We moved into our house last Thursday, July 30th. It took a bit to set up beds and mosquito nets, but emptying only 8 suitcases of belongings didn’t take long. Getting the place organized enough to function efficiently is another thing. I even remember that time after moving to PA, when we hadn’t quite decided where to keep everything, and consequently we kept losing track of things: keys, paperwork, etc. And with bathrooms and kitchens so different here, that takes time too.
We are in the upper left of a four family unit called a p’teach l’veng, 24 steps up from ground level. On our main level is a kitchen, equipped with a gas range and oven, small refrigerator, water filter, food and dish cabinet, sink, counter and a couple set of shelves. There is also a small bathroom, where our washing machine is. A typical bathroom here (not a western one….) is one large room, with a toilet, sink and shower nozzle pointing into the middle of the room, and a drain in one corner. There is not a separate shower stall, and certainly not a bathtub. This is how the bathrooms were set up at MCC orientation in Akron, PA – so we knew what to expect. Austin’s bedroom is also on this main level. He’s got a single bed, wardrobe and a set of shelves. The built in closet in his room is serving as our linen and medicine cabinet, although he doesn’t appreciate the constant intrusions into his space! Then there is a large living room / dining room. All the rooms are equipped with furniture left from service workers who have recently returned home. Out front we have a balcony, which allows in a very nice breeze. We are so thankful for this – it cools things off! The balcony also serves as the place to dry clothes, with the drying rack tied on so that it doesn’t blow over onto the ground.
And for the year ahead, we are fortunate to be able to use a Clavinova that was at the MCC office. Several of the other more musical staff have completed their terms – and we are so glad to have access to a piano for the year. The kids have their music books with them and are looking forward to having me as their teacher again. (Not.) I hope to be able to play some at the church we attend for the year.
Our bedroom is on the top floor and has a large window to the living room area, allowing in the breeze. The girls have their bedroom in the back of our place, equipped with a wardrobe, built in closet and double bed. There is a second bathroom upstairs. That room has been challenging to us: the towel rods are broken off the walls, the sink was clogged, the toilet is missing its basin cover and then the light bulb burned out! Living here requires innovation! We’ve tied a wooden rod between the air vents in the room for a towel rod, and more recently tied up a raton nightstand to serve as a place to keep clothes and towels – because the floor gets completely wet! Ron cleaned out the drain – a miserable job even at your own house (thanks Ron!), and a new friend found us a light bulb. So we are in much better shape than just several days ago!
The neighbors on our level have been very friendly. One of them knows some English. They call the girls, especially, from their balcony, and everyone tries to have a conversation. They have taught us our numbers, to 20, brought us many dishes which they have cooked, and given us all sorts of new fruits to try. Sunday evening when we experienced our first city-wide power outage, they brought over a candle and lighter. Thank you for good neighbors, even when you can’t always understand each other! Admittedly, sometimes they are a little intense, and we shut our door farther for some privacy.
Our family mode of transportation right now is via tuk-tuk. We found a driver our first day, who knows English reasonably well, and has given us good prices. We do live within walking distance of several restaurants, but need a ride to the local Cambodian market, church, and any western grocery store. We have this man’s phone number, so we often call him, but when he is busy, we walk two blocks to a major rode and find a driver there. We know a few things in Khmer, “how much?” “left hand” and “right hand” so with our maps in hand, we have always reached our destination. Yeah for that! Ron has taken a couple trips on the back of a moto-taxi to the western grocery store, scary at times, but a prerequisite for learning to drive on his own.
Our first weekend here was very relaxing. We did laundry, explored the local Cambodian market, played a lot of card games, and even took a nap on a Saturday afternoon. No yard to keep up on weekends! We tried a Sunday afternoon worship service, and found more youth there than on the previous Sunday. We might try one more church, and then we will try to settle in someplace for the year.
What lies ahead? Janaya, Austin and Acacia start school on tomorrow, August 10th. Early, given PA standards – but their classrooms are air-conditioned, so it can’t be all bad! School will require us to settle better into a routine, which should help us stay more organized. Ron and I have had a lot of MCC regional, and MCC Cambodia planning meetings, so we are hoping to start our language training this week, and move towards starting our work. Today we met several families, and teachers at Logos School for a BBQ, basketball (if you really wanted to sweat!) and swimming (if you wanted to cool off!). It was a potluck – for all our family members – we brought Grandma Regehr’s cabbage / Raman noodle salad. We could find all the ingredients – a great taste from home!
by Roseann
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
First Impressions
We have been here a week, and already experienced so much. It took us only a couple days to get over jet lag, but mornings and bedtimes are early here so we haven’t had the energy to write yet. But here goes…
Traffic…in theory works like in the US. One drives on the right hand side of the road. Lanes are marked. There are some traffic lights. But beyond that, everything is different. Cars, motorcycles and bikes fill the road. Each moves wherever there is space, including over the center line whenever necessary. Lanes are fairly irrelevant. If convenient, one turns left right next to the inside curb, and then you move over to the correct lane whenever it is convenient. One can cross oncoming traffic to park on the opposite side of the road. No problem. U-turns anywhere – no problem. Cars and motos frequently meet in the center of an intersection and then everyone takes their turn getting through. I’ve been able to trust our drivers – they have been pretty good. But at times, you just close your eyes. Rules of the road…you are responsible for everything in front of you. Those behind you are expected to do the same. Ron hopes to learn to drive a moto (motorcycle). I may just stick to my bike! Getting around as a family may require a tuk-tuk for quite a while.
Heat…it is hot. Definitely not as hot as it can be and the winds are nice. But after a cool Pennsylvania summer, we are generally sweating like pigs. Showers any time of the day are a necessity. It is the rainy season – although it isn’t raining every day. That cools things down.
Food…mostly very good. Our children, Austin and Acacia especially, have delighted in all the new fruits, anxious to taste every one. They truly have been very good about everything – already up for a Khmer breakfast at the corner shop on our second morning, and even finding a dish with fermented fish paste to be pretty good. That was one of the first things we read about, long ago. The whole fish served one evening at retreat was a little scary, but after trying it – the kids found it to be their favorite part of the meal…well besides the fruit and dessert. I tried a papaya fruit shake, and couldn’t stomach that. That happened early on – so the kids now have an out when they find something they do not like. But the pizza party at the MCC retreat was a welcome change, and we had Honeycomb cereal for breakfast today!
Sleep…under mosquito nets, in front of fans. Early to bed, early to rise. We haven’t quite adapted to that yet.
Language…we know very little. Our MCC guides have covered for us completely. All of us feel anxious to learn, so that we can get manage a bit on our own.
Sites…the streets are full of vendors, making their livings, selling everything. It seems constantly busy. It is hard for us to know exactly what is safe to eat yet for our American digestive systems. We’ve seen the Royal Palace – our MCC host said it was the prettiest place in Cambodia, gardens, unique architecture and very clean. We also toured Toul Sleng – the former high school that Pol Pot used in the 1970’s to interrogate, torture and kill those that opposed his rule. That was sobering. One afternoon at a water park…a wave pool, swimming pool, lazy river and slides. Kind of like in the US. But the power did shut down in the middle of the afternoon, so the pumps didn’t run. Janaya loves the Russian market – well, except for the meat / fish corner. So many interesting things to see. She always has liked shopping. We concluded the MCC regional retreat with a dinner cruise on the Mekong river. Chinese food, a nice breeze – nothing like we have ever done before. We have always tried to give our children many experiences – but we’ve had more new experiences this week than perhaps ever before.
The country… we braved a trip into the country with other MCCer’s during our retreat. As kids would, they chose the back seats of the bus. Pretty bumpy ride – occasionally got 6-12 inches of air on the biggest bumps. Who needs Hershey Park? The rice fields were beautiful – but of course, we don’t make our living that way. Looks like very hard work. Our hosts were gracious, feeding us a huge noon meal which included our first coconut juice drink. Squatty potties – a challenge…including an emergency stop at someone’s house for Acacia. We won’t say anymore about that.
The work of MCC in the village we visited…we visited a village where in the early 1990’s MCC helped to establish several programs, which are now run by the villagers. Forestry – MCC helped to reestablish a forest that had been destroyed during the Khmer Rouge – half for economic reasons, the other half as a preserve. Charcoal plant – the villages make their own charcoal, which can be sold. A giant still collects the “vinegar” which is used as an insect repellant. Chemistry at work! Village savings and loan – the village has established its own bank. One day a month, members come to the local Pagoda to pay interest, pay off their loans, or borrow money. Many women and children were gathered on this day. Rice bank – the village had established their own rice bank, to help those in need during poor growing years. Families no longer need to go outside to get help. The rice and resources stay within the community – helping their own people.
Challenges…we live in the city, so we’ve got it nice…a washing machine, so far meals cooked for us so far at MCC or restaurants. But keeping up with laundry is a big job – considering how much we are sweating. We are learning to use our new cell phones – a necessity here – the only way of communication. Thank goodness for our teenager! Yes, even Ron will be carrying one this year. Our digestive systems – nothing serious, but there have been some adjustments. Learning our way around, the city isn’t large, but we haven’t learned many landmarks, and of course we don’t know the language. We’ve got much to learn about managing to live here. Language – we need numbers, names of food and directions – quick!
Thanks…our kids are doing wonderfully. More than one person has commented on their willingness to try new things, and their adaptability. I would agree. We’ve had fights and tears – but generally over the same issues that would cause problems in PA. Our hosts – we have been graciously taken care of over the past week. The national staff here will do anything for us – set up our house, call a tuk-tuk driver, get our cell phones, arrange doctor appointments, fix things. A very good support system.
This week – on Wednesday we will move into our house. It seems clear across town from most all of the other MCC staff. It seems to be a quieter part of town – which may make learning to drive easier. We’ll need to get our kitchen set up, our mosquito nets and fans ready. We’ve bought toilet paper already – very important right now. It is close to our work and the kid’s school – that is good. But we will learn to find our own tuk-tuk drivers, the market, an Internet shop, a language teacher, a western grocery store, the corner noodle shop... Prayer….very helpful as we make this transition.
Roseann
We have been here a week, and already experienced so much. It took us only a couple days to get over jet lag, but mornings and bedtimes are early here so we haven’t had the energy to write yet. But here goes…
Traffic…in theory works like in the US. One drives on the right hand side of the road. Lanes are marked. There are some traffic lights. But beyond that, everything is different. Cars, motorcycles and bikes fill the road. Each moves wherever there is space, including over the center line whenever necessary. Lanes are fairly irrelevant. If convenient, one turns left right next to the inside curb, and then you move over to the correct lane whenever it is convenient. One can cross oncoming traffic to park on the opposite side of the road. No problem. U-turns anywhere – no problem. Cars and motos frequently meet in the center of an intersection and then everyone takes their turn getting through. I’ve been able to trust our drivers – they have been pretty good. But at times, you just close your eyes. Rules of the road…you are responsible for everything in front of you. Those behind you are expected to do the same. Ron hopes to learn to drive a moto (motorcycle). I may just stick to my bike! Getting around as a family may require a tuk-tuk for quite a while.
Heat…it is hot. Definitely not as hot as it can be and the winds are nice. But after a cool Pennsylvania summer, we are generally sweating like pigs. Showers any time of the day are a necessity. It is the rainy season – although it isn’t raining every day. That cools things down.
Food…mostly very good. Our children, Austin and Acacia especially, have delighted in all the new fruits, anxious to taste every one. They truly have been very good about everything – already up for a Khmer breakfast at the corner shop on our second morning, and even finding a dish with fermented fish paste to be pretty good. That was one of the first things we read about, long ago. The whole fish served one evening at retreat was a little scary, but after trying it – the kids found it to be their favorite part of the meal…well besides the fruit and dessert. I tried a papaya fruit shake, and couldn’t stomach that. That happened early on – so the kids now have an out when they find something they do not like. But the pizza party at the MCC retreat was a welcome change, and we had Honeycomb cereal for breakfast today!
Sleep…under mosquito nets, in front of fans. Early to bed, early to rise. We haven’t quite adapted to that yet.
Language…we know very little. Our MCC guides have covered for us completely. All of us feel anxious to learn, so that we can get manage a bit on our own.
Sites…the streets are full of vendors, making their livings, selling everything. It seems constantly busy. It is hard for us to know exactly what is safe to eat yet for our American digestive systems. We’ve seen the Royal Palace – our MCC host said it was the prettiest place in Cambodia, gardens, unique architecture and very clean. We also toured Toul Sleng – the former high school that Pol Pot used in the 1970’s to interrogate, torture and kill those that opposed his rule. That was sobering. One afternoon at a water park…a wave pool, swimming pool, lazy river and slides. Kind of like in the US. But the power did shut down in the middle of the afternoon, so the pumps didn’t run. Janaya loves the Russian market – well, except for the meat / fish corner. So many interesting things to see. She always has liked shopping. We concluded the MCC regional retreat with a dinner cruise on the Mekong river. Chinese food, a nice breeze – nothing like we have ever done before. We have always tried to give our children many experiences – but we’ve had more new experiences this week than perhaps ever before.
The country… we braved a trip into the country with other MCCer’s during our retreat. As kids would, they chose the back seats of the bus. Pretty bumpy ride – occasionally got 6-12 inches of air on the biggest bumps. Who needs Hershey Park? The rice fields were beautiful – but of course, we don’t make our living that way. Looks like very hard work. Our hosts were gracious, feeding us a huge noon meal which included our first coconut juice drink. Squatty potties – a challenge…including an emergency stop at someone’s house for Acacia. We won’t say anymore about that.
The work of MCC in the village we visited…we visited a village where in the early 1990’s MCC helped to establish several programs, which are now run by the villagers. Forestry – MCC helped to reestablish a forest that had been destroyed during the Khmer Rouge – half for economic reasons, the other half as a preserve. Charcoal plant – the villages make their own charcoal, which can be sold. A giant still collects the “vinegar” which is used as an insect repellant. Chemistry at work! Village savings and loan – the village has established its own bank. One day a month, members come to the local Pagoda to pay interest, pay off their loans, or borrow money. Many women and children were gathered on this day. Rice bank – the village had established their own rice bank, to help those in need during poor growing years. Families no longer need to go outside to get help. The rice and resources stay within the community – helping their own people.
Challenges…we live in the city, so we’ve got it nice…a washing machine, so far meals cooked for us so far at MCC or restaurants. But keeping up with laundry is a big job – considering how much we are sweating. We are learning to use our new cell phones – a necessity here – the only way of communication. Thank goodness for our teenager! Yes, even Ron will be carrying one this year. Our digestive systems – nothing serious, but there have been some adjustments. Learning our way around, the city isn’t large, but we haven’t learned many landmarks, and of course we don’t know the language. We’ve got much to learn about managing to live here. Language – we need numbers, names of food and directions – quick!
Thanks…our kids are doing wonderfully. More than one person has commented on their willingness to try new things, and their adaptability. I would agree. We’ve had fights and tears – but generally over the same issues that would cause problems in PA. Our hosts – we have been graciously taken care of over the past week. The national staff here will do anything for us – set up our house, call a tuk-tuk driver, get our cell phones, arrange doctor appointments, fix things. A very good support system.
This week – on Wednesday we will move into our house. It seems clear across town from most all of the other MCC staff. It seems to be a quieter part of town – which may make learning to drive easier. We’ll need to get our kitchen set up, our mosquito nets and fans ready. We’ve bought toilet paper already – very important right now. It is close to our work and the kid’s school – that is good. But we will learn to find our own tuk-tuk drivers, the market, an Internet shop, a language teacher, a western grocery store, the corner noodle shop... Prayer….very helpful as we make this transition.
Roseann
Friday, May 29, 2009
More preparations
More preparations every day: last shots, last doctor appointments, recycling collected papers from school, choosing games to bring with us, packing away winter clothes, buying tennis shoes for the next year, filling out paper work, cleaning up my office........
Still haven't found a renter for our house. Keep praying..........especially for a trustworthy one.
Roseann
Still haven't found a renter for our house. Keep praying..........especially for a trustworthy one.
Roseann
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Cambodia year details
Dear Friends and Family,
When we wrote many of you at Christmas, we told you about our upcoming year in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, with Mennonite Central Committee (http://www.mcc.org/cambodia/). At the time we were planning a mid-June departure, but the current economic conditions have delayed our departure a bit. We now have tickets for July 18th, first a non-stop flight from JFK in New York, to Hong Kong, directly over the North Pole, actually. Then we will have a short flight into Cambodia. The later departure has turned out to be good as it leaves more time after the school year ends to get our lives and house in order. We will be gone until July of 2010.
I, Roseann, have a visiting appointment with the Chemistry Department at the Royale University of Phnom Penh (http://www.rupp.edu.kh/fs/faculty_of_science.php). While I don’t know the exact details of my year, it is likely that I will be working with Cambodian faculty on their teaching and curriculum, and doing research with their upper level students. Ron offered himself to do most anything for the Mennonite Central Committee. Just in the last weeks they have suggested an opportunity to “hang out” at a local youth center, helping the Cambodia youth practice their English speaking skills (http://www.mcc.org/cambodia/partners.html). This seems like a great fit!
Janaya, Austin and Acacia will be attending Logos International School (http://logoscambodia.org/) starting in early August. This Christian school is run by Asian Hope, a Christian non-profit agency out of Denver that works specifically to build leaders out of today’s Christian Cambodian youth. At this school, about 40% of the students will be Cambodian. The rest will be from all over the world.
The MCC Cambodia team leaders are currently looking for housing for us, somewhere between my work and Logos. I’ve used the satellite images on Google Maps to see our new neighborhood. Pretty cool! Thankfully, we will have people there, whom, although we have never met them face-to-face, will be helping us to settle in.
As we write this letter to you our friends and family, there are a couple ways you could “go with us” as we embark on this year of service. First, we ask for your prayers. One of our primary concerns is finding a suitable renter for our home. We had a good lead, but our inability to get good internet in rural PA stalled this arrangement. Second, we could use prayer as we make all our preparations for leaving – there are many. More recently, Acacia has developed some pretty significant, unexplained, joint pain, and we pray that this will go away before we leave, or that we will get a diagnosis and be able to treat it. Medicine in Cambodia is okay, but not great.
Our financial arrangements with MCC require that my entire ½ year salary go towards our budgeted expenses. Since we are only with MCC for one year, the children’s tuition is not part of this budget. We don’t want to home school them, as that would detract from their experience, but their tuition and fees for the year will total around ten thousand dollars. Our church has recently set up a fund specifically for this financial need. Whatever money is collected will be sent straight to Asian Hope for our children’s tuition. While we know the current economy has increased the financial challenges for all of us, if you would be able to support our year with Mennonite Central Committee by contributing to this fund, we would be very grateful. Any donations can be sent to: Slate Hill Mennonite Church, 1352 Slate Hill Rd, Camp Hill, PA 17011. The checks can be written out to Slate Hill Mennonite Church, with Cambodian Education Fund 02-4111 on the subject line. All gifts will be tax deductible. Thank you for all your support.
Ron has been using Facebook for a while to interact with his youth group. Janaya has an account, and I recently joined in anticipation of being away for a year. We will certainly post short updates and pictures there as we experience many new things. If you are reading this here, you have found our blog. We will take turns posting many of our experiences there, and hope that you might keep up with us, and pray for us, through that method of communication. While we don’t know if we will have reliable internet at our home, there are many internet cafes in the city, and the MCC office will have internet access as well. It might not be much difference than our having to go to the public library every time we want fast internet in rural Pennsylvania!
Again, we greatly appreciate your prayers as we finish our preparations over these next three months. If you would like also to be on an email list, please write us at ronroseannsachs@gmail.com. We look forward to keeping in contact with you.
When we wrote many of you at Christmas, we told you about our upcoming year in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, with Mennonite Central Committee (http://www.mcc.org/cambodia/). At the time we were planning a mid-June departure, but the current economic conditions have delayed our departure a bit. We now have tickets for July 18th, first a non-stop flight from JFK in New York, to Hong Kong, directly over the North Pole, actually. Then we will have a short flight into Cambodia. The later departure has turned out to be good as it leaves more time after the school year ends to get our lives and house in order. We will be gone until July of 2010.
I, Roseann, have a visiting appointment with the Chemistry Department at the Royale University of Phnom Penh (http://www.rupp.edu.kh/fs/faculty_of_science.php). While I don’t know the exact details of my year, it is likely that I will be working with Cambodian faculty on their teaching and curriculum, and doing research with their upper level students. Ron offered himself to do most anything for the Mennonite Central Committee. Just in the last weeks they have suggested an opportunity to “hang out” at a local youth center, helping the Cambodia youth practice their English speaking skills (http://www.mcc.org/cambodia/partners.html). This seems like a great fit!
Janaya, Austin and Acacia will be attending Logos International School (http://logoscambodia.org/) starting in early August. This Christian school is run by Asian Hope, a Christian non-profit agency out of Denver that works specifically to build leaders out of today’s Christian Cambodian youth. At this school, about 40% of the students will be Cambodian. The rest will be from all over the world.
The MCC Cambodia team leaders are currently looking for housing for us, somewhere between my work and Logos. I’ve used the satellite images on Google Maps to see our new neighborhood. Pretty cool! Thankfully, we will have people there, whom, although we have never met them face-to-face, will be helping us to settle in.
As we write this letter to you our friends and family, there are a couple ways you could “go with us” as we embark on this year of service. First, we ask for your prayers. One of our primary concerns is finding a suitable renter for our home. We had a good lead, but our inability to get good internet in rural PA stalled this arrangement. Second, we could use prayer as we make all our preparations for leaving – there are many. More recently, Acacia has developed some pretty significant, unexplained, joint pain, and we pray that this will go away before we leave, or that we will get a diagnosis and be able to treat it. Medicine in Cambodia is okay, but not great.
Our financial arrangements with MCC require that my entire ½ year salary go towards our budgeted expenses. Since we are only with MCC for one year, the children’s tuition is not part of this budget. We don’t want to home school them, as that would detract from their experience, but their tuition and fees for the year will total around ten thousand dollars. Our church has recently set up a fund specifically for this financial need. Whatever money is collected will be sent straight to Asian Hope for our children’s tuition. While we know the current economy has increased the financial challenges for all of us, if you would be able to support our year with Mennonite Central Committee by contributing to this fund, we would be very grateful. Any donations can be sent to: Slate Hill Mennonite Church, 1352 Slate Hill Rd, Camp Hill, PA 17011. The checks can be written out to Slate Hill Mennonite Church, with Cambodian Education Fund 02-4111 on the subject line. All gifts will be tax deductible. Thank you for all your support.
Ron has been using Facebook for a while to interact with his youth group. Janaya has an account, and I recently joined in anticipation of being away for a year. We will certainly post short updates and pictures there as we experience many new things. If you are reading this here, you have found our blog. We will take turns posting many of our experiences there, and hope that you might keep up with us, and pray for us, through that method of communication. While we don’t know if we will have reliable internet at our home, there are many internet cafes in the city, and the MCC office will have internet access as well. It might not be much difference than our having to go to the public library every time we want fast internet in rural Pennsylvania!
Again, we greatly appreciate your prayers as we finish our preparations over these next three months. If you would like also to be on an email list, please write us at ronroseannsachs@gmail.com. We look forward to keeping in contact with you.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Preparations
Our plans for the year ahead are falling into place. We have tickets, leaving from JFK in New York for July 18th. We will be flying nonstop to Hong Kong (over the north pole, actually), and then taking another flight to Phnom Penh. We will have two days of jet lag recuperation, then the regional Mennonite Central Committee retreat begins on July 22nd, in Phnom Penh.
We have a lead on the rental of our home. Please pray that this will work out. This is a significant part of our preparations. We continue to make house repairs, clean out closets and move all of our business dealings online. Acacia is suffering from some knee swelling and pain. We don't know of any injury, so she is being tested for Lyme Disease. This would not be a surprising diagnosis, as ticks are common at our house. Please pray that we will be able to diagnosis her condition, and treat it quickly.
Roseann
We have a lead on the rental of our home. Please pray that this will work out. This is a significant part of our preparations. We continue to make house repairs, clean out closets and move all of our business dealings online. Acacia is suffering from some knee swelling and pain. We don't know of any injury, so she is being tested for Lyme Disease. This would not be a surprising diagnosis, as ticks are common at our house. Please pray that we will be able to diagnosis her condition, and treat it quickly.
Roseann
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