On Tuk-tuks and Transitions

We seem to be writing in retrospect these days, as much more happens than we have time to write about in the few times that we've been able to get on the internet! So I'm updating some thoughts I wrote a week and a half ago (so we stay in chronological order!), and hope to catch up soon on last week and the EMM Asia Retreat that we attended in Siem Reap, Cambodia from Wed. to Sun. (4/30-5/4).
First, a comment on the lack of photos in the last post... Our understanding was that the electric voltage wasn't so different here, but it's not true. We discovered while I was giving Ryan a (much-needed) haircut the other week with our clipper set that the voltage adapter we borrowed from friends still didn't make things quite right. It was cutting REALLY loud, getting hot, and vibrating so hard I could hardly hold it right - too much power. But we've since figured out how to power up our laptop safely, and as soon as we get to a place with WIFI that works (as I discovered the other night, just because a place says it has WIFI doesn't mean it does!!) we should have an easier time posting photos.
Secondly, for those not familiar with our living situation, when we mention the apartment we're renting or the Hill family, we're referring to the fact that we are housesitting for some British OMF missionaries named Mike and Rachel Hill (and two of their three children) as they're home in England on furlough through July. So we'll soon be looking for a new spot eventually, but it's been great to be in their home for now!
Some random thoughts...
While some things in Cambodia will take a while to get used to, it's amazing how quickly one adjusts to other things... I thought that it would be very weird to get used to not buckling our kids up in car seats to travel, but we've accepted rather quickly and gracefully (?) the lack of such safety precautions. Juliana still needs reminded to stay on the seat of the van or tuk-tuk (wagon/cart with seats pulled by a motorcycle, pronounced "took-took"), but I rather like being able to hold Kai in my arms as we go. Praying for safety all the while, of course. But as chaotic and crazy as the traffic can seem, there is a sense of order, of understood rules, as it were (at least understood by the majority of the Cambodian drivers!) There's a sort of pecking order of vehicles, and if you know where you are in the order and don't do anything too quickly, you usually manage to get where you're going without incident. I had a milestone of my own when I travelled by myself to a market the other day - getting there was no problem, but since we live a tad "in the boonies" of the city, away from center-city Phnom Penh and not really close to any huge, well-known landmarks, I was praying that I'd be able to tell the moto driver I hired for the return trip exactly where I lived. We made it home, though the traffic was REALLY CRAZY at one certain intersection that's in dire need of a light, and I got bumped a bit as we went by the van on our left. No injuries, and not really that scary, since similar things happened when we were here in 2002 (and traffic in such situations moves VERY slowly). But thanks to all who pray for our safety as we travel!

Will it all fit? Trying to get our newly-purchased crib home in a tuk-tuk

Speaking of adjusting to new situations, Juliana has been doing fairly well in this transition. She loves going places in tuk-tuks, really enjoys our househelp Ty, and her imagination is as creative as ever! She likes to play the games the Hills' four-year-old son James left in the apartment, such as Hi Ho! Cherry-O and Spotty Dogs, and all sorts of made-up games with whatever's at hand. She's also been getting lots of use out of the doctor's kit we brought with us, and has regularly shown up "pregnant," with one of her stuffed friends up her shirt. (The other day, Ryan was the attending physician when a beautiful baby bunny was born!)

She's gotten to play with some new Khmer friends, also: the landlord's granddaughter SreiBik ("my friend" as J calls her, insisting she can't say the name) visits her grandparents regularly, and she's played with a three-year-old from across the back alley named Silena a few times. The other day, Juliana played at Silena's house for the first time - and it's worth noting that was there by herself (neither Ryan nor I were there). She came back saying that they had fun, they'd had a snack, and that the people in the house had "talked different." Her observations and questions about life here often make us chuckle!

Playing Hi Ho! Cherry-O with Ty and Silena

And I thought I'd throw in some photos from our first Saturday here, when our colleagues Darrell and Susan Caldwell (missionaries with EMM, returning to the USA in June) took us to a beautiful swimming pool for some R & R. It was good for all of us to have a chance to cool off and play for while - even Kai got in the pool!

So, since we've arrived in country three weeks ago, our days have been filled with such things as taking care of our kids, getting what we need to settle in here, learning Khmer with the help of language helpers from the Men's Dorm (one of EMM's ministries: supplying housing for university students from the countryside as they study in the city), going for immunizations and rabies shots (Ryan was bit by a dog the second week we were here!), and enjoying the EMM Retreat last most of last week. But I'll save that for another post!
- Bethany