A Phnom Penh Love Story

I read this very funny story today. It's about a girl here in Cambodia, who gets all she can out of expats. She has three boyfriends who all give her loads of money, and none of them no about each other. I can't figure out if I feel sorry for the creepy old guys, or not.
Read this. Understand my world.
http://www.expat-advisory.com/forum/asia/cambodia/phnom-penh-pub-expats-expats-cambodia/bong-kol-and-three-barangs-phnom-penh-love

My apartment

REAL COFFEE!

This month we got a Gloria Jeans! A REAL Gloria Jeans. This is the second international chain restaurant that has made it to Cambodia. The first being KFC.
Last year we got a "Starbucks" which turned out to be a fake. They had to change the name because Starbucks was trying to sue them. I was so sad when I realized it was a fake.
Gloria Jeans is heavenly though. It's a slice of home, right here in Phnom Penh.

Mammaw's Birthday

This week my Mammaw turned 80. She is the strongest woman I've ever known. I can't believe she's really 80! She is so young at heart.
I called her for her birthday. She was so surprised to here from me, since I'm in Cambodia. It was great. She cried when I told her I was staying in Cambodia another year. But she's proud of me.
I love my Mammaw.

Safari World Trip 2

I went to Bangkok this weekend to meet up with some friends from
Liberty. And we had a great time.
Remember the zoo I got the baby tiger pictures from? We went back. It was so fun!!! I got picked up by an elephant with his
trunk. And then there was a cage of white tigers, and when one
walked by, I stuck my hand in the cage and petted him! A big adult
tiger!!! All my friends were screaming. They were so scared! It
was so amazing! An adult WHITE tiger.
I also stuck my hand in the marmoset cage and pet him (a tiny monkey).
I love South East Asia. There are no rules here!

Temples Take Two

Visited the temples at Siem Reap for the 2nd time. They are always beautiful, but they were more interesting the first time around.
Megan and Mark went with me. Megan is an American Student teacher who is in Cambodia for a few months. Mark is an Australian teacher who has taken over our 4th grade.

March 2010 Update on Life in Cambodia

Dear Friends and Family,

It is hot in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. I mean very hot. I would love to see the spring in America this year. Cool mornings that require a light sweater. Baseball teams are starting to practice. March in Cambodia is more like sweat pouring down everybody’s faces as they fan themselves and hide in the shade. As much as, I’m hating the weather, Cambodia is really growing on me. I’m really enjoying my time here, and I’ve started to feel a deep connection to this crazy country.

Recently I’ve really felt the burden for my students. The kids that I teach are TCKs. The term TCK refers to a child that is a “Third Culture Kid” anyone who has grown up outside of their own culture. These children neither fit into the culture of their home country or the country they reside in. It is a hard place to be: at home in a place that sees you as a foreigner.

My students endure things that most adults couldn’t handle. Being ripped away from grandparents and cousins or being sent to a boarding school for your education. These students have a really difficult life. Often their parents don’t stay in one country for more than five years. The friends they make at school move frequently. The teachers of their school come for a two-year contract and then leave. They say good-bye more often than they say I love you.

These students are very special people. They have seen things that most teenagers are never aware of. They have worked in the slums of the poorest countries. They have fed starving children. The have clothed people who have nothing. They have befriended people of a different race and language. They have eyes that are wide open to the need and hurt in the world. They have giving hearts that want to do good for the rest of mankind. These are not your average selfish kids.

Another reason my job is so important is the parents of my students. Before my school was founded eight years ago, missionaries were forced to home-school their children. Some missionaries would leave the country because they felt they had to take their kids home for high school. There were no affordable, reasonable schooling options. There was one international school in town. It was not Christian, and it cost over $12,000 per year. Missionary women had no choice but to stay home and teach their children. Some women felt completely incompetent to teach high school science and other subjects to their children. Because of HOPE, they now have an option that allows them to affordably educate their children in a Christian community. Most of these women have been able to work outside the home in amazing careers. One mom, that has been liberated from the chore of teaching her two kids, began Chab Dai Coalition, an amazing organization that is working to bring an end to human trafficking in Cambodia.

I am telling you what a wonderful job I have so that you understand the burden I have. I love Cambodia, but my heart does not burn with passion to work in the slums. I love the idea of bringing an end to human trafficking, but I am not called to work with prostitution or the after-care of girls retrieved from that lifestyle. I am a teacher. I am called to love and impact students for Christ. I believe that my students are of a special category. They are different than anyone else. I have a special calling that is specific to children in my classroom from Monday to Friday.

Another reason my job is so important is the parents of my students. Before my school was founded eight years ago, missionaries were forced to home-school their children. Some missionaries would leave the country because they felt they had to take their kids home for high school. There were no affordable, reasonable schooling options. There was one international school in town. It was not Christian, and it cost over $12,000 per year. Missionary women had no choice but to stay home and teach their children. Some women felt completely incompetent to teach high school science and other subjects to their children. Because of HOPE, they now have an option that allows them to affordably educate their children in a Christian community. Most of these women have been able to work outside the home in amazing careers. One mom, that has been liberated from the chore of teaching her two kids, began Chab Dai Coalition, an amazing organization that is working to bring an end to human trafficking in Cambodia.

I am telling you what a wonderful job I have so that you understand the burden I have. I love Cambodia, but my heart does not burn with passion to work in the slums. I love the idea of bringing an end to human trafficking, but I am not called to work with prostitution or the after-care of girls retrieved from that lifestyle. I am a teacher. I am called to love and impact students for Christ. I believe that my students are of a special category. They are different than anyone else. I have a special calling that is specific to children in my classroom from Monday to Friday.

I believe that God is renewing my passion for these students. He is burdening my heart with the desire to be a safe place for these special children. They need good role models. They need a “big sister” figures in their life because the normal role of aunt, grandmother, or “mom’s best friend” is very different than what most teenagers’ experience. These students need me. I have a unique opportunity here. I can be a huge influence in these teenagers’ lives because they are desperate for connection and affection.

When I came to Cambodia, I signed up for a two year term. I believed fully that after two years I would return home to my normal life. I would go back to my family, my retirement savings, my car, and my comfy American life. Now God is clearly calling me to renew for another year. If he wants me here longer than that, I don’t know it yet. It may be that I’m unwilling to hear that call. I am not eager to stay in Cambodia. I love my students, but it is a hard life here. It’s not a comfortable place to live. I truly miss America and the ease of living there. Unfortunately for my materialistic and selfish side, God is asking me to remain in Cambodia another year. I’m not sure why, but I know that this is His will and not my own.

One of the most difficult tasks of deciding to stay in Cambodia is that I need to raise more support. Asking people for money is not fun. It’s highly uncomfortable. To put your financial security in the hands of others is humbling and nerve-wracking. I would prefer to make excess money and be able to help others. However because my role in Cambodia is a ministry, I need my friends and family to help me financially. Talking about money makes people uncomfortable, and I am no exception. I naturally shy away from asking for monetary help. Except in this situation I have no choice. Maybe God is trying to humble me. Maybe He’s yelling down at me, “Carrie, just trust in me.” And maybe I’m just too weak of a person to easily give control of my finance over to God. No matter why it makes me uncomfortable to ask my friend and family for money, I must do it. I must trust that God knows why this difficult task is necessary for me.

Pray for me. Deciding to stay here is not an easy choice for me. I would like to go home. I would like to be near my family. But God is calling me to stay another year. Since making the decision to stay, God has given me an unexpected peace and a pleasant joy about spending another year here. Please pray that the finance will come easily, and I will not worry about it. Please pray for my family as I am far away from them for another year. Please pray for me as I need to find a new roommate in Cambodia. Pray for my students; they are so incredible.

Thanks for all your support. Your prayers are so important to me. Your emails are always a treat for me. I look forward to hearing from you all.

God bless you,
Carrie Cordell

On Being a Missionary

I expected to change. I thought that moving to a third-world country to work in mission’s school would instantly change me into a compassionate, adventurous person. You believe that when you make these life changing moves your life will change. Sure several things change. You address changes. Your speech changes to adapt to those around you. Your daily rituals change. Sometimes the looks of a “toilet” changes. But me. I don’t change. Myself has followed me to the other side of the globe.
Who I am. The deep essence of me has not changed. I still have the same personality I did when I lived in America. I still make similar life choices now as I did three years ago. I still enjoy ice cream and hate tomatoes. My hair has changed minutely. It’s longer now than it was three years ago.
One thing I really expected to change was my spiritual life. I really expect a bolt of lightning from God. I thought that becoming a missionary meant that God would talk audibly to me every morning and evening. I thought once I moved to a dirty third world- country I would instant be the perfect Christian. Who would have thought that moving to the other side of the world doesn’t instantly make you closer to God. My relationship with God is not magically stronger because I made a huge sacrifice for him. Nope. I still have to pray to see God’s will. Missionaries have no easy button for God.
I also assumed I’d be a more compassionate person because I was living in the second poorest in Asia. Ha. No. I may have become more selfish by moving here. I feel that I have to look out for myself since my life is much harder now. I need to have more “me” time so that I can make sure I’m comfortable in my uncomfortable new home.
Strange. I didn’t instantly change into a wonderful person by moving.

The Last weekend of January we took the high school youth group to the beach for a "camp". It was great fun. We hung out on the beach, had worship around a camp fire, and ate smores (some for the first time). The kids were awesome. It's always good to relax with them outside of the classroom. We had an superb time.

Eating Tarantulas

The Cambodians eat spiders as a tasting snack. A few of my Cambodian friends have told me that when they were kids they'd go out into the rice fields and find tarantula holes. They'd pour water down the holes until the spider was forced out for air. Then they'd catch it and eat it. Sometimes they'd fry it over the fire. Sometimes they'd eat it uncooked.
So one of my goals before I leave Cambodia was to eat a spider. Last night we went out to a restaurant that serves Tarantulas (to tourist). They were well cooked in yummy sauce. It tasted a lot like pork rinds. It wasn't bad. I can totally understand why they would eat them. I wouldn't shutter to do it again.

Spirit Week

Spirit Week is a ridiculously fun time for students to have a little fun at school. We started the week with a Team Color day. Then we had Crazy Hair day, Twin day, International day, and finally Sports Day.
It's always fun to dress up and act like a kid again. This year I had my face painted almost every single day. Rachel, our make-up artist, loves face painting. So we had a good time with it.
We played games every morning with our teams. My team, the green team, got 3rd place. Not so great when there are 3 times! lol. Oh well. We tried!
Sports day was killer, with 90+ degree weather on January 28th. I was so dehydrated by the end of the day. AH. hot hot hot.

Top Ten Books of 2009 According to Me

The books I liked the best out of the 30+ I read this year.

1. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (fiction)
2. Escape by Carolyn Jessops (memoir)
3. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls (memoir)
4. Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen (fiction)
5. Jemima J by Jane Green (fiction)
6. Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne (Christian help)
7. For Matrimonial Purposes by Kavita Daswani (fiction)
8. Anybody Out There? by Marian Keyes (fiction)
9. The Host by Stephenie Meyer (sci-fi)
10. Remember Me by Sophie Kinsella (fiction)

The runner up in the number 11 spot is Safely Home by Randy Alcorn (Christian Fiction)

Really I should know better. I've been told before not to be out in town alone later then 9PM. Since nothing's ever happen to me, I have taken the advice for granted and fudge the time I'm out to later. Really 9:00 seems so early to be in the house. But there's a reason.
One night I was driving home alone around 9:30. The streets were mostly deserted, but a few cars remained out. On one of the major intersections, I saw a scuffle between 4 or 5 boys. It looked like the 4 boys were beating the one boy. Then, before I had time to react, they picked him up and forced him into the back seat of the car. It was a kidnapping! I'd read about them in Phnom Penh! But to witness one! It was traumatizing. There are no police to call and report to. Even if the police were helpful, I don't know their number. I couldn't do a thing. I definitely wasn't going to get involved. It was probably gang or loan related, but it was the most terrifying thing I've ever seen.
I'll be more careful about getting home early from now on.

Out in the Village

Village life is quite different than the life I live in Phnom Penh. Still all around me, I'm reminded that the average Cambodian lives in a wood hut and makes $1 a day during the harvest season.
A month ago, I went to Retdy's (Kate's bf) village to meet his family. They were very sweet. Their neighbors were so excited to see foreign girls visit.
The whole time Kate and I were constantly bombarded with compliments. They kept telling us how beautiful we were and how ugly Retdy was (because his skin is dark from the sun).
We went for a walk through the town (which was about 20 people) and we drew such a crowd. People were watching us, and finally they asked us to sit down and talk with them. One woman kept telling us how beautiful we were, and in the next breathe she said we were big enough to have 10 children each. AH! So I'm beautiful, but I'm fat enough to have tons of kids!

Alone

Traveling alone.
So I before I left for Malaysia, I googled traveling alone. I thought it would be a good idea to get some tips about being a single girl in a foreign country. What I got was this ridiculous list of things to do by yourself. One of the things was, “Enjoy yourself”… thanks… I needed google and the internet to realize that. The last thing on the list was, “Take pictures of yourself.” Kristi and I had a good laugh over the ridiculousness of this article. So while in Malaysia, I took lots of pictures of myself. Here are a sampling of them.


Wendy's and Krispy Kreme... It's like America, but in Asia.

KL, Malaysia

This year for the Water Festival holiday we had 10 days off of school, and I had nothing to do. No plans. No trips. So Kate and I decided to go to Battanbong to visit our friend Corey. But Battanbong is a tiny little town, and there isn’t much to do. So when Retdy (Kate’s boyfriend) got a Thai visa, we decided to go to Bangkok with him. I have been to Bangkok 5 times already, so that was not exciting. But there is a train that runs from Bangkok to Malaysia.
Malaysia. Now there is a place I could get excited about! I decided to hop the train and head down to Malaysia from Bangkok. Then the more I talked to people the more they suggested I go to Kuala Lumpar, the capital. The town I’d previously planned to take a train to was Penang, a historic town on the coast.
Change in plans. Kuala Lumpar, nicknamed KL, was my new destination. It was a cheap plane ticket down. So two days before I left, I booked my flight from Bangkok to KL.
KL was awesome. I went by myself, which seemed like a scary idea at the time. I really loved the time alone though. After travelling with Kate for a week, it felt great to be alone and decide things independently.
I spent three nights in KL. The great thing about Malaysia is that everyone speaks English because it used to be a British colony.
I stayed in Chinatown, the dirtiest district in KL. It was the backpacker’s district though. Things were cheap, and temporary friends were abundant. Chinatown was a night owl’s paradise, and torture for a recovery shopaholic. The place came alive at dusk, and roared with excitement as travelers packed the streets.
During the days I scheduled tours through my hotel. I joined temporary tour groups as we explored outside the city. The first trip included a visit to a pewter factory, a batik factory, and the famed Batu Caves.
The Batu Caves is a Hindu temple in a large cave outside of KL. It is populated with monkeys who feast on the snacks of tourist. Its temple is not that impressive when you finally reach it inside the cave. The impressive attribute of the cave is the stairs leading to the temple. Apparently Hindu believers climb the 290 stairs as atonement for their sins before reaching the temple. My favorite part of the temple was the Python they let me hold when I reached the top of the stairs!
My next tour was a trip to Melaka, a small city 2 hours south of KL. Kate recommended this trip to me. She said it was a historic town where I could see lots of old things. I took this to mean it was a tourist city set up in the old lifestyle of ancient Malaysia. I was wrong. It’s just a city with some old buildings. Nothing too fascinating. An old Dutch church here. And old fort there. A Chinese temple that was 300 years old... You can only take so many pictures of an old building.
I did plenty of shopping during my time in KL. I went to one mall called “Times Square”. They had a Krispy Kreme Donuts (yum!) and a Papa John’s (heaven, I’m in heaven). It was just like being in an America except for the clothing stores were very Asian (cramped tight with strange looking, miniature-sized clothes). The coolest thing about Times Square was that apart from the two movie theatres and the bowling alley, there was an amusement park, in this 10 story mall, complete with a rollercoaster.
I never got to climb to the top of the Petronas Towers, the world’s tallest buildings until 2004. I never got to see any of the museums of KL. I never got to see than many mosques of this Islamic country. I guess I’ll have to go back.