Dear family and friends,
Greetings from Phnom Penh where it is apparently illegal to drive with your headlights on during the day, but not illegal to drive with them off at night! I am fast-approaching the 8-month mark of my internship. It’s hard for me to believe that I’ve been in Cambodia that long already.
Flexibility is a big part of living in a foreign country. And this past month, I have definitely had my share of the unexpected crop up. First, CSI clinic closed with a week’s notice in mid-July. While it was not totally unexpected, the timing of it was. So while I thought I had a good idea of what the rest of my internship was going to look like, much of the next few months are a giant question mark. Thankfully, there are several possibilities that I will be checking out in the near future.
The second unexpected event took place within 48 hours of hearing that CSI clinic was closing. I was awoken in the wee hours of the morning to discover a thief at my window. The thief stole my iPod and my sense of security, so I have been working at forgiving the thief and relearning how to sleep well for the past three weeks. Thank you for all your prayers after this incident.
The big event in Cambodia was the national elections that took place on Sunday, July 27th. It has been interesting to compare campaigning styles here to that of the USA. I have heard that the candidates in Cambodia are only allowed to campaign for one month before the election. Therefore, you couldn’t tell an election was coming up just by sight. However, once the campaigning began, it meant a month of big trucks with loudspeakers blaring deafening music/speeches driving down the main streets and being followed by dozens of motorbikes that drove slowly and held up traffic. I don’t watch TV or listen to the radio, so I don’t know how much the campaigns dominated programming. Election Day itself was a very peaceful day in Phnom Penh as many city-dwellers returned to their homelands in the provinces to vote. Church was cancelled, as meeting in large groups was discouraged. Most businesses were closed. It was a great day to bike through the city, but an awful day to find lunch as even the roadside food stands were closed. Even Monday was more subdued than usual as some businesses had not yet reopened. Everything is back to normal now, though.
I hope you all are enjoying your summers!
Peace and blessings,
Greta
Prayer Requests
- That I would be able to work through issues arising from the burglary and be able to sleep again
- For safety as I do some regional travel in August
- For good relationships and interactions with my dorm sisters
- For wisdom and guidance in deciding what to do next
- That the newly-elected officials would serve Cambodia
Praises
- That I got to spend the time that I did at CSI clinic
- No bicycle or motorbike accidents in 3½ months!
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