Update on a first few days in Cambodia
Feb 6th
I made it! After over 25 hrs in the air, I am finally in Cambodian soil. I’m also 12 hours ahead in time of everyone else back home. It’ll take some adjustment, but I think I’ll adjust.
The rest of my flight was pretty steady. I spent a lot of time reading. On my last flight, the 5 hr one from Seoul to Phnom Penh, I sat near a very talkative Cambodian man in his 40’s who has been a trucker in the US for 25 yrs. His name was Hi-Way! ;) seriously! He was a teenager during the reign of the Khmer Rouge, which means he survived unimaginable horrors… He said his family was split up during that time, but met up again when the Vietnamese came into Cambodia in 1979. They went to Thailand as refugees. Eventually, after about 5 years, he was sent off to the US for a new start in life. Surprisingly, most of his family seems to have survived all the hardships of the civil war. That encounter made me realize again how much people here have gone through. The people around my age wouldn’t have lived this, but older people would all have a story to tell. They’re all survivors, who lived against all odds.
This is really an amazing country. I’m looking forward to going out this afternoon and seeing some more of it. Right now I’m feeling a little shy to do that, and I’ll wait and go with my new roommate Amber this afternoon. I met her last night after giving Moo the big hug and love from everyone back home. Amber is the other girl who lives here. She’s 27 and has been here working at the church now for about a year.
I tried to sleep in this morning, but despite the fact that Amber actually sacrificed her bed for me to do just that (I don’t have a bed in my room yet), I woke up a little after 6 with no hope of sleeping more than that. Still need to adjust to the new time zone. I was also feeling rather homesick and needed some time with God. But now I’m trying to settle in and get my room prepared for the furniture I’ll get, probably this afternoon. I also discovered I have a little friend living in here with me. Ghekos here are bug eaters, so I’m glad to have one to protect me! It’ll be a good partnership.
The other thing my room comes with is a lovely view… of someone’s bedroom! The way this house was built, the floor I’m on is smaller, and the floor beneath has a bedroom with cathedral ceiling… and of course, my room has a window; it looks out over and into this Cambodian family’s bedroom! Can’t say I’ve ever encountered this predicament before… So I need to get curtains for privacy as well.
Today at 2pm I’m heading over to the church to find out what I’ll be doing while I’m here. Apparently it’s been carefully planned out. I’ve heard rumors however of teaching English and piano in the morning, and assisting Pr Mara in the afternoon. We’ll find out soon!
Feb 7
It feels like I’ve been here for a week, but really, this is my second day, and I’m still getting over the last little bits of jetlag… Yet I wonder what I can tell to best describe my Cambodian experience so far…
Maybe with yesterday afternoon’s adventure on Amber’s moto : I needed a mattress to sleep on, and there happens to be one just around the corner from out house. So finally, early afternoon, just before my meeting at the church, we headed out on her little moto to look for one. But then, I had to bring it back. So guess how that worked! The sales guy folded the mattress for us, and then we set it right in between us on the moto, and drove home. It is common here for people to carry way too much on a little moto. I haven’t seen this yet this week, but sometimes you can spot a family of 7 on a little scooter!
This morning, Moo and I went to Russian Market to buy sheets and towels and other essentials. Jenny, Moo’s Cambodian friend, was our guide, and she not only drove us there, but also bargained with the vendors and guided us along the crowded market isles. There's no Canadian comparison to the market here. I'll have to post some pictures when I get a chance, to really describe it properly!
She drove us back to the church, and as we were debating what to do for lunch, a couple girls in a tuktuk waiting there struck conversation with us. It was Sarah (who completely looks Cambodian but us actually Australian), and Leap, and Leak. Leap reminds me a lot of Lucivane…
In the end, we ended up joining their tuktuk party and headed out for a quick lunch and an afternoon at the pool! I’m suffering for Jesus ;) And I’m starting to get a tiny bit of a tan!
Tonight, we went to the Youth Outreach meeting at the church. They had worship, games, and a very short word. It’s an outreach meeting, and a lot of young people that don’t yet know Jesus come out, so they keep the message very simple and evangelistic. I met a girl who has been coming to the church for over a year, but has only known the Lord for about 3 months.
Their evangelism method here is different from back home. Cambodians tend to include Buddhism, Animism and Spiritism mixed in with a good dose of superstitions. And if you give them Jesus, they'll just add Him to the pile unless they really understand. Usually the process of gaining that understanding is rather lengthy. So there's a lot of focus here on clearly explaining the Gospel and the Bible to people before ever inviting them to accept Jesus as their Lord. The good thing is that when they've got it, it's for good.
Part of my role here with be gospel exposure. All English teachers pick a class a week where they focus on the Bible and teaching a Bible story. I'll get that privilege too!
Oh, also, sidenote, it's funny how, when you travel, you'll see people you "know". And by that, I mean I've seen a Cambodian Lucivane,and a Cambodian Kevin Lippert... and that Aussie Sarah girl that took us to the pool, her name it Sarah Chia! Yes, I laughed alone at that one...
I made it! After over 25 hrs in the air, I am finally in Cambodian soil. I’m also 12 hours ahead in time of everyone else back home. It’ll take some adjustment, but I think I’ll adjust.
The rest of my flight was pretty steady. I spent a lot of time reading. On my last flight, the 5 hr one from Seoul to Phnom Penh, I sat near a very talkative Cambodian man in his 40’s who has been a trucker in the US for 25 yrs. His name was Hi-Way! ;) seriously! He was a teenager during the reign of the Khmer Rouge, which means he survived unimaginable horrors… He said his family was split up during that time, but met up again when the Vietnamese came into Cambodia in 1979. They went to Thailand as refugees. Eventually, after about 5 years, he was sent off to the US for a new start in life. Surprisingly, most of his family seems to have survived all the hardships of the civil war. That encounter made me realize again how much people here have gone through. The people around my age wouldn’t have lived this, but older people would all have a story to tell. They’re all survivors, who lived against all odds.
This is really an amazing country. I’m looking forward to going out this afternoon and seeing some more of it. Right now I’m feeling a little shy to do that, and I’ll wait and go with my new roommate Amber this afternoon. I met her last night after giving Moo the big hug and love from everyone back home. Amber is the other girl who lives here. She’s 27 and has been here working at the church now for about a year.
I tried to sleep in this morning, but despite the fact that Amber actually sacrificed her bed for me to do just that (I don’t have a bed in my room yet), I woke up a little after 6 with no hope of sleeping more than that. Still need to adjust to the new time zone. I was also feeling rather homesick and needed some time with God. But now I’m trying to settle in and get my room prepared for the furniture I’ll get, probably this afternoon. I also discovered I have a little friend living in here with me. Ghekos here are bug eaters, so I’m glad to have one to protect me! It’ll be a good partnership.
The other thing my room comes with is a lovely view… of someone’s bedroom! The way this house was built, the floor I’m on is smaller, and the floor beneath has a bedroom with cathedral ceiling… and of course, my room has a window; it looks out over and into this Cambodian family’s bedroom! Can’t say I’ve ever encountered this predicament before… So I need to get curtains for privacy as well.
Today at 2pm I’m heading over to the church to find out what I’ll be doing while I’m here. Apparently it’s been carefully planned out. I’ve heard rumors however of teaching English and piano in the morning, and assisting Pr Mara in the afternoon. We’ll find out soon!
Feb 7
It feels like I’ve been here for a week, but really, this is my second day, and I’m still getting over the last little bits of jetlag… Yet I wonder what I can tell to best describe my Cambodian experience so far…
Maybe with yesterday afternoon’s adventure on Amber’s moto : I needed a mattress to sleep on, and there happens to be one just around the corner from out house. So finally, early afternoon, just before my meeting at the church, we headed out on her little moto to look for one. But then, I had to bring it back. So guess how that worked! The sales guy folded the mattress for us, and then we set it right in between us on the moto, and drove home. It is common here for people to carry way too much on a little moto. I haven’t seen this yet this week, but sometimes you can spot a family of 7 on a little scooter!
This morning, Moo and I went to Russian Market to buy sheets and towels and other essentials. Jenny, Moo’s Cambodian friend, was our guide, and she not only drove us there, but also bargained with the vendors and guided us along the crowded market isles. There's no Canadian comparison to the market here. I'll have to post some pictures when I get a chance, to really describe it properly!
She drove us back to the church, and as we were debating what to do for lunch, a couple girls in a tuktuk waiting there struck conversation with us. It was Sarah (who completely looks Cambodian but us actually Australian), and Leap, and Leak. Leap reminds me a lot of Lucivane…
In the end, we ended up joining their tuktuk party and headed out for a quick lunch and an afternoon at the pool! I’m suffering for Jesus ;) And I’m starting to get a tiny bit of a tan!
Tonight, we went to the Youth Outreach meeting at the church. They had worship, games, and a very short word. It’s an outreach meeting, and a lot of young people that don’t yet know Jesus come out, so they keep the message very simple and evangelistic. I met a girl who has been coming to the church for over a year, but has only known the Lord for about 3 months.
Their evangelism method here is different from back home. Cambodians tend to include Buddhism, Animism and Spiritism mixed in with a good dose of superstitions. And if you give them Jesus, they'll just add Him to the pile unless they really understand. Usually the process of gaining that understanding is rather lengthy. So there's a lot of focus here on clearly explaining the Gospel and the Bible to people before ever inviting them to accept Jesus as their Lord. The good thing is that when they've got it, it's for good.
Part of my role here with be gospel exposure. All English teachers pick a class a week where they focus on the Bible and teaching a Bible story. I'll get that privilege too!
Oh, also, sidenote, it's funny how, when you travel, you'll see people you "know". And by that, I mean I've seen a Cambodian Lucivane,and a Cambodian Kevin Lippert... and that Aussie Sarah girl that took us to the pool, her name it Sarah Chia! Yes, I laughed alone at that one...
posted by Noemie at 7:11 PM
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