Once again, I have wrapped up a month in one country and have moved on to the next. Here is my last blog dedicated to my time in Cambodia and some pictures that will give you a little glimpse into my life there.
We interacted daily with children who have been affected by the poverty that has ravaged this nation. Similar to our ministry in Thailand, many of these children were in danger of being trafficked. Some had been abandoned. Some had disabilities that had been inflicted upon them to become better beggars such as being suffocated with a plastic bag to promote brain damage. Though the Khmer Rouge was over 30 years ago, these children are still feeling the effects of this horrendous genocide. We were able to learn more about this dark time of history when we visited the Choeung Ek Genocide Center – a killing field outside of Phnom Penh where thousands were slaughtered during the late 1970s. Though it was sobering to walk the grounds and see the remains of mass graves, it brings such hope to see how people have overcome.
The atmosphere of Bykota House was uplifting and spending time there was enjoyable. Every morning there looked essentially the same teaching preschool. In addition to teaching, we cooked and cleaned. We made Christmas presents, and our last day there we decorated the house for Christmas. My Pinterest-loving self was overjoyed at the amount of crafts we got to participate in making. We even got to throw a Monsters University-themed birthday party for the November and December birthdays of the home. For the last two weeks, I met with two of the preteen girls to do crafts, play keyboard, and just spend time with them. In addition, l got to lead worship at Tuesday night small group.
Since we were living with fellow Americans, we got to celebrate Thanksgiving in a big way. We had decorations of all sorts – table cloths, center pieces, even pumpkin scented candles. We had a large dinner which included mashed potatoes, stuffing, and pumpkin pie. We even had homemade cinnamon ice cream! After our big lunch, we watched the 2012 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. It was a fun day full of good food and friends.
Living with fellow Americans who have decided to call Cambodia home showed us how westerners can thrive in a developing nation. I will miss my friends I made there and am grateful for the time I had to learn about the Khmer people and their way of life.
My cooking contribution to our Thanksgiving Dinner – Pumpkin Pie and Apple Pie!
Part of our Thanksgiving spread
My preschool class
