Greetings once again good old friends & family. Haven't updated in a while (sorry!), but I've been surprisingly busy with school. . .teaching is going well, the students are amazing & their desire to learn is encouraging. That said, things are good. Cold here, if you can believe it. . .68 degrees at night! The medicinal elephant still travels through my village, popcorn and coffee are still daily snacks & my best friend is my little 8 year old sister (Happy Birthday Jan Rath!). I hope all your holiday seasons are filled with joy. Much love. Patty Pictures: Jan Rath teaching her cousin Khmer writing, Water Festival Ferris Wheel extravaganza, Rabbit Island, Kep (beach) trip in October, 6 month anniversary boat to Phnom Da, Takeo. . .cousin Nick joined me for that one. . .

after a very long-winded 2 days of travel, I had the pleasure of spending 3 full weeks with my best friend! During that time we spent a week at my post, exploring southern Cambodia & introducing mike to khmer customs. . .sitting on the table, cold bathes, bike rides, mountain climbing & lots of hammock time. . . From takeo, we traveled north to siem reap, where we visited the stunning angkor wat & surrounding temples. It's like climbing into an archeological site turned jungle gym. . .apparently steep, slanted & uneven stairs encourages my hidden fear of heights. Our final week was spent in Vietnam, exploring Ho Chi Minh City, playing scrabble on Mui Ne beach, attending an orchestra concert, many museums & enjoying lackadaisical cyclo rides.

Friends & family: More pictures of my life in Cambodia. Can't believe I've passed the 5 month marker already. Miss home dearly. Love you all. Pictures: A trip to a nearby waterfall with the neighborhood kids, all karaoke stars. My uncle climbing a palm tree to retrieve sweet palm juice. A traveling pharmaceutical elephant (delivers/sells medicine) in Kampot. My sister and I on a daily evening excursion of skipping stones in the backyard canal. Me in a hammock during training days. My backyard view, Thanal Bong Bek Village. My breath-taking guide up the mountain in Kiri Vong, Takeo & new friend.

Dear all that seem to frequent my blog more than I. . .I am sorry for the inconsistancies when it comes to updating and will try to do better from now on. . .I have decided that the blog is a great means to share photos with everyone and next time I am in Phnom Penh (one month) I will try my hardest to upload more pics. . .

Until then, thank you for your friendly emails and I would like to leave you with my Official Peace Corps disclaimer. . .sorry for the lack of time.

Cheers from the Bode,

Patty

FYI "The contents of this web site are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the Government or the Peace Corps."

it's been too long & I appologize for the few who may frequent this blog now and then wondering what their dear old friend has been doing in cambodia. . . things move both quickly & slow here and I catch myself wondering whether time is flying by or just inching along. . .my friend, Autumn, informed me today that there are 772 days left until our service ends. . .I can't help but think that 2 years from now it'll have seemed like only a fraction of my life, but I have to admit as of now I've got sweaty palms and cold feet when it comes to facing the unknown. . .

Now for the pictures. . .My house is on stilts & my bedroom is through that far left window. . .the boy with 1/2 a black face's family works 15 hours a day making fried banana chips to make enough to put their children through school. . .the alligators are from an alligator farm a few of us visited in Kampong Thom one weekend, mind you there was a chain-linked fence protecting us. . .

For the next 2 months my home is in a village called Prey Chor where I have acquired a new mother, father and 2 little sisters. . .things are definately tough, I'm still adjusting to the squatty potties and livestock that just roam the streets, but my family is so kind and has taken a large leap bringing a foreigner ("barang") into their home. . .February is part of the dry season, which means it is hot, but does not rain. . .our backyard is full of thirsty rice patties waiting the wet season, which (from what I'm told) starts in April. . . no one here expects me to speak Khmer, so when I say hello in Khmer they thank me and laugh. ..laughter is actually what I hear most . . .most have never seen a tall (yes, here I am tall) blond & green-eyed girl before. . .kids, especially, are enthralled. I am currently @ an internet cafe where my time is quickly ticking. . .with $1/hour, things like internet are expensive here, especially if I only make $3/day. In front of me is a monk speaking on scipe.. .I want to tell him that his beautiful sing/chants wake me up in the morning, but I don't know how to say that in Khmer. . .

Dear friends & family,

I hope that this blog gives you all a peak into my life in Cambodia. For the next 2 years I will be working with the Peace Corps to teach English, build educational curriculums & do whatever needs to be done to help this developing country become more self-sufficient. The Peace Corps motto is said to be, "the toughest job you'll ever love" & as I embark on this new adventure I am already facing the toughness of saying goodbye to IU friends, the Dub Club, my family, my parents and brother & my best friend. I pray that this blog becomes both an outlet for me to share my experiences, as much as it becomes a means for you to remain in touch.

"I ask that we love one another. And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love." 2 John 6

Patty Hake

January 2, 2007