Listed below are many of the different things we encountered here in Cambodia. It was a great month of learning and growing and building relationships with each other as well as with our contacts. It was a challenging month and also a month in which God made himself known to our team and to me.
So without further ado…when in Cambodia:
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You may try new things like eating snail, chicken intestines, liver, craw dads, cow intestines, starfish and banana cakes…I didn’t like any of it.
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You may sweat every moment of every day
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If it downpours you might follow your teammates lead and have a water fight with the neighborhood kids in the rain
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A rat may run across you when you are sleeping…no big deal.
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You may have mouse attacks in the middle of the night…(don’t worry though, Chase has killed 3 of the possible 5 mice/rats)
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You may have to walk to a cafe to get internet (only a 15 minute walk and it was actually nice not having internet available at my fingertips)
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You might wear the same outfit three days in a row because your laundry isn’t dry due to downpours
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You get to ride in Tuk Tuks (best mode of transportation ever) and cram 6 or more people onto one. (they are probably only made to comfortably sit 4 people…but we make it work)
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You may get to ride on a motorbike with two other people
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You get to laugh with the people b/c you can’t understand each other so you awkwardly smile and just stare at each other.
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You may find a little slice of American in a Christian cafe that just opened (LoveSG – find them on Facebook and if you are ever in Takhmau, Cambodia I recommend making a stop at this cafe)
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You may get over 30 mosquito/ant/flea bites. (I got mostly mosquito bites but some teammates got the flea bites and ant bites)
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You may be forced to refrain from petting stray dogs because you have head of safety on your team…
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You may get to go to a Cambodian holiday dance party and a fight may break out. (They loved us white Americans and our dancing; oh and no one was injured in the fight)
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A mosquito bite or some other kind of bug bite may get infected and you may end up with a hole in your foot and it may take over 2 weeks to heal. (it’s not fun…it’s rather disgusting)
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You may get to ride 2+ hours on a motorbike (my hips didn’t handle it too well but it was still fun)
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You will probably get excited every time you see white people who can speak English and you will always point it out
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You may get to take a boat to a village where you will do ministry (Favorite part of ministry by far! The people there were awesome and so kind and the kids always had the biggest smiles and were so full of joy!)
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You may learn how to count to 30 in Khmer (pronounced Koo-my)
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Your small little house will become home in a matter of a few days/weeks.
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You will probably eat rice at least 2 times a day.
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You may get to play mud soccer with the kids in the neighborhood (I could only play twice because of my lovely infected bite on my foot)
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You may learn how to two-step for the first time in the church you are doing ministry for.
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You may take a shower with a cockroach or in Chase’s case you may get the privilege of showering with a mouse (he ended up killing it with a squeegee and a brick.)
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You may get to eat authentic Mexican food while being a tourist in Phnom Penh (Alma cafe…another recommended place to visit)
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You may get to cook an American meal of Macaroni and cheese, Bratwursts, and S’mores for your host. (It was delicious!)
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You may get to hand wash your laundry for the first time (and hope it doesn’t rain on the day you decide to do it.)
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You may frequent a certain restaurant and become a customer in which they already know what you want before you even sit down. You may also get to pray for the owner of that restaurant. (Galaxy cafe is the name and again, I recommend eating there)
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You may have the opportunity to visit the Killing Fields. This was a very “heavy” experience but it was also interesting to see what Cambodia has gone through in the past. It was heart-breaking and a terrible time for Cambodia. So if you are ever in Cambodia, I strongly recommend visiting these fields and learning more about Cambodia’s past and what they had to endure.
These are many of the great moments we had in Cambodia. I have loved it here and am sad to leave. In a few short weeks, Takhmau has become my home but now we are leaving and starting a new adventure in Chiang Mai, Thailand. I’m excited to see what God has planned for us in this next month.
Please continue to keep my team and my squad in your prayers. This next month is all squad month so all 42 of us will be staying in one place! It will be crazy but fun and probably challenging as well. So please just pray for patience, growth, and for God to show up in crazy ways! Thank you all for your continued support!
Love you all!
Andrea
