I am in Cambodia. That is CRAZY! Getting here wasn't as bad as I expected 24 hours of plane rides and lay overs to be. And the past two days of being here seem like a few weeks…packed with new experiences and tastes and sounds and smells.
The hardest part so far? LANGUAGE
I was (and still am) super excited to learn a third language. But right now I feel pretty helpless. I was bummed when I found out I have to wait until Sept. 12th to start language classes.
So matters had to be taken into our own hands. We have been learning quite a bit from our leader who has been here before, the team who has been here 10 months already, and our tuk-tuk driver. We listened to a Khmer (pronounced ka-mi) tape and learned how to count to 100! I felt quite accomplished and have been practicing all night!
The craziest thing is that when I try to communicate something and have no idea how to say it in Khmer, I say it in Spanish (at least to myself in my head…although I say "si" a lot in response to questions.)
I know they don't understand English so I try another language… even though they don't understand Spanish either!
I know it will get there…slowly but surely! Knowing 5 words already opens doors to communicating with people and even if we just share laughter we are beginning a relationship of some sort. Hopefully one that blesses them and me and the Lord.
I praise God for the complexity of the brain to learn new languages and attempt to comprehend other cultures all for His glory.
