Fourth Day In

Well here I am on my fourth day in Cambodia. It has been an incredible past few days, and surprisingly enough it feels as though I've been here MUCH longer than I actually have!

FRIDAY

Friday was my first full day and was actually a very significant day for me. I got to go to the offices where I will be working, one of which is in the shelter where the girls going through treatment are living. Although I've been working to fight human trafficking for the past 3 1/2 years, I have never interacted with or met someone who is recovering from being trafficked - let alone 14-17 year old girls who have undergone this horrific injustice. It took me a while to recognize what a significant moment it was for me, but once I started to connect the terrible facts and images of what their stories and experiences were like, I began to get extremely emotional and had to take deep breaths to maintain composure.

My emotions quickly changed however when, as I went downstairs, one of the girls (who I hadn't met yet) immediately came up to me and put a bracelet that she had made on my wrist. Then she and another girl motioned me to come into the lobby and told me to pick out a pair of earrings they had made. As soon as I pointed to one, they picked them up and put them in my ears. They were so excited to give me this jewelry and it brought me so much joy - I now wear the bracelet and earrings every day as a reminder and inspiration that hope and joy can still be present in the midst of pain and suffering. The girls immediately took me from having a heavy heart to one filled with joy and hope.

Later, we had our launching lunch with the Project Team and went to the office where we'll be working. Once we got to the office, we actually began to brainstorm and briefly plan our next steps over the next couple of weeks. This day got me very excited to begin working on the project and was the first moment where all of the dreaming I've been doing for the past year came to be reality - I'm actually here in Cambodia, doing the research and work I've been thinking about since last September...an amazing feeling!!

SATURDAY

After a successful Friday, Saturday was a fabulous day of relaxation, shopping, food, and drinks. I went out to the Olympic Market to try and buy some clothes that are culturally appropriate and aren't soooo hot like the denim I came with! The weather is pretty brutal, although it hasn't been that bad, but it's definitely a constant state of sweating - jealous?!!! Anyways, lesson of the day: if I'm looking for a self-esteem boost, DO NOT try to buy clothes when they are made to fit an asian population. It was quite a hysterical mission - I'd look at a t-shirt and the woman at the stand would look at me and shake her head while proceeding to point to a balloon sized shirt and would say, "here this one work". Yea....I still managed to have some success, but boy was it entertaining!

Anyways, after shopping Catherine (another intern at TG) and I basically spent the rest of the day drinking wine, eating amazing food (where I had a blonde moment of realizing I was using chopsticks upside-down..I was wondering why I was struggling so much), oh and at the end of the day we enjoyed my new favorite obsession - a BLOODY MARY!! I have to say, they are not the best here, but I, nonetheless, got my fix. Overall, my first Saturday in Cambodia was quite enjoyable and filled with lots of fun and great company! I HAVE A FRIEND :) yay!!!

SUNDAY

Another fantastic day! Went to check out the International Christian Assembly with Chris (who essentially was our tour guide when I came to Cambodia 4 years ago with my home church, Lake Avenue) which was great. Loved the worship, which I came to realize was led by a man who's connected to Lake Avenue and knows people I know from there - such a small world! The sermon was also amazing, but the coolest part was the number of different nationalities represented. I don't think I have ever seen so much diversity in one room - absolutely loved it. The rest of the day has been a typical lovely Sunday - went to lunch with a great group of people, then enjoyed some gelato, then had my first experience going to the supermarket and buying groceries, and then my favorite part of the day....I GOT MY AIR CONDITIONER FIXED!! It's actually cool in my room and I'm not sweating more inside than outside!!!! LOVE IT :)