Better late than never, I suppose!
Cambodia was fantastic! I don't think I could sum up the entire experience in one post, so I'll shorten the summary. As corny as it sounds, the trip changed my life and opened my eyes to what actually matters. We learned so much about the culture of Cambodia, the history of Cambodia, and the daily lives of Cambodians living in both urban and rural conditions. I loved so many things about my trip. To name a few:
- Getting to work with the kids in the rural island community in Koh Preah. Our main service project was building and installing a bunch of concrete fenceposts from scratch for a fence around the school to keep the water buffalo out. The students at the primary school helped us, and they've got better work ethic than some adults I've seen. They worked for hours, smiling and refusing to take a break (except maybe when we shared dragonfruit. Yum!).
- Riding in the tuk tuks through the chaotic streets of Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. I've never seen traffic like that in my life. The bumpy roads sprung us around the motor-cyclists zipping in all directions at all times. Street signs were more of a suggestion than a rule. And the tuk tuks! For anyone who doesn't know, a tuk tuk is a buggy pulled by a motorbike. The ones in Cambodia look like this (photo doesn't belong to me). They were so much better than buses. Wind beats air conditioning, and they were surprisingly very roomy, even when we packed four to six people in one tuk tuk alone.
- Learning about both Buddhism and Hinduism through everyday life and visiting the incredible temples at Angkor Wat. In Koh Preah, we were blessed by Buddhist monks! They wish us long life and happiness. The blessing consisted of a practiced monk chanting and pouring water on us. No, not sprinkling, pouring. We were soaked. It was very refreshing after weeks in the Cambodian sun. And then there was Angkor Wat. There's a reason it's the eighth wonder of the world. It was absolutely stunning. It was quite peaceful if you found a nook where there were less tourists around,
like I'm one to talk. - We got to ride elephants. 'Nuff said.
- My friends that came with me from America became my brothers and sisters very quickly. They helped me overcome my fears, stay positive through painful homesickness, and cheered me on regardless if I needed cheering up or not. We did so many crazy things together. We sang Queen's "We Will Rock You" to over 300 audience members. We ate a nasty tasting fruit called durian. We fell asleep on the very edge of a boat on the Mekong River (luckily nobody fell in, but we did score a couple of wicked sunburns). Our group was so dynamic, even our leaders were surprised. We clicked from the beginning and I think we all grew up together a bit. I'll never forget them.
- I met so many amazing people, including Tola, our awesome guide; a kid named Kuate, who works harder than other other human being and is extremely photogenic; our home stay mamas, who were outstandingly patient and kind; and through meeting these incredible people the experience was made even better.
Worst Part About the Trip:
Best Part About the Trip:
The people. My group, our friends, our families, even the strangers. They're what made the trip for me. Everyone, and I mean everyone was so friendly. Walking down the road in Koh Preah, I would say "hello" and "goodbye" to every person I passed at least five times. The Cambodian people brought an admirable quality of kindness to my life, and I am tremendously grateful for that.
I would honestly revisit Cambodia, skip all the tourist-y stuff I did, and head straight to Koh Preah. Sure, I'm not used to the living conditions of a rural community, but they're definitely worth getting used to.
And that's a bit of the reason I haven't been blogging! But I'm back now! Great to be here!
Soor Sideye! (Goodbye in Khmer, official language of Cambodia)
Hannah Renea
No comments:
Post a Comment