Difficulty conceiving? Thinking of having your own children but worried about the commitment and loss of your independence? Concerned about overpopulation? We have the answer.
Two loving but frazzled parents seek like-minded couple to share the raising of their wonderful but demanding children. The older child, Elena, is a bright and fiesty two-year-old who loves her little brother, bathtub fingerpaints, stickers, and smelling things around the house. The younger child, Ben, is a generally happy eight-month-old who enjoys sucking on anything within arms' reach and has remarkably flexible and expressive tongue. Children are available two weekends and ten weekdays a month, holidays to be negotiated. Prospective co-parents must be well-educated, progressive, and with a commitment to hands-on parenting. NPR addiction a plus. Send statement of interest and audiotape of reading "Brown Bear, Brown Bear What do you See?" ten times (yes, ten times in a row--no cheating please) to Jennifer Spande, 100 When Do I Get My Life Back Lane, No Playground Here, Cambodia 99999. Only finalists will be contacted.
"Growing, bearing, mothering or fathering, supporting, and at last letting go of an infant is a powerful and mundane creative act that rapturously sucks up whole chunks of life." --From Louise Erdrich's The Blue Jay's Dance
Sunday, October 23, 2005
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Ben update
Ben has been changing a ton recently, at least that's how it feels to us. I think it comes with the age. Jen came home from her three days in Manila and said it seemed like he had aged three months, not three days. That certainly happens these days.
His newest trick is sitting up without help. He's done it for a while now, but he just loves to sit now, and he can sit and play for half an hour without help. The only time he needs to fall over is when he wants to move. So he'll sit and play, then fall over on purpose and roll over to the toy he wants. Unfortunately he can't get back up, but that doesn't bother him too much.
He's also eating lots of new foods. His newest attempts have been mango (loved it), peas (loved them), and bananas (hated at first, now loves them). Today with the bananas, I was holding him while I peeled one, intending to mush it in a bowl. He grabbed it, and stuck it in his mouth. He them proceeded to gnaw off about half of it with his gums before giving up. I was mightily impressed. He then ate two more full bananas. Oh, I should note that these are the "baby size" tropical bananas, not the big ones we get in the States. He ate something less than a normal US sized banana. He's big, but not that big.
He is also talking a ton. He and Ellie will have conversations sometimes, with Ellie imitating his sounds and having a great time. The only real meaningful "word" so far seems to be "mamamamamamama" which means something like "Hey! I'm hungry! Feed me more!".
Finally, he is starting to show some interest in crawling. After months of wanting nothing more than to roll onto his back as soon as he is on his tummy, he now spends more or less equal time on his back and his tummy. When on his tummy, he usually will push himself up on his arms, and make motions like he is trying to crawl. No movement forward or backward yet, but it is bound to happen sometime soon.
Well, that's about all for now. He is awake from his nap, and is not content to just lie on the ground with the dragon and mirror toys.
His newest trick is sitting up without help. He's done it for a while now, but he just loves to sit now, and he can sit and play for half an hour without help. The only time he needs to fall over is when he wants to move. So he'll sit and play, then fall over on purpose and roll over to the toy he wants. Unfortunately he can't get back up, but that doesn't bother him too much.
He's also eating lots of new foods. His newest attempts have been mango (loved it), peas (loved them), and bananas (hated at first, now loves them). Today with the bananas, I was holding him while I peeled one, intending to mush it in a bowl. He grabbed it, and stuck it in his mouth. He them proceeded to gnaw off about half of it with his gums before giving up. I was mightily impressed. He then ate two more full bananas. Oh, I should note that these are the "baby size" tropical bananas, not the big ones we get in the States. He ate something less than a normal US sized banana. He's big, but not that big.
He is also talking a ton. He and Ellie will have conversations sometimes, with Ellie imitating his sounds and having a great time. The only real meaningful "word" so far seems to be "mamamamamamama" which means something like "Hey! I'm hungry! Feed me more!".
Finally, he is starting to show some interest in crawling. After months of wanting nothing more than to roll onto his back as soon as he is on his tummy, he now spends more or less equal time on his back and his tummy. When on his tummy, he usually will push himself up on his arms, and make motions like he is trying to crawl. No movement forward or backward yet, but it is bound to happen sometime soon.
Well, that's about all for now. He is awake from his nap, and is not content to just lie on the ground with the dragon and mirror toys.
Work Gets Interesting...
Cambodian domestic politics have heated up considerably in the last week, but recent events are getting surprisingly little attention in the international media. Here's what Human Rights Watch had to say:
Many of Cambodia's leading human rights advocates, trade union activists, and opposition party members have now fled the country or gone into hiding.
“This is the most severe assault on dissent in Cambodia since the aftermath of Hun Sen's coup in 1997,” said Brad Adams, Asia director of Human Rights Watch. “International donors and embassies must make it clear to Hun Sen that they will not tolerate the reversal of the important strides made in basic human rights during the last decade.”
The crackdown started with Hun Sen's visit on October 10-12 to Vietnam, where he signed a controversial border treaty. On October 10, dozens of armed police officers surrounded the Phnom Penh home of Mom Sonando, director of Beehive Radio FM 105. He was arrested the next morning on charges of defamation after having aired an interview with a Cambodian activist in France who is highly critical of the border treaty.
Upon return to Cambodia, Hun Sen announced that he would prosecute anyone who alleged that he, or the Cambodian government, had “sold land” to Vietnam. Such statements are an “act of treason,” he said.
In a meeting with international investors on October 14, Hun Sen announced that legal action was being taken against four members of the Cambodia Watchdog Council, a nongovernmental organization that had issued a statement on October 11 criticizing the border agreement.
On October 15, police arrested Cambodia Watchdog Council member Rong Chhun, who is also president of the Cambodian Independent Teachers Association, as he was attempting to cross the border to Thailand to seek asylum. No arrest warrant was produced, but he was charged with defamation and incitement under articles 60 and 63 of the Cambodian penal code, which carry prison terms of five years for incitement and one year for defamation and a fine up to $2,500. Charges have also been brought against other members of the Cambodia Watchdog Council, including Chea Mony, President of the Free Trade Union Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia; Ea Channa, representative of the Student's Movement for Democracy; and Men Nath, president of the Civil Servants Association.
“Legal action should not be used as a tool of repression to silence the political opposition and government critics in Cambodia,” said Adams. “Hun Sen needs to accept that in a democracy leaders will be criticized when they make controversial decisions.”
In a speech broadcast on Cambodian television on October 17, Hun Sen threatened to abolish the monarchy and sack military chief Ke Kim Yan and other officials if they did not abide by his orders. He warned international organizations and foreign governments not to interfere. He called on the Thai government to extradite Cambodians suspected of fleeing to Bangkok over the weekend to seek asylum. (See appendix below).
The Cambodian government is now pressuring the Thai government to return individuals who have fled to Thailand for sanctuary. Returning persons to a place where they face persecution would violate the strict international legal prohibition against non-refoulement.
“The Thai government should not even discuss the return of individuals who are facing persecution for the peaceful expression of their political beliefs,” said Adams. “To do so would make Thailand complicit in this assault on free expression.”
Certainly makes for an interesting week at work!
Cambodia: Prime Minister Moves to Crush Dissent
Activists Flee in Wake of Arrests, New Assault on Freedom of Speech
(New York, October 18, 2005)—The government of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen should release recently arrested critics of the government, withdraw all arrest warrants against activists, and end the climate of fear that he has created in recent days, Human Rights Watch said today.
In response to criticism over a new border pact with Vietnam, Hun Sen has launched a sharp and sudden crackdown on dissent. Authorities have arrested the president of an independent teachers association and the director of Cambodia's only independent national radio station, and they have ordered the arrests of other civil society leaders.Many of Cambodia's leading human rights advocates, trade union activists, and opposition party members have now fled the country or gone into hiding.
“This is the most severe assault on dissent in Cambodia since the aftermath of Hun Sen's coup in 1997,” said Brad Adams, Asia director of Human Rights Watch. “International donors and embassies must make it clear to Hun Sen that they will not tolerate the reversal of the important strides made in basic human rights during the last decade.”
The crackdown started with Hun Sen's visit on October 10-12 to Vietnam, where he signed a controversial border treaty. On October 10, dozens of armed police officers surrounded the Phnom Penh home of Mom Sonando, director of Beehive Radio FM 105. He was arrested the next morning on charges of defamation after having aired an interview with a Cambodian activist in France who is highly critical of the border treaty.
Upon return to Cambodia, Hun Sen announced that he would prosecute anyone who alleged that he, or the Cambodian government, had “sold land” to Vietnam. Such statements are an “act of treason,” he said.
In a meeting with international investors on October 14, Hun Sen announced that legal action was being taken against four members of the Cambodia Watchdog Council, a nongovernmental organization that had issued a statement on October 11 criticizing the border agreement.
On October 15, police arrested Cambodia Watchdog Council member Rong Chhun, who is also president of the Cambodian Independent Teachers Association, as he was attempting to cross the border to Thailand to seek asylum. No arrest warrant was produced, but he was charged with defamation and incitement under articles 60 and 63 of the Cambodian penal code, which carry prison terms of five years for incitement and one year for defamation and a fine up to $2,500. Charges have also been brought against other members of the Cambodia Watchdog Council, including Chea Mony, President of the Free Trade Union Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia; Ea Channa, representative of the Student's Movement for Democracy; and Men Nath, president of the Civil Servants Association.
“Legal action should not be used as a tool of repression to silence the political opposition and government critics in Cambodia,” said Adams. “Hun Sen needs to accept that in a democracy leaders will be criticized when they make controversial decisions.”
In a speech broadcast on Cambodian television on October 17, Hun Sen threatened to abolish the monarchy and sack military chief Ke Kim Yan and other officials if they did not abide by his orders. He warned international organizations and foreign governments not to interfere. He called on the Thai government to extradite Cambodians suspected of fleeing to Bangkok over the weekend to seek asylum. (See appendix below).
The Cambodian government is now pressuring the Thai government to return individuals who have fled to Thailand for sanctuary. Returning persons to a place where they face persecution would violate the strict international legal prohibition against non-refoulement.
“The Thai government should not even discuss the return of individuals who are facing persecution for the peaceful expression of their political beliefs,” said Adams. “To do so would make Thailand complicit in this assault on free expression.”
Certainly makes for an interesting week at work!
Monday, October 10, 2005
Cambodia's Newest Two-Year-Old
Happy Birthday, Ellie!Today is Ellie's birthday, but that lucky girl has already had two birthday parties. Saturday we had a joint party with Charlie, a friend of Ellie's who turned two on Saturday. Charlie's parents, Tom and Laura, hosted, which made it the easiest birthday party we've ever thrown. We brought coffee mugs, fruit, and a cake to their house and they did the rest. Actually, there wasn't a whole lot more to do. It was basically a big playdate with "Happy Birthday" and cake at the end. They even agreed with us to make it a "no gifts" event. We were very happy to keep things low-key and simple.
Everything went well. It turned out to be bigger than we had hoped, but that's because Tom and Laura have been here longer and have more people they feel like they should invite. We ended up meeting some neat new parents, and Ellie and Charlie had a blast.
Dads and squirmy birthday kids(Tom, Charlie, Ellie, and Nathan)
Casual birthday party for parents and kidsToday we had Ellie's family birthday party. She opened gifts, we sang "Happy Birthday" (for about the 10th time since Saturday. She's really milking this for all it's worth!), and ate cupcakes. She even blew out the candles by herself!
Ellie was supposed to be helping put sprinkles on her cupcakes, but she thought it was more fun to eat them.
Yum! Cake!
In case anyone wondered if a "no-gifts" birthday party and encouragement to to send fewer gifts translated into deprivation, let this photo be proof to the contrary!Thanks to everyone for the gifts they sent. Now she has some neat new clothes, handmade purse and slippers, lots of new books and stickers, bath toys, two music CD, a music/video/game CD, and several cassettes of family members reading and singing to her, and other fun new toys. She'll be occupied for days just trying this stuff out! (And we'll get real thank yous to you later, as she has time to check out all these cool gifts!)
Finger Foods for Ben
Encouraged by some dinner guests who were giving their 10 month old tons of finger food--including grilled cheese sandwiches--to eat, we decided to let Ben have his first go at finger foods. White rice was perfect: bland, sticky, and so cheap it didn't matter that more was on him than in him. And it kept him happy for a few minutes while we ate dinner, which is always a bonus.
Ellie's First Day of Preschool
Monday, in addition to being her birthday, was Ellie's first day of preschool. If starting pre-school at 2 seems a bit young, we agree. We thought it was really wierd when we arrived in Phnom Penh that everyone kept asking us if we were going to put Ellie in preschool. But we quickly learned that there are several high-quality, cheap, international preschools here. More importantly, since there are no parks or libraries, having your child go to preschool buys them access to playground equipment and a natural place to meet other kids.
We had three preschool options: Tchou Tchou, the French preschool; ICAN, a British-style preschool; and Garden & Gecko, a montessori preschool. We didn't really see the point of exposing Ellie to French when she's already exposed to Khmer and we have no plans to serve in a French-speaking country, so we ruled that out quickly. I toured the ICAN facility and it seemed impressive, but we heard from other parents that "British-style" means a heavy emphasis on academics from a very young age--not something we thought was appropriate for little kids. Ed toured Garden & Gecko. He liked the director, and during circle time--the closest thing they have to formal instruction--the 3 year olds were learning to do the hokey pokey. That seemed about the right level of formal instruction to us, so when a new class for 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 year olds opened up, we signed Ellie up the first day. She'll be going a total of 9 hours a week--3 hours/morning, 3 days/week.
Ellie did great on her first day! Nathan and I both went to drop her off and we were prepared to stay for an hour or so until she settled in and felt comfortable. We ended up leaving after ten minutes. No tears, no anxieties. She started playing with puzzles right away and seemed to like her teacher. In fact, I think saying goodbye was harder on her dad than on her.
Saturday, October 08, 2005
That's Major Spande to you
Today was a big day, at least by our standards. As most of you know, Ellie turns 2 on Monday. She has a number of friends from playgroup who are also turning two this week, and one of them, Charlie, is two today. His mom and I had decided to have a joint birthday party for the kids, and since Saturday is a better day than Monday, we had it today. It was basically a biggish play date with two birthday cakes (so each kid could blow out candles). It went well, and Ellie has been singing the Happy Birthday song all day. That was nice, and it was at Charlie's house, so that was even better (less cleanup on our part).
Tonight we had a dinner party at our place, five adults and 3 kids in addition to our family. It was a great success - good food, good conversation, and the kids all had a great time. Mostly new folks, and we all get along well. It is always good to know that the people who we'll be working and playing with for the next few years are good folks.
The best part of the day, however, came as we were just heading over to Charlie's house for the party. We had gotten everybody loaded in the car, and Jen noticed that she had just missed a call from the DCM (the number two guy at the Embassy). She's been working on this report on the AIDS situation here, and she thought there was some problem that needed urgent attention. So we pause in the driveway while she calls him back. All of a sudden Sinen runs to our car to tell us that there is an important phone call inside. I go in, and it is the Embassy calling to say that the DCM needs to talk to Jennifer. Uh oh. I tell them she is calling him back on his cell, and go back to the car. She has the biggest grin on her face as she is talking to him, and I quickly realize what the call is about. She got promoted! This was the first time she was eligible for promotion, and it is a very big deal that every time the Department has been able to do something good for her - tenure first, now promotion to FS-03 - it has done so.
For those of you who don't know the details of the Foreign Service rank system, an FS-03 is the equivalent of a GS-12 or GS-13, and is the same level as an Army Major. There is a modest salary increase that comes with this, but the big thing is that it means people are recognizing that she is doing a fantastic job. The DCM was very impressed that she got tenure and promotion the first time she was reviewed by the relevant commitees. I wasn't shocked, but it is still nice to know that people are paying attention.
Tonight we had a dinner party at our place, five adults and 3 kids in addition to our family. It was a great success - good food, good conversation, and the kids all had a great time. Mostly new folks, and we all get along well. It is always good to know that the people who we'll be working and playing with for the next few years are good folks.
The best part of the day, however, came as we were just heading over to Charlie's house for the party. We had gotten everybody loaded in the car, and Jen noticed that she had just missed a call from the DCM (the number two guy at the Embassy). She's been working on this report on the AIDS situation here, and she thought there was some problem that needed urgent attention. So we pause in the driveway while she calls him back. All of a sudden Sinen runs to our car to tell us that there is an important phone call inside. I go in, and it is the Embassy calling to say that the DCM needs to talk to Jennifer. Uh oh. I tell them she is calling him back on his cell, and go back to the car. She has the biggest grin on her face as she is talking to him, and I quickly realize what the call is about. She got promoted! This was the first time she was eligible for promotion, and it is a very big deal that every time the Department has been able to do something good for her - tenure first, now promotion to FS-03 - it has done so.
For those of you who don't know the details of the Foreign Service rank system, an FS-03 is the equivalent of a GS-12 or GS-13, and is the same level as an Army Major. There is a modest salary increase that comes with this, but the big thing is that it means people are recognizing that she is doing a fantastic job. The DCM was very impressed that she got tenure and promotion the first time she was reviewed by the relevant commitees. I wasn't shocked, but it is still nice to know that people are paying attention.
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
Our Seventh Anniversary
We just got back from a lovely weekend celebrating our seventh anniversary at the beach in Sihanoukville. Yes, we're a few weeks late in celebrating, but Oct. 3 and 4 are Cambodian holidays, so we thought we'd wait and take advantage of the long weekend. Here are some photos from the trip:
Thursday, September 29, 2005
Job possibility
Jen is really jealous of how I find jobs. A few months before graduation, the technical VP at Epic called up Max, one of my professors, and asked if any of the people on the college ACM programming team were interested in a job. I was, and shortly after that, I was hired. After Epic, I just contacted the Fool because it looked like such a cool place to work, and after a day of interviews there, I was hired. It was the only place I interviewed, or really even seriously applied. After the Fool, I managed to work my way into the job at the Embassy in Mexico, I'm still not sure quite how it happened. One day there was no funding, then a call came to say there was funding and a job if I wanted it. These jobs just happen, and I'm never sure quite how.
It is looking like the same thing is happening yet again. A few weeks ago we had dinner with a British couple that has been here for 10 years or so. They know everybody. She does education work, he does a bunch of things in the NGO world, mainly helping start lefty nonprofit businesses. One of the guys he knows here runs a business called Yejj. They do IT consulting, support, etc, and use the profits to help train disadvantaged Cambodian people. They teach, among other things, workplace skills, IT basics, and English. It looks like a fantastic company, and the director has indicated to me that he thinks I could certainly get a job with them. We just need to sort out the details - how many hours, how much pay, specific responsibilities. So it certainly isn't a sure thing, but it is looking very promising. And I think that I'm ready to get some part-time work. We've got Ellie signed up for 3 mornings a week at a preschool starting on her birthday, and that will give me the time to do something like this, I expect. We'll have to see. In any event, it is nice to pursue to know that my options aren't limited to staying at home. If I decide to stay at home full time still, it will be truly that - my decision.
It is looking like the same thing is happening yet again. A few weeks ago we had dinner with a British couple that has been here for 10 years or so. They know everybody. She does education work, he does a bunch of things in the NGO world, mainly helping start lefty nonprofit businesses. One of the guys he knows here runs a business called Yejj. They do IT consulting, support, etc, and use the profits to help train disadvantaged Cambodian people. They teach, among other things, workplace skills, IT basics, and English. It looks like a fantastic company, and the director has indicated to me that he thinks I could certainly get a job with them. We just need to sort out the details - how many hours, how much pay, specific responsibilities. So it certainly isn't a sure thing, but it is looking very promising. And I think that I'm ready to get some part-time work. We've got Ellie signed up for 3 mornings a week at a preschool starting on her birthday, and that will give me the time to do something like this, I expect. We'll have to see. In any event, it is nice to pursue to know that my options aren't limited to staying at home. If I decide to stay at home full time still, it will be truly that - my decision.
Julia and others
Ellie loves everything and everybody these days. She literally doesn't know the word hate. She has also been missing Julia. We asked her who she wanted to invite to her birthday party, and without even thinking she said "Julia!". That was followed a few hours later by this:
Ellie: Ellie loves Julia.
Daddy: That's really nice. Julia loves you, too.
Ellie: Ellie loves Melissa.
Daddy: And Aunt Melissa loves you also.
Ellie: Ellie loves Uncle Pete, too.
Daddy: And Uncle Pete loves you.
Ellie: Ellie loves cucumbers.
Daddy: Um... great!
Ellie: Ellie loves Julia.
Daddy: That's really nice. Julia loves you, too.
Ellie: Ellie loves Melissa.
Daddy: And Aunt Melissa loves you also.
Ellie: Ellie loves Uncle Pete, too.
Daddy: And Uncle Pete loves you.
Ellie: Ellie loves cucumbers.
Daddy: Um... great!
Thursday, September 22, 2005
Another exciting croup experience
Ellie and I have been sick for the past few days. At first it was just a cold with a mid-grade fever. Nothing to worry about, we figured. I took her in to the SOS Internatinal clinic here, and the doctor gave her Robitussin and said to keep her comfy with that and ibuprofin. Then yesterday afternoon, about 6 hours later, I hear her cough, and it sounds like a seal. Uh oh. But she changes position (she's sleeping on the sofa at this point) and the cough gets more normal. Ok, perhaps just a false alarm.
Well, needless to say, about 9pm the seals are back, this time with stridor, the wheezy breathing that comes with croup. Jen and I are both remembering January, when we had to take her into the ER in DC because she was having so much difficulty breathing. She's not that bad yet, but we aren't in DC, so we are getting nervous. We call the SOS clinic, and the on-call doctor says to just bring her in so he can examine her and give her the steroids if necessary. We start to rush around, call a good friend to come and just make sure Ben is fine, and when he arrives we zip out to SOS, at around 10pm. The doctor does a lengthy exam, listening to everything, and then they pull out the nebulizer. Ellie screams and fights, but they take a break in the middle to give her steroids, and the second time on the nebulizer she's much calmer, and she even falls asleep at the end.
After we come home, she has a few more awakenings, but she sounds much better, and this morning she woke with no fever. She's been gradually getting better all day. You'd think that was good, but I've been keeping pace with her, only in the opposite direction. I've been spacy and feverish all last night and all day today. I don't quite know what we'll do if she's running around full bore tomorrow, and I'm still like this. We also appear to have infected Sinen, so we are working with just Somany, who has her hands full with Ben. I've been on Ellie duty in order to limit the infection as much as possible. Ah well, we'll see how it goes tomorrow.
The good news is that the SOS took our call very seriously, and is more than capable of handling croup or similar problems. They have a whole mini-ER set up, and there is always somebody on call. That makes us feel a whole lot better about being here.
Well, needless to say, about 9pm the seals are back, this time with stridor, the wheezy breathing that comes with croup. Jen and I are both remembering January, when we had to take her into the ER in DC because she was having so much difficulty breathing. She's not that bad yet, but we aren't in DC, so we are getting nervous. We call the SOS clinic, and the on-call doctor says to just bring her in so he can examine her and give her the steroids if necessary. We start to rush around, call a good friend to come and just make sure Ben is fine, and when he arrives we zip out to SOS, at around 10pm. The doctor does a lengthy exam, listening to everything, and then they pull out the nebulizer. Ellie screams and fights, but they take a break in the middle to give her steroids, and the second time on the nebulizer she's much calmer, and she even falls asleep at the end.
After we come home, she has a few more awakenings, but she sounds much better, and this morning she woke with no fever. She's been gradually getting better all day. You'd think that was good, but I've been keeping pace with her, only in the opposite direction. I've been spacy and feverish all last night and all day today. I don't quite know what we'll do if she's running around full bore tomorrow, and I'm still like this. We also appear to have infected Sinen, so we are working with just Somany, who has her hands full with Ben. I've been on Ellie duty in order to limit the infection as much as possible. Ah well, we'll see how it goes tomorrow.
The good news is that the SOS took our call very seriously, and is more than capable of handling croup or similar problems. They have a whole mini-ER set up, and there is always somebody on call. That makes us feel a whole lot better about being here.
Monday, September 19, 2005
Em and Aaron come for a visit
Em and Aaron became our first visitors this weekend. We had a lovely and relaxed time shopping at the Russian Market, going to Tuol Sleng, taking the Phnom Penh reality tour (which is what we call Jen getting lost on the way to the Killing Fields), having terrific massages, shopping for silk, eating at an open air bar overlooking the Mekong, and taking Aaron to the SOS Clinic. (OK, that last part wasn't so much fun, but he should be on the mend now!)
The bottom photo is us in front of the Independence Monument, one of the major landmarks in town.
Monday, September 12, 2005
Ellie feeds Ben
Here's Ellie feeding Ben a bottle. She really loves to be involved with him. She's also helped us to feed him solids by sitting on our lap and holding his bowl of food, or putting some rice cereal on his spoon. And she is surprisingly patient with him. Every other word out of her mouth is "No, Ben!" but she rarely hits or pushes him--even when he grabs her hair or her toys.
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
Friday, September 02, 2005
Khmer Proverb for the Day
The Governor of Sihanoukville shared this with me on Thursday:
"If you're afraid of your teacher, you won't have knowledge. If you're afraid of your wife, you won't have children."
"If you're afraid of your teacher, you won't have knowledge. If you're afraid of your wife, you won't have children."
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