Incense & Hotdogs

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I almost just want to leave the title and hit post!  My first morning in Cambodia.  I wake up, more so with a burst of excitement today.  We traveled 20+ hours in flight yesterday so any amount of "bed sleep" was enough to get me where I needed to be (at least through the morning).  I don't want to spend more than a minute talking about the new bathroom outlook..  The shower and the toilet and the sink are all open and connected to one another - there is no division from the toilet  and the shower.  Which means, once you shower, the entire bathroom is now wet.  Not so bad actually, just different.  Just don't slip.

So moseying on out to breakfast.  My first whiff of non-tired-clear-thinking-and-sensing Cambodian life is indeed:  Incense and hotdogs.  I couldn't really smell the hotdogs, but the incense was, of course, very noticeable; hotdogs, warm milk, coffee, orange juice, bread and jam, some mini-bananas and some sort of other fruit.  I think we're staying in more of a Western Culture friendly spot right now, so this isn't even too far from my experience with a European breakfast.

We're currently staying in the capital of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, for approximately 3 weeks, culture learning, language learning, and other general, miscellaneous items that will help us in knowledge and movement throughout the year.

I'm going to keep this first post short, but you have experienced my morning with me.

There are 73 other people just like me that have been sent out into other parts of the world, Jerusalem, Rwanda, United Kingdom, Mexico, South Africa and a few others..  Our goal is to build relationship with the people, experience and immerse ourselves in the culture, we carry our Christian faith with us, but our priority this year is to stop and listen, to experience and learn another people.  We are not just here to evangelize but to absorb their smiles, absorb losses and cultural differences, hear their stories and to share our own.

As many, if not all of you, have asked me at one point or another and I didn't really know how to answer, am I excited?  Yes, now I am excited.  I am here, I am engaged with eyes open.  This journey has begun.

Stay tuned my friends, family, others,

From Cambodia, Phnom Penh,
Andrew B. Smith

Day 1 of Language Training
 (K'hmer, the Cambodian Language).

Our Country Coordinators, Adam and Sarah
 (main form of contact in country).