The new place we are living
I thought you would like to read my email conversation with my dad where he asks some good questions about the new place we are living. Kurt Hi Kurt and Sally, It was so nice to hear that you made it to Ratanakiri safely. We were a little worried not hearing from you for so long. I'm glad you had the mission home manager there to help you get the car jumped. And I'm glad the car worked okay. Many questions: First, how did you get this email out? Did your new computer work wirelessly? I was reading on a web page about how the internet is not the greatest. $5.00 an hour at the Tribal Hotel and it's probably spotty at best. We'll understand if you don't communicate much at first. Appreciate it when you are able to communicate little things...If you see americans or tourists. If there really are bare-breasted women around (I read that). Second, does your cell phone work there? Will you be able to call us here in the states with it or will you have to find a land line? Probably Skypeing will be the cheapest. If there are many different tribes, will you be able to communicate with all of them? Will you be exclusively amoung the Krueng tribal people. Wish you could be with us. Our prayers are certainly with you as you embark on this latest chapter of your lives. Love, Dad From: Kurt
Sent: Monday, December 15, 2008 5:18 AM
To: Kurt
Subject: Re: Arrived safely in Ratanakiri
To: Michael
Sent: Sunday, January 18, 2009 7:47:48 AM
Subject: ...responding to your email questions.
Dear Dad,
Thanks for keeping in touch and for your good questions.
What you have researched online is interesting. When we arrived in Ratanakiri we first used the internet at our team-mates' houses. They both allowed me to use their wireless internet that they get in the evenings. I would try and remember to bring my laptop over when I visited in the evenings so I could upload/download email. Kr... uses the same company that we used to use for internet in Phnom Penh, but it’s faster here than we had it in Phnom Penh. Ke... uses DSL, but it’s not as fast as DSL in the US. Both computers are working wirelessly.
The only topless women we have seen up here have been the same kind that we would see in Phnom Penh. Older Grandmothers don’t always concern themselves with modesty around here. The mother of a Khmer friend of mine (and her mom) used to walk around the back part of the house topless, especially on hot days and when she had just taken a shower. A couple weeks ago we went to to the Se San River in Voen Sai and saw a grandma bathing in the river there.
We do see a lot of tourists around. November through January are the coolest months in Cambodia and especially so in Ratanakiri. It was 59F a few mornings ago. I haven’t stopped to talk to many tourists, but we did eat a quick meal with one during our brief stop in Kratie during the van ride back up here last week. He comes to Cambodia every year to visit his brother and also does little excursions around the country to visit the sites. He saw the pink dolphins in Kratie.
OMF only works with the Krung and Brou peoples (up here) and I haven’t visited any villages of the other people groups except for visiting a Chinese village in Voen Sai when we went there with our teammates and a Chinese family they knew from Phnom Penh. I still want to visit the rest of the Krung churches and Brou before I try to make it to any other people groups. The Brou live along the Se San River and I’ve only visited Ta Veng, the district center, which is just off the main road from Banlung where we live. It’ll be interesting parking our vehicles at the river and taking a boat up the river to visit some of the other villages. We could possibly put our motorcycles in the boat too if we trust them.
I have met the church leaders from the other people groups at the Khmer Bible School because they all come together to study twice a year and they can all communicate in the trade language, Khmer.
With love,
Kurt
