Cambodia

Pol Pot

So, I was fortunate to take part in an amazing trip a couple of weeks ago. I went with a group of about 30 to Phnom Penh Cambodia to build houses. We started our first full day there in orientation at The Tabitha Foundation. It is an amazing organization that is helping others by teaching them how to earn money and save. While there, we got a little history lesson so we knew what and who we were building for. I will be honest with you...I had no idea about Pol Pot, Khmer Rouge and the awful times Cambodians faced around the time I was being born. It was such an educational trip. It is so baffling to think that such an evil man can rise to power so quickly and pretty much bring a country down to nothing in just 3 days. He took away and burned all the money, took people out of their homes, separated families, put everyone to work in harsh environments and tortured and killed thousands. Anyone that had higher than a 6th grade education was immediately executed along with people who wore glasses because they looked intelligent.
We went on a tour of an old school next that had been turned into a prison during those 3 years. Out of the 20,000 people that went in, there were only 5 survivors. Our guide was a sweet lady that was only a child when all of this happened. She talked about being separated from her family and her siblings that died. She worked in the rice fields all day. They were stripped of clocks and watches so they didn't even know the time or day.

 Next was the killing fields. This was where bus loads of people were brought weekly and eventually daily to be executed. They did not use bullets because they were too expensive, so they were beat to death with various tools. The hardest thing to see was the tree where they would hold the babies by the ankles and smash their heads against. This was a very draining day.

 The next two days were spent building. The village we went too was a lot larger than I expected. I loved that the families you were building for were right there watching, some even helping. They were so excited and thankful. They honestly have the most unbelievable smiles! And they were always smiling! It really makes all the little things in my life that don't go right and that get me upset seem so insignificant.

They loved bubbles!!

At night and the last day we were there we had some free time to explore the city! We had some wonderful dinners out and I came back with bags full...awesome shopping!! We also took some time to tour the palace.

What an humbling experience it all was! I came home to my massive condo and healthy family with an even greater appreciation for how truly blessed I am. All the evil and poverty that I saw and heard about during those days though made me grateful that this world is not our home.

MiMi and Pops!!

I cannot believe we have already been here for 1 year!!! It has flown by so fast!!! In the last year, we have loved the times when family and friends have come to visit:) We were so thrilled that Brent's parents made the trip over here! Thank you so much John and Marilyn for making the looooong trip to see us! You have no idea how much it meant having y'all here and getting to share this experience with you guys! We love y'all so much and had an absolute blast with you guys!!

They came bearing treats!!

So, MiMi and Pops got here on a Friday morning and left the following Monday very early in the morning. Boy, did we make the most of those 10 days!! They were troopers with the jet lag and a busy schedule! Just a warning...this post will be full of pictures;)
The kids couldn't wait for MiMi and Pops to get here and were so excited to show them around their school and let them meet their friends and teachers and take them to do some of our favorite things! The first day we kept them close to the condo and showed them where we spend most of our time...school, the condo and of course the grocery store:)

Saturday morning was spent at the soccer field and then we headed to our favorite mall, The Pavilion, for some yummy Din Tai Fung, the fish spa and some shopping!

We were so excited to run into a lion dance! It was a great one!!

 It was Valentine's, so we ended the day with a candle light dinner, chocolate covered strawberries and a movie:)






While the kids were in school and Brent at work on Monday, John, Marilyn and I headed to Central Market and Peter Ho. Central Market is a huge blue building full of little shops and vendors where you can find pretty much anything for an amazing deal. It is right next to Petaling Street, or China Town. And then there is Peter Ho...my favorite:) He is a local designer and his store is awesome! You can always find something to buy there!

MiMi had no problem finding things to buy!!

We usually have a neat little outdoor market down the street every Thursday night. There are vendors everywhere either selling clothes, toys, jewelry, etc and all kinds of yummy food! With Chinese New Year on Thursday, they moved the market to Monday night. Unfortunately it rained, so we grabbed some Korean, Malaysian, Chinese and Thai food and ate it in McDonalds with some chicken nuggets:)



Tuesday, after dropping the kids at school, John, Marilyn and I headed to Brickfields Little India where Brent's office is located. I love going to Little India! You know you are not in America when you are there;) It is so colorful and the food is amazing! I did not like Indian food until we moved here. My oh my...awesome!! After showing MiMi and Pops around the Shell building, Brent joined us exploring some shops and for lunch:)

Wednesday was kind of a day of rest for us:) Grocery shopping, napping and swimming when the kids got home. Brent and the kids had off school and work on Thursday for Chinese New Year, so we all headed to KLCC to see the Petronas Towers. We made it all the way up to the 86th floor and luckily had a very clear day for some great views!

Our kid's blonde hair and blue eyes always attracts an audience:) The girls are so sweet and are always great about posing and smiling for pictures! Jake...just depends on the day;)

Brent took his parents to view a mosque the next morning while the kids and I hung out. Unfortunately it was closed to tours because of Chinese New Year, but they got to get up close to the outside and then went to see the outside of the King's palace.

  



















That night we rented a tour guide to take us to Selangor to feed the Silver Leaf Monkeys, eat at the Chinese Fishing Village and ride a boat to see the fireflies. SO much fun!! It only took a little over and hour to get there and the tour guide was fantastic (plus Brent and I didn't get lost driving)! The monkeys were SO precious!!!

There were palm trees everywhere on the drive. The tour guide stopped along the way so we could see how they are harvested and how the palm oil is made.

 The next stop was the monkeys!!
It was at the top of the hill by a lighthouse with an amazing view overlooking the Indian Ocean. The guide bought us some food...green beans, bananas, sweet potatoes and crackers, to feed the monkeys. SO much fun!!! It was a busy day because of Chinese New Year, but there were plenty of monkeys to feed! MiMi even had one jump on her lap and one climbed his way up to my shoulder! The kids really wanted one to climb on them, but they enjoyed getting to feed and pet them:)

 
Dinner time next!! We headed to a Chinese fishing village and ate at a restaurant right on the water. The guided tour included the dinner so we weren't really sure what was going to come to the table! It was very yummy though!

Lily was really hoping that wasn't dinner!

After dinner, we loaded the boat and headed out to see the fireflies!!

Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of the fireflies because we couldn't use the flash and they just didn't show up well. They were really beautiful though! It looked like twinkling Christmas lights!!

We stopped on the way home to see a Hindu temple. The architecture and design is so amazing on these temples!
Saturday we headed to Batu Caves. Oh what to say about Batu Caves:) Brent and I actually went there when we came on our house hunting trip, but this was the kids first time. It is definitely a sight! It is a Hindu temple. You climb 272 steps to get to the top and usually there are monkeys everywhere. This was a very busy day and a very hot day. Everyone made the climb though! The kids were troopers! I think bribing them with a lollipop as long as they did it themselves and didn't complain worked beautifully;) There are lots of tourists and then there are also lots of people there to pray and worship. Lily left with a lot of questions:)

Marilyn and I were a little too scandalous in
our shorts so we had to cover up:)

These kiddos earned those suckers!!
They were awesome!

After Batu Caves, we headed to Royal Selangor, the pewter factory. We had a fantastic lunch at their cafe and then went on a tour and learned all about how pewter is made and got to see how some of the designs are done. It was a fabulous tour!! We ended at the School of Hard Knocks were everyone gets to hammer out their own pewter bowl. And then of course we hit the amazing gift shop!!

The last day we went to church and the kids decided that Chinese New Year is their favorite holiday! It is tradition to give little envelopes of money and our kids hit the jackpot!! We really miss our church family back home, but the congregation here is so great! They are so loving and friendly. The Lord's church is such a blessing!
Anyway, MiMi and Pops left late that night for the airport. It was hard to say goodbye but we are so excited to see them again in just a few short months!! It was SO much fun having them here! They are fantastic in-laws and amazing grandparents!! Thank you again MiMi and Pops for an awesome visit! We love you guys lots!!