So this last weekend I went to Cambodia with my friend Kamyee to run a half-marathon at Angkor, one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world.
On our taxi ride to the town where the ancient ruins are, we shared the road with lots of bicycles, motorcycles with 3 or 4 passengers, even a few ox carts. We were greeted in Siem Reap with beautiful French architecture and delightful cafes. Outside of our guesthouse was an amputee who was selling pirated (photocopied) books trying to make money off the tourists. That was one of the sickening parts of the weekend that I continue to be puzzled and a little bit sad about...how someone like me gets to enjoy a delightful weekend in this beautiful country and enjoy looking at the rice paddies and palm trees, while others who live in Cambodia have had limbs blown off walking through those same fields that I think are so beautiful. I don't know how to reconcile the unfairness of this- how I got to be born in the USA and earn a degree and have all sorts of choices about the job I wanted to have, and this guy is left to sell books to tourists who make more money in a year than what he might see in his whole life. So that was certainly a toughie to chew on when i was there and it continues to trouble my heart as I think about it.
THankfully, though, that wasn't the only overarching theme of the weekend. I was blown away by God's extravagence and beautify throughout the weekend. We rode our bike through the ruins (acutally, we rode on a road that travels from ruin to ruin- about a 10 mile loop). On our ride we got hissed at by a monkey, we saw elephants giving rides to tourists, and I saw huge trees actually growing over ancient ruins.
I saw beautiful Cambodian children who captured my heart in a way that is different than any other people group has effected me. They are BEAUTIFUL. Big smiles, kind eyes, and seemingly sincere. I loved seeing them. And when we ran the half marathon, they stood along the race route, excitedly giving us high fives and encouraging us with the few English phrases they knew. What a sweet gift to run a race in the cool of the morning, through the jungle (on a paved road) among incredible ancient structures.
Who the heck am I that I get to do this stuff?
I enjoyed great conversation all weekend with my dear friend Kamyee. She is fast becoming one of my favorite people here, and she is a delightful travel companion. we made good decisions together and were both up for adventure. When listing our possible options for getting from the airport to the town where the race was (about a 4 hour trip), I suggested the possibility of renting motorcycles to drive ourselves up there. Kamyee paused and cocked her head, giving thoughtful consideration to my suggestion. I later told her that I loved how she even considered driving a motorcycle for 4 hours in Cambodia. She told me that she loved that I even suggested it. :) So yeah- you get the idea of what a fun-loving, down-for-adventure kind of girl Kamyee is. I sure love her.
So I guess that's it. Thanks to those of you who were praying for us. We were totally safe and had an incredible time. Except for being a little chaffed and soar from the race, I'm in good shape and am ready to push hard through these last 11 school days I have. Hip hip hooray! I'll be in the white and fluffy stuff (if Colorado gets any, that is) before i know it. :)
