Some weekends I go on adventures- camp, swim, shop, see temples- but most weekends I stay at home, grateful for time to lay around and do nothing. My ability to do nothing has increased substantially in Cambodia. Maybe its because life here just happens at a slower pace and more value is placed on simply being with people or maybe I just have a lot of down time, but either way I'm enjoying being still in a new way. So here's what I did this last weekend to give you a taste of an average weekend for me:
On Friday after work I went to a Taize worship service at an international church. Then my fellow MCCers, Grace, LynAnne, Liz and I had a sleep over at MCC. We ended up staying up until 1:30 in the morning chatting about nothing and everything. It was exactly what I needed and it felt just like college.
I woke up on Saturday and chatted on skype with my parents for 2 hours. Then, I went home and had lunch with my sisters. Lazed around with them at home for the rest of the afternoon and evening. Ended the night with a conversation about how to choose the right man to marry with my oldest sister Dalis. Started planning her birthday party in a few weeks. Looks like I will be contributing an American dish and a cake : )
On Sunday I went to Khmer church with my sister Phealy. Then, we came home and sat around chatting and cooking with my other sisters. Late in the afternoon they left to visit another family member and I had the house to myself. So I read and listened to music and watched TV and generally relaxed. On Sunday night, I went to the house church I am a part of. We listened to a podcast sermon and ate together and discussed. Ended the night praying that we might know what it means to truly be worshipers. Lovely.
And this morning I woke up and came to work. A simple, lazy weekend. But I'm really grateful for that simplicity because its a sign I feel at home with my host family. At the beginning, I could never have imagined sitting at home all Saturday afternoon. Now though, I feel totally comfortable with them and in our house.
As a side note, last week was Chinese New Year and I saw dragon dancing in the street. So cool. Why don't we have a holiday that involves dancing in the street in costumes? Seriously awesome. A lot of Cambodians have some Chinese blood and most people believe in the lunar calendar so the new year is a big deal here. So happy year of the rabbit- a very lucky year in Cambodia because rabbits are the most clever animal. Lots of women want to have babies this year so their children will be smart : )
And, today is the exact halfway point of my year! Hard to believe. Somehow, its gone by slowly and quickly at the same time. I am starting to feel like coming home, but at the same time I happy to have a few more months to do life here.
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