The Wild West married Asia and that’s where Cambodia came from. Not really, but that’s the best way I can really describe it. It’s a little bit rougher than the other Asian cultures but it still has the same elements and influences. For instance, there are TONS of Buddhist temples here just like there was in Thailand even though Thailand has a larger percentage of Buddhists. Where Thailand was delicate, Cambodia is harsh. None of this is to say that Cambodia isn’t beautiful because it absolutely is. It’s everything that I hoped it might be. One of my favorite qualities about Cambodia is that they do a number of startling and hilarious things that I’m coming to love so much. One thing, in particular, has captivated me recently and that’s what I wanted to share with you. Two simple words: Rat. Hunting.
A few nights ago we put on the movie “Ratatouille” at our church on a projector so our host, Say, could watch it with us. He was laughing hysterically the whole time and it was the most adorable thing ever! Then, the next day he took us into the village to visit a woman who had been sick. He went over to where she was cooking and help up something on a stick and said “Ratatouille!” We didn’t believe him at first that it was a rat but then we looked closer and realized that, sure enough, it was a roasted rat. He encouraged us to try some but none of us were brave enough just yet. He started telling us how he hunts and kills rats out in the fields to sell to get money to help him pay for gas to fuel his Tuktuk. Why was this the best thing I ever heard? My teammates and I were chomping at the bit to go with him and see what rat hunting was all about.
Then the night came, FINALLY time to go get some rats. We got in the tuktuk and drove out to a field that had recently been burned. I didn’t have any idea what this was going to look like but I was just excited for the experience and to be spending some time with our sweet host and some precious teammates. We started walking through the field and setting what looked like big mouse traps with rice as the bait. In my head, this is what the night would consist of: setting traps and then going around later to check them. Then, all of a sudden I heard Say, yell and start running after a huge moving object. I’ll not describe what happens once they catch the rats but I’m sure you can guess. The night started taking a different shape than what I had been picturing. We spent the rest of the time searching for rats with our headlamps and then sprinting around the field trying to catch them. I could barely keep up because I was laughing so hard. If you don’t already know this about me, I love ridiculous experiences and this was DEFINITELY one. It’s one image that will forever be a favorite.
I don’t remember exactly how many rats we got that night but I know we got a lot; and, although my teammates and I didn’t personally catch any, I’m sure our screams and laughs helped alert everyone else to the location of the next biggest rat. Bonding always looks different to different people but that night here in Cambodia it looked a lot like sprinting around a field in the dead of night with some new Cambodian friends, some wonderful teammates, and some enormous rats.
