http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angkor_Wat
Keith and I have already been there, so we decided to stay in Phnom Penh. We visited the Christian school run by Asia's Hope and an orphange in a "suburb" city called Prek Eng. (I might have spelled that wrong!) The picture below is the orphanage. It is a far cry from the state-run one we visited on Sunday.
These are the children at the orphanage. They are happy, friendly, and beautiful. A soon as the car doors opened, they rushed up to us yelling, "Hello, Mommy! Hello, Daddy!" They call any team members Mommy and Daddy. Their home is clean, safe, and spacious for them, and the people that take care of them love them dearly. We remember many of them from previous trips here. It is great to see how they have grown.
Keith brought along a Twister game. They had never played this before, but loved it. They had fun trying to figure out how to move without falling. We were also able to give them candy on this day.
Leaving is the same as arriving...many hugs, goodbyes, and God bless yous. They all crowd around the car and wave until you are gone. It makes me glad to see them so well cared for and so deeply loved. It also makes me sad to think of the many children who are not so fortunate.
This is a picture of the Christian school. Several team members have spent time here talking with the teachers and teaching English or reading to the kids. There are grades 1-5 here currently and they are planning to add grade 6.
We wanted to give you some background about the country. Many we talked to before we left had never heard of the atrocities that happened in Cambodia's history. It is poor and destitute largely due to the Khmer Rouge that took over the country nearly thirty years ago. This was a communist regime that wanted to create an agrerian society and forced everyone to leave the cities and live in the countryside. It's hard to imagine this bustling city was once completely empty.
The Khmer Rouge was brutal - they slaughtered an estimated 2 to 3 million people. Many government officials, educated and wealthy people, and Christians were killed. Evangelical missionaries firs began work in this country in the early 1920s, and the church rapidly grew in the 70s until the Khmer took over the country. Almost 90 percent of the Evangelical church was killed during the time of that regime.
This happened during our lifetime. A museum here chronicles that history - it is a former school that was turned into a prison by the Khmer Rouge. Black and white photos line the walls of every man, woman, and child that was executed there. (The Khmer were systematic and documented everything.) On a previous visit, I went to the Killing Fields where many, many Cambodians were executed. If you want a realistic picture, a movie was made several years ago with that same title...the Killing Fields. If you would like to read more about this dark time in the history of Cambodia, you can go to the link for the killing fields museum at www.killingfieldsmuseum.com
Now...this is definitely a land of have and have nots...though most of the country is have not. Everywhere we go, we see destitute people...yet they are resourceful and beautiful.
OK...on the lighter side. I promised some information on hygiene practices:) To start with...Cambodian bathrooms are typically made as one room. That means, there is a tile floor, a sink, a toilet, and a "shower"all in one room. No shower stall. The shower is a box on the wall with a hose and showerhead attached to it. So, the trick is to shower without getting your towel, your clothes, and especially the toilet paper all wet. There is nothing to stop the water from getting all over!! So, literally, you could use the toilet and the shower at the same time if you wanted to:)
The first night, we got there at midnight. I was told that there was a bathroom in my room...where 2 other people were already asleep. So, I went to wash my face and brush my teeth, and realized that there was no sink. I couldn't figure what they did...so I went downstairs to another bathroom. The next morning, they told me that they brush their teeth in the toilet. In my head, I was thinking they literally used the toilet water. Later, I found out...they just spit into the toilet. Much better! Though, you can imagine that when someone is spitting water into the toilet...it sounds like something else:)
We will be shopping at the Russian Market this afternoon...a bazaar with booth after booth after booth with items stacked to the tin roof. We will also be going to dinner tonight with Cambodian workers from Asia's Hope. Then back to bed - and hopefully to air conditioning that is still running!
Thanks to you all for your thoughts and prayers. We especially enjoy the comments to the blog. It is helpful to know that there are so many people "with us."
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