Cambodia was really cool. I spent 4 weeks in Cambodia, being able to serve my squad (all 45 of us lived together) by cooking for them. One of my teammates and I, and the cook of the house, which was a sweet 17-year-old girl, the daughter of our hosts, but also one of the hosts, would wake up at around 5:45 and start cooking breakfast at around 6. Breakfast was served at 6:30. During breakfast, one of the hosts would do a devotion with us, we normally went over James, which was a cool way to start our mornings. After breakfast, we went to all the markets in town, picking up fruits, veggies, or whatever we needed to make lunch and dinner for that day, and breakfast for the next. After we got back from the market, we would prepare lunch, which was served at around 12 every day. After lunch, we had a little break, where we were free to do whatever, so we would either rest, workout for a little bit, or hit the town and go exploring for a little bit. At 5, we would start making dinner, which was usually, soup, chicken, beans and rice, curry, or the favorite meal of most, a taco salad. It was nice because while we were cooking dinner, people that had been out doing ministry, would slowly be coming in and we got to hear about their day and talk and hang out while cooking dinner. At 7 came dinnertime, and we all sat eating, enjoying each other’s company and talking about our day. After dinner, depending on the day, we would either have team time, go to bed, or sometimes we would play some soccer or ultimate frisbee outside of our house on the street, or even just sit outside, having good conversations with one another. These were some of my favorite times, getting to spend time, playing and laughing and just having a good time.
For the other 2 weeks, in Cambodia, I got to help a Christian woman, Srey Mom, that runs a restaurant all by herself. Srey Mom is one of the sweetest people you will ever meet. She spends her time, very busily, she loves cooking for other people and loves to see their smiles when they like the food she has prepared. Besides running a restaurant basically by herself, she spends time raising 5 kids, of which not all of them are hers.
We would spend our days from 7:30 to 11:30/12, taking orders from people, talking to those people and building friendships with those that came time and time again. I also learned how to make some coffees, such as Cafe Lattes, Cappuccinos, and Cafe Au Laits. When it wasn’t too busy, we would also spend some time teaching Srey Mom’s kids English.
After we were done with the cafe, we would go home and eat lunch. After lunch, for one week, I helped work at a library that our ministry hosts bought and were getting ready to open. We spent our time there, covering books, and talking and hanging out as a team.
The other week, we got to go to a trauma hospital. There, we got to make Happy Mother’s Day Cards for half of the time, and the other half of the time, we got to spend time with the patients, playing board games, like chinese checkers, or Jenga, or 4 in a row, or do a puzzle with them. It was fun, getting to see the smiles on the patient’s faces when they won or just while they were playing.
Cambodia was a sweet time, full of new friendships, community, and laughs. I enjoyed getting to know the people on my squad better and learning more about Cambodia and its beautiful people.
Sorry, I haven’t posted a blog for a while, but here’s a quick update:
Currently, I am in Albania. We have been here for two weeks, and are having a great time. All 7 of us live in one room, and it’s very cozy. Also, it is nice to be out of the Cambodian heat, and to be in the cold.
