It's a hard life

My heart breaks for a dear friend of ours.

For the purposes of this story we will name her Lee. Lee has a 4 year old daughter and lives with her elderly mother, 16yr old brother, and her young nephew. She is 30 years old. 

Lee has been in a relationship with a man for 6 years who is the father of her daughter. She now discovers that this man has another wife in the provinces who has borne him 7 children. She has decided to divorce/separate him after she learns she is "second wife". 

This has hard ramifications for Lee and her daughter - lets call her Mai. Mai is a beautiful young girl who plays happily and enjoys spending time with our son James. They play so well together. We have come to love this little girl and her mother very much over our time here. 

Because Lee will separate from her daughters father, she will no longer get the rent paid and food, clothing, schooling provided for Mai. This breaks her heart as her daughter loves going to school. Lee has decided that she will need to go to Thailand to work in a fruit processing factory/fields in order to provide for Mai, her mother, brother and nephew. She will have to go alone and leave Mai with her mother. Lee is scared to leave them due to her mother being older and not copying. She worries everyday. She cries often.

Mai's grandmother "Ma-yay" asks us to help. Please take her grand daughter Mai to Australia with us! Please help Lee find a job in Australia. Please take a photo of Lee so you can find her a husband and then she can go to Australia. It's heart breaking having to tell them no, we can't help like this. We are at a loss of what to do, how to help. I have spent hours online researching different ways to help them immigrate to Australia. Lee is desperate and says she will do any work and work hard. She just wants to put Mai through school and feed and care for her family. It is impossible to help them move to Australia. If she was from a neighbouring country Thailand she could get a working visa but not from Cambodia. 

How do you begin to contemplate what this life is like for Lee and Mai? Are they to be separated? Nick and I have been crying over their situation and had many sleepless nights. I tell Lee that I worry for her and she tells me I don't have to. It's impossible for me to not worry for them!

It's meeting desperate people like Lee and Mai and their family that makes you realise just why people risk their lives coming to Australia on people smuggling boats. People get angry and upset that they try to get in OUR country. I have a new understanding now. 

Changes are afoot

Hello from Cambodia!

It has been a very interesting month here since arriving in Cambodia. We have lots to tell you all about what we have been doing and lots to tell you about the changes in place for us at the moment with regards to our plans.

For those of you who haven’t been following along with our journey via our blog (www.dightfamily.blogspot.com) I will give you a brief overview of the last month.

We have experienced many highs and lows here in Cambodia. It is not an easy place to live coming from a Western background. James has been enjoying riding in the tuk tuk’s and is learning to love rice meals. Nick and I have been tried and tested on our ability to cope but have come to enjoy being here. It has been great getting to know the staff at Sunshine Cambodia and the kids. James enjoys running around with them as long as they don’t all mob him as they tend to get a bit excited and overwhelming for him!

We do have some developments to share with you that affect not only us but our financial supporters as well.
First, an overview of what has led us to our current position:

After careful consideration at looking into the planned paid preschool, it has been decided that it will not be going ahead at this point in time. It will just not be effective in bringing in funding for Sunshine which was its purpose.

Nick’s position is such that all his work is done via email (as he works on documents and it is easier to email internally to pass document from computer to computer).

Back home, we have had some expected personal finance fall through with Nick’s final field trip for work before we left not going ahead. This did not happen until a week before we left which was too late to pull out of going. This would have allowed us to have the finances needed to leave money for our responsibilities in Australia. We did not want to raise funds to cover our debt repayment and commitments and so were relying on our own savings. After looking into different ways to resolve these problems over this last month we have come to the realization that we will need to return to paid employment in order to rectify this.

Here in Phnom Penh things were not quite as we expected them to be before we left. This is simply due to a lack of communication and misunderstanding. We had thought that Alison would be working with the preschoolers and also helping to get the new paid preschool up and running. We had expected to be able to have James in the preschool room with Alison during the day. What we didn’t realize is that the preschoolers in Cambodia are aged 5-6 years and are actually in more of a school style class rather than what Australian’s consider preschool / daycare. This has led to James needing to sit in the office with us during the day. He is not coping with that. We had looked into swapping days with only one of us going in however that looked unlikely to provide a suitable resolution.

All of these things above have led us to make some tough decisions. We had a meeting earlier this week with the Director of Sunshine Cambodia and one of the previous Directors. We were able to talk about these difficulties we were having but also with the change in Alison’s role (or lack of due to the paid preschool not going ahead). It was acknowledged that Nick would be able to do his work from anywhere in the world. A new position was offered to Alison to take over the role of Australian Representative for Sunshine Cambodia which was previously filled by a lady based in NSW who is looking to retire from the position. It is a position that they have been looking for a younger person to fill for the last few months or so.

Because of these new developments, we have decided to come home to Perth. We want you all to know that this was not our first choice and also was not a decision we made lightly. We have spent many sleepless, anxious nights discussing and praying over our options and trying to decide what to do. Our biggest fear was failure and “quitting” on Sunshine and letting you, our supporters, down. We have been assured that this is not how Sunshine feels as we will still be working for Sunshine Cambodia, just in different positions (well actually Nick’s position will be the same, just a different location). This will look to solve all the above issues we are facing. It will give Alison a position with Sunshine Cambodia. It will allow Nick to continue his position. It will solve our difficulties with James and what to do with him each day. It will allow Nick to return to paid employment in order for us to meet our responsibilities in Australia.

We are sad to leave and this has been hard for us, however we see this as a greater way of helping Sunshine. We are very sorry that we cannot stay for longer. We feel that our time here in Phnom Penh has not been wasted as it has allowed us to get a greater understanding of Sunshine Cambodia in order to work effectively in our positions. We are thankful that we can still serve God in this way.

It's a Sunshine Day!

I think I'll go for a walk outside now,
The summer sun's calling my name,
I hear you now

I just can't wait inside all day
Gotta get out, give me some of those rays

Everybody's smiling - Sunshine Day!
Everybody's laughing - Sunshine Day!
Everybody seems so happy today.....

IT'S A SUNSHINE DAY!

July 20th is SUNSHINE DAY!

Wear yellow on July 20th to show your support for Sunshine Cambodia and what we are doing here in Phnom Penh.

The Sunshine Cambodia is a Christian Care for Cambodia project in southern Phnom Penh, serving poor families and promoting appropriate care for children in the context of families in the community.

Our vision is to see Cambodian families grow in a holistic way - physical, emotional, social, spiritual and educational.

Please spread the word in your church, workplace, with family and friends - help us make July 20th a day for Sunshine!

You can donate by the following links:

Australian donors: https://www.globaldevelopment.org.au/donations.php?for=J529_Sunshine_Centre_for_Children%2C_Cambodia

Non-Australian donors:
https://www.globaldevelopment.org.au/usa/donations.php?for=J529_Sunshine_Centre_for_Children%2C_Cambodia

Donations are tax deductible for donors from Australia and USA.

SPREAD THE WORD! WEAR YELLOW ON JULY 20TH!

Join our facebook event!


Join us on July 20th and help us raise funds for Sunshine Cambodia!

Out and about in Phnom Penh

Just a short post today. It is very hot right now sitting in our lounge. James has just gone off to bed after a tiring day. We are still struggling with finding decent nappies for him which is causing him to wet through and soak his sheets once or twice a night. Sigh. Lots of washing...

 Local street market where we brought some vegetables today - I stood in something wet and as I was wearing jandals (thongs for the Aussies) my toes got wet. I didn't want to look down at what I had stepped in but just cringed and made a beeline for the shower to wash my feet once we got home! The smells and sights here were not for the faint stomached - I am still not sure how I managed to survive without being sick!

Phnom Penh Police - sponsored by Asahi Beer.... Police box that the traffic police sit in while they look out for drivers not wearing helmets. Notably it seems only the drivers need to wear helmets. Passengers and children also riding on the back of the moto don't need to. We have so far seen up to 5 people riding on a motorbike. Not a tuk tuk - a motorbike! It still catches me by surprise to have a moto pull up beside our tuk tuk with a family of 4 onboard with a baby sleeping squished between other members of the family.

For those of you who have been asking, we now have access to a PO Box! You can find the address as well as our cell phone details under our contact page at the top of our website here.

Smells....

The smells in Cambodia vary greatly.

Riding in a tuk tuk is an experience not just for your eyes and ears but also for your nose. We have been here for just over a week and already I know the areas around our suburb that I should hold my breath. 

Going over the creek where there are so many little shacks with people living in them.

Going past the back of the restaurants.

(Sadly) the smell of some of the street children who have no understanding of the need for hygiene.

Our smells after sweating it out in the heat all day... Ugh!

There are also some absolutely beautiful smells here! Right now I am sitting in a comfy chair smelling the neighbours dinner and wondering how I would go about asking for cooking advice. I have been conversing with the lady who lives next door - conversing rather than talking as she has only a little English and I have very little Khmer. So far I have figured out that she is 31 years old and her daughters are 4yrs5mths and 10mths. She knows that James is 2yrs10mths. She knows we come from Australia (although I don't think she had heard of New Zealand) and that we are living here for 6 months. She wants to learn English - I want to learn Khmer. 

It was our first day at the Sunshine Cambodia centre today. We got a better idea of what we will be doing here and now both feel excited for what lies ahead. I particularly have a lot of work ahead of me with the planning for the preschool / daycare centre which will cater for 3-5 year old Cambodian children.

Heading home we walked up the road to find a tuk tuk with some of the children walking with us as they headed to afternoon school. I was tapped on the arm and turned to find a sweet little girl about 6 years old presenting me with a small bunch of flowers she had picked - "teacher! teacher!"

Oh that just melted my heart!

Well thats about all I have time for today. Now to go and figure out how to cook something that smells half as good as what the neighbours are cooking....

Playgroups and karaoke

Friday morning James and I headed down the road to a house for playgroup. We found this playgroup online and were invited to attend. It is full of expats mainly from the UK and USA. We were happy to discover a lady with her 4yr old son who are not only from Australia, not only from Perth, but from Rockingham! Turns out we know a couple of people in common as well. James loved playing with all the kids and I loved meeting the lovely women who were so welcoming and helpful. I got some good advice about where to shop for different things, what to cook and also some suggestions of churches.

James decided to sleep like this part way through the night...

Saturday we took up some of this advice and headed to the Russian markets to buy some fruit. It was hot, stuffy, full of smells of cooking food but also full of beautiful handicrafts. I surprised myself by actually walking through the meat market (yes with dead barely skinned chickens with their feet still attached hanging up everywhere and all sorts!). I just had to remember not to breathe! I then was able to pick up a couple of cooler items of clothing as my t-shirts seem to be as thick as a winter jacket over here!

 the skirt pants - love them!

Today (Sunday) we headed to the church of our new friends from Rockingham - the Anglican church of Cambodia. It was a nice cool (lots of air-con) service and we were also pleasantly surprised to see two of the ladies working at Sunshine in attendance! We went to a lovely cafe called Fresco's for lunch which had a good play area for our James and their 4yr old boy. James is now the little boy's shadow :) We followed it up by a wander around Soriya mall where we found a box of over 400 Disney movies for $15! We didn't buy it but may head back sometime soon.

James and I outside the Anglican church playing on the swings

And so, we are sitting here relaxing, listening to our neighbours sing some very loud and rather off-key karaoke. They were singing it all yesterday too :) It's rather funny to listen to. James seems to like it though....

Day 4...

We seem to finally be getting a bit calmer about being here in Cambodia.

The first few days have been pretty rough for us in all honesty. Talk about culture shock! We have been thoroughly overwhelmed by our surroundings and on more than one occasion have fought the desire to book the next plane home. James however seems to be doing much better than the two of us!

We headed to the Sunshine Cambodia centre on Tuesday and were met by some beautiful children. They were all surprised to see James and he was just so happy to see kids! When we took him upstairs to the offices to do some paperwork he just kept asking for the kids. After the kids ate their lunch James enjoyed playing in the courtyard with them running around and chasing and being chased. He giggled as he was surrounded by kids and only got a little nervous if one of them tried to pick him up. There were lots of surprised giggles from the kids as they pointed out James' nappy (He is toilet trained but just unsure at the moment about the toilets here) - the kids thought he was 5 years old! Why would a 5yr old wear nappies? No, we told them - he is 2! James is as tall and sometimes taller than the 5yr olds at the centre!

 Our bedroom

The view from our balcony to the front courtyard where the employees of Prison Fellowship Cambodia park their moto's while they are working in the offices downstairs during the day.

We don't have our job descriptions for what we will be doing at the centre yet and are not due to start until Tuesday. So we are relaxing and slowly getting used to the heat, smells, food and language. James so far knows one phrase in Khmer and brings laughs and excitement to all who hear it - he puts his little hands together just under his chin in a prayer action and says "aw kun" (thank you) which is how everyone here seems to say it. So cute! Will try and get a video of him doing it as it just makes me laugh each time!

Last night we headed down to the river-front and dined at our favourite restaurant - the Kiwi Bakery. We sat on the upper level right on the balcony and enjoyed the cool breeze and the sights of the beautiful clean promenade and all the families walking along it as the sun set. Afterwards we took a walk along ourselves and stifled laughs as we saw a large group of Cambodian women doing what seemed to be a country line dance right there on the promenade. The trip home in the tuk tuk with a sleepy James showed us more families enjoying the early evening along the parks near the independent monument, playing hacky sack, soccer and yet more line dancers. Family seems such an important part of life here and it is just beautiful seeing all the families out together.

Nick enjoyed the much anticipated cold coconut... Mmmmm

The promenade 

Tomorrow we hope to go to an expat playgroup and meet some fellow westerners and get some tips about how to adjust to life here in Cambodia. Where to shop, what to eat, where to take James, what to do/not do.... It should make for an interesting day :)

Eating crackers and watching the world go by from the back of a tuk tuk.

We are so thankful to all our supporters, particularly those who are praying for us at the moment. We need your prayers. Please pray that we find our place here in Cambodia. Pray for strength and courage as we face the unknown. Amen.