For the past month, I have been living at Overflow Guesthouse in Siem Reap, Cambodia. In January, Siem Reap will become home and I will work at the Guesthouse (and probably live there for a time being.) Staying at a Guesthouse has been a very interesting experience, and I hope I can give you a glimpse of the past month with some stories.
Our guesthouse is small, 9 rooms and 2 dorms, so you will see the other guests. Then when you work the front desk or restaurant, you get to know the guests even more. You begin to anticipate their needs if they stay long enough. And it is sad to see them go.
Some of the first guests were a couple from Australia traveling through Asia. They had a beautiful outlook on life and were just living day to day, no agenda or timeline. They had freedom to explore the temples, markets and cultures. It was always great seeing pictures of their day or hearing about their next adventure. It was sad to see them go onto their next destination.
We hosted a World Race team, Uncharted Waters, for about 10 days of the month. These ladies were amazing! We had them doing construction projects, beautifying the place, teaching english, and helping in many other ways. They always had smiles on their faces, they understood our mission here and began dreaming of ways to make it better. The team even started a fundraiser to help us construct a rooftop meeting area!!!!! How awesome is that! As I am writing this, I stare at 30 new chairs we were able to purchase and can hear them drilling or hammering or something to put up the roof (noise travels very well in our concrete building.) The ladies of Uncharted Waters will always have a special place in my heart! It was great that we got to host them and the rest of A squad before they moved onto Thailand earlier this week. A squad filled the guesthouse – literally! But there was laughter, pool parties, talks, and some of the best worship nights while they were here.
We have had some guests who slip in and out quietly – wanting to stick to their own agenda – which is perfectly fine.
I have been able to practice Spanish with guests from Spain and Colombia.
One couple from England stayed for 10 days, enjoying the sights around Siem Reap and then relaxing around the house. We never talked much, but they just became part of our routine around here and it was sad to see them leave.
One family will always stick out in my mind. I don’t remember helping them very much, and usually I saw the mother and daughter at the pool or in passing. However, on the day they left, they found all the staff and we took a group picture. I thought it was kinda weird, but I got used to random people taking my picture on the Race, so whatever. After pictures and goodbyes, the father made sure to tell us, “you have treated us as family, thank you. If you come to Malaysia – you have my email, you will stay with me and my family. We will treat you well.” I was speechless and proud that our staff had served them well.
There will always be stories of travelers who come through Overflow, some will be funny, some sad, and others heartwarming. I am even more excited to come back in January to see what role Overflow will play in others’ stories. I hope we make enough of an impact for them to notice something different about us, somehow we are able to share Jesus with them, even if we never talk about faith.
Can’t wait to share more! I head home tomorrow (Saturday) and will be spending the next few months preparing, training, fundraising and such for my move here in January.
