Waking up and my stomach is cramping. Wanting to stay in bed just a few more minutes so I shut my eyes and try to ignore it. Nope. Hop out of bed and make my way downstairs. In the bathroom I can hear someone in the guys bathroom also having the same problem (our bathrooms are right next door and there is no top ceiling between them so there is no sound privacy at all). Yup, it happened – diarrhea. Ugh. Why? All I’ve had is ramen and PB&Js for days. I come out to my teammates and plop down on a seat around the table. “How are you feeling, Emily?” Jacob asked me. “No Bueno” I reply. Nick comes down next and says he doesn’t feel so well. “Do you have diarrhea too?”. Yup. Then Eric and Krystal come downstairs and it turns out were all in the same boat. Wow. Happy Easter to us.
Happy Easter friends! Cambodia is hot. Have I mentioned that? Also, being sick in 108 F weather is no fun either. Pretty easy to say that Easter was a rough holiday this year for team Kerux. Thankfully, ministry got cancelled that day because of Khmer New Year so all of us were able to rest.
Basically, we just tag-teamed who would be taking over the bathroom next.
Our day consisted of a lot of naps, lots of water drinking, book reading, and card playing (Thanks for leaving behind Dutch Blitz, Amanda). We think we have pinpointed the food that made us sick but still can’t be sure.
Have you ever gone diarrhea knowing that everyone can hear you on the other side of the wall or the stall next to you? Well this is the World Race so we basically have no choice but to get used to it. It’s a great way to bond with your teammates on a deeper level…
After Easter, the next day was Monday, our off day. We had made a few plans to explore Phnom Penh and leave the college for a little while.
Let’s just say we didn’t make it very far.
We took the bus to downtown Phnom Penh where all the tourists hang out. Thankfully the bus was free in celebration of Khmer New Year! The first stop we made was to a small temple on a hill called Wat Phnom. Thankfully there were bathrooms nearby since all of us had to pause and use them. Also grateful I always carry tissues with me because that could have been a much more messy and uncomfortable experience.
We didn’t stay long at the temple as most of us were pretty hungry. We headed to a nice restaurant with American food so we would not infuriate our stomachs any more than we already had. I had to go twice at that restaurant and I’m pretty sure everyone else went at least once.
We headed off in search of dessert after lunch (Oreos for the past week just weren’t cutting the sugar crave anymore). Thankfully there was a place nearby because a lot of our energy had literally come out of us and we didn’t want to walk very far. At the dessert shop, we all took turns taking over their bathroom. I was glad all this was happening in someone else’s bathroom so we could save money on toilet paper (because we had already run out that morning). We had already paid the bill for the food and kept trying to leave but instead someone would need to make another bathroom run before we left.
It wasn’t much of an “adventure day” to say the least.
All of us were too exhausted to check out anything else we had planned to see so we all hopped on the bus to head home. The bus ride was almost 45 minutes long and Krystal and I didn’t think we were going to make it. Once we got off the bus, we still had a 20 minute walk home.
Nick and Jacob couldn’t even make it back and had to stop at a gas station. Brandon fast-walked the whole way back. Krystal, Eric, and I kept encouraging each other that we were almost there. When we finally arrived, we all ran past Kenzie (who had smartly stayed back and got to have privacy during her tummy troubles) and sprinted for the bathroom. It’s great having four people blow up the bathroom at the same time. Great conversations had in those moments (Sarcasm? You’ll never know).
The rest of that day consisted of much of what the day before had consisted of: rest and card games. Today (Tuesday) we resumed teaching classes. Were still all in the same boat. It sucks but it’s kind of nice knowing we are all going through it together!
Pray for our team if you think of us as we try to recover by eating good food, drinking water, and taking meds.
Oh Cambodia, you will not defeat us yet.
