Well today I woke up and went downstairs to our kitchen. As usual I began to make coffee for Soeun, and decided I would have some as well. As I was spooning the coffee into the plunger (French Press), I saw something strange.
I wasn't quite awake yet, so it took awhile for me to work out. I had dug the spoon down into the tin of coffee and when I brought it up again, nestled in the ground coffee was the body of a large cockroach! Ewwww! (or "eh eh" in Khmer). It made me feel sick, I thought I was about to vomit. We almost drank cockroach infused coffee. Depending on when it got into the tin, we may have been already drinking cockroach coffee.........
From my reaction you would never guess that I spent some years living in inner city Sydney. There were cockroaches everywhere in my house those days, in the weetbix box, in the cup of tea, on the baked pumpkin, in the kettle. But I don't see them much these days.
When I was ready to go out for the day, I got on my bike and rode towards the school gate that leads on to a road that we haven't seen for 2 months because of the water. As I was going out the students coming in warned me that the road was really bad today.
I already had my jeans rolled up so hopefully they wouldn't get wet when I went through the water, I knew the road was flooded.
But when I got past the flooded bit I found out why they were warning me. It was really muddy and slippery. It was a kind of muddy I hadn't encountered before, and I have been in a lot of mud, especially in the last 2 months. This mud was really sticky and had to walk through. My rubber flip flops got left behind as I walk, so I tried carrying them (which made my hands muddy). But then I found my feet couldn't grip the ground enough to walk, so I put them back on. I was walking my bike at this stage, but thought perhaps if I ride my bike the speed and weight will get me through this sticky patch.
So I got on my bike.
Well, attempted to anyway. My feet slipped from under me, and my bike and I fell into the mud. My bag fell out of my bike basket and got muddy too. Everything so muddy and slippery.
So there I was in the middle of the road, during the morning peak time, trying to get up, but it was just soo slippery. Then out of nowhere a lady who works in the school office walked towards me and helped my get my bike upright. After that I was able to be on my way. Although I still had to battle traffic jams, which was hard as going slowly when your feet and your flip flops are caked in slippery mud is not easy. I tried to scrape some of the mud off but there was still a lot there.
Anyway, I finally got to where I was going and scraped and scrubbed it all off. My jeans and bag and bike are yet to be de-mudded.
I didn't get hurt and I was in a good mood, so it was more an amusing experience that traumatic.
1 comment:
I would of liked to see that! Nice of the person to help you.
Katherine, thanks for the quality of your blog. The stories and photos are great especially after being there.
i imagine leaving church at christmas won't be easy. But i know you can't do everything. hjow is the tensions on the border or are they bogged down in the rainy season. Is it petty squabblesd or very significant border issues?
We have just taken our youth group to Scotts head. 60 of us travelled by bus(6hrs)where we enjoyed beach activities and a fella speaking about how God speaks and guides. it's great to hear your Khmer is progressing though it must of been embarressing when you said your mother in law had died in a bus crash. How is Souen? Is she studying hard? Is her dad alright?
It was a greaty blessing to me to meet you all over there. By the way we are running this week with our kids Bike for Bibles with the project being Cambodia. It was great to be able to share my first hand experience with the kids to encourage them to raise money.
Andrew wilcher
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