2011 Mission Trip to Cambodia
from Rachel Painter, Nursing Student
Our trip started out early Saturday morning to Siem Reap. We loaded the bus and got ready for a five hour bus ride. Little did we know how bumpy this ride would be. The roads in this country are driveavble, but not as great as we are used to back in the states. Also, the Cambodian people do not drive like we do. They are in a hurry to get there as one might describe it.
We stopped at a market on the way to use the restroom, buy water, etc. As we pull into the parking lot to park the bus. We are surrounded with small children and some women. As we get off the bus they instantly start asking us to buy things from them. This is a very over whelming feeling, or at least it was for me, because so many of them are arround and your not so sure what to do. When I finally made it off the bus I was greeted by a young girl. I am not sure how old she is because in Cambodia you cannot really tell their age, due to the malnutrition in children here. She was very sweet and asked me all kinds of questions. She wanted to know where I was from and what I was doing here. She also wanted me to buy some pineapple :).

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2011 Mission Trip to Cambodia
from Abby Turnham, Nursing Class of 2012
I have already experienced so many miraculous and extraordinarily beautiful things since I have arrived in Cambodia. From the lovely children on the streets of Phnom Penh selling me Cambodian bracelets and roses to the ancient and legendary temples visited in Angkor Wat, I truly feel beside myself. There is such a sense of humility and hospitality when you walk down the streets and enter different areas. My favorite part about today was watching the sunrise along the edges of the famous Angkor Wat temples. Although waking up at 4:30 am is a huge stretch for me, I truly experienced a sense of serenity I couldn’t have found anywhere else on Earth. I was surrounded by many different languages of astoundingly gorgeous people from cultures all around the world. It was nice to sit and enjoy the peace of nature. There is such joy in establishing the common ground of respect amongst people you have never met before.