A chronicle post of random things I want to remember

Things keep changing!

Before the pandemic I couldn't visit the temple park before 5:30pm. During the pandemic I could buy a long term ticket so it was possible. Rather than just the 37usd per day tickets they had other options such as 6 months/12 months for 200usd.

Now they have a free pass for expats who have been here for at least 2 years.

Building, building, building (not my photo)

I spent a lot of time riding in the park between June 2020 and October 2022 and maybe I will again one day. But right now it feels like a whole different place. The tourists are back and local families have moved out.

First mango I've seen, it means hot season is on the way.

Another change is now we can get food delivered. Before the pandemic we couldn't really. Some local run cafes started to during the pandemic but now its even easier as at least one of the apps works for us, plus a supermarket type place. If only we had had that during red zone, or when we were stuck at home with medical stuff early 2022.

Finally took the kids to see the Christmas lights in town. Oops, its Chinese New year lights now.

Five years ago we could see the sunrise as we ate breakfast. Then we grew a shady tree, so for a few years breakfast was cool and non squinty. But this year the smell of the flowers on the tree was so bad it got its head chopped off. So now we can see the sunrise again, as well as the new shoots on the trunk.

And the wood turned out to be handy during the cold weeks of Dec and Jan. What used to keep us cool kept our neighbours warm instead.

Dear Newbie

 Dear Friend,

I’m so excited to hear you are getting ready to leave your passport country and move to my host country. It’s great to hear about all the preparation you’ve been doing over the past few years to get to this point. Now you’re at the point where you actually have to think about what to pack!

You asked what apps were good for language learning. Sounds like you are eager to get a taste of the local language even before your formal classes start. From the way you asked, it seemed like you assumed I would know. It took me a while to realise my answer:  I used cassette tapes when I was at your stage.

Read the rest over here: A Life Overseas- Dear Newbie

Loss AND rebuilding exist at the same time

This month's link up with A Chronic Voice, you can read the others over here.

Summarising 2022

Two big shocks. 

Out of the blue. 

That's my summary of last year. Within a 7-month period, we faced the possibility of 2 big losses.  Neither of them eventuated so that's good, right? Well yes, we are glad, but the stress around it and the lifestyle change resulting from both shocks is still worth noting. Gratitude doesn't cancel out the pain.

I get chopped down, but I get up again.

Jagged from being hacked, AND green from new growth.

Moving

We are not moving house, but many many local families around us have just moved over the last 2 months or are about to move. 

And over the last few years, many ex-pat families have also moved away from our town /country.

Rebuilding and expecting

After what happened last year our health habits are all different now. Our community is all different too. Some have left, but some.live closer. 

We're still working out how it fits together. So much to learn and adjust to for all of us. It is hard to know what to expecf as so many things that were normal over the last 5 to 10 years are different now.

Thanks for reading and don't forget to have a read of the other chronic illness linked blogs over here on A Chronic Voice.  

I Used to Laugh at Ghosts

 

“Aren’t you scared while your husband is away?”

“I’ll lock the door at night, and the windows have bars on them.”

“Locked doors can’t keep out ghosts.”

I don’t think I actually rolled my eyes or laughed out loud, but that was my attitude. In my early years in Cambodia, we lived next to a house full of Christian women training for ministry. When my husband was away, they worried about me. They didn’t seem to believe that I was genuinely unafraid, and I could not understand why they were afraid.

I didn’t know if I believed in ghosts or not. But what I did know was that because of Jesus, I had nothing to fear. I told them that the God of the Bible is stronger than any possible evil spirits, ghosts, or demons. He is the creator of all things, and Jesus has already conquered death. I felt satisfied that I’d given them the right reasons for why they didn’t need to fear.

I’m not the only Australian who gives off vibes of disbelief when Cambodians talk about the spirit world. My Cambodian husband Soeun also faced this attitude. When he was in Australia, he tried to explain some of his childhood to an Australian seminary student.

Read the rest over here: A Life Overseas - I Used to Laugh at Ghosts.

Dumpling Days book

 A nice way to ease back into #homeschool routine, reading out loud.

Also a fun way to learn about kids who feel a sense of #belonging in both America AND Taiwan...

and who feel they don't belong in either place.

I asked my son to find Taiwan on the map and realised the map was given to me by a lady from Taiwan. Who now lives in America and has a Cambodian child.

A German friend lent me the book, her family is also Cambodian.

Reading about Chinese food while not eating it is painful though.

#dumplingdays