It's been raining here nonstop for almost two weeks straight now! However, I am not complaining whatsoever because the rain keeps the weather nice and cool. And I would much rather be wet from the rain than wet from the sweat! Our little lake at the end of the street continues stay flooded, and at this point I just happily trudge through the filthy water. I happen to be one of the clumsiest people on this earth, and there's no way I can balance myself across the "brick" pathway they have set up.
Kelly and Cyndi came down to Sihanok ville for the weekend and brought with them the new missionary family who just arrived from the states a few weeks ago. It's a small world since I know of them through a friend and they both graduated from Southeastern. They have two adorable blonde-headed children..and the kids at the orphanage were just in love. Our kids aren't used to being gentle since it is just not part of their culture. I had to remind them to be gentle to poor Ethan since they were pinching his cheeks and loving on him, yet being quite rough! The kids were enamored with these new American children since they obviously speak English. They couldn't believe these little kids could speak so well. Haha.
Also down for the weekend were two missionaries from El Salvador, Lydia and Lloydi. They have been living in Phnom Penh since April and are in language school. Lloydi gave most of the older boys new haircuts and they were all excitedly sporting off their new hair do's. It was funny because the boys would bring her a picture of a Korean boy band and tell her they wanted their hair just like that. So most of them have some pretty stylish hair. =)
On Friday, we were blessed to be visited by members of the US Navy from the USS Tortuga and a group from the Mercy Ships. A team of about 30 came out to visit us and were a blessing to the kids. Like usual, I have a feeling our kids were more of a blessing to them than anything. (The kids just have a way of doing that.) There was a soccer game between Cambodia and USA which was pretty funny to watch, and I'm not exactly sure who won. The kids were amazed by how tall the American men are since here in Cambodia, the average height is just about 5 feet. The Navy brought several boxes of coloring books, stickers, bubbles, school and art supplies for the kids. We had been under the impression that the Navy was going to be doing some construction work around the orphanage grounds, but there were some miscommunications. However, we were blessed by their visit.
Since we thought the Navy would be doing work in the kitchen and the cook would be unable to cook, we had bought sandwiches for the kids to eat for dinner. It was as exciting as being at Disney World for the kids as they tore the sandwiches from the wrappers and indulged in their much anticipated "special food." When all you eat is rice every day for most of your life, a sandwich for dinner is a big deal! I'm using the term sandwich a bit loosely since I can only compare what we ate to some type of sandwich. It was basically a baguette with some type of processed, packaged meat of fish and pork with some lettuce leaves, pickled vegetables and some type of fish paste. It's better to not look at the contents and just eat it since it tastes pretty good. As excited as the kids were to eat their much anticipated sandwich, it made several of them sick! During my English class, almost all of my students had to leave and use the bathroom. I felt bad for them..their stomach's are just not use to anything not served over rice! (And I was really surprised that they did not serve the sandwich with rice.)
On Sunday we were blessed to have a visit from a team from the Assemblies of God church in Hong Kong. I knew something was up when the service wasn't starting on time and everyone seemed to be anticipating. The team finally arrived and in walked about 25 fellow Asians from Hong Kong. The pastor leading the team was quite a large man and the kids stared in awe as he walked by. The team worshiped with us, gave testimonies, did a human video and the pastor shared a message on forgiveness. It was neat to worship God with three different countries in the room.
In the afternoon, Emily and I went down to the beach with Sarak and Kanarith. We had been planning to go on Saturday, but the torrential downpour kept us from going. While it was raining still on Sunday, we made a break for it while the sky seemed to be clearing and were blessed with great weather. The water was much cooler due to all of the rain and lack of sunshine and we had a fun time. Emily decided not to get in the water and watched from the shore. I was in the water swimming with the boys and turned back to see a huge crowd of Cambodian's completely surrounding her! One lady was trying to get some business and began attempting to "thread" Emily's legs, much to Emily's dismay. (Threading is another way of shaving, only they use thread to take out each hair individually. Can we say ouch?) Some of the people who try to find business along the beach threading, selling bracelets or fruit are pretty persuasive and don't like to take No for an answer. Seeing she was in a pickle, I came to try to help and we were able to convince the lady that we really did not want to get either of our legs threaded and she finally left. (I think the crowd had gathered because they wanted to see if this lady really would take advantage of Em.)
As we walked back we saw a lady selling soft serve ice cream and had to see if it really was the real stuff. My lactose intolerance could not stop me once I saw the real soft ice cream she was dispensing into the cone. It was the best $1 I have spent in a long time. We bought the boys ice cream as well and at first they didn't really know what to do with the cone we had just placed in their hands. They kind of stared at it for awhile and we had to teach them to lick the melting ice cream. They finally got the hang of it!
Another week has begun and we have just about 16 days left until we begin our journey home. It doesn't seem real that I'll be home in just over 2 weeks. I'm very excited to go home and see my family, yet I know that it's going to be very hard to leave the children I have grown so close with and become so fond of. I am going to miss life here in Cambodia.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
All You Need is Love..and a Passport!
This weekend has been pretty lazy and possibly unproductive yet just what we needed as we enter into our seventh week of life here in Cambodia. At times, it feels like I have been here for so long and cannot even see the end in sight. Back at home my friends are getting married, babies are being born, weddings are being planned, birthdays and Father's Day are passing by and I'm here on the other side of the world missing it all. While I have no doubt that I'm where I need to be and happy to be here, it does still make me miss home a lot. For the first time since being here, I've struggled with having some up and down days this past week, yet I have come through them!
Sometimes it feels like this is my life now and July 15th will never come. But I am learning that every day here is a new opportunity to grow more in love with my kids and with the God who created them and me and ordained for us to meet. I'm learning that you can't take back time, so I really need to cherish every moment here..and I'm doing just that. I know that on July 14th, I will be wishing I could come back to this moment and take the time back and I don't want to have any regrets because I was too caught up in wishing I could be home.
God continues to meet my needs every time. I've had terrible back pain that has gotten worse over the past few weeks. It seems to be getting better! I've raised over $700 with just a few e-mails and Facebook messages and faithful friends who have given. I'm so blessed by how the Lord has used them..and this is no surprise to him, because it's just part of his wonderful plan!
I brought one book with me to Cambodia, anticipating only being able to read it on the flights since my two weeks here would be busy. Well, staying for an additional 8 weeks ended up leaving me with more time that I thought, so I went through that book pretty fast! It ended up being the perfect book for me to be reading at such a pivotal time in my life. It's called In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day by Mark Batterson, and it's all about stepping out in faith and "chasing a lion." There's no coincidence here..it was divinely planned by God for me to read right at the perfect moment. In fact, the day I decided to stay here was the day I read a chapter about chasing the dream God has called you to.
Emily brought a few books with her, which happened to be some that I have at home and had been planning on reading. I just finished "Velvet Elvis" by Rob Bell and started the "Irresistible Revolution" by Shane Claiborne. It's just crazy to me how God already knows what we will need and is already providing for us before we'd ever think of it. It's no coincidence he would have me read something in a book that was just what I needed to hear. The past few days I have been feeling like I'm not doing enough here in Cambodia. I have this opportunity to spend ten weeks in a third world country where young women and girls are being prostituted every day and children are starving. Yet, I'm living in an orphanage where we have 3 meals a day and are very well taken care of. I constantly feel guilty and like I should be doing more, yet I don't have the means to do so. I don't have a car and I wouldn't know where to find a brothel here during the day time. (It's not exactly safe for us to travel at night as 3 young women.)
Last night, I was reading Claiborne's book and in it he quotes Mother Teresa. She says, "We can do no great things, just small things with great love. It is not how much you do, but how much love you put into doing it." And it hit me. My time here is not about me using every opportunity to do something great. That's not what I'm here for. Some of my friends who are doing internships right now are going to be spending their days feeding the starving orphans and building a new church for a congregation in Africa. But that's not what I'm supposed to be doing right now. I don't need to be doing huge, great things to feel like I'm actually doing something here. It's the small things, like spending time talk with 14-year-old Kanarith, or just sharing in "girl time" with Khourch, Rina, Pattaya and Tokyo which make a difference. It's all about the love that is put into it as well. It's loving Sopheary though she lies to me, or loving on little Sakal, though the poor kid can't control his bladder or his drooling. It's about loving and cherishing each and every moment here, because I won't get this time back.
Each mission will be different each time. I've built a school building in Haiti and given shoes to needy children in Honduras. I may not be doing what seems like a ton of things there all the time, but this is what God has me doing right here, right now. I've spent a lot of time developing relationships with these children and getting to know them on a more personal level. I need to stop feeling like I'm not doing enough, and realize that I am. I don't need to be comparing my internship to someone else's. This is my time to learn what God has planned for me. And it's happening here in Cambodia, living at an orphanage with 75 children for two months, doing small acts of kindness which make a huge difference in the long run, though they seem small now.
This is what I'm here for and learning each day. I realize that I am so far from having anything figured out. In fact, sometimes I feel like I'm struggling more now then I ever have! But, that's okay, because it's all part of the plan. It's part of learning and growing and stretching beyond your comforts all with God holding your hand, helping you along. If it wasn't uncomfortable, we wouldn't be growing or learning.
In other news, have I mentioned my kids love to kill animals? Yes, my precious, lovely little animal murdering children. I still love them despite their cruel way of having fun. They've chased a cat down a tree, and beaten it to death with their shoes because it "didn't have a passport" which I'm taking to mean, it isn't theirs. They butcher a pig every week to eat, but they think it's the most hilarious thing to watch it die. The kitten that does have a passport here is constantly being picked up by it's little ears. They found a bat, murdered it and hung it from the soccer goal. My kids love to murder frogs. I'm not sure why, but they think it's the coolest thing. The little boys catch frogs and then chuck them as far as they can, like you'd throw a ball. And yes, my kids have even crucified a frog on a cross, re-enacting Jesus' death for their sins.
So the other day, the kids were cleaning out the wood shed and moving piles of wood to another place for storage. There happened to be about 10 rats making their home in that wood pile and as the kids were cleaning, more rats came out of hiding! Fortunately, I was not there for this fun adventure..God knows it would not have been good for my lungs (or the kids' ears) to see 10 rats running around at my feet. (So everything in this story was told to me by Amanda who witnessed this.) The kids and the moms were not afraid of these harry rodents with despicable tales. Some of the moms grabbed the rats by their tales and swung them around like a toy. Others preferred to beat the rats to death. But 16 year old Sakada preferred to use the soccer cleats he was wearing to step on and smash any rats he found. Any rats that were dead or slightly alive were all fed to the crocodiles. And whatever the croc's haven't eaten, the bugs will. So, to any animal friends who may be thinking of moving into the orphanage, you better get your "passport!"
Sometimes it feels like this is my life now and July 15th will never come. But I am learning that every day here is a new opportunity to grow more in love with my kids and with the God who created them and me and ordained for us to meet. I'm learning that you can't take back time, so I really need to cherish every moment here..and I'm doing just that. I know that on July 14th, I will be wishing I could come back to this moment and take the time back and I don't want to have any regrets because I was too caught up in wishing I could be home.
God continues to meet my needs every time. I've had terrible back pain that has gotten worse over the past few weeks. It seems to be getting better! I've raised over $700 with just a few e-mails and Facebook messages and faithful friends who have given. I'm so blessed by how the Lord has used them..and this is no surprise to him, because it's just part of his wonderful plan!
I brought one book with me to Cambodia, anticipating only being able to read it on the flights since my two weeks here would be busy. Well, staying for an additional 8 weeks ended up leaving me with more time that I thought, so I went through that book pretty fast! It ended up being the perfect book for me to be reading at such a pivotal time in my life. It's called In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day by Mark Batterson, and it's all about stepping out in faith and "chasing a lion." There's no coincidence here..it was divinely planned by God for me to read right at the perfect moment. In fact, the day I decided to stay here was the day I read a chapter about chasing the dream God has called you to.
Emily brought a few books with her, which happened to be some that I have at home and had been planning on reading. I just finished "Velvet Elvis" by Rob Bell and started the "Irresistible Revolution" by Shane Claiborne. It's just crazy to me how God already knows what we will need and is already providing for us before we'd ever think of it. It's no coincidence he would have me read something in a book that was just what I needed to hear. The past few days I have been feeling like I'm not doing enough here in Cambodia. I have this opportunity to spend ten weeks in a third world country where young women and girls are being prostituted every day and children are starving. Yet, I'm living in an orphanage where we have 3 meals a day and are very well taken care of. I constantly feel guilty and like I should be doing more, yet I don't have the means to do so. I don't have a car and I wouldn't know where to find a brothel here during the day time. (It's not exactly safe for us to travel at night as 3 young women.)
Last night, I was reading Claiborne's book and in it he quotes Mother Teresa. She says, "We can do no great things, just small things with great love. It is not how much you do, but how much love you put into doing it." And it hit me. My time here is not about me using every opportunity to do something great. That's not what I'm here for. Some of my friends who are doing internships right now are going to be spending their days feeding the starving orphans and building a new church for a congregation in Africa. But that's not what I'm supposed to be doing right now. I don't need to be doing huge, great things to feel like I'm actually doing something here. It's the small things, like spending time talk with 14-year-old Kanarith, or just sharing in "girl time" with Khourch, Rina, Pattaya and Tokyo which make a difference. It's all about the love that is put into it as well. It's loving Sopheary though she lies to me, or loving on little Sakal, though the poor kid can't control his bladder or his drooling. It's about loving and cherishing each and every moment here, because I won't get this time back.
Each mission will be different each time. I've built a school building in Haiti and given shoes to needy children in Honduras. I may not be doing what seems like a ton of things there all the time, but this is what God has me doing right here, right now. I've spent a lot of time developing relationships with these children and getting to know them on a more personal level. I need to stop feeling like I'm not doing enough, and realize that I am. I don't need to be comparing my internship to someone else's. This is my time to learn what God has planned for me. And it's happening here in Cambodia, living at an orphanage with 75 children for two months, doing small acts of kindness which make a huge difference in the long run, though they seem small now.
This is what I'm here for and learning each day. I realize that I am so far from having anything figured out. In fact, sometimes I feel like I'm struggling more now then I ever have! But, that's okay, because it's all part of the plan. It's part of learning and growing and stretching beyond your comforts all with God holding your hand, helping you along. If it wasn't uncomfortable, we wouldn't be growing or learning.
In other news, have I mentioned my kids love to kill animals? Yes, my precious, lovely little animal murdering children. I still love them despite their cruel way of having fun. They've chased a cat down a tree, and beaten it to death with their shoes because it "didn't have a passport" which I'm taking to mean, it isn't theirs. They butcher a pig every week to eat, but they think it's the most hilarious thing to watch it die. The kitten that does have a passport here is constantly being picked up by it's little ears. They found a bat, murdered it and hung it from the soccer goal. My kids love to murder frogs. I'm not sure why, but they think it's the coolest thing. The little boys catch frogs and then chuck them as far as they can, like you'd throw a ball. And yes, my kids have even crucified a frog on a cross, re-enacting Jesus' death for their sins.
So the other day, the kids were cleaning out the wood shed and moving piles of wood to another place for storage. There happened to be about 10 rats making their home in that wood pile and as the kids were cleaning, more rats came out of hiding! Fortunately, I was not there for this fun adventure..God knows it would not have been good for my lungs (or the kids' ears) to see 10 rats running around at my feet. (So everything in this story was told to me by Amanda who witnessed this.) The kids and the moms were not afraid of these harry rodents with despicable tales. Some of the moms grabbed the rats by their tales and swung them around like a toy. Others preferred to beat the rats to death. But 16 year old Sakada preferred to use the soccer cleats he was wearing to step on and smash any rats he found. Any rats that were dead or slightly alive were all fed to the crocodiles. And whatever the croc's haven't eaten, the bugs will. So, to any animal friends who may be thinking of moving into the orphanage, you better get your "passport!"
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Time to Call in the Team..
Alright. I need some prayer warriors.
The Lord has been so faithful to me as I have needed to raise about $1300 to cover all of my expenses incurred while staying here. I have already raised about $700 and it has just amazed me how it has all come in. I still need about $600 more and I have no doubt that the Lord will continue to provide for me as He has done so already. I'm confident that what he has began, he will continue.
Also, I have been experiencing really bad upper back/neck/shoulder pain. I've had this pain for awhile, but wasn't able to go to the doctor before I left and now it has gotten much worse. It's especially hard because I'm on my feet teaching all day long and I have to sit and take a break often because the pain is so bad. It's almost like a burning sensation in my back and I cannot sit up straight for very long. Please pray with me that the Lord will heal me of this pain!
Thank you!
The Lord has been so faithful to me as I have needed to raise about $1300 to cover all of my expenses incurred while staying here. I have already raised about $700 and it has just amazed me how it has all come in. I still need about $600 more and I have no doubt that the Lord will continue to provide for me as He has done so already. I'm confident that what he has began, he will continue.
Also, I have been experiencing really bad upper back/neck/shoulder pain. I've had this pain for awhile, but wasn't able to go to the doctor before I left and now it has gotten much worse. It's especially hard because I'm on my feet teaching all day long and I have to sit and take a break often because the pain is so bad. It's almost like a burning sensation in my back and I cannot sit up straight for very long. Please pray with me that the Lord will heal me of this pain!
Thank you!
The World Cup Excitement and My Encounter With Monks
It's been hard to find free time during the week! Our schedule during the week is tight and always busy. I try to visit the internet cafe during my breaks, but by the time I catch up on e-mail I have no time left to blog! However, today we have a holiday in Cambodia thanks to it being the king's mother's birthday. So thank you former Mrs Queen for being born today so we could have a day off! =) It's also my parents anniversary..HAPPY 22 YEARS MOM AND DAD!
Today, we took the opportunity to sleep in until a whopping 8:30 am! We're usually up by 6:15 am, so this was great. My internal alarm had me up and awake at 6, but I was happy my body co-operated and let me return to sleep! We decided to have a late breakfast at a little restaurant by the beach called Sisters. It rained all night so the streets in front of the school is completely flooded. It's actually been flooded for over 3 weeks, but was getting better. Now, it's back to the sidewalk being completely flooded, which means we all get wet. A western guy passed by us on his motobike and offered us a lift, but we politely declined and preferred to submerge our feet into the rotten, sewage filled flood. I thought to myself, well, let's do as the Cambodians do!
The past few days have been busy with our normal schedules of teaching and hanging with the kids during our breaks. After our afternoon classes are over we have started "scrapbooking" and making albums for the seniors who will graduate next month. It's been fun to look through the old pictures and see what everyone looked like when they were younger. I've been working on Kim Han's album, since we have become very good friends. Kim Han has been here at the orphanage since he was 5 years old. His parents both died, and he and his brother and sister have lived here ever since. Kim Han is such a sweet, kindhearted young man. I really enjoy spending time talking with him and I can see how his English has really improved just in the short time we have been here. He likes to try and teach me Khmai and the only phrase I can say is something that sounds like "M'dan Hut" which means, always true. It's just a common saying that all of the kids say and every time we run into each other we always say it. Kim Han wants to be an airplane pilot, but there is no school here in Cambodia for that so he is thinking of being a veterinarian. I don't really think he wants to be a vet..I actually see him being a pastor or missionary.
Two other boys I have grown close with are 16 year old Sarak and 14 year old Kanarith. Sarak's name is actually pronounced just like mine "Saraa" with an emphasis on the a sound. He has a younger brother who's name is Sara, and also pronounced the exact same way. I love how Cambodians have such thoughtful names for their children. (Kanarith's brother's name is Kanara.) These boys keep me laughing all the time. Kanarith tells me that the reason they killed the cat a few weeks ago is because it did not have a passport. I'm taking that to mean it wasn't theirs. So he teases me all the time about different animals and if they have passports or not. Hopefully..there will be no more cat killings around here! I have seen a huge improvement in both of their English speaking abilities just in the past few weeks. It's funny because if one of them doesn't know a word in English, they ask each other what it is and usually can come up with something that I can understand.
The kids are absolutely crazy about the World Cup! They have talked about it for weeks, and last Friday night they were finally able to watch it. We all crowded into the chapel around the small tv and everyone screamed in delight as the soccer game came onto our screen. 16 year old Sophal is probably the most dedicated soccer fan we have here, and when his beloved player Rooney came on the screen I thought he would jump out of his seat. His face was glued to the tv all night. And when I say all night..I literally mean all night. The kids stayed up until 3:30 am watching until the last game was over. (Because of the time difference between here and South Africa) This was huge for the kids because they usually have to be in bed by 9 pm. I was shocked they stayed up so late, and I didn't even make it. I fell into my bed at midnight, completely exhausted. What's funny is the kids were all up at 5 am like usual, completely happy though they had slept so little. As the afternoon rolled around, they all looked like Zombies! I think they thought they could do this every night (only on weekends) but Papa Kelly said they can stay up until 10 pm. So all of the kids were sad about that.
The US Navy rolled into town last week. The USS Tortuga is at the Sihanouk ville port, and a Mercy (medical) ship will be making it's way into port either this week or next. The Navy will be doing construction work/humanitarian aid around the city and are even coming to do some work at the orphanage next week. Their helicopters have been flying around the past few days and the kids love to see them. It's uncommon to see a helicopter here and the first time they heard it they all said, "Hey look! It's an airport!" The girls and I busted out laughing. We did correct them and hearing them try to say helicopter was just as funny.
I've realized that there isn't a lot to do in a third world country. You can go to the beach, or the market or eat food..but that's all there really is to do. Sometimes I get a little stir crazy sitting inside the walls of the orphanage all day, so I enjoy getting the chance to walk around the neighborhood. Everything is in walking distance, so that's good. But we don't go too far because it's just not safe.
There are a lot of western people here, and unfortunately quite a few of them are pedophiles. Just yesterday, I saw a western man with a young Cambodian girl sitting in a tuk tuk right in front of the school. It makes me sick not only to see that, but also worries me because anyone could come by and grab one of the kids. Most of the kids walk home, including little 6 and 7 year old girls. During the day, we are pretty safe, but at night the city completely changes as the bars and night clubs all get going. Sometimes at night we can hear the loud music from the bars flowing into our room. It just makes me sick sometimes to see these western men carting around young Cambodian women. Here in Cambodia, you can buy a girl for a night or the week and she can by your "companion."
It's hard to see that going on around you, but then I look around and see "my" kids and know that they have been saved from that kind of lifestyle. I know that God has placed them here in the orphanage in the middle of all the chaos for a reason. And it makes me so proud to see their stength in the Lord. Wednesday night, Emily and I went into the boys' room to join them in devotions and it almost made me cry watching some of these boys raise their hands worshiping the Lord. Even sweeter was watching 6 year old Joshua lifting his hands to the King of Kings.
Last Sunday, we had to walk to church because the guy who usually drives the van was unable to. I wasn't exactly excited to be walking to church, partly because it seemed so far away and at 8 am, it was already blazing hot outside. But the kids grabbed our hands and joyfully started walking, so I left my negative attitude behind and followed after them. In reality, the walk to church was only about 2 1/2 miles, but anything in 100+ degree weather is a painful affair. By the time we arrived, we were all drenched in sweat. Even the leather from my bible's cover was melting onto my arms and turning them maroon. What's crazy is the kids were all wearing long sleeves and jackets to protect their skin from getting darker due to the sun's rays.
As we were walking along some of the back alley ways, we would come across a monk praying or chanting over someone. I noticed that as we were passing by, the monk--deep into his chanting ritual--immediately stopped what he was doing and turned around facing us with a scared look on his face, almost as if He could sense a greater presence walking amongst us. This happened at least three times, and I have no doubt that the Lord was walking right alongside us as we trekked along to church.
There's a lot of darkness here as over 90% of the country is Buddhist. Yet, in the middle of a Buddhist community, we had the opportunity to go to church and worship God. As we were in the middle of the service, I was suddenly convicted about my initial feelings of not wanting to walk to church, when just to the east of us in Vietnam, or to the north in China, there are millions of Christians who are walking double and triple the miles to church, in secret and because they want to. How selfish I am to complain about walking so short a distance when at the same moment in time, there are so many who would give anything to have the freedom that I do. I forget that I have such freedom in America and even here in Cambodia, and that most people in the world do not have that freedom. The Lord reminded me of that very fact while I was in church on Sunday, and I happily walked back to the orphanage boasting in the Lord. I'm not sure if we're walking to church this Sunday, but I happily will!
Oh, it's raining again and has been for the past 30 minutes which means the street will surely be more flooded! Guess I'll be giving my feet another shower when I get back..but this time, of Purell!
Today, we took the opportunity to sleep in until a whopping 8:30 am! We're usually up by 6:15 am, so this was great. My internal alarm had me up and awake at 6, but I was happy my body co-operated and let me return to sleep! We decided to have a late breakfast at a little restaurant by the beach called Sisters. It rained all night so the streets in front of the school is completely flooded. It's actually been flooded for over 3 weeks, but was getting better. Now, it's back to the sidewalk being completely flooded, which means we all get wet. A western guy passed by us on his motobike and offered us a lift, but we politely declined and preferred to submerge our feet into the rotten, sewage filled flood. I thought to myself, well, let's do as the Cambodians do!
The past few days have been busy with our normal schedules of teaching and hanging with the kids during our breaks. After our afternoon classes are over we have started "scrapbooking" and making albums for the seniors who will graduate next month. It's been fun to look through the old pictures and see what everyone looked like when they were younger. I've been working on Kim Han's album, since we have become very good friends. Kim Han has been here at the orphanage since he was 5 years old. His parents both died, and he and his brother and sister have lived here ever since. Kim Han is such a sweet, kindhearted young man. I really enjoy spending time talking with him and I can see how his English has really improved just in the short time we have been here. He likes to try and teach me Khmai and the only phrase I can say is something that sounds like "M'dan Hut" which means, always true. It's just a common saying that all of the kids say and every time we run into each other we always say it. Kim Han wants to be an airplane pilot, but there is no school here in Cambodia for that so he is thinking of being a veterinarian. I don't really think he wants to be a vet..I actually see him being a pastor or missionary.
Two other boys I have grown close with are 16 year old Sarak and 14 year old Kanarith. Sarak's name is actually pronounced just like mine "Saraa" with an emphasis on the a sound. He has a younger brother who's name is Sara, and also pronounced the exact same way. I love how Cambodians have such thoughtful names for their children. (Kanarith's brother's name is Kanara.) These boys keep me laughing all the time. Kanarith tells me that the reason they killed the cat a few weeks ago is because it did not have a passport. I'm taking that to mean it wasn't theirs. So he teases me all the time about different animals and if they have passports or not. Hopefully..there will be no more cat killings around here! I have seen a huge improvement in both of their English speaking abilities just in the past few weeks. It's funny because if one of them doesn't know a word in English, they ask each other what it is and usually can come up with something that I can understand.
The kids are absolutely crazy about the World Cup! They have talked about it for weeks, and last Friday night they were finally able to watch it. We all crowded into the chapel around the small tv and everyone screamed in delight as the soccer game came onto our screen. 16 year old Sophal is probably the most dedicated soccer fan we have here, and when his beloved player Rooney came on the screen I thought he would jump out of his seat. His face was glued to the tv all night. And when I say all night..I literally mean all night. The kids stayed up until 3:30 am watching until the last game was over. (Because of the time difference between here and South Africa) This was huge for the kids because they usually have to be in bed by 9 pm. I was shocked they stayed up so late, and I didn't even make it. I fell into my bed at midnight, completely exhausted. What's funny is the kids were all up at 5 am like usual, completely happy though they had slept so little. As the afternoon rolled around, they all looked like Zombies! I think they thought they could do this every night (only on weekends) but Papa Kelly said they can stay up until 10 pm. So all of the kids were sad about that.
The US Navy rolled into town last week. The USS Tortuga is at the Sihanouk ville port, and a Mercy (medical) ship will be making it's way into port either this week or next. The Navy will be doing construction work/humanitarian aid around the city and are even coming to do some work at the orphanage next week. Their helicopters have been flying around the past few days and the kids love to see them. It's uncommon to see a helicopter here and the first time they heard it they all said, "Hey look! It's an airport!" The girls and I busted out laughing. We did correct them and hearing them try to say helicopter was just as funny.
I've realized that there isn't a lot to do in a third world country. You can go to the beach, or the market or eat food..but that's all there really is to do. Sometimes I get a little stir crazy sitting inside the walls of the orphanage all day, so I enjoy getting the chance to walk around the neighborhood. Everything is in walking distance, so that's good. But we don't go too far because it's just not safe.
There are a lot of western people here, and unfortunately quite a few of them are pedophiles. Just yesterday, I saw a western man with a young Cambodian girl sitting in a tuk tuk right in front of the school. It makes me sick not only to see that, but also worries me because anyone could come by and grab one of the kids. Most of the kids walk home, including little 6 and 7 year old girls. During the day, we are pretty safe, but at night the city completely changes as the bars and night clubs all get going. Sometimes at night we can hear the loud music from the bars flowing into our room. It just makes me sick sometimes to see these western men carting around young Cambodian women. Here in Cambodia, you can buy a girl for a night or the week and she can by your "companion."
It's hard to see that going on around you, but then I look around and see "my" kids and know that they have been saved from that kind of lifestyle. I know that God has placed them here in the orphanage in the middle of all the chaos for a reason. And it makes me so proud to see their stength in the Lord. Wednesday night, Emily and I went into the boys' room to join them in devotions and it almost made me cry watching some of these boys raise their hands worshiping the Lord. Even sweeter was watching 6 year old Joshua lifting his hands to the King of Kings.
Last Sunday, we had to walk to church because the guy who usually drives the van was unable to. I wasn't exactly excited to be walking to church, partly because it seemed so far away and at 8 am, it was already blazing hot outside. But the kids grabbed our hands and joyfully started walking, so I left my negative attitude behind and followed after them. In reality, the walk to church was only about 2 1/2 miles, but anything in 100+ degree weather is a painful affair. By the time we arrived, we were all drenched in sweat. Even the leather from my bible's cover was melting onto my arms and turning them maroon. What's crazy is the kids were all wearing long sleeves and jackets to protect their skin from getting darker due to the sun's rays.
As we were walking along some of the back alley ways, we would come across a monk praying or chanting over someone. I noticed that as we were passing by, the monk--deep into his chanting ritual--immediately stopped what he was doing and turned around facing us with a scared look on his face, almost as if He could sense a greater presence walking amongst us. This happened at least three times, and I have no doubt that the Lord was walking right alongside us as we trekked along to church.
There's a lot of darkness here as over 90% of the country is Buddhist. Yet, in the middle of a Buddhist community, we had the opportunity to go to church and worship God. As we were in the middle of the service, I was suddenly convicted about my initial feelings of not wanting to walk to church, when just to the east of us in Vietnam, or to the north in China, there are millions of Christians who are walking double and triple the miles to church, in secret and because they want to. How selfish I am to complain about walking so short a distance when at the same moment in time, there are so many who would give anything to have the freedom that I do. I forget that I have such freedom in America and even here in Cambodia, and that most people in the world do not have that freedom. The Lord reminded me of that very fact while I was in church on Sunday, and I happily walked back to the orphanage boasting in the Lord. I'm not sure if we're walking to church this Sunday, but I happily will!
Oh, it's raining again and has been for the past 30 minutes which means the street will surely be more flooded! Guess I'll be giving my feet another shower when I get back..but this time, of Purell!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Simplicity
Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays are my internet days. I teach one period in the morning and by the time it's over there is about an hour and a half til break time, so we usually try to visit the internet cafe, just down the street from the school. It's air conditioned and costs about $0.50 for an hour..not too bad! The internet at the school is bi-polar..sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Due to the recent rain, the power has also been pretty tempermental as well! Yesterday, we lost power randomly and it wasn't even raining. Fortunately, the school has a generator which kicks in about 15 minutes after the power goes out. Good thing, because a room full of seldom bathed Cambodian children with no air flow from the fans..just doesn't end up very well.
Today marks one month since my arrival here in Cambodia, and boy..has it been an interesting month! When I left America on the 9th of May, I had no idea that it would be nearly 10 weeks before I would be back. At times, I do miss a lot about America--Starbucks, the best burrito's in the world from Chipotle, and my beloved Chick-fil-A! I've learned how to live so simply here in Cambodia, and I love it. Life is better lived simply..you really have no need for accessory items that we need so much in America..such as hair straighteners or a closet full of shoes.
Being here has really changed my outlook on what I spend my time doing, and how I spend my money. I try to be pretty frugal at home, but I've learned how to be even more frugal here. There isn't much to buy except for food, drinks, internet and a phone card here and there. And if I do need to spend money, I'd much rather spend it on the kids, taking them out to ice cream, then on myself. The kids live so simply here and when you really think about it, that's how life should be. One of the biggest reasons I love being here is that I am not surrounded by materialism. That is such a big thing in America--always needing this, buying that, ect. You don't need much more than a few clothes, food, a roof over your head and Jesus. I love this simple way of life and I want to keep this attitude with me when I arrive back at home.
This is short and my thoughts seem quite scattered. It's hard to write when you don't have pictures to accompany your thoughts! Hopefully soon I will be able to upload photos and then you can actually see what I do on a day to day basis, instead of me trying to explain it all.
Today marks one month since my arrival here in Cambodia, and boy..has it been an interesting month! When I left America on the 9th of May, I had no idea that it would be nearly 10 weeks before I would be back. At times, I do miss a lot about America--Starbucks, the best burrito's in the world from Chipotle, and my beloved Chick-fil-A! I've learned how to live so simply here in Cambodia, and I love it. Life is better lived simply..you really have no need for accessory items that we need so much in America..such as hair straighteners or a closet full of shoes.
Being here has really changed my outlook on what I spend my time doing, and how I spend my money. I try to be pretty frugal at home, but I've learned how to be even more frugal here. There isn't much to buy except for food, drinks, internet and a phone card here and there. And if I do need to spend money, I'd much rather spend it on the kids, taking them out to ice cream, then on myself. The kids live so simply here and when you really think about it, that's how life should be. One of the biggest reasons I love being here is that I am not surrounded by materialism. That is such a big thing in America--always needing this, buying that, ect. You don't need much more than a few clothes, food, a roof over your head and Jesus. I love this simple way of life and I want to keep this attitude with me when I arrive back at home.
This is short and my thoughts seem quite scattered. It's hard to write when you don't have pictures to accompany your thoughts! Hopefully soon I will be able to upload photos and then you can actually see what I do on a day to day basis, instead of me trying to explain it all.
Monday, June 7, 2010
More from the Kingdom of Wonder..
It's just another day here in Cambodia. The weather has been slightly cooler the past few days and we haven't had too much rain. I do see some stormy clouds on the horizon, so it looks like we may be in for some wet weather later today. I've finished my teaching schedule for the morning. Here in Cambodia, school days are broken up into two sessions. There is a morning session from 7:30-11 am and an afternoon session from 1:30-4:30. Everyone takes a 2 1/2 hour siesta between the break hours which usually includes lunch and a nap. We have lunch with the kids at around 11:30 and then sometimes nap, talk with the kids or run some errands. Then it's back to class where my schedule usually consists of teaching all afternoon. I usually prefer the morning session because the kids behave better. In the afternoon, they are just crazy and would rather be anywhere BUT at school! I havent decided whether I like this version of schooling here versus a school day in America. I like the break, but I always never want to go back in the afternoon.
For my internship, I have to log in about 300 hours of teaching. I have been keeping track for the past few weeks and I have about 105 right now, not including this week. So, I'm about 1/3 of the way there! I'm not worried about not making it because we spend so much time teaching and tutoring that we will probably have close to 500 hours by the time we finish in just over 5 weeks.
It's crazy to think I have been here almost one whole month already. I was looking back through past journal entries from my first few days here and it all seems so long ago! I feel like I have been living here for so long and that this has become a new kind of normalcy for me. I have become used to speaking in a slow and very basic form of English because that's how I talk here. No use for inuendo's or cliche's. I've also become very expressive with the use of my hands here. If you can't understand something through speaking, using your hands to explain works just as well! =)
During the week, we spend much of our days teaching and on breaks spend time with the kids. We spend a lot of time conversing on the trampoline, or swinging..basically anywhere there is shade! The weekends have a more flexible schedule so we can do more activities with the kids.
This past weekend, we celebrated Emily's birthday and took some of the older girls to the beach. We walked to the beach from the orphanage which is about a 20 minute walk, but the part of the beach we went to ended up taking about 45 minutes to get to. I was so excited to see the water though it's not quite as blue as the ocean back home. I threw off my shoes, set down my backpack, eagerly anticipating the refreshing water awaiting me. I wish I could say it was refreshing..however, the water was a bit too warm for my taste.
We had a great time being with the girls. They were so amazed at our swimming abilities for though they were in the water with us, none of them can swim! A few of the girls had gone to the market and bought some fruit and a cake which we all shared in celebration of Em's birthday. It was fun to be out of the orphanage walls for a bit and I know the girls really enjoyed it.
Side not..the music playing over the speakers is Apologize by One Republic in Khmai. Haha..
Yesterday, we took two of the girls (Ravy and Thira) with us to a small western style bakery in town. One look at the familiar brownies and cookies and Em, Amanda and I were set on what we were going to get. The girls with us were precious because they had no idea what to get, but finally decided on cookies. All of us ordered coffee and the girls, also not sure what to get ordered a cappacino and cafe latte. I think they expected the drinks to be much sweeter because their faces after the first sip were priceless! I wish I had brought my camera because it was just hilarious to watch.
Probably one of my favorite things is watching the kids partake in things we take for granted. Like going to the grocery store, or getting some ice cream. We try to take a few of the girls with us on every outing, partly for translation but also to let them experience life outside the orphanage walls. Their eyes just light up whenever we enter a new place and you can tell they are so excited to be out. We always try to get them something whether it is ice cream or a small treat, and though they don't want to accept it, we always make them! They don't get treated out very often, and we really enjoy treating them to things they normally wouldn't.
One thing I am very glad I brought with me is my iPhone. Whenever they see me bring it out, they all crowd around it and beg to play games or listen to music! I have the movie The Proposal on it and a few nights ago about 12 girls sat around my small iPhone watching the movie. I'm sure they didn't understand half of it, but they loved it. They're getting pretty good at being able to work it too!
Another side note..in the 30 minutes I have been sitting here, I have seen an iguana, salamander type of lizard and a rat all run by in front of me! Good thing they are outside, and I am inside.. =)
Life here continues on as normal. I pray the next few weeks do not fly by too quickly. I've been here for so long that I feel so used to living here and with the kids..and I'm not sure what I will do when my time here is up. The kids ask me every day if I will live here and be their mom. They even call me "Mom Say", short for "Sayrah" which is how they pronounce my name. I don't know what the Lord has in store in the future, but for now I am fine with being right where I am. I know this is exactly where I need to be right now and I am enjoying every second that I have here. At times, it does get overwhelming. I have about 15 mosquito bites on just one of my legs..and I'm tired of scratching them all the time. Sometimes, the kids get a bit overstimulated and I have to take a break from all of the chaos. But I wouldn't have it any other way right now. I'm just so beyond blessed to be here..I wish you all could see exactly what I am seeing.
Hopefully soon I will have photo's to upload!!
For my internship, I have to log in about 300 hours of teaching. I have been keeping track for the past few weeks and I have about 105 right now, not including this week. So, I'm about 1/3 of the way there! I'm not worried about not making it because we spend so much time teaching and tutoring that we will probably have close to 500 hours by the time we finish in just over 5 weeks.
It's crazy to think I have been here almost one whole month already. I was looking back through past journal entries from my first few days here and it all seems so long ago! I feel like I have been living here for so long and that this has become a new kind of normalcy for me. I have become used to speaking in a slow and very basic form of English because that's how I talk here. No use for inuendo's or cliche's. I've also become very expressive with the use of my hands here. If you can't understand something through speaking, using your hands to explain works just as well! =)
During the week, we spend much of our days teaching and on breaks spend time with the kids. We spend a lot of time conversing on the trampoline, or swinging..basically anywhere there is shade! The weekends have a more flexible schedule so we can do more activities with the kids.
This past weekend, we celebrated Emily's birthday and took some of the older girls to the beach. We walked to the beach from the orphanage which is about a 20 minute walk, but the part of the beach we went to ended up taking about 45 minutes to get to. I was so excited to see the water though it's not quite as blue as the ocean back home. I threw off my shoes, set down my backpack, eagerly anticipating the refreshing water awaiting me. I wish I could say it was refreshing..however, the water was a bit too warm for my taste.
We had a great time being with the girls. They were so amazed at our swimming abilities for though they were in the water with us, none of them can swim! A few of the girls had gone to the market and bought some fruit and a cake which we all shared in celebration of Em's birthday. It was fun to be out of the orphanage walls for a bit and I know the girls really enjoyed it.
Side not..the music playing over the speakers is Apologize by One Republic in Khmai. Haha..
Yesterday, we took two of the girls (Ravy and Thira) with us to a small western style bakery in town. One look at the familiar brownies and cookies and Em, Amanda and I were set on what we were going to get. The girls with us were precious because they had no idea what to get, but finally decided on cookies. All of us ordered coffee and the girls, also not sure what to get ordered a cappacino and cafe latte. I think they expected the drinks to be much sweeter because their faces after the first sip were priceless! I wish I had brought my camera because it was just hilarious to watch.
Probably one of my favorite things is watching the kids partake in things we take for granted. Like going to the grocery store, or getting some ice cream. We try to take a few of the girls with us on every outing, partly for translation but also to let them experience life outside the orphanage walls. Their eyes just light up whenever we enter a new place and you can tell they are so excited to be out. We always try to get them something whether it is ice cream or a small treat, and though they don't want to accept it, we always make them! They don't get treated out very often, and we really enjoy treating them to things they normally wouldn't.
One thing I am very glad I brought with me is my iPhone. Whenever they see me bring it out, they all crowd around it and beg to play games or listen to music! I have the movie The Proposal on it and a few nights ago about 12 girls sat around my small iPhone watching the movie. I'm sure they didn't understand half of it, but they loved it. They're getting pretty good at being able to work it too!
Another side note..in the 30 minutes I have been sitting here, I have seen an iguana, salamander type of lizard and a rat all run by in front of me! Good thing they are outside, and I am inside.. =)
Life here continues on as normal. I pray the next few weeks do not fly by too quickly. I've been here for so long that I feel so used to living here and with the kids..and I'm not sure what I will do when my time here is up. The kids ask me every day if I will live here and be their mom. They even call me "Mom Say", short for "Sayrah" which is how they pronounce my name. I don't know what the Lord has in store in the future, but for now I am fine with being right where I am. I know this is exactly where I need to be right now and I am enjoying every second that I have here. At times, it does get overwhelming. I have about 15 mosquito bites on just one of my legs..and I'm tired of scratching them all the time. Sometimes, the kids get a bit overstimulated and I have to take a break from all of the chaos. But I wouldn't have it any other way right now. I'm just so beyond blessed to be here..I wish you all could see exactly what I am seeing.
Hopefully soon I will have photo's to upload!!
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Avatar
Yesterday, I showed the kids the movie Avatar. They have been begging me for days to watch it and yesterday was the day. The kids are only allowed to watch tv on the weekends, and they have a schedule for their limited amount of time. Friday nights they watch a Korean show. Saturday's we try to show a Disney movie of some sort, or they just watch more Korean tv. Since we had been busy on Saturday, we had our movie day on Sunday. The tv room is the place to be on the weekends. They pile everyone and all of the house moms into the small room and crowd around the tiny television. I absolutely adore my kids, but sometimes I don't like they way they smell. (Much like I don't like their cat-killing abilities.)They don't wear deodorant here in Cambodia and I've had to become adjusted to the stench of 75 smelly kids inside a small, un-air conditioned room. The trick is to go into the room before everyone arrives, and then your nose adjusts much quicker!
I told them it would be a long movie (it's 3 1/2 hours long) but they didn't care. Their eyes were glued to the screen the entire time, and I'm pretty sure most of them had no idea what was going on. My original intention was to have the movie be for ages 10+, but it's difficult, actually impossible to keep the younger ones out, especially with their cute smiles which I cannot yet say no to. Some of the shows they watch are pretty violent, so I figured this shouldn't be too bad. I am sure they have seen much worse!
The kids were completely enthralled. The best part for me was watching their reaction to the movie which is full of sensationally appeasing views for the eyes. I loved watching their faces, from the youngest to the oldest. They sat through the whole thing, making discussion amongst themselves when they didn't understand what was going on. I closed the doors to the tv case during the one un-needed scene, and the dorm moms laughed while the kids begged me to move. They loved the movie and all clapped at the end and repeatedly thanked me for showing it to them!
As I was watching the movie, I couldn't help but notice the similarities between the movie and myself at this point in my life. In the movie, the main character Jake Sully is living amongst the Na'vi people, learning their ways and the language. I feel like that right now, learning the customs and ways of Cambodia..and their language, Khmai. There's a part in the movie where Netiri is trying to help Jake pronounce a word and he just cannot get it right. I feel like that all the time. The Khmai language is full of different sounds that I have never heard before, which leaves my mouth unable to utter them. The kids love to help me say things..and they just laugh when I can't say a certain word. I've been given several nicknames here including "beautiful girl 24/7," "sres an" (Korean) and something that sounds like "roumdoul" which is a type of flower. Yesterday, I was trying to say romdoul and ended up saying something like "rumdie"and they all busted out laughing and told me it was a bad word. Note to self: do not say that word anymore!
One last thing. I think I'm becoming more Cambodian. I forgot to put on deodorant this morning. YIKES!
I told them it would be a long movie (it's 3 1/2 hours long) but they didn't care. Their eyes were glued to the screen the entire time, and I'm pretty sure most of them had no idea what was going on. My original intention was to have the movie be for ages 10+, but it's difficult, actually impossible to keep the younger ones out, especially with their cute smiles which I cannot yet say no to. Some of the shows they watch are pretty violent, so I figured this shouldn't be too bad. I am sure they have seen much worse!
The kids were completely enthralled. The best part for me was watching their reaction to the movie which is full of sensationally appeasing views for the eyes. I loved watching their faces, from the youngest to the oldest. They sat through the whole thing, making discussion amongst themselves when they didn't understand what was going on. I closed the doors to the tv case during the one un-needed scene, and the dorm moms laughed while the kids begged me to move. They loved the movie and all clapped at the end and repeatedly thanked me for showing it to them!
As I was watching the movie, I couldn't help but notice the similarities between the movie and myself at this point in my life. In the movie, the main character Jake Sully is living amongst the Na'vi people, learning their ways and the language. I feel like that right now, learning the customs and ways of Cambodia..and their language, Khmai. There's a part in the movie where Netiri is trying to help Jake pronounce a word and he just cannot get it right. I feel like that all the time. The Khmai language is full of different sounds that I have never heard before, which leaves my mouth unable to utter them. The kids love to help me say things..and they just laugh when I can't say a certain word. I've been given several nicknames here including "beautiful girl 24/7," "sres an" (Korean) and something that sounds like "roumdoul" which is a type of flower. Yesterday, I was trying to say romdoul and ended up saying something like "rumdie"and they all busted out laughing and told me it was a bad word. Note to self: do not say that word anymore!
One last thing. I think I'm becoming more Cambodian. I forgot to put on deodorant this morning. YIKES!
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