Today I arrived back in Thailand and its funny cause it felt so familiar coming back. I like that while we were here we had a little routine, we knew our area fairly well, and we settled in quite nice. So it was great to be dropped off in the backpacker area and instead of staying around or wondering what to do next we just hoped on our bus and headed to our hosts house. It was nice, especially after nearly fourteen hours on a non-air-conditioned bus (have I mentioned yet that I hate transportation here). I am now showered up and sitting out on the balcony catching up on my emails and blogs, and enjoying the sound of the pounding rain and roaring thunder.
Cambodia was wonderful. It was so nice to go there for a while, relax in Phnom Penh and then go about seeing some of the country. Even though I complain about transportation, I really do enjoy all the driving we did around Cambodia; it definitely felt like we were seeing the true colors of the country. Driving down the bumpy roads filled with irrationally sized potholes, watching the world pass by while momentarily peering into the lives of the village people, and watching the landscapes change from moment to moment, it really is just amazing.
Life here is so different. A typical village is fairly small and usually runs along the side of the road rather than in a chunk (so they can use the most of all their land). You see some children dressed in uniforms heading about to school, but more times than not you see kids working their home stores, fishing or farming, lying in hammocks and riding their bikes. Most children in the villages are not privileged enough to go to school (especially the girls), their role is to be equal members of the family regardless of age which means they need to be working just as much as everyone else.
Today I saw I pig as we were driving by one of the villages. It was the fattest and biggest pig I have ever seen in Cambodia (normally the animals are fearfully thin) I couldnt help but smile at the farmer and give a little prayer of thanks for their success. It was only thirty years ago when the Khmer Rouge took over and brutally tortured and killed over a quarter of Cambodia’s population; the devastation is still very apparent in many ways. Almost any person you speak too was a part of the war and greatly affected by what went on. Through the poverty, lack of education, corruption, and current politics, the Khmer Rouge is still very much a part of that country and it is difficult to witness.
Cambodia was great, it was so interesting. I will miss the beautiful country that really did make my mind swirl with so many thoughts. The starving cows wandering town, the dozens and dozens of kids riding their bikes home from school holding on to one another’s bicycles or the back of the tuk tuks and stealing a free ride, the oh-so-delicious fruit shakes that I daily divulged in, the piles of garbage lining the streets everywhere reminding me how blessed I am, the endless moto drivers begging me to take their bikes, the children running up to you in excitement eager to practice English, the women walking past graciously offering their kindest smile, the hammocks to cuddle into on every light post, porch, or pole…so, so many things I enjoyed about Cambodia. I am very grateful I was able to visit that country, but im not gonna lie, I was also pretty grateful when I was able to leave.
1 comment:
Well put!
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