As Chris mentioned in the previous post, we had a very restful trip to Singapore, which helped us get ready for another stint of work back here in Cambodia. We went to Singapore for several reasons, and one was to enjoy western food again. This post is dedicated solely to our dining...
As silly as this may seem to some, it was very good for us to take this trip and enjoy some of these small things in life. We have spent a lot of time debriefing our trip since returning home almost a week ago. This is the first time we have in a developed country in 8 months, and it was an eye opening experience for us in how different Cambodia is from what we know. It was easy and quick to slip into life in Singapore, forming lines and waiting your turn, obeying traffic signs and laws, not sweating 24/7, and not eating rice. It was the first time since moving here that we fully understood how far Cambodia is from reaching "developed world" status. It provokes many thoughts of thankfulness for the jobs we have and the opportunities we have to make a difference. But at the same times also makes us see how we belonged or "fit in" while in Singapore, but in Cambodia we are foreigners and still can't go a day without some cultural goof-up, or lack of enough language to fully communicate (and we get the stares to remind us of this daily). Being an outsider can be exhausting, as we experience the drain in takes on you physically, emotionally, and spiritually. So as we continue to digest not only all those burgers and lattes, we are left with the bigger challenge of digesting the thoughts of living life in the developing world when the developed world is so comfortable. The thought of missing home, yet knowing that God has brought us here and being overjoyed with the work we are doing. The thought of being thankful for what we have, while living out the command of finding our hope and joy in serving others and giving back what we have been given.
No comments:
Post a Comment