Updates

Unfortunately, things happen faster than I can type or than I can find TIME to type out on my blog or respond to emails or send out emails. So this is a short snipet of some highlights:

1. I'm going to my second Cambodian wedding tonight. Should be a hoot. They always are. Especially if there's Khmer dancing emo boy bands in the mix. 

2. My roommate, Sarah, and I went on a medical missions yesterday with nursing students. They did health check-ups and consultaions in a small village about 2 hours from our town. Sarah and I obviously didn't do the medical aspect but I cut hair and played with the children. Very sweet. Will blog about that soon, God-willing!

3. This one's pretty current: NO WATER and limited electricity.

 So those of you outside Life University, don't mind me if I seem rather distracted and M.I.A. The running water's been cut off for majority of the day and night since Monday. Water gets turned on around dinner time and cut off again around 8pm. So we spend our post-teaching hours rushing to use the water, stocking up on more water in our little bucket or scrounging from generous water-donors who have much bigger buckets. Some of us teachers have been going down to school to take showers. This also means no laundry, dish-washing, cleaning and cooking. It's a bit of a pain and a bit of a pain on top of 8 hour teaching days and having to find water at 6.30am. But all in all, we've had more times laughing out of helplessness than crying so, thank God.

4. I've decided to go running whenever my roommate goes running. She goes at least once or twice a week and is quite a stallion. So I figured if I tag along, I could definitely shape up over the next few months. My first run was Tuesday in the rain. Quite the adventure, let me tell you that. Grit my teeth and challenged the rain, as I did laps around manly, muddy football players on the football field. Felt very tough. Also a very spiritual experience - been learning to pray as I run. Good times to vent emotions too as I listen to heart-pumping music. Hoping that when I'm done I'll be a force to be reckon with.

5. The university's in a bit of a hard place financially (hence the energy/water crisis) so that's something to really pray about.

6. My school, the Life International School, is starting to raise funds and prayer support for a new building next school year. It's a big need of ours because we have no more classrooms for next year. A hefty undertaking, but nothing God cannot provide for. It's actually really exciting being able to be part of something so big that will definitely affect many children and their families. We have about 120 kids now and more to come next year. That's a bit less than 120 families that will benefit from a solid primary education and access to Christian education. I need your prayers and support!

6. My kids are well by God's grace. It's intriging to see them grow and learn to read right before my eyes! It's hard work and I fall short so often but my grade 1 class is getting there! Thank God. 

7. My dear friend, Kim, is coming in less than a week! And we'll be heading over to Vietnam for Khmer New Year :)

Gelato

It started with an idea of going to Italiano Gelato for homemade gelato. The store is having a 15% discount moving sale you see. So each scoop is 60 cents. Now how could one miss that deal? Plus the idea was to get all the teachers out for a time of bonding and fun after a long week of work. 

So at 4.45pm on Friday, we left the school and walked to the cafe about 15 minutes away. By "we" I mean myself, 6 other teachers and our funky 21 year-old administrative officer. Oh, and how could I forget, dear Poll, a little Korean punk who's sister just arrived from Korea and just started volunteering as a music teacher in our school. She was invited to come, so obvisouly Poll invited himself to come as well. Poll is an interesting 10 year-old boy who is quick, streetwise and a little James Dean - quite the diva. And I have the honour of being one of the teachers he acknowledges. Remember, he's quite the James Dean so it's a compliment that he says "good morning" to me at all.

Suffice to say, the highlights of the evening were:

5. Talking at the top of my voice in a mixture of Korean, Khmer and English with Poll.

4. Being called "Teacher Caramel" by Poll.

3. Seeing Poll ever so non-chalantly go for his fork and carve chunks off my gelato! After which, making faces to express either his disdain or delight at the particular flavours. 

2. Having 4 scoops of gelato! 2 of which were Peanut Butter flavoured and tasted like a milky version of a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. Chingan-nah (very delicious, in Khmer)!

1. Being pestered to run up the hill as Poll calls out "pah-li, pah-li!" (faster, faster in Korean?) to me at the top of the hill.

Fun times with the teachers and Poll! That kid cracks me up. And I love him to bits. Life is quite a little adventure in Cambodia. But the best thing about this place, is not the place. It's the people.

Letters!

I got letters! Well, technically a bunch of letters from my dear Jill Kortleve. My roommate and I both got letters today and we screamed and ran down to get them. Life can be tough here and lonely or tiring sometimes. 

But when you get that letter, or that honest email from someone that you haven't talked to in a while, or one from an old friend saying they're going halfway round the world to visit ME, or call home and get to talk to your family about babies and chocolate cake and shovelling snow, and they ask me how I'm doing - not just in passing but like how ARE YOU doing? I feel like I couldn't be more blessed. I don't deserve any of it.

God has answered my prayer and the prayers of people in finding community. Because it's hard to see and understand community when people are not physically around, when a couple wall posts on facebook from time to time just seem lame (no offense), when we all get caught up in our own lives (myself included). But when there is satisfying fellowship and community found in God alone, then everything else is like a bonus. A nice treat or the cherry on the top. 

I am not perfect and always feeling this way. We all still long to and want to feel loved. To have people remember us always. To have them be there when we need them most. To get cards, letters, phone calls. Honestly, I can count the number of phone calls and letters combined I have received over here on my two hands in the past 4 months. It's hard to decide not to feel bitter. But God is teaching me, disciplining me, loving me. And I can rejoice in that.

ps. Oh and basically what I meant to say in this post is THANK YOU to friends and family that have supported me here. And of course, Thank You, God for providing in big ways and small.

This is me, just rolled out of bed, with the letters and a bag of TAZO Chamomile Tea looking very pleased!