1. Just Because I Do
It’s safe to say that Cambodia has been my favorite country on the race. I can’t fully explain why, but even on our first day here, I knew I was going to love it. There’s something about this place that just pulls you in and doesn’t let go. It sounds crazy for me to say this knowing how hot Cambodia is – everyone back home knows how much I hate the heat – but for some reason it doesn’t bother me that much here. And yeah, nearing the end of the race has it’s ups and downs, but that hasn’t changed the love I have for being in this country. You’ll just have to come someday and see for yourself what I’m talking about. I love Cambodia.
2. The People
You hear this a lot from anyone traveling when asked why they love a certain country, but Cambodia definitely takes the win. I’ve never met such kind people before in my entire life. In past countries, it was noticeably obvious that we were foreigners, and sometimes that included things like getting stared or whistled at. Yeah, it’s obvious that we are foreigners here too – but the people’s reactions are different. I never feel unwelcome anywhere I go. I’ve talked about it a lot with my friends, and we just can’t get over how much smiling everyone does here. Everywhere you go, everyone you see wants to smile at you. All the kids wave and get excited to say “hello” because they know it in english. Parents hold up their babies to wave at us. Random people will pull out in traffic to help us cross a busy street. Women at a local bakery will help us create a customized birthday cake in 20 minutes for a teammate. Kids grab our hand to play like they’ve known us forever. Tuk tuk drivers will towel off their seats and zip down the rain flaps when it rains so we stay dry. People we’ve only known a week will invite us to their wedding and set a table for us. Even though the majority of the people can only say things like “how are you” and “how old are you”, their desire to form a relationship is obvious. Coming from six months of Spanish speaking countries, where I was able to communicate with just about everyone, to a country where I have no concept of the language, has made me realize how important communicating through actions is. Many times I don’t have the words to say and can simply smile, shrug, or laugh – trying to point or act out what I need to communicate. But everyone here desires so badly to help and laughs right along side of us. The people here are kind. The people here are loving. The people here are accepting. The people here are beautiful. The people here are servants. The people here might not know Jesus, but they act more like him than many Christians I know. I love the people here.
3. The Tradition
I love the history and culture that is so evident in this country, and the desire everyone has to share it. My team and I went to a traditional wedding the other day, and it was beautiful to see the different aspects that made the wedding special. The wedding party wore traditional costumes, a traditional dance was performed, there was a fruit procession, and a lot of traditional food was served. Although we didn’t know much about traditional weddings or what was going to happen, the groom was so proud of his country and traditions and incredibly excited to show that to us. The history of this beautiful country is also evident in the many temple ruins. Ask any local and you’ll see pride light up their face as they tell you about Angkor Wat. The people here are proud of their country and what it has been through, and their desire for you to see their beautiful temples is a testament to that. The Cambodian’s love of tradition is also showcased through their holidays. It is currently the middle of Khmer New Year, and Cambodia is in full festive mode. Everywhere you go people on the streets have hoses, buckets of water, squirt guns, and loads of baby powder. On Friday I left school drenched from head to toe, my face smeared with white powder, tired from a slipping, sliding, soaking wet dance party, and completely full of joy. The innocent joy that comes from this fun few days is incredible – it doesn’t matter if you’re a foreigner, you’ll want to experience it. I love Cambodian tradition.
4. The Beauty in Nature
The sunrises are slow and spectacular. The sunsets are brilliant and breathtaking. The sun is a ball of red fire suspended above the earth. The sky is a cotton candy finger painting. The stars are a million lights in the night sky. The sundrops in the evening are pure gold. Flowers fill every other bush and tree, their sweet fragrance evident in the heat of the day. The storms are powerfully remarkable – creating rivers of roads in a matter of minutes. Thunder shakes the walls of every building and lightening pierces the sky. The rain brings a breeze as it pounds into the earth. The country side is every shade of brown and green mixed together, with a smattering of cows in-between. I’ve seen more diversity in the trees here than anywhere else. Sunny palm trees next to tall dark trees next to short dry trees that look like the desert. Trees laden with mangoes and strung with bananas. The amount of time I spend just looking up at the sky, to see the colors, to feel the rain, to watch the stars, or to catch the sun through the leaves is insane. I love the beauty here.
5. Fun Little Things
I love the “ice cream” they have here called bingsu. Sometimes called snow, it is like tiny shaved ice mounded into a bowl and covered with fruit or chocolates. I love the amount of french bakeries – with baskets of baguettes and plates of fluffy cheesecake. I love the lights that turn on at night – strung up in trees or draped over the night market walkways. I love the fruit markets and $1 watermelons. I love all the cafes and the different ways they are decorated. I love biking all over the city. I love getting to say hi and smile at the couple who does our laundry. I love all the spontaneous dance parties that happen in our house. I love learning how to eat with chopsticks – and how bad I am at it. I love that I can walk into a market and find a fish pedicure tank – and I love how ticklish the fish make my feet. I love trying new foods (mostly) – especially discovering new things like cashew fruit (did you know the cashews we eat are just the seeds of the cashew fruit they grow here?!). I love walking home during golden hour, dancing along the street to music in a shared pair of headphones. I love buying coconuts from a street stand and sticking a straw in to drink their water. I love the little moments.
6. Our Ministry
My team’s ministry here in Cambodia has been my favorite of everything we’ve done on the race so far. Monday through Friday we volunteer at a school that teaches the kids english and computers, as well as classes like dance/music, morals, health/hygiene, gardening, crafts, and soccer. There is a morning group of kids, as well as an afternoon group, and we serve lunch in-between. I love everything about it. The school is located on an organic farm filled with fruit trees, chickens, geese, and goats – as well as vegetable plots that the kids are learning to grow themselves. Each day we are greeted with a thousand hugs in the morning, after each class, and again before the kids head home. During recess we run and play and laugh. On craft day the kids love to practice writing our names on their papers and are so proud to give us their art when they finish (I have a lot of it hanging on the wall above my bed). I love seeing the excitement on their faces when they get an answer right in class or begin to understand a new topic. Serving lunch is my favorite time of the day, getting to see and smile at every kid as they come through the line. We are at the school to help the kids practice their english, play with them, serve alongside the teachers, and most of all – love the kids. It’s not a christian school, so we can’t outright talk about God with the kids, which makes showing them God through our actions all the more important. And it’s incredibly easy to do. The kids here are so lovable, and I miss them when we aren’t at school. I love the way they dance and play. I love the way they pull me around saying “teacher teacher play with me”. I love the way their faces light up when I remember how to pronounce their names. I love watching them hop on their bikes each day to head home, waving as they go. I love how they laugh at us as we try to learn traditional dances with them. I love how much they love each other. I love how kind they are. I love how much joy they have, and how natural it is for them to be joyful despite their circumstances. I love our ministry.
I love Cambodia!
