Goodbye Cambodia

It is hard to think that after a year of preparing for this trip I am 8 hours away from it being over. I know when I get home I am going to wish I was still here in Cambodia spending my time at the school and orphanage. Cambodia was a prosperous country until it went through some rough times and the Khmer Rouge in the 1970’s. The country is still recovering from the Khmer Rouge takeover but it’s rebounding into a better country then it used to be…slowly. I see a bright future for Cambodia. The kids I worked with at the orphanage especially Sok Heng, Niron and Adia are extremely intelligent. If they use their knowledge correctly they will do great things in the future. In the school most of the kids worked really hard as they understood schooling and a second language could take them to a better life. All the kids I met here were extremely happy except for one very grumpy baby. The kids made the best for what they had and where grateful for it as well. Despite living in terrible conditions they all are very happy and smiley, partially because they don’t know any other conditions. I feel the kids here have a great understanding of being selfless at such a young age which does not come to most Americans until years later or doesn’t come at all. There are also many organizations helping Cambodia out of their rough times. A store, “Friends ‘n’ Stuff” which sells products made from scraps, paper, tires, and rugby balls is amazing. The restaurants which we visited in Siem Reap named “Haven” and “Spoons,”  like “Friends ‘n’ Stuff” train people from the streets into cooking, welding, construction, all different jobs so the people can go get a job and support themselves and their families. These companies are giving the people of Cambodia value and a sense of self-worth that many people need. I believe that once these people are trained they will not only have a new skill but more confidence in themselves. Confidence could lead people to new ideas, speaking for themselves, possibly the overthrow of the dictatorship that holds Cambodia in fear, and a whole lot more.

This last weekend I took a visit to Angkor Wat, Bayon, Ta Prohm, three amazing Buddhist and Hindu temples in Cambodia. Angkor Wat is the biggest religious monument in the world. It is over 900 years old, and took 308,000 people, 5,000 elephants and 30 years to build it. It is crazy how artistic the architecture design was, and how perfect the measurements and alignments were especially because there was no modern technology to help with any of it. All the rocks are stacked in a neat way and its obviously still standing after a very long time. At night I got to experience the interesting and popular night markets. The venders where always trying to lure you into their shops, and I developed a better skill of bargaining. I also tried some scorpion, snake and tarantula on the street as well as received a foot massage from fish of all sizes. This weekend was a great tie up to the trip as I had a lot of fun, giggles and I got to experience more Cambodian culture.

My trip to Cambodia is another one for the books. The connections I made with the people and this place are making it hard to leave, but are a great reason for me to return. I feel a pull to this place, that is hard to explain and understand but I have never felt it before. I know I will be back so… see you soon, Cambodia.