I've been promising photos of my new house for awhile now... here's a snapshot and the backstory. :)
Why we moved...
March was the beginning of the end of Aimee and I's old home as we knew it. Well, this may have started before we were even aware of it, as several neighbors moved away, and then we learned that our next-door guesthouse (whose staff and drivers have been trusted friends and whose porch lights have always made us feel safe coming home at night) were facilitating the sex trafficking of minors into the guesthouse for customers at night. (Insert a whole tirade and cascade of emotions... I won't elaborate, but you an imagine). And then, out of nowhere our landlords sold our place, requiring that we start using a new (dark, sketchy, and just plain unsafe) stairway entrance. Which was not an option. We knew we had to move.
What first felt like a bad-timing-pull-the-rug-out-from-under-us change quickly morphed into an incredible opportunity: To dream of where we might want to live. To get some distance from our changing neighborhood. To be closer to friends. To find a larger place with room to have guests stay and friends gather. We took a map and did a little 'social mapping' - and discovered that most of our friends were congregated south. We drove up and down street after street looking for "for rent" signs. We wrote lists of what we would hope for in a new house. We prayed for just the right place. And then on a Friday night in April we found it:
Our gift house...
We actually went to look at a 2-bedroom apartment, right near Psar Toul Tom Pong (Russian Market). The landlord and her family of five, who own two building side by side, were living in it but were about to move into a newly-renovated 3-bedroom in the building next door. We asked her why they were moving, wondering if there was a problem with the apartment, and somehow in that conversation she offered to show us her new place.
Still under construction - it was one of the most beautiful homes I've seen here: crown molding and wooden baseboards, beautiful carved doors and brass fixtures, marbled countertops, subtle lighting, shutter windows... Aimee and I laughed like little girls delighting in her design sense, and before we knew it she asked if we wanted to move into her new apartment instead! We were thrilled, but felt awful at the thought of taking their dream home from them. Her family came, they all talked. Their kids looked sad. They told us they owned a villa, this was just their city place, it was no big deal. She quoted us an absurdly cheap price for an apartment this size. We asked them to think about it. They asked us to move in.
So... on a blazingly hot Sunday afternoon in late April we moved in. Construction wasn't finished, and our living room looked like a lumber yard for weeks. There was sawdust everywhere. It's actually still not entirely finished. But we're home. Here's a peak...
We've already had 2 parties, weekly gatherings, and 6 house guests stay - a 7th friend comes next week! It's way more than I could have imagined. Such a place of rest, peace, & quiet. And community. It's such a gift. If you ever want to come visit Cambodia, our house is your house...
Why we moved...
March was the beginning of the end of Aimee and I's old home as we knew it. Well, this may have started before we were even aware of it, as several neighbors moved away, and then we learned that our next-door guesthouse (whose staff and drivers have been trusted friends and whose porch lights have always made us feel safe coming home at night) were facilitating the sex trafficking of minors into the guesthouse for customers at night. (Insert a whole tirade and cascade of emotions... I won't elaborate, but you an imagine). And then, out of nowhere our landlords sold our place, requiring that we start using a new (dark, sketchy, and just plain unsafe) stairway entrance. Which was not an option. We knew we had to move.
What first felt like a bad-timing-pull-the-rug-out-from-under-us change quickly morphed into an incredible opportunity: To dream of where we might want to live. To get some distance from our changing neighborhood. To be closer to friends. To find a larger place with room to have guests stay and friends gather. We took a map and did a little 'social mapping' - and discovered that most of our friends were congregated south. We drove up and down street after street looking for "for rent" signs. We wrote lists of what we would hope for in a new house. We prayed for just the right place. And then on a Friday night in April we found it:
Our gift house...
We actually went to look at a 2-bedroom apartment, right near Psar Toul Tom Pong (Russian Market). The landlord and her family of five, who own two building side by side, were living in it but were about to move into a newly-renovated 3-bedroom in the building next door. We asked her why they were moving, wondering if there was a problem with the apartment, and somehow in that conversation she offered to show us her new place.
Still under construction - it was one of the most beautiful homes I've seen here: crown molding and wooden baseboards, beautiful carved doors and brass fixtures, marbled countertops, subtle lighting, shutter windows... Aimee and I laughed like little girls delighting in her design sense, and before we knew it she asked if we wanted to move into her new apartment instead! We were thrilled, but felt awful at the thought of taking their dream home from them. Her family came, they all talked. Their kids looked sad. They told us they owned a villa, this was just their city place, it was no big deal. She quoted us an absurdly cheap price for an apartment this size. We asked them to think about it. They asked us to move in.
So... on a blazingly hot Sunday afternoon in late April we moved in. Construction wasn't finished, and our living room looked like a lumber yard for weeks. There was sawdust everywhere. It's actually still not entirely finished. But we're home. Here's a peak...
 |
| Our kitchen |
 |
| Living room - with our custom made couch that fits 7 comfortably or 2 to sleep! :) Plus our sweet shutter windows - my room on the bottom, Aimee's on the top |
 | ||
My bedroom
|
 |
| Hallways, stairwell up to Aimee's room + Guestroom |
It is beautiful, my friend! I am so glad God gave you and Aimee this sanctuary to retreat to each day!
ReplyDelete