Hello! I am currently in Siem Reap. We had a LONG 10 hour bus ride last night and arrived at 6:30 AM. I am happy that I survived. I was a little worried I wouldn't arrive here in one piece. I kept waking up every few minutes from bumps or the driver screeching on the brakes. Not to mention sitting next to the bathroom and having the wonderful aroma of urine every few minutes. ha.
As I was eating my breakfast this morning, one of the workers here told me that I was lucky to be traveling the world and having such amazing experiences. It's completely true. I am very blessed to be doing what I am doing and I don't take any of it for granted. Seeing this part of the world is very humbling. It reminds me of India. There is a lot of poverty. Many people here have pretty much nothing- living on the streets or in shacks. Kids make a living through hustling on the beach or in the city. However, like any culture, there are people here who have a comfortable life and are not impoverished, however it is probably not what our definition of comfortable is.
"Open your heart and open your wallet."
One of the little girls I met on the beach said she tries to earn money everyday on the beach to pay for her schooling. Her and her friends hung out with us for a few minutes trying to get us to buy something from them and we all chatted. We bought a few things from them and then they started asking us questions about what we do and where we are from. As we were chatting, the girl said she wished she had white skin. I told her not to say that because she was beautiful the way she was. She stared at me for a moment, not really sure what to say. It was almost as if she had never heard those words directed towards her before. Then she snapped out of it and pointed to the two white men sitting near us. They were drinking coke and relaxing. She said if she was white, she could be like those men and drink coke. It was heart-breaking. It was interesting to see things in her perspective. The small things that we are able to do on a daily basis without a thought are things that these children have never done or get to do very rarely. These children are taught to do/say whatever they can to get money, but their eyes are still filled with the innocence of a child. They just have to grow-up a little faster than the rest of us. I asked one of the girls if she had a boyfriend and she looked at me like I was crazy and she said she was too young. She said she wanted to get married one day when she fell in love.
Carol, the ambassador, said she had a few children over at her home not too long ago.The children were from a charity that she supports, which provides education and living necessities to them. These children have nothing and literally live at the local dump, many of them orphans. They were looking at her collection of art and were hypnotised by this one painting. It was a picture of a married couple next to this large, beautiful house. She asked the children why they liked the painting so much and assumed it was because of the house. However, they said they loved how happy the couple looked and wished their own parents were like that or that they had parents like that. These kids have nothing and all they want is to be loved by someone. A free gift.
No matter where you live or what your background is, it seems like all people really need is to be loved. Being loved brings a feeling of safety and a hope for the future. It gives you a fight and a reason to live- to work, to find food, to get educated, etc. Loving is a gift that we can all give, no matter our economic status or situation.
It makes me think, how often do I love without asking for ANYTHING (acknowledgement, a hug, phone call, etc.) in return? I think there is room for some improvement. What about you?
xoxo
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