Will be out of touch for 4 days!

This message is for my non FB family and friends:
We're headed to Bali tomorrow a.m. (Dec. 27) and will have no internet service where we're staying. So we'll be out of touch 4 days; coming back to Jakarta Dec. 31. Will blog update and pics when we get back.
We hope everyone is having a fantastic holiday season!!

Hotmail not working - send to another acct.

This message is to those of our family who aren't on FB:
Our hotmail is not working. We can get into our inbox, but once we're in there we can't open any messages! So for now you can send e-mails through our gmail account if you want (at least until we figure out what's going on), since you can't send messages via FB. It's jonesincambodia@gmail.com

Unique Christmas Eve

This is our Christmas Eve. There are 2 blogs below this one that has other pics of our trip to and in Jakarta. So make sure and look at the older blog postings too. :)
We had a unique Christmas Eve. We went to dinner to a Korean family's home here in Jakarta. Their daughter, 18, is studying Hotel Management and wanted to practice cooking. She cooked an excellent meal for us- steak from Australia, yummy mashed potatoes and a salad. We had a little bit of Korean Plum Wine to go with the steak. Oh and also Lasagna. Wow what a chef she is! Then after the meal we sat down to enjoy some music on their surround sound system. They showed a DVD of this singing group - Il Divo. wow! Amazing voices. I think they are Italian, at least most of the guys looked Italian and they sang in Italian and the name... We took pictures of it on their t.v. I know...tacky, but hey this group was singing live in the Roman Colloseum and I knew this was the only way I'd get to see it! What gorgeous architecture! Thought I'd post it :) What a unique Christmas eve we had.

At the the Mall

We went to the mall today. Looked around for clothes for me - too expensive! I couldn't bring myself to pay those prices, too used to cheap clothes in markets in Cambodia. :) Had fun with Tim though. I'll either go to a market in Jakarta or get some in Bali.

Below are some pics of Rujak. I used to eat this from a street vendor when I was growing up in Jakarta. I couldn't believe I found it in the food court in the mall! Still tastes good. It's made with ripe and unripe fruit and vegys, cut up with a special sauce - brown sugar,something else and peanuts. Sooo yummy!

Here I am pointing to the Rujak stand in the mall. So excited to see it and had to make Tim try it too. He said it was edible, but he wasn't too impressed - he he he

Here she is below pounding the brown sugar, peanuts and whatever for the sauce.

And below is close up of the delicious dish!!

Here I am eating it...

Here below is a store in the mall...Tim had to take a pic of it and wanted me to stand in front of it -lol. don't worry, it has jewelry, etc. Kind of like Claire's Boutique or Icing, in the States.

The pics below are all of the carnival they had right there in the mall! Roller coaster and everything!

Some muslim women still wear the head covering

The roller coaster is over by the food court

See Tim waving at me

The following are pics in the food court:

McDonalds

Baskin Robbins

Smelly Durian fruit!

Look at the glass coke bottle!

Pretty Christmas decorations hanging down

Journey to Jakarta

Our Christmas break begin Thursday morning. We flew to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and then caught a flight to Jakarta. The flights were only about 2 hrs. We made it to Jakarta, Indonesia Thursday afternoon.

Here's some pics of us during the journey:

Our first McDonald's meal after 5 months. This is in the Kuala Lumpur airport.

Going through immigration at Kuala Lumpur airport. If you look closely, I'm in the light coral,pink shirt carrying a backpack in front of the tall column. :) LOL

More pics to come!

Part of our Christmas season - MS/HS (and staff) concert!

Here's some pics of the Christmas Concert. Below is the High School Choir. What beautiful voices! They did an awesome job! This also added to the Christmas spirit and is helping it "feel" more like Christmas. :)


Below is our Middle School band.

Some of the staff got to be a part of the concert. They sang 2 songs. Notice which of the Joneses is up there? LOL They sure knew which one of us NOT to pick to sing!!! he he he

Here's a close up of Tim. :) Doesn't he look dapper? All his kids were like, "Wow! Mr. Jones you look so professional!" One of his students said, "Why don't you look like that when you teach?" Tim replied, "Because I teach you!" LOL ha ha ha

I even had one of my 3rd graders who was there say, "Mr. Jones looks so handsome." Cute huh?

I so rarely wear a dress or skirt here, because it makes it difficult to ride the moto. And I don't like sitting side saddle, doesn't feel safe! So, here's a pic of my outfit to the Concert. Notice I had to be Asian and wear pants under the dress! Hey, I think it's kind stylish! LOL! To top off the outfit I wore the ONLY dress shoes I brought - the ones from Jon's wedding! ha ha ha so funny.

Ponderings....and Pics

Cynth here....

As I sit here on the couch typing it's hard to believe it's Christmas time. Well, the weather the last two days has cooled off to 70s so that helps; I just felt a nice cool breeze through the window! And you see some Christmas decorations around town (but usually in the stores or restaurants that cater to Westerners). I didn't bring any decorations from home and since we are leaving for the Christmas holidays, I just didn't want to invest in any.

I've always felt this way, but this year while spending Christmas in a 3rd world country it is even more prounounced - just spending time with family is more important than the gifts, etc.

Here Christmas is definitely less busy, you don't have the shops all decorated and advertising that one gift you absolutely have to have. You don't see the materialism that you see in the States. It's easier to be still here..."be still and know that I am God." Here, without the busyness of Christmas shopping, baking, etc you can sit and relax and ponder the real reason for the season.

But then again, I do miss looking for that perfect gift for a loved one, thinking should I get this one or that one? Hmm, which color would they like best, etc. I had to order Christmas gifts for my kids and grandkids online this year and I didn't get to watch them open them - that's the best part! I didn't get to put up all my decorations - all the crafts I've kept over the years that the boys did when they were young. They are all packed away sitting in someone else's shed or basement! This is the first year I haven't been around family for Thanksgiving or Christmas and it's very hard!!

There are some unique things I've done and will get to do this year that I've never done before. Like to go to fancy hotel. Last weekend I went out with some other ladies in the Bible Study group I attend. We went to a VERY fancy hotel (even in American standards). They had little boutiques, where we looked at $300 dresses and gasped! Where we bought small desserts, for $3.50 and then took them to the Elephant bar in the hotel and sat and visited. When we walked into the bar and lounge it was so strange to see all these white people around - and the only Cambodians around were the staff! It felt wierd and I felt out of place, like I didn't belong. I've always felt out of place in real fancy places :) but this was extra wierd because everywhere I've been in the last 5 months, I've been the one who stands out it a sea of brown faces. :)

When we first walked into the hotel lounge, I was stunned at the extravagance! And right outside on the streetes you have people who don't have anything to eat. The Christmas tree was tall and beautiful! It was brought from Austria! Here's a pic of it below. Notice my tropical sundress and flip flops! LOL Also they had poinsettias all over the hotel lounge - beautiful! They grow here up in the mountains where it's a little cooler. :)

Well, there's more to our Christmas season, it's not over yet! So there'll be more pics and more ponderings later....

By the way, our blog will be our Christmas letter this year. Everyone has our link or is on our FB so y'all can just come on here and stay updated on our Christmas wanderings!! Love to all our family and friends!!

Green & Red Day at Logos

Red & Green Day is part of our festive Christmas celebrations here at Logos International School. The following are a few pics of my 3rd graders:
This boy made this hat by himself. It's a white ski cap with decorated clothes pins - he's a reindeer. :)

Here we are acting silly...

and more "normal"...

Those are sheep hanging up - Bible craft

Here's Chenda, my TA, teaching Bible

Sat morn in Phnom Penh

Cynthia here....
Aaahhh....a beautiful Saturday morning here in the city! As we lay in bed trying to sleep in, the morning begins for us. We hear the megaphone speakers nearby blaring some Cambodian music and then people talking (into the microphones). It's hard to get the real picture here, but the sounds are so loud it's like they are yelling right into your windows! We have the windows and doors closed, the fans on, but it doesn't help. The din permeates into your house and into your senses. You either have to laugh and accept or go mad (crazy)! It's probably a wedding. Weddings, funerals, and birthdays are celebrated with gusto here, depending on much money you have of course. :)
They put up huge tents/canopies in the streets, blocking the streets of course, and have huge parties - all very noisy. Saturday seems to be the favorite day, but of course this can happen any day or hour. :)
Yummy...I just had a mango for snack. Ok, I feel better now :) I LOVE mangos. You can get them all year round here, but they are green until just recently. You can get ripe ones now. Cambodians love the green ones. I tried one, but it makes my lips burn, so....I wait til they get ripe. :)
Well, gotta get to work on my report cards, while my laundry is washing. After I get laundry out, off the bookstore I go! :)

Staff Christmas Party

Hey family, recognize this? The missionary family who hosted the staff Christmas party had this sitting on their table. :) I couldn't believe it! The same one I made 20 yrs ago and I still have it! Who would have thunk...t0 see this in Cambodia! This really made it feel a little more like Christmas and brought back many good memories of Christmases with my family. :)

White elephant gift exchange.

I love this pic - son of one of the teachers/missionaries

Notice the bare feet...

and here is why...shoes off at the door before entering...the way it is in Asia

Beautiful Christmas decor

The Christmas dinner - yummy yams and mashed potatoes included! The boxes on the left are KFC :)

Me and a friend - wife of one of the teachers