"Love the girl who holds the world in a paper cup . . . drink it up!"

Hello all!
Thought I would title this post after my favorite James Taylor song:) Anyway, here I am, sitting in an Internet cafe in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. WOW. This city is crazy---smelly, dirty, crowded . . . and yet, it has a charm all its own! We arrived around 8 pm on Thursday night, and let me tell you, going through the visa/border control was absolutely terrifying. All they want is your 20 bucks, but the process is so serious and there are so many uniformed men standing around. VERY SCARY, especially for me, seeing as this was my first time visiting Cambodia! But I made it; no problems.
The group that met us at the airport was so fun! A group of students came to meet us at the airport--they were so sweet. The girls kept touching my arms and holding my hands--they were excited to meet me! I am actually staying at the student center while I am here. I would stay in the guest house (very nice, air conditioned, hot showers) but what would be the fun in that? I feel like I'm back in college! My roommate is Amy (not her real name, but apparently her name is too long and too hard to pronounce so she goes by Amy!) and she is so sweet! She is 22 and studying at the local university. All of the students there are so welcoming and gracious! Of course, I have to sleep on a hard mat and take very cold showers every morning, but it's totally worth it.
Today I toured the city with Amy and Pheakdey ("Peck-day"). We had so much fun! Pheakdey works for Asia's Hope (she's the accountant) but she also used to live in the student center before she got married about 2 months ago. She speaks very good English, so it was nice to have my very own translator! We first went to Cambodia Genocide Museum---soooooooooo sad. It used to be a school until the Khmer Rouge turned it into a torture camp in the late 60's and 70's. It was honestly the most sickening thing to see the torture devices, the photos of the victims, etc. I felt very ill. It was so sobering. Of the 20,000 or so people who were taken to the prison, only 7! survived. The place had the feeling of pure evil. I shiver just thinking about it.
After the museum, we had lunch at local restaurant; I still felt ill so I just had fruit. I haven't been very hungry lately, mostly because I have a bad cough and cold (I caught it at the orphanage:) so yeah, I've been fairly miserable. We then went to a local market--Pheakdeyt loves to shop! They had so many second-hand purses, shoes, etc. Pheakdey was good to take--she really bargained hard for me! I bought a purse for 3 bucks--the lady sold it to me cheap because I was pretty! :) OH! We had to take a moto scooter to the museum--I thought I was going to DIE! Lanes, traffic lights, stop signs--these are all merely suggestions around here. Traffic is very very crazy! I actually took another moto to this cafe---still scary! I'm surprised there aren't more accidents!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Anyway, after the market, we went to the local "mall"--it reminded me of the mall in Thailand----Western clothes, accessories, etc. There were many little stalls selling all sorts of stuff. We just "window-shopped" (I taught the girls this phrase:) and looked around! It's so strange--a very different world. I feels weird being in the minority--there are not a lot of foreigners around here--I definitely am very stared at!
Well, friends and family, another team member arrived today and he is waiting for me to finish, so I best be signing off for the moment! There is Bible study tonight at the student center, so I'm excited for that. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers!

~Susannah
PS. If I don't get to use the Internet before the 4th, Happy Birthday to my Grandma and Bonnie!!!! I love you and miss you!
"I believe in the sun even though it doesn't shine, I believe in love even when it isn't shown, I believe in God even when he doesn't speak." (Author Unknown)
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting LIFE." (John 3:16)