of the program: research, curriculum, infrastructure, building needs, computers, translation of textbooks into Khmer, you name it. There is a group of foreign workers who have coffee together each day. While never part of my routine in the US, this is a wonderful way to meet people and better understand many aspects of Cambodian culture.

This week and next, I am training students on the use of the infrared spectrometer. This is one way in which I can improve the ability of students to work with modern instrumentation, improve the capacity of the department by showing them how these instruments can be incorporated into their programs, and gain the trust of faculty so that I soon can begin research with their students and in their labs. I’ve been teaching 3rd year students – who have some English skills. I have only some Khmer skills. Pretty challenging. I try to go slow – and give the big picture. It is fun – you know I love teaching.

Roseann

“Khnom ot jol jet mon-dti-bpet dtay”

As many of you know, we have recently faced a significant challenge here in Cambodia. Each day brings us a little farther from the intensity of it. But it is still hard to think about.

In late August, Janaya’s knee began to swell and started becoming painful. We couldn’t think of any significant injury she had suffered, but yet she was not running a fever, so it didn’t seem like an infection either. We went to the family practice doctor that the MCC team uses. She prescribed rest and ibuprofen, but when that didn’t help, she prescribed an oral antibiotic. There was only gradual improvement during that time, after which she recommended we see an orthopedic doctor at a hospital / clinic close to us, associated with a hospital in Bangkok. These doctors told her to get off her feet and prescribed a stronger anti-inflammatory medicine. Here things got worse, she began running a fever, at first at night, and then all day long – and the swelling got worse. Finally, on September 14, we saw a young Cambodian internal medicine doctor who knew the fluid on her knee had to be removed. I knew that to be true too. I was so glad to have found him. He was bright and explained everything well for my inquisitive, western mind. He also began Janaya on IV antibiotics. So, for four days in a row we went to see him. He withdrew fluid twice, and the pain during this procedure was terrible. He used some local anesthetic, but not enough for Janaya. He told me that he had done the procedure without any anesthetic – to which I responded – well then, you Cambodians must be tougher than us westerners!

After four days, and no big improvement, except that the fluid he was removing was beginning to get thinner, we decided to head to Bangkok for arthroscopic surgery. I don’t know – we probably should have gone sooner. It was so hard to know how serious her condition was, and whether she was getting the care she needed.

We were scared on that flight. Fifty minutes in the air and we got fed a full meal, but we could hardly eat it. But with Janaya in a wheel chair, we were led through the Bangkok airport– the bathroom, passport control, money exchange and right to the public taxi, which we took straight to the hospital. We really didn’t even have to think – a very good thing. We checked into the emergency room at Bangkok Nursing Home Hospital, where they soon recommended that she have surgery yet that evening. But problems soon arose. They wanted a confirmation for coverage either from a credit card, or my insurance before they would do surgery. No one was up yet in PA, so we struggled to reach our provider. Not knowing we were in Thailand, our credit card company suspected fraud, and wouldn’t process the bill either. Fortunately, the SE Asia MCC team leaders were in town for work, staying very near by, and bailed me out with their credit card. This was a very hectic time, trying to cover the details, while Janaya was being examined. A frantic email to the entire HR department at Messiah College from a computer in the ER room got the ball rolling with insurance, and before Janaya moved into surgery, approval had been given. We were eventually moved up to our room, where we met the orthopedic surgeon, an infectious disease doctor and her anethesiologist. All spoke English and it soon became time to walk Janaya down to the operating room, and leave everything up to the Thai doctors, and God.

I was so thankful for Andy and Lana Miller, our SE Asia team leaders who sat with me throughout the entire surgery – first in Janaya’s room, and then outside the door of the operating room. Lana told lots of stories to distract me – I don’t know if I can remember many of them. It took longer than they had told me it would. She went in at 10:30. Finally at about 12:40 am, they let me into the recovery room. Andy and Lana went back to their guesthouse at about 1:15.

From there began a much longer than expected two week hospital stay. When Janaya came out of surgery her knee was wrapped in a huge watermelon sized bandage, and they had left in two tubes for fluid drainage. For several days, the knee was so painful that even we could hardly move it for her. Janaya’s fever dropped immediately after surgery for a couple days, but then started to creep up again. Her dose of antibiotic was doubled in Bangkok. Unfortunately, because of the early oral antibiotics, they were never able to culture the organism, so while there were markers of bacterial origin, the infection had to be treated with a broad spectrum drug. The doctors were waiting for her fever to be completely gone, and for the fluid from the drains to run clear. Every few days they changed the drainage lines so that they could better see this. The drains were left in for 12 days.

As it became apparent that we were going to be there for a while, we started marking each small improvement: movement to the bathroom with help, independent movement in the room with a walker, the ability for Janaya to move her leg herself, the use of crutches, less reliance on Tylenol for pain... The hospital was very nice and Janaya’s room had a sleeper sofa for me, and a small refrigerator and sink. I relied on food that friends brought, the leftovers from Janaya’s meals and eventually made a couple trips to a nearby grocery store. I really didn’t want to leave her alone. At least one of her team of 3 doctors came to see her almost every day – sometimes in their street clothes. Physical therapy began 4 days after surgery and soon occurred twice a day. We really liked our physical therapist, who spoke very good English and knew the physiology behind what needed to be done. She was fun too! Communication between us and the nurses was not always perfect, but they provided excellent care. We were on a pediatric floor, so the nurses were especially good at putting in IV needles into small veins! That was one of the things Janaya hated the most, as every 3 days the line had to be changed. Our room overlooked a central garden, and I took Janaya there in her wheelchair. But now spoiled by air conditioning, she thought it was too hot. We were encouraged by a traveling display, from the UK, of a life-sized knitted gingerbread house. The hospital had a charity project while we were there, asking people to knit small squares to be put together as blankets for needy families in Thailand. I learned to knit at the very end – never suspecting we would be there so long.

Despite being in Thailand, we had visitors! On the morning after surgery, Andy and Lana brought Dunkin Donuts, conversation and laughter. (For reference, there are sadly no Dunkin Donuts in Phnom Penh.) Cindy Blount, a Messiah College recruiter, also visited the morning after surgery, bringing us all sorts of groceries. We had planned to host her in Phnom Penh, but alas we were in Bangkok and missed her there. The parents of one of my advisees from Messiah College, a Thai student, visited us many times. Their visits made a world of difference. Sunee brought us fresh fruit – western and Asian, flowers, Hershey’s chocolate, many other things and one day – sticky rice with mango and coconut milk. One day they took home some of my clothes, washed them, and brought them back the next day. (I washed most of my clothes in the sink. I had planned for that, and brought detergent.) Each time the Lorganpai’s prayed for Janaya’s recovery. They were such a blessing to us. One week after surgery, the MCC Asia Director, Joe, showed up at our door. He was traveling through Bangkok before meetings in Indonesia. What a wonderful surprise! And during the second week, Ron and Acacia came for several days. They had a chance to learn a bit of Janaya’s hospital routine and therapy, grocery shop for us, allow me to rest a bit, and encourage us. On our last night, the Lorganpai’s and Cindy were there again – happy to hear that we were being dismissed! Pretty good when you are halfway across the world from home!

And we used technology to its fullest. Each hospital room had free wifi. I had begun to second guess our bringing two computers to Cambodia, but not after this. We skyped with Ron and the kids regularly. A talk with Aunt Wendy in Minnesota got Janaya laughing right before her first physical therapy session, almost every morning. Wendy’s a late night person – so that worked perfectly and she had plenty of Sachs family stories to tell us. We talked to Grandpa and Grandma Kroeker several times, a couple times when they were driving down the freeway in the US. By the end, we also talked with Grandpa and Grandma Sachs. When Ron visited, we talked with Austin every day where he got home from school. What a world of difference this made! One doesn’t feel quite so alone when you can video chat with family. I also used the internet to understand Janaya’s illness, and follow her treatment and medications. Several times the nursing faculty at Messiah College provided me feedback when I asked them questions. By the end, I think the doctors and nurses were accustomed to me wanting to understand everything, but I don’t think that is part of the Asian culture. Joe, who grew up as an MK in northern Thailand helped us to understand some of these differences.

Two weeks later we were dismissed. We stayed for one night in the Bangkok Christian Guesthouse. Janaya had really wanted to see Bangkok – but not easy to do from a wheelchair. We plan to go back again. We immediately returned to our Phnom Penh hospital where they continued outpatient IV antibiotics for another week. Janaya started school the following Monday, and is finally getting close to catching up on her work. But we aren’t finished yet. Janaya lost a lot of range of motion during this illness, so with the guidance of a French doctor in town, we will continue with physical therapy – one good session each day. There is still pain, so she has been using crutches. There are a lot of stairs at school, so Ron and I went in often at the beginning to help her manage that and her heavy books. Last week we set up a temporary storage place for her books in the main office, so I think our days of assisting her are coming to an end. Still, her friends and classmates help her with her backpack between classes. We hear that complete recovery from bacterial arthritis in the knee can take anywhere between a month and 6 months.

We don’t know exactly where this came from. Bacterial joint infections are rare in youth. But it seems likely that the bacteria entered through an open wound in her leg – she did have a few of these. There are a lot of new bacteria for us to contend with here.

Hard to travel such a rough road so early in our time here in Cambodia – no denying it. Some have told me that they aren’t surprised, as Satan tries to thwart our work here early on. That doesn’t make it any easier. We have so appreciated the prayers that have been said on our behalf. Please keep praying as we continue to work through what this means for our experience in Cambodia. Our doctor here, in commenting on this illness so soon during our time here, said, “very unlucky.” After thoroughly examining Janaya’s knee during surgery for damage to the cartilage and ligaments in her knee, and finding none, her orthopedic surgeon said to us “very lucky.” Luck, and fate, are very much a part of the culture here. But it is different for us – not luck, but God.

Oh, by the way, Janaya wrote the title for the blog. Translated it means, “I don’t like hospitals.”

Driving in Cambodia

Glad They Don’t Sell RV’s in Cambodia

Becoming familiar with the customs and laws of a foreign country takes time. Driving here takes a change of attitude. One thing for which I am truly thankful, there are no RV’s in Cambodia. This will make sense as I explain the rules of the road here in Cambodia. I am the one person in our family who has dared face traffic in a motorized vehicle. I have driven a moto, or 100cc motorcycle, around the city of Phnom Penh. I have experienced the challenge of negotiating Cambodian traffic.

For those of you who drive “real motorcycles” this may sound lame, but you have to drive here to understand.When I first put on Facebook how interesting my thirty minute commute to MCC was, my sister commented “it will get old.” I seriously doubt that. Here is why.

The rules of traffic differ greatly here to what most people know in the US. I think there is a different understanding of the purpose of the road. In both cultures the road exists to get us safely to our destination. In the US rules govern the road and bestow equality to all users. In Cambodia rules and a mutual respect governs the use of the road and size of vehicle determines right of way. It is the unwritten custom of respect which complicates travel here. Everyone yields respect to the driver in front of them paying no mind to those behind them.

Everyone, no matter how they are traveling, uses the road and gets the “I’m in front of you” right of way respect. Thus pedestrians cross full speed traffic knowing that oncoming traffic will swerve to miss them. This is as hard to do as a pedestrian as it is for the motorist encountering them. I once was annoyed that the two SUV’s in front of me were slowing down so I saw enough space to pass in between them. No more do I move between them than I figure out what is slowing traffic. There are two pedestrians now standing between the two SUV’s. Everyone gets the I’m in front of you right of way.

Everyone shares the road: pedestrian, push cart vendor, bicyclist, moto, tuk-tuk, auto, truck and semi. This may seem a disproportionate system of usage, but the amount and volume of larger vehicles has only recently increased. The increase in autos have made the roads more difficult and unwieldy.

There are other rules of the road here that make driving interesting. One; there is an additional lane on the shoulder of each side of the road. If traffic is too busy to cross, one simply starts into oncoming traffic on the shoulder then crosses it as an opening presents itself. This lane applies mostly to motos. Cars just pull straight into oncoming traffic using the I’m in front of you right of way rule.

A second rule or lack thereof is with intersections. I have yet to see a stop sign or a yield sign. Where major streets meet each other there are traffic lights. All other streets use the size of vehicle right of way. It is not uncommon to be driving down a major road and have a car pull out right in front of you, not even looking to the left. They assume they have the bigger vehicle and are in front of you, others must let them in.

So when I leave the house in the morning I cannot just get on a major road like Mao Tse Toung Bvld. and ride with the flow of traffic into work. Heaven’s no. There is not one second I can relax because any vehicle, mostly cars, can pull out in front of me without a second thought. Every intersection sorts the haves from the have nots.

Of course that does not keep the disrespectful adolescent on a moto from cutting in front of an SUV, and thus gaining the right of way. It adds to the entertainment of the commute as the horns are sure to go off.

As prosperity or something more sinister has crept slowly into Cambodia, more and more people are driving autos. And of course in a country where size gives you right of way, the vehicle of choice is an SUV.

So every time I encounter a traffic jam of vehicles all unwilling to give the right of way to others, one thought occurs to me. Thank heaven they don’t sell RV’s in Cambodia.

Waves, squid and jewelry

Last weekend we went to the beach. We went to Sianoukville and stayed at a guesthouse called Orchidee Guesthouse and spent our time on Ochheuteal beach. Orchidee Guesthouse was very nice and we had a large room with air conditioning! It had a nice pool in which we used late at night when we were back from the beach.
We left Saturday morning very early; I had to get up at 6:30. We went to the Mekong Express bus leaving area near Oresey market. While waiting people tried to sell us sunglasses and magazines, only a taste of what was yet to come. We got on the bus and started the four hours long bus ride. Much to my relief the bus had an onboard bathroom (it was even western). There was also a television which started out showing the ever popular Cambodian karaoke but then moved on to the Titanic. Four hours later we arrived and got on a tuk tuk to go to our hotel.
As soon as we got to our hotel we changed into our swimming suits, packed towels, sunscreen, and water and headed to the beach, which was within walking distance. Upon arriving at the beach we decided that it was time for lunch. We made our way to The Frog Shack and ordered seafood. Fish, shrimp, and squid were our orders but when they arrived we had varied emotions. My mom and I had ordered fried squid and fries only to receive barbequed squid and mashed potatoes. This squid was not exactly calamari as we expected and we gladly shared food with the rest.
Afterwards we went and found a table and chairs amidst the Cambodian people that we had heard were free. My mom and my siblings and I went into the water while my dad guarded our stuff. After getting wet my dad called us in and said we had to move or pay five bucks! So we walked down to the tourist area of the beach and found a restaurant that would give us chairs and a table if we bought something. So my dad sat down and ordered a coconut and we hurried back into the waves.
Soon after we went into the water my dad was bombarded with people selling him stuff: jewelry, being shaved, pedicures, and such were the items and services they were selling. Otay, otay, otay (no, no, no) was his response. They left but not without trying to sell him something. One lady trying to sell bracelets and headbands was particularly set on selling him something. She gave him a “free” bracelet and said she would be back later to sell stuff to me and my sister and mother. She did return only to ask an outrageous price for something we had seen for less than half what she was asking down the beach. Her main selling point was that she had given my dad that “free” bracelet. I decided against buying them and ran back into the water only to have to come ashore again and be offered a new price. This was the same price except for two headbands. Sneakily, she tied a bracelet to my wrist thus making me buy the headband. Acacia paid for the second one.
We spent some more time on the beach but soon a storm came along and brought us back to the guesthouse. We arrived at the guesthouse only to watch the storm quickly pass by. Now it was time for supper, hopefully an improvement from lunch. Supper was yummy and everyone enjoyed their meal. Acacia’s pineapple fruit shake came in a pineapple, which she loved. The thing that was the best though was the peacefulness, after being in Phnom Penh for quite awhile. After supper we went back and swam until it was time to go to bed. We were all quite tired from the afternoon on the beach.
The next morning after eating breakfast at the hotel’s restaurant we headed back to the beach. After purchasing a shake we went back and enjoyed the waves. They were a little rougher so we tumbled some more but still had fun. We tried to build some sand castles but we did not have the adequate buckets and shovels and the waves destroyed them all. We headed back to the hotel to gather our bags, rinse off in the bathrooms and change into dry clothes.
We went to lunch at Starfish café. We enjoyed sandwiches, lemonade for some and shakes for others, and cookies. We browsed at Rajana, an MCC partner and craft organization, and then went to catch our bus back. After another four hours in the bus we arrived back in a rainy Phnom Penh and we were all glad to get to our dry home and grab some winks before another week of school and work. Everyone enjoyed our weekend at the beach and can’t wait for another.
-Janaya

Animals in Cambodia

You know I like animals, so I will tell you about the animals in Cambodia. Some of the animals in Cambodia look cute. Some look ugly. All of the cats are cute but some of the dogs are ugly. I wish I could pet them but I can’t because they might have rabies and none of them look healthy. So that stinks! I got to pet the cats at The Wagon Wheel restaurant. I also petted the cat at The Starfish restaurant, which was next to Rajana, a craft organization supported by MCC. I also got to pet the dog at our hotel at the beach. He was very soft! I got to see a kitten at school. It was just born because it still had its eyes closed. It was as small as a rat.
Mom won’t let me buy a cat because we couldn’t travel. But mom promised me I could get a pet like fish. One of the Geckos that we saw was in our sink. I wanted to catch it but did not know if it would bite. We have them on our walls and ceiling every night.
We hear frogs and big geckos at night. Mom and me want to see a big gecko, but they run very fast. Once we saw a toad at school. People here eat frogs. I will never ever ever eat a frog. But Austin wants too.
I once got to feed the elephant at Wat Phnom. I hope to ride on that elephant someday. I got to feed the monkeys peanuts at Wat Phnom Park. I almost got to pet a baby monkey. Some of the birds get captured and sold for pets. I wish I could get one but have no birdcage.
Our neighbors have fish. I am so jealous, seriously. We ate fish tonight for supper. But I didn’t get to pet it before it got chopped up.
Close to our road there are goats eating the overgrown grass and trash.
I miss my cats, Addie and Levi, so so so so much.

By Acacia Sachs

Biking in Phnom Penh

August 28

I’ve been biking to graduate school, or work for 21 years. Why stop now?

In PA, my ride in to work is about 3 miles; here it is about 3 kilometers. In PA, the ride has constant hills; I go down, only to go up again. Here the ride is completely flat. (I have always liked flat – like the rails to trails in Minnesota!) In PA, I ride hard, after all, it is my chance to exercise, and I arrive at work hot and sweaty. Here no one bikes hard. Neither do I, but I still arrive at work hot and sweaty! And yes, the first thing I do in both places is sit down in front of a fan to cool off!

In PA, I hug the right side of the road. No shoulders on Fileys or Grantham roads. Here I would desperately like to do that, but the inside curb is reserved for those for whom it is convenient to go “the wrong way.” So when approached by a bike or moto in my lane (a very western notion), I gradually move over towards the center.

The most convenient left hand turn here involves gradually crossing the road, whenever it is clear, and riding the wrong way, right next to the curb for a while. Then you make the turn hugging the inside curb. When convenient, I move back to my side. In the US, I follow the rules for cars, turning left from the inside and using hand signals. Here that sort of turn can be scary, because you find yourself in the middle of a completely unmarked intersection, everyone jockeying for their turn.

I’ve finally found the least stressful route to work – not necessarily the shortest. I had thought the worst of the ride would be the round-about, and crossing the railroad tracks. But traffic is so heavy in the mornings at this place that I get off my bike and walk – over curbs, through the fronts of street shops, and I move faster than everyone else! The worst part is my left hand turn at a very busy intersection, and I now plan to avoid that! I’ve ridden home ahead of a storm a couple times - now that reminds me of Colorado!

I’ve never felt comfortable biking even in sandals. The chemist in my likes closed-toed shoes! Here women bike in high-heeled, strappy sandals! No one wears tennis shoes – but so be it. I don’t really fit in anyway. I’m glad I packed mine.

Roseann

A School Week in the LIfe of the Sachs...

Thought I might provide you with a few more details of our weeks here, especially as the kids are now in school.

Cambodians arise early, while it is still cool, so by about 6:00 there are noises outside that begin to wake us up. Austin is often the first one up, then Ron. I manage to sleep nearly until my alarm, and then get the girls up. The cheapest breakfast cereal here is an Australian brand, and it is pretty good. But the kids are not big fans of cereal for breakfast, so Ron has graciously taken to cooking hot breakfasts. Janaya and Austin are particularly grateful, because in PA, no one got up with them until it was time to walk to the bus! So we’ve had banana muffins, pancakes and with an amazing find at the MCC office – waffles. The one cookbook we brought with is the new book my Dad’s family just put together. Ron uses my cousin Mike’s waffle recipe. The school van arrives at 7:20. Probably only takes about 5 minutes to drive to the kids’ school, and they get there quite early, where they hang out on the grounds until allowed in the building.

Ron and I are taking private language lessons for an hour a day, and then we try to study for a couple hours. Last week, I also went to the University on two separate days, and we spent two days at the MCC office meeting with others, welcoming new staffers, and taking care of business. We continue to work on home improvements - we get supplies at MCC, do the work, and then return the tools.

So far we’ve tried to be home everyday when the kids get home, which is 3:15. We give them water and feed them a snack, usually fruit, and then it is time for homework, not much different than anywhere else. Austin joined the middle school basketball team. I’m so proud of him for doing that. Not easy to run suicide drills in 85-90 degree heat, and humidity. It is also something that wouldn’t be so easy to take part in a big school like Northern, so this is a great opportunity for him. He has practice Wednesdays and Fridays, after school. Since he can’t take the bus home, we’ve been taking a motodup in to pick him up. Still aren’t driving moto ourselves. Austin is also excited to be playing trumpet in band this year. Instruments are rare here, but Logos has managed to bring together a few. Even in PA he was asking me to buy him a trumpet so he could learn another instrument. He is very excited about this. I’d say he is doing quite well with school!

Janaya keeps busy with a lot of homework. Khmer is challenging, and while it is only the first course, all the other students have been here for longer than her, so they have some of the basics already. I work with her on Algebra, just like in PA. Dad helps her in art. She has already found at least 3 good friends whom she eats lunch with.

Its back to reading books, and doing math flash cards for Acacia – again just like PA. I believe she has made many friends – but she doesn’t know their names. It is extra hard to remember names when they don’t sound like any other names that you’ve every heard before! She has swimming one day a week, which she will love. Last week they only got to jump in before a storm came in. She even got invited to a birthday party on Friday after school. There was pizza, cake and ice cream – standard for a US party, but a real treat for Acacia at this point in time!

On Thursday evening, Austin went to the all-Phnom Penh, English speaking, Christian middle school youth group. It was at a Christian school across town. Last week, Ron and Janaya and their tuk-tuk driver had spent an hour looking for the place in the dark, and never found it. So, I rode along with 3 tuk-tuks worth of middle schoolers, so that I could see where this school was. A loud and wild night for me – remember, Ron is the youth pastor in this family! Nevertheless, ice cream was part of the picture!

By Friday we are all tired. But this past week we had two new MCCer’s to our house for dinner. They are part of the one-year exchange programs that MCC sponsors for young adults. We’ve been here for 5 weeks, making us the hosts (and experts?) already. Wow.

Pictures from First Month

Takeo Province
Pool at Logos International School
One of three buildings at Logos International School
Living room in our new house
Front of our apartment building
Austin getting soaked
Acacia at the waterpark
Janaya getting soaked
Mom, Acacia, and Austin going down a waterslide at the waterpark
Phnom Penh Water Park
At the Royal Palace
Mom, Austin, Acacia, and Janaya in a tuk tuk
The family at the Royal Palace

This week we started school at Logos International School. A new year always brings nervous stomachs but this was probably worse than usual. We were surprised on Monday when the van was fifteen minutes ahead of schedule, but got into a pattern after that. Acacia went off to fourth grade, Austin to seventh, and me to ninth. We all found people to show us around and to hang out with. The school has three buildings with various classrooms. We eat lunch on the roof or at various tables across the school grounds. Lunches are a mix here. One day we had seaweed soup (which we couldn't handle) and another day, burgers and fries.

Classes are tough, but mom and dad said they would be the same in PA. High school is hard, and there was a lot of homework even on the first day. One class that will be a challenge is Khmer because I've never done it before. Khmer I for high schoolers is speaking and listening, thank goodness. Acacia is learning some writing, though. We practice with our housekeeper and our neighbors who are both happy to help us.

The classes are in a two day schedule, day A and day B. Classes are about one and a half hours long and there are four each day, not counting lunch and devotions. Every day is started with prayer and a short devotion. One class that I did not have in Pennsylvania is Bible and for me that means Old Testament Survey. Austin and Acacia have Bible too. I have art, chorus, Bible and biology on Day A, and Algebra II, Khmer I, English, and History (Renaissance - French Revolution) on Day B. Day B is harder than Day A.

There are people at our school from all different countries. Many people are from Korea, the Phillipines, lots of people from Cambodia and some from the United States. It is much different in some ways, and the same in others. One great thing about school is aircon (as it is called here), because we don't have it at home, and Mom and Dad don't have it at their work either, so we are lucky. Hope this tells you a little more about our life here.

Janaya