Although you are all just starting your Sunday we have already ended ours. We started our Sunday by walking to the "church" on the next street over in our complex. It does not look like I will have any luck finding a Catholic church nearby so I was just happy to be able to go to church and give thanks. This means no Communion for me but I experience quite a different one. It may not have been the Holy Eucharist Communion that I am used to but it was a communion of people that I will never forget. Cambodians, Americans, Australians, Brits and I am sure a few other nationalities gathered today to sing and rejoice in such a beautiful way. The sermon and words to the songs bounced back and forth between English and Khmer so everyone could participate. Hands were flung in the air in absolute praise and voices sang out to the heavens for sure. The Cambodians were stripped of all religious leaders and followers by the Khmer Rouge in the 70s by mass murder. They are still trying to grow and heal but it will be a slow process to say the least. Of all of the many people in this city, we were told that there were only about 1000 worshiping that day in different locations. That number seems so terribly low to me but it is heart warming to see so many wonderful missionaries giving their time and lives to helping make that number grow here. Communion to me now has a beautiful second definition, one that puts people from all different cultures together in one room and makes them one. Complete joy about blew the ceiling off of that little room they called a church...I am thankful to have been a part of that and share it with my awesome team of teachers!
After 2 trips to the airport to get 2 departing teachers off (1 successfully and 1 not so successfully, she is still here. I spent over 3 hours with her in the airport arguing with them to no avail...we will try again tomorrow night but at 11:30pm since that is the only flight she could get!) were were at least able to fit some tourist fun in. We headed to Old Market for some shopping and then took our chances on some local street cart food for dinner (it has been over 5 hours since I ate it so I think we are good!!). Tuk tuk rides are a blast but they are even better at night. I will try to post a video I took and hope it works on this (arch, just tried and it didn't work, I will put it on my FB page). I also got a great tour from our beloved Mao/personal tuk tuk driver off the beaten path. It was on one of the trips home from the airport. He took roads that only Cambodians use and we went into the real neighborhoods. I have only seen things like this on TV and in books and it was so amazing to witness it all in person. I now truly understand what "Third World Country" means. Hut-type structures, naked children, cows roaming EVERYWHERE, people wading in dirty flood waters in hopes to catch frogs to eat, but yet I noticed a calm or peace in them all. They seems happy and content, it is all they know I guess and they do not face some of the troubles we impose on ourselves with always trying to do better and get better. Don't get me wrong, I would not wish this type of living on anyone but I am at peace in seeing them survive it the best way they can until we can help them (even if it is just one by one)! I am falling in love with the Cambodians, their faces, their smiles, their fun and carefree hearts. They are a broken people and there is so much healing needed but they plug along and make the most of it with as much joy as they can muster! Lesson learned today...many of them.
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| Typical house in the real neighborhoods. Shack/hut sitting in flood waters. |
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| Cows everywhere you look |
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There are usually at least 3 people on every scooter. Saw a family
5 on one today but couldn't get the camera out fast enough. |
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| Think they are knock offs? |
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| YUMMY street food tonight. |
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| Chowing down and waiting to see if I get sick! ;) |
What an adventure, Beth!
ReplyDeleteFrom my experience traveling abroad, I'd say it is usually safe to eat street food that is hot or cooked right in front of you, but I suggest buying a pair of personal chopsticks or a little metal fork that you can wash and carry in your purse. Don't use the utensils, even the disposable ones because you can't be sure how they sanitize it, if at all. Definitely stay away from all kinds of ice. Stay healthy and try all parts of the chicken while you're there! Take it from someone who knows!! :)
Eat where the locals line up. You won't get sick.
ReplyDeleteAnd welcome to the world outside the US. South East Asia is definitely an eye opener. It's how most of the world lives outside the western confines. And you're right, they ar at peace with their lot. Funny how they all have mobile phones, but no running water.
My boys said the same thing. The people they worked with were humble and happy with what little they had. Brandon said the funniest thing when he got home. He walked into our house and said "Wow! Our house looks like a museum." You know our house is just an average house her in our community - nothing special, but for him it was much more than that after living in a third world country for two years. The best was when he went to the bathroom. He yelled out "There's a seat!!!!!! And there's toilet paper!!!! I may just have to sit here awhile." :)
ReplyDeleteThe other observation all three boys made when they got home was how clean the streets and areas were. They had never noticed that before and had taken that for granted. The other thing was the water. They could not stop drinking the water. For Alex, it was also how clean the air was. They also talked about how big everything is here even the streets. It's an eye opener for sure!
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