LOVE.

One of the SMs told us the other day that he doesn't use the "L-word" very often. It's not a commitment he is willing to make. That is just no way to live life. I, on the other hand, am a love-whore. Lets just be serious, if it's even worth liking a little I will use the 'love' word.

So in the spirit of love, and the fact that I am entering weeks six of being in Cambodia. I have made a list of the things I love about Cambodia.

1. My students.
Oh man, they make life worth living. Everyone is a little worried about the fact that I am probably going to start kidnapping children. Starting with Joshua. Joshua is one of my third graders. He waits for me at lunch so we can walk together. He is so kind, always helping and letting others go first. He lives in the dorm, and most every day about twenty minutes after school he shows up in my classroom, so say hi, straighten desks, or just sit and talk to me. The language barrier is SO frustrating sometimes, I just want to talk to him! To know him better! But the only thing I can do is ask him simples questions and learn Khmer.
I love the rest of my students. All of grade three is amazing. Pannha, is the sweetest, and Sen Sopeak thinks it's hilarious when I call him Sen Sopeak, Sen is the family name, but it just flows so I use it all. I love grade seven, they are loud. And lingphy in grade eight wants to learn and tries hard and I really appreciate that.
I love all of my kids. All 28 of them.

2. Where I live.
Seriously. Most amazing SM housing ever. Olga and I live in the steeple of the church. It's AMAZING. It's not very big, but we've made it work. All our pictures are hung, I bought a lamp, and the fridge is full of fruit. Our apartment has become home. Something is always broken, I broke the toilet while cleaning on Friday. Not that big of a deal. haha. :] Olga and I are well suited for living together, life couldn't be better.

3. Going to the market.
Going to the market is one of my favorite activities. I go several times a week, sometimes I go just to go. I love riding my bike over to the market close to the mission, buying fruit on the outside and going inside for vegetables and everything else. I love the dirty, hot and smelliness of it all. I love the old man that I always buy bread from. I love buying bread for 700 Riel, which is less than a quarter. I love being able to understand numbers, and knowing when I am being charged too much.

4. Phnom Penh.
This country has had a torn history. But they have come out of devastation a kind and gentle people. Everyone smiles and says hello, everything is brightly colored. I love going into the city and exploring. I love the restaurants with good food for two dollars, or corn off the street for a quarter. I love the crazy traffic, and riding in tuk tuks. I love the brightly colored wats that stand out every where we go. Everything is so different than what I have come from. I love it.

5. The weather.
I thought I had experience rain before. I was wrong. There is nothing like rain that is hitting the ground so hard it bounces up into the tuk tuk. Rain that soaks you in ten seconds. Rain that floods the streets in a matter of minutes. Rain that is so loud it drowns out voices, thoughts. It is overpowering. I love it. I love being at home and opening the windows and listening to it. Soon it will stop raining for good and just be hot all the time. Not so jazzed about that, but the rain, the rain I love.

6. The people that live on the mission.
There are some good people here. Tim and Fay are like our parents. They take care of us. If we have problems or needs, they are here for us. Sharon and Gary, principal and husband. She is our boss, and at around five feet tall, towers above all of us. She and Gary are wonderful. There are a few others, Augusta and her husband and kids. The Khans live right below Olga and I. Every time we walk by Nay-ha [pronunciation, not spelling] the youngest daughter yells, Ba-gee Annie! [not the correct spelling]. They're from Pakistan and sometimes food appears at our door. It's lovely. And Dean and Ruth, he is the president, they're some of the nicest people.

7. Teachers of school.
All of the grade school teachers come in and help in ESL. They don't complain when I have them do ridiculous things. Kim Serieng is my main helper. He is my savior. He does it all, and then asks for more. He is the hardest working man often going above and beyond. He helps in my classroom, teaches a class, and is the dean of the dorm. He is amazing.

8. Sabbath.
I have never been so thankful for anything. It's the one break a week we get. 24 hours of peace. Living at the mission is wonderful on Sabbath. We go downstairs for church, and no one wears shoes inside the church, so often I don't even wear shoes down. More than once I have not put on shoes the entire day. It's lovely. The day is full of activities, but it is also full of community and love for others and God.

9. God.
We sang a song in chapel in Friday, God is big! God is very very very very very very big! The kids LOVED it. After chapel during the last class of the day, while they were working on things we started singing it in Khmer. It was hilarious. God is in Cambodia. It's a God that works in different ways than I have experienced before. I'm still trying to work it out, I don't know how to put it into words. But God is good. So good. I'm in the right place, serving the right God.


This is only a short list. I could just go on and on.

I'm six weeks in and I am in love with this place.
I'm love with all of the arbitrary moments during the day filled with happiness for this life I feel priviledged to lead.

I'm in love with the God that brought me here. How dare I not love freely, and with all that I have.