from Africa to Asia.

First of all, sorry about not blogging for so long. I know all of you await all of my posts anxiously. I can't imagine the distress that 2 weeks without an update must have caused you :P But seriously, a lot has happened since I left Zambia on January 19. I'll do my best to hit all of the high points, share some fun tidbits, and let you in on how I am feeling about all of it. All without boring you hopefully. After we left Zambia, we flew to Cape Town, South Africa for a short holiday in between volunteer stints. The day was filled with emotion as I balanced the sadness of leaving Zambia with the excitement of exploring a new country. Not to mention a bit of frustration at the airport (we won't get into that) and a surprise appearance at the Cape Town airport by my boyfriend. I'm not exaggerating when I say that it took me until the next day to really believe that he was in Africa with me. Also, he brought Christmas to Ava Michelle and me! We got lots of treats from our families and friends- thanks for all of you who sent something along. Our little celebration may be in the running for Best Christmas Ever, mostly because I was expecting to skip American Christmas this year. Plus the little taste of home was a nice surprise. Cape Town was a breath of fresh air from the "Real Africa" that Zambia claims to be. There were Western restaurants, everyone spoke English, and we got to be the tourists instead of attracting attention ourselves. If I hadn't known any better, I might have thought I was back in America! As is evidenced in my pictures that FINALLY got posted (sorry for the huge delay- Africa isn't very photo uploading friendly) we stayed pretty busy. - City tour on one of those double decker buses: another bucket list check! - Simeon's Town to see the Penguin Colony: I was overwhelmed with joy! Plus, I even got to pet one... after he bit me of course. - Safari: A must-do in Africa. Our vehicle got stuck in sand and we had to disembark (that was the best antonym thesaurus.com could give me for "board") while the staff tried to pull it out. Don't worry, we ended up being within like 7 feet of an elephant!! Can I add that to my bucket list just to check it off? - Hike up Table Mountain: 2.5 hours almost straight up stairs but at the top we were in a cloud! Then we rode down in a cable car that overlooked the city. - Jade: We met a woman one day who stopped us to ask for some corn flakes and milk. As we walked to the grocery store with her, she told us about herself and asked all about us- she was so excited just to have a conversation with someone- and then we got on the topic of Jesus. Long story short, she ended up becoming a Christian. God is so good! Then 4 flights, 5 security checks, 2 movies, and countless aluminum-wrapped meals later, we arrived in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The organization that is "in charge" of us here is called Star Kampuchea and is very well organized. We had a day-long orientation the first Monday filled with culture tips, expectations, possible issues, language lessons, and a traditional Cambodian dinner- it only took me a couple days to eat strange things here. Let's just say that even crickets and frogs don't taste like much if you deep fry them! Then Tuesday we went on a tour of the city and visited a local market. There are lots of other volunteers here as well so I have not only got to learn about Cambodian culture, but befriend people from Australia, England, China, Sweden, and Denmark. Talk about culture shock! We are living with a family and they are great. It is a grandma, a mom and a 7-year-old girl. The grandma doesn't speak English but we do our best with charades. If all else fails, I just smile and say "Akun" which means "Thank you". The 7-year old, Panna, is your typical little girl- likes to talk A LOT, never runs out of questions, and loves to sing and dance. It's going to be a fun 8 weeks (no sarcasm intended). I am working at an organization called M'lup Russey, previously known as ICC-SKY. My project is to create a training program for Emergency Foster Care Families. I'm realizing that the language barrier and minimal knowledge of Cambodian culture, and the fact that I'm not a real social worker, make the task a little more difficult. But I am SO excited to have an actual project with an end goal and tangible results along the way. Not to mention the people I work with are great! Side story: For lunch, I bring the rice and surprise that grandma packs for me in the morning and stay at the office to eat with some of my "co-workers" <- can I say that yet? Anyways, we all sit on the grass mat in the middle of the kitchen floor, place whatever side (aka the part of lunch that isn't rice) we brought in the middle and it becomes free game for everyone. Pot luck every day! It's awesome!! Back to M'lup Russey... they are a Christian organization- what a surprise in a Buddhist country. I even got to attend Bible Study at the office yesterday morning. Granted, it was ALL in Khmer (pronounced Kah-mai) but I really enjoyed it. Different language, same God. How cool! Ironically, M'lup Russey is anti-orphanage for a lot of valid reasons I won't get into now. Funny that I go from volunteering at orphanages in Zambia to working for a place that fights to get kids out of them and reunited with their biological families. I have been incredibly encouraged this past week. From getting experience in a field I am passionate about to sweet messages from my friends to enjoying the simple life of a third world country, I couldn't be happier. Here goes part 3 of this little adventure!! For those of you who wish to see pictures... Zambia: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151451518699179.546294.624354178&type=1&l=bd40b44dc9 Cape Town: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151453344379179.546470.624354178&type=1&l=0c3c27cbf5