Cambodia has been a wonderful first country. September 14th, we hopped off the plane to a very humid Cambodia and from then on, God worked so much in a quick three months. Here is a list of my favorite moments:
1. On our bus ride from Siem Reap to Cambodia, we stopped at a bus stop and we were all forced to get off. Then, we had a Cambodian lady trying to sell us every single thing in her shop. Talk about first impressions (culture shock at its finest).
2. All squad month and the chaos of it all. Even though at the time it was hectic, I look back now and miss having my whole family together.
3. Exploring Battambang the first weekend we were here. I remember biking through crazy traffic and being overwhelmed and now it is so normal for us. During our exploration, we went to a restaurant called Delicious and it wasn’t delicious. Grace, my teammate, ordered French toast and got bread and butter with syrup on the side. It was so funny and we haven’t been back since.
4. My team’s quick border-hop to Bangkok, Thailand. My favorite moment while being there was tuk tuk racing through traffic similar to NYC to go find a skyscraper to see the city skyline from. And, after confidently walking into numerous hotels trying to get the the rooftop, we finally found someplace and we were so amazed. After that great weekend, we headed home to Battambang and were welcomed so well by our family.
5. Finding a boujee pool in Battambang that made us feel like we were at a fancy resort somewhere. Also, meeting a Cambodian friend there that I ran into again just this past week. The girl I met at the pool came over to me and asked me to help her find the “Kiki” song (In My Feelings by Drake). Ha, good times.
6. Teaching at Ezra month one and creating such fun little friendships. One of my favorite moments was teaching the kids the Church Clap.
7. My walks with Taylor to go get coconuts (yes, that’s normal in Cambodia).
8. Watching my favorite Cambodian puppy, Sunday, grow each time I visited the laundry lady. Also, I love the relationship I have with the kind family who does our team’s laundry.
9. Breaking my bike MANY times and creating a hilarious relationship with our bike guy. He laughs every time I come by and try to explain what happened to my bike and what I need fixed (language barriers). One time, I walked my bike over to him with my bike pedal in my hand and he just smiled and started laughing at me. Mind you, that was my second time getting my pedal fixed. AND, I have been there for popped tubes many many times. Lets just say, I give him good business.
10. Saturday morning market runs. I love biking to the market to get my food for the weekend. We have such a big selection and tons of fun faces to see there. My favorite market food has to be pillows and pineapple.
11. Cooking month two. There is SO much I loved about cooking for ministry. One morning, when Cara and Victoria went to run errands, I stayed at home to cut potatoes and worship with some loud music. It was a good time. Also, I just loved the peace that cleaning gave me. There were also many moments that didn’t include peace like trying to make meals like potato soup or chicken nuggets. HOWEVER, our squad said the soup tasted like Panera and each person ate about 30 chicken nuggets when we made that meal. You should have seen the kitchen after these meals. Good times!
12. Month one, when it rained a lot, my team and I rode our bikes through a flood and it was so fun! And then I think we discovered roti pancakes that night too.
13. Dance parties with leadership after running a mile.
14. 24 hour trip to Phnom Penh for Krispy Kreme, Dominoes, and Coldstone. Also, riding a night bus there and back. AND, I loved watching the new Grinch movie in a fancy Cambodian theatre.
15. Hiking a mountain in Battambang. Also, we played fed monkeys and then for some reason Savanah decided to buy a bunch of bananas on the way out and the monkeys started try to attack her and Victoria for them. A monkey also tried taking my whole backpack but thankfully it was a smaller one.
16. Having a bonfire outside our complex and just singing tons of songs together.
17. The day the men hung out with us, made us breakfast, took us to a waterpark, and then washed our feet while we worshipped. That day was one of the most impactful days for me because I was able to really see what men of God looked like. When we showed up at the waterpark, we were the only ones there and the wave pool wasn’t turned on so we made our own fun. We went to play on the kid’s playground. Grace and Sarah and I went down a swirly waterslide together and laughed so dang much. Then, we went to the wave pool and started jumping off the rock wall into the water until getting told not to do that. Also, regarding the feet washing, I just want to say that it was such a cool moment. My team and I were worshipping in the upper room of Eden with the men and then one by one we went to get our feet washed. The men all prayed over us while we got our feet washed and I was crying because of how powerful it was.
18. Seeing Angkor Wat at the butt crack of dawn. Side note: I didn’t know Angkor Wat was even a thing.
19. Getting my feet bit by big fish and then making a friend at the fish massage place.
20. Sitting in a hammock with Sarah and Grace at the beautiful lake here in Battambang. Then, once the squad showed up, swimming across the lake to climb a tower through a warm swampy area.
21. Working at Ezra cafe for one day and being able to make cookies for Monks.
22. Bike rides around Battambang with no agenda.
23. Having the WR Fusion group join us for lunch for a week and being able to talk with them.
24. Going for an afternoon walk with Rachel and Victoria and playing the instruments in the government palace. AND Victoria getting her head licked by a cow while we were sitting by the river.
25. Just all the tuk tuk rides with Mr. Sam. Too many fun times with him.
26. Having a YWAM team join us for three weeks.
27. Riding in the back of a truck to get to the bus station when going to Bangkok.
28. Walking into a seafood restaurant in Bangkok to go to the bathroom and being stared at by everyone.
29. 7 Eleven in Thailand.
30. Tons of moments at Pañasastra… playing clapping games with Mey Mey during break time, Lycheak standing on my feet during class and not letting me stop walking around the room, standing behind Minea in line and him always grabbing my arms and wrapping them around himself, and so much more.
31. My little friend on the bus to Thailand who laughed with me and kept saying “Hello.”
32. At the smoothie place, the woman who always makes her daughter blow me kisses and say hello in English. And then the one day when she put the baby on the tuk tuk to hang out with us.
33. When Chhady taught me how to say sugar in Khmer so I could get it for cooking and the lady was so happy I knew Khmer. Then, she started having a full-on conversation and I couldn’t follow anymore. Also, just the excitement people get in general when we know Khmer.
34. The dance battle in Siem Reap at debrief and my teams big fail. We were going to learn a whole dance to an N’SYNC song but didn’t have time so we just learned the beginning and then did the Macarena. Everyone said we would have won if we finished the dance. Next time.
35. Bartering for a dress in Siem Reap and paying in cookies. The lady said it was $14 and I only had $5 and needed $1 for the tuk tuk. So, I said, “Sorry, I can’t get it.” She said, “How much can you pay?” I then laughed and said, “$4 and a cookie.” She made a pouty face and me and then said, “Okay, yes.” Ha.
36. Getting my makeup and hair done at the market in Battambang and then falling out of the broken chair backwards. Also, just looking like a weirdo after the makeover with orange eyebrows filled in a ton, fake eyelashes, pale foundation, and red lipstick. I said I wanted a natural look, haha. It was only $5 though and I got a head massage when she was washing my hair, so I say it was a win.
37. Playing in a field while waiting for the church to get unlocked. And then listening to a BOMB message from an African man who had so. much. enthusiasm.
38. Saying “Susidai” to the pink shack coffee guy every time we passed. Also, the man who I bought a water from twice who always perks up when he sees me bike by.
39. Talking with the woman outside of Eden and just being able to tell her she was beautiful. She kept pointing at our skin and saying “saat” (which means beautiful) and when we told her she was beautiful too she didn’t believe us. SO, we kept saying it. It was cool to sit with her and give her a meal because it seemed like people overlook her a lot.
40. Washing my laundry at home to save money. It was fun and WAY cheaper. I was able to buy laundry detergent for $4 and wash my clothes for two months instead of spend $4 every two weeks.
41. Going to the movie theater every now and then and being able to be freezing cold for two hours.
42. The two days when it was low 70s instead of high 90s and we all broke out our sweatshirts.
43. Pizza on the rooftop with Shelby and Savanah in Siem Reap for debrief.
44. Dancing with Savanah to her choreographed “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”
45. S Squad prom month one. We all got to spend a Friday together on the rooftop eating and dancing.
46. Finding my wedding location at the Battambang waterpark (the beautiful treehouse).
47. Dancing in the rain after it had been SO hot and hasn’t rained in a month or so.
48. Thanksgiving in Battambang. We decorated Sharelle and Stephan’s place so nice and then ate Green Mango catering together and it was SO good. We also worshipped that night and it was one of the most beautiful worship sessions I have had in awhile. As a squad, we were all grieving along with a brother of ours and as a squad we turned to worship to fight alongside our brother in Christ.
49. Tuk tukin home and stopping in front of the Government palace because Mr. Sam told us they were filming a movie and we just HAD to stop. Turns out, it wasn’t a movie filming.
50. Dancing with some crazy people at a wedding near our home.
51. Laughing with my teammates at the hospital while making cards and them just roasting me.
52. Sleeping on the rooftop under the stars Thanksgiving night and just processing my homesickness while being under the beauty of the Lord.
53. Biking 6-7 miles a day during the week to get to and from ministry. By the way, my leg muscles are so strong… abs are next. 🙂
54. Blowing $11 on a fake Steph Curry jersey with some people on my team and then going to play basketball at the court. We were laughed at so much walking there.
55. Preparing meals month 2 while the men taught their afternoon classes and being able to hang out with the kids before class. Kim Ly and Nara and Taro came to hang out with me and they always brightened my day.
56. Getting our leader, Luis, a crab from the market to welcome him home. And the lady telling Cara to pick it up herself.
57. Riding on the back of Grace’s bike numerous times.
58. Having a photoshoot at the old Battambang airport and trying to get someone to let me take a photo on their Moto but Chhady kept telling me no.
59. Doing a prayer walk and praying over the KTV’s in Battambang. We are not allowed to actually go in, so we prayed outside of them one day.
60. Trying to get a cup of bobas at Ochaya just for fun and then realizing it is the same price as a drink.
61. Having Monks over at our house for lunch.
62. Fresh cookies at Ezra cafe… so good.
63. Talks with Chhady.
64. Getting roti and corn on the cob with Sav and then going home to eat it and watch “She’s the Man.”
65. Green Mango banana bread… enough said. As a squad, we have gotten SO many loaves of this banana bread. AND it’s only $3.
66. Thrifting in Battambang.
67. Getting Cambodian scarves from Mr. Sam.
68. Talking with a woman in the market who sells fish and knows really good English. While trying to find veggies, she came over and shocked me because I could understand her!! It is hard to have lengthy conversations with the language barrier, but I was able to talk with her for awhile.
69. Being handed a cute little baby at Ezra school and hanging out with her while her sister sang worship songs with the class (they sang “Set a Fire” and it was SO beautiful to hear them worship).
70. Meeting girls from Bali, Indonesia at our Hostel in Bangkok.
71. Zumba in the park in Bangkok.
72. Trying to maintain a budget and then going to Siem Reap where there are so many yummy restaurants.
73. Meeting a Minnesotan at a Mexican restaurant in Siem Reap called Maybe Later.
74. Inviting different Cambodians to worship nights. Also, hearing Chhady pray in Khmer often during worship nights — It makes my heart happy.
75. Trying to get visitors at Handa (trauma hospital in Battambang my team volunteered at) to play games with me and making them laugh with my attempts at Khmer. Also, my sweet friend who is 17 years old and always smiled so big when she saw me. She was there with her grandmother and took care of her.
76. Jamming out in the kitchen numerous times while cooking or doing dishes.
77. Trying weird new foods.
78. Eating stir fry every weekend because it’s cheap and so dang good. I’ve become a pro at making pineapple chicken stir fry.
79. Almost burning down the house numerous times because I am bad at cooking says Savanah. I once put oil on a pan and the pan went up in flames when I turned on the burner (the burner was broken and it was direct flame) and I couldn’t put it out because it was a grease fire. So, I was freaking out and waiting for it to calm down. Also, I was helping fry chicken nuggets and French fries and almost started a fire numerous times. But hey, God protects.
80. Beautiful sunrises every morning.
81. Dancing on the rooftop in the pouring rain and making rain angels as Grace calls them.
82. Our 100% vegan meal from Vibe in Siem Reap.
83. Having a movie night month one with all of the girls on our squad and making our room so hot and humid.
84. Spraying numerous weird bugs with Raid (maybe too much Raid).
85. Eating breakfast at Rachel’s house. Rachel is a Cambodian women who works at Handa making cards and helping the activities coordinator, Anne.
86. Hanging out with the naked baby at the bus station while waiting for our late bus to get to Thailand. He kept going back and forth handing all of us something and then taking it away to hand to someone else. Also, at the bus station, someone brought us puppies to play with.
87. Playing futbol (soccer) in the streets with Ezra kids.
88. Watching tons of bats fly out of a cave for 15-20 straight minutes and then tuk tuking home and enjoying the beautiful sunset.
89. Trying to make Ross, the cat who is now gone, love me.
90. Visiting YWAM church the first Sunday we were here and getting to meet some other missionaries who are living in Battambang. And then, running into them around town.
91. Bringing some American meals to Cambodia. Coming here, I thought I’d be eating TONS of rice and noodles. However, we’ve had so much of a variety.
92. Working out on the roof with Savanah.
93. Getting Roti with Savanah that had everything on it (Peanut Butter, Nutella, Egg, Condensed Milk, and Banana). SO. GOOD. But, it was way too expensive ($1.25). So, we switched to just getting condensed milk which is 1000 riel ($0.25).
94. Photos in the street after teaching when the sunset or clouds were gorgeous.
95. Teaching one evening and hearing a loud lightening bolt strike in the field across from our home/school. Both the kids and I jumped SO much.
96. Chhady teaching me Cambodian dancing.
97. Being barefoot all the time.
98. Finding new places in Battambang.
99. Getting donuts and pillows at the market which are 500 riel (half a quarter).
100. AN Nith’s coffee shop. The first day we got to Battambang, we all went to a coffee shop around the corner from our house. We were introduced to $0.75 milk iced coffee which is SO good. And with every visit, we are greeted with her smiling face.
