Hey Friends! For my last month in Cambodia, my ministry has changed. We are no longer in the city, but in a village teaching English and building relationships. I want to explain my days here with visuals. I spent my Friday documenting my day. (just a disclaimer, not everyday looks like this day, my days are all fairly different, and typically include more teaching)
Silhouette of my teammate Cat. I typically wake up from 6:00-6:30 AM, that’s around the time the room is warmer from the sunrise. Not pictured is the set up of our beds, we have 4 girls in my bedroom and we share 2 beds.
Part of my morning routine includes downing a liter of water and an Instant coffee latte with coconut milk. The moment I walk down the flight of stair from my bedroom to the kitchen, I have already started sweating. It is VERY hot here, hence hydrating early to beat headaches.
The morning commute: To get to the village, we take a Tuk Tuk and it is an hour long drive out of the city. We pass crowded markets and streets.
Many people in Asia in general will wear face masks to protect themselves from the heavy pollution. I chose to wear one because of the heavy fumes from trucks and motorcycles, as well as the transition into more rural areas. There is dust and dirt flying around in the air.
Here is some of the scenery we pass.
On this particular day, there were meetings in the morning so we didn’t have classes, but in between arrival and the time we eat lunch there is an English class. We are also being taught Khmer, the language in Cambodia, so we can better communicate with the people around us.
A lot of times throughout the day, we will get visited by boys and girls who do not have school And they want to play, or just hang out with us. This was a brief interruption during our lunch time by 2 sweet little boys.
Check out our rrrrrride, driven by Sam (our ministry host/translator/pastor of the church in the village). after This picture, we visited a house to do a Bible Study and pray over a family. I did not take pictures during this time because I try not to put a camera in between the bonds I am trying to build. This is why a majority of the pictures I post on social media are from weekends or fun things I am doing with friends.
This woman invites us To drink smoothies with her. She doesn’t speak any English, but it is really a joy to sit with her and to appreciate her small business but big heart.
The mangos she uses in her smoothies are picked from a tree in her backyard. Here I am trying to see if any are hanging low enough to pick.
Fridays are slip ‘n slide days! The kids that come to our English classes arrive at the church with eager anticipation to get drenched in cool water and have a carefree afternoon.
AGH! They are so playful and have an absolute blast getting hosed down. This was one of my favorite parts of the week.
Before leaving the village, some of us will purchase a $0.75 meal from “Ia” (definitely not how it is spelled). My favorite is her vegetable fried rice 🙂
To finish out my day, I will go to the gym and smash out a workout with my teammates, and then wind down for the night.
Thank you for walking through a day a day in the life with me. I sometimes forget that my life is really not a typical one right now. I want to appreciate these days that I have left! Also I will be home in about a month, and can’t wait to catch up with everyone, and share more pictures of my experiences. Let me know if you guys want to catch up with me when I return!! Also if you guys have any prayer requests or need to talk to someone about something I would love to be an ear to listen. Let me know! God bless you guys.
