A Cambodian Christmas for the newly Engaged

Chris' older brother Paul, and his fiance Brooke came to town last month.  These two wonderful people got engaged last August and both made the awesome decision (we think so) to come and spend their first Christmas together with us in Cambodia.  We were elated to find out that they would be arriving on December 23rd and not leaving until the first week of January.

Christmas is different in Cambodia, the list can go on but I think we have done that before, so we will just skip to why it was so wonderful this year...

1.) Being with family

Spending time with your family is what we all cherish about the holidays and this year was special for us because we had the unique opportunity to meet our new soon-to-be sister-in-law, Brooke, in Cambodia.  We got to learn about one another's childhood, their traditions, the stories of theirs days in high school and college, and their first jobs after grad school.  We are very thankful for the vast amount of time we got to spend with Brooke and being able to know her so well so early on.

2.) Sharing a meal together

We had our Christmas meal on Christmas Eve this year.  While Chris took Paul and Brooke out to the two genocide museums in the city (I know, fun on Christmas Eve, right?) I stayed home and got our final preparations done for our meal.  Once everyone got home we all finished cooking together, and sat to enjoy our meal together.  We swapped funny travel stories, as they as well love to go see the world (hence coming to Cambodia) and have been a major role in our lives in encouraging us to go and learn and explore.

3.) Being a part of new traditions

Christmas as good as it is, always feels a little off.  This year Paul got a Cambodian Krama, a traditional Khmer clothe that for men is worn as a "skirt" and for women as a head wrap.  However, everyone can use them as a dust face mask, head cover, and shawl.  We knew Paul needed one.  We woke up on Christmas morning and opened gifts with one another and then spent some time Skyping with both Leanne's and Chris' families back in the States. After we were all finished with gifts, eating chocolate and left over pumpkin cheesecake for breakfast (some traditions will never change) we packed our bags, and headed to Laos via Siem Reap.

For the next week of our Christmas break we were in Laos with Paul and Brooke and got to travel with them for the first time.  As odd as it sounds this was the first time for Chris and Paul to be on a plane together, despite the millions of miles they have traveled individually.  Again, it was a rich time of learning about one another, reconnecting, and enjoying each other's company. 

After Laos we headed back to Cambodia for 3 days and we had the chance to show them Logos and 2Five2, and how we spend our days in Phnom Penh.  Some days were coffee shops, and some days were walking through the fish market in Prek Pneu and trying only God knows what "fish patty."  It was great for them to have a first hand experience in learning about what makes our heart beat out here. 

(Chris and I outside our building in Prek Pneu.)

On Friday we said good-bye, exchanged hugs and farewells and sent them off to America.  At 18 months, we have become pros at the airport good-bye but it doesn't make it any easier.  The only saving grace this time was that we will see them this summer in 5 short months.