[Written Monday the 8th]
It is currently 10:00 pm on Monday night.
Late for us, I know.
Tell me about it.
We just got home from our vacation weekend in Siem Riep and we are exhausted. The normally 6 hour bus ride ended up taking like 11 hours. Okay so that might be a slight exaggeration, but it definitely took longer than it was supposed to. But we'll come back to that.
Sunday we woke up and Sharon had Khmer coffee and warm banana bread waiting for us. It was glorious. Our tuk tuk arrived around 7:30 and made our way to Siem Riep Church of Christ for worship that morning.
It was a pretty small church and the majority of the church was under the age of 12 I think. There is an orphanage nearby that is called Hanna's Hope and there are currently 32 children that live there and the majority of them attend *sit and squirm* church at Siem Riep Church of Christ. They are all so precious and we were able to hold some of these sweet babies during service. Worship was completely in Khmer *by the way, it's pronounced kuh-my* except for a few sentences of apology for it being all in Khmer. It was perfectly fine with us. We're used to having no idea what's going on.
After service and class, we chatted with the congregation and Sharon introduced us to some wonderful couples. We met the McDonoughs who run a program here in Cambodia called The Ship of Life. Bill McDonough partnered with another man and founded Partners in Progress many years ago. PIP began Ship of Life and it's basically a giant boat that travels up and down the Mekong River and provides healthcare to people who are too poor to afford it. It's an absolutely amazing program and Bill and Marie-Claire are so precious. It was inspiring just hearing them briefly talk about what they do with the ship and for Cambodia's people in general. We also met Dan and Ravy *Rah-vee* Wilson. Dan is American and Ravy was born here in Cambodia. They both attend Sunset International School of Preaching in Lubbock but intend on graduating and moving to Cambodia by 2014. They are over here on an annual visit and are both studying at the Sunset branch here in Phnom Penh. They both care so deeply for the Khmer people and love this country. Before we met them, Mallory and Shanleigh told us all about them and she said it best: As soon as you introduce yourself to Ravy, you're instantly her best friend. And I love people like that. You want an example of people with big hearts, come meet this incredible couple.
After chatting for a bit Ravy and Dan joined the 6 of us for lunch at The Blue Pumpkin. It was a wonderful lunch and we ended up staying there for another 2 hours just talking and encouraging one another.
Marie-Claire was going to be leading a Bible study for the women at the church at 3:00 so we decided to surprise her and encourage her by also attending. We tuk tuked *new made up verb that refers to riding in a tuk tuk* back to the church and hid upstairs until she arrived. We tiptoed down the stairs and surprised her. She was so excited and we spread out to sit with the other women there. Of course, all of these women look like they are my sister's age, but most of them end up to be older than me. Marie-Claire taught about right verses wrong and how we know how to tell the difference between what the world is telling us and what God tells us. It was a wonderful lesson *taught in English with a translator* that definitely stepped on some of my toes.
After the lesson, Ravy was asked to pray in Khmer. She apologized in advance and explained her lack of confidence in her Khmer *she doubts herself, but speaks wonderful Khmer* and then began praying. As she prayed, she started to cry and it was the kind of crying that came straight from the heart. I had no idea what she was saying, but it was beautiful.
When she was done, we all headed outside to meet our tuk tuk. I hadn't even made it out the door when I was overcome with tears. Like I seriously could not stop crying. I wasn't sobbing, but if I had let myself, I would have right there. I was trying to hide it so people wouldn't think I was super unstable, but Theary quickly ran up to me and asked if I was okay. I tried to explain what was happening the best I could, but I didn't even know where to start.
People are so beautiful.
And sometimes I can't handle it.
Ravy spoke straight from her heart.
I had no idea what she was saying.
But it was so pure, and wonderful.
And I love people with big hearts.
So yeah. Call me emotionally unstable.
At least I'm happy.
I got my act together pretty quickly and then we hit the tuk tuks to head back to the hotel. We napped for the rest of the afternoon and then Sharon surprised us with tickets to a dinner show at 7:30. We arrived and walked into a giant dinning hall that was lit by lanterns and had super tall ceilings. The stage was huge and was at the front in the center. There were a million wood tables and a HUGE Khmer buffet off to the side. This place was pretty fancy. Theary guided us around the table and explained what different dishes, fruits, and veggies there were and we piled our plates high. We got back to the table and settled in to see the shows. It was such a fun show and we laughed and cheered and sat in awe of all the dancers. We stuffed our faces and then the show was over.
We tuk tuked back to the hotel and decided to walk over to the night market again to get some much needed exercise after dinner, as well as pick up the last of our souvenirs. We chatted and laughed and had a great time together. We left around 10:00 and as we walked across the bridge, the lights turned off at the market to indicate closing time. We shut that market down, y'all.
It was so fun.
The next morning we woke up and Shanleigh, Sarah, and I met Sharon and Theary at a coffee shop they had found earlier that morning. Free wifi and air conditioning enticed us and we sat there for an hour, sipping our coffee and enjoying our social media. We finished our coffee and stalking and walked back to the hotel to pack. We packed and then walked around a corner to a cute little place called Upstairs Cafe. Seriously, it was the cutest thing in the world. We had a wonderful brunch and then met the bus station's shuttle back at our hotel. We picked up some more people and then headed to the bus station. As we were driving, our phone rang and I answered. It was the hotel and apparently they forgot to charge us for 3 nights. We registered *and thought we paid because we gave our credit card number* for 3 nights on their website and then 1 night on a travel website due to lack of room and space and blah blah. So basically a tuk tuk with the manager was racing to meet us at the bus station before our bus left.
It was like some kind of action/horror film that takes place in a foreign country.
We got to the bus station and were ushered over to our bus. The bus that they were telling us to get on did not match the one on our ticket and so Sharon and Theary were trying to figure out if this bus was even going to Phnom Penh and we were trying to keep the men from taking our luggage and putting it on the wrong bus. We were also keeping our eyes peeled for the tuk tuk with the manager on it. Theary tried to get the bus driver to wait for us until the tuk tuk arrived...
Talk about a high-stress situation.
We figured out the bus was going to Phnom Penh and our tickets weren't right but it didn't matter. The tuk tuk arrived at the very last second and we rushed him the money and jumped on the bus.
It.
Was.
Insane.
We survived and were on the road in no time.
The next 6 hours were filled with Khmer music videos that told all about heartbreak and a whole lotta unfaithfulness on the wife's part. We had no idea what the songs were saying, but you could learn a lot by just watching them. Shanleigh and I had a lot of fun commentating and when the whole selection *like 30 or more songs* started over, we knew which ones were our favorite. Surprisingly, there were like 6 songs in English. They included Beyonce, some rap songs, Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Justin Bieber, and Pitbull. As we sat and watched these familiar songs, I found myself feeling more and more uncomfortable. There was a HUGE difference between the Khmer songs and the English songs. The Khmer culture is extremely different from our culture back home. Girls are always very modest and hardly ever show skin above their knee. There is absolutely no signs of public affection between sexes. Boys can hold hands with other boys and girls can hold hands with other girls in order to show friendship, but there is no hand holding between couples. Not even if you're married. Some of the Khmer music videos were risqué and showed couples almost kissing, but there was always a new scene before they actually kissed.
Compare that to the minimal clothing, bumping, grinding, and extremely sexual nature of our wonderful American music videos and you find yourself in a very uncomfortable position as an American who is a Christian.
Me on the bus:
I sat and watched and prayed that it would switch back to the Khmer songs because I was feeling so ashamed. I was embarrassed to be a foreigner on that bus because I did not want to be associated with that behavior.
Me at home on a normal day:
I love riding in the car with the windows rolled down, blaring all the new music on the radio, and singing at the top of my lungs. I love knowing all the new songs and learning all the lyrics so I can prove to everyone that I know that song and love it.
Polar opposites huh?
I have never seen our pop culture from the other side and let me tell you, it was an awful experience. Don't get me wrong, I know when songs are not portraying a desirable message and when they are encouraging almost everything that I, as a Christian, am against. But I just tell my conscience to shut up and then go on blaring the song.
Um what?
I've always heard people talk about the trashiness and immoral behavior in today's music, but sheesh. It was so clear on that bus.
And I was so ashamed to be from a society that supports that behavior.
Please don't misunderstand me or take offense. I absolutely love music and still love music and will continue to love music. And I realize that not every popular song is bad and I'm not trying to hate on modern day artists and musicians.
I had just never been on the other side before. Now that I'm living in a new culture and have become accustomed to a new way of life, I just see things from a different perspective. And it's a love/hate thing. I love having a new perspective and seeing my life differently. But it's kind of awful at the same time. You get your toes stepped on a lot. And it hurts.
It rained a lot on the way home.
And when I say a lot, I mean a lotttttt.
The bus driver started pulling over at different places a long the road and would let random people on our bus. There weren't enough seats so people sat in the aisle and stood by the door, but he would just keep pulling over and offering rides.
This was a very strange concept to me. These people didn't pay for a ticket. These people weren't even on their way to Phnom Penh. But they still kept getting picked up and dropped off along the way. Something like this would never happen in America. The good ol' Citylink has a tight schedule and makes no exceptions. But here I was watching a certain song being applied to real life.
If our brother's in the road, we will stop and pick him up.
If our sister's in the road, we will stop and pick her up.
You know the one you would always sing in Bible hour and it has those great hand motions? If you don't, just go find any person that was raised in the Church of Christ and have them sing it to you.
Anyways.
How cool is it that people actually do that?
People actually stop and pick their brothers and sisters up instead of just singing about it. It's not hard to open a door and let someone in. It's not hard to help someone get out of their own personal downpours. All you have to do is slow down and open the door. It was a really neat experience and I'm so glad I got to see it.
One more story from our bus adventure.
NOTE: THIS NEXT STORY IS CENSORED TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY. IF YOU ARE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH BATHROOMS IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY, PLEASE SKIP AHEAD.
I accomplished something great today.
I used a "squatty potty" for the first time.
Definition of a Squatty Potty: A hole in the ground that you use as a toilet.
Yes.
That is correct.
Cassie White, queen of hygiene, used a squatty potty at a bus pit stop in the middle of Cambodia. And lived to tell the tale.
I've been trying to stay super hydrated *because I sweat 24/7* and so that means drinking a TON of water. I had gone through like a liter and a half on the bus and was in dire need of a bathroom. Well we stopped at a pit stop *shack-awning-like structure where people sell questionable food and there is a bathroom* and I made a beeline for the bathroom. The "bathroom" was an outdoor hallway with metal stalls on either side.
I looked in the first stall... no porcelain.
I looked in the next stall... no porcelain.
It took me a few more stalls to realize that there were no white, shiny commodes in the vicinity. That's when I realized it was do or die. So I stepped in and didn't look back. Or down.
I won't go into too much detail, but it was the most disgusting experience of my life. A couple of tears may have been shed. *hence the blog title: ...Crying Behind Closed Doors* And I used basically my whole bottle of hand sanitizer.
I walked out and the girls were standing outside the hallway clapping for me. It was a big deal. And I was proud.
We finally made it home and Theary made sure our tuk tuk driver knew exactly where he was going so we wouldn't get lost. Again. We said our goodbyes and made our way back to the hotel.
We arrived safely and now here we are.
Home sweet home.
This weekend was an absolute blessing. From the beautiful fellowship, to the new friends that we met in Siem Riep, to the relaxation, and to the new, eye-opening experiences.. it was all wonderful. I'm so grateful for Sharon, Theary, Mallory, Shanleigh and Sarah. And I'm so grateful for new experiences and even bigger eyes.
I don't know how many more eye-opening experiences I can have though... my eyes are getting pretty big.
Just kidding.
I'm loving the fact that my eyes are opened daily.
Love you all so so SO much,
Cassie
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