"Living" in Cambodia

(I am now back in the States. My last two weeks in Cambodia were a lot busier than the first two weeks, so I was unable to take time to blog. The next several posts will be back posts from that time)

While my last post highlighted snapshots of my transportation modes, this post highlights snapshots from my everyday life while "living" (I use that term loosely) in Cambodia for four weeks.

I stayed with an Australian couple, Chris and Rhiannon Foster, and their very cute 4 month old son, Liam. They are missionaries working at New Life Church. The group that I volunteered with is the healthcare ministry of that church. It was so nice to have a room with "air-con" and a home cooked meal on the nights that I stayed in. Chris is a great cook! They made me feel a part of their family for four weeks. Thanks again, Fosters!!

Chris, Rhi and Baby Liam

My adorable back-seatmate for many a drive to and from home.

My room

A sleeping must for me in humid Cambodia, "Air-con"!

New Life Church has three healthcare ministries: Community Enabling Health, The Healing Home and Patient Care Ministry. I spent most of my time working with Donnie, a missionary from Canada, from Patient Care Ministry. He was preparing for a short term medical team that arrived the last week that I was there. The project that I worked on for the majority of my days in the office was sorting through, organizing, and inventorying the medications that would available for the doctors to use during the medical mission. 

Donnie, his wife, Sophea, and their children, Nan and Isaac.

New Life Fellowship

The office that I worked in

Sorting and Labeling Meds

Preparing the Inventory/Formulary for the MDs on the medical team

Finally, here are some snapshots of life around Phnom Penh. I wish that I had captured more things, but I found that being on my own, I took less pictures (762 pics in 4 weeks) than I normally did on my team trips (avg of over 1000 pics in just 2 weeks).

Glass factory on the street that I stayed on. They had a habit of breaking up the discarded glass into tiny pieces...

Old Phnom Penh

New Phnom Penh

Sunset from the house I stayed at

One of my favorite parts of Cambodia is all the exotic fruits. This is Dragonfruit.

Walmart of Phnom Penh?

Found that many of the western restaurants put a Cambodian spin on western food.

Geckos are all over the place in Cambodia. Many a time these friends would be scurrying around my bathroom in the morning.

Always something interesting for sale on the streets in Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh has developed exponentially since I first visited in 2007. There were no tall buildings then.

Got to spend time with a missionary from our church, Mades, and his family. This is his daughter, Allison. Sopheary was pregnant with her when I first met them.

No need to search around for reception sites in Cambodia. You just block off the street in front of your house!

Exercising along the Mekong River

The Cambodian Transportation Food Chain

As I have been completely dependent on others or my own two feet for my transportation during my time in Cambodia, I have learned a lot about the Transportation Food Chain here and found myself a part of each level.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the top of the food chain are cars, trucks, vans and buses. Jeeps come in especially handy during flooding situations

You Don’t Expect to Take a Week Off on a Mission Trip

Quickly after I arrived in Cambodia, I was told that there was a holiday coming up the next week. Oh, ok, just a day or two off, right? That’s what we’re used to in the States. No, it’s a 3-day holiday, and because it falls on a Monday to Wednesday this year, it means that a lot of Cambodians will take the whole week off. Oh…ok…

When I heard this, it didn’t quite sink in for what it would mean for me. Even though I arrived a week before the holiday, the upcoming holiday was already affecting things that I thought I would be doing. Three days after I arrived, I met the couple that run the Healing Home, a ministry that I was told I would be helping out with. “When should I come visit your ministry and start helping out?” I asked. “Oh, well, our patients are all well enough to go home for the holiday, so we’re closing next week and most of our patients have already left,” they replied. Oh…ok…

I was also excited to get to know the missionaries that work with the church that I am working with, especially the young single women. However, most of them were leaving that first weekend to take advantage of the 5-day weekend, meaning I wouldn’t meet them until almost half of my time was over. Oh…ok…

Because I had been given very few details on what my time would look like while I was here, I prayed a lot about not having too many expectations on WHAT I would be doing. However, I realized that even with trying to prepare for the unexpected, I never thought the unexpected would be not working or serving for almost a week!!

I am still processing what this has meant/means for my trip and time here, but I continue to trust in God’s timing and plan for me being here during this time. I know that I have been a big help to the director of the patient care ministry, who is preparing for a large medical team that gets here this weekend. I also have been learning a lot about being still and being on my own with God.

Even though it was a pretty quiet week (I read a book and a half - both of which I highly recommend), I did find some fun things to do. Here are some highlights:

Spent one day relaxing at a pool owned by…

The man, the myth, the legend...Steve of Steve’s Steakhouse!

Went on a mini-photo tour of Phnom Penh

Found where Sambo the Elephant spends the holiday

Saw Cambodia’s Disney World

Went food shopping in the markets with a Cambodian friend. Then she made amazing Pad Thai with the ingredients!

Things have thankfully picked back up this week, which I will update you on when I can!