same same.

once upon a time, i went to cambodia.  and it was amazing.  

we spent our first four days in phnom penh orienting to the culture and history, as well as seeing a glimpse of the effects of urban poverty in the capital.  it was impossible to keep from falling in love with the children we met.  despite their most humble of circumstances, they were a constant stream of laughs and smiles. i'm sure our time spent reading and playing with the kids helped us more than it helped them.

tree at the killing fields

royal palace in phnom penh.

one of our students with the kids
at pour un sourire d'enfant

from phnom penh, we bounced our way about 250 km north via bus, stopping at spider village to eat, you guess it spiders.  after a stop in kratie to sleep, we finished our travel to koh preah--a rural village on an island in the middle of the mekong--via boat.  in a pelting rain, no less. we arrived soaked, but anxious to start working with the village on their eco-tourism project. for a week, we worked side-by-side with the locals, digging holes for latrines, mixing concrete for water tanks, stacking concrete cylinders for the water tanks and latrines, laying bricks the outside of the latrines, nailing siding on the frame of the community center, and much, much more. when we weren't working, we toured around the island with an adventurous cambodian off-roading experience, enjoyed a steam bath prepared by the local women, learned dancing and weaving, participated in a ceremony of offerings at the local wat accompanied by a blessing from the monk, and enjoyed building relationships with the people of koh preah.  and what amazing people they are.  even though they speak such little english and we speak even less khmer, their actions communicated their generosity, humility, and kindness.  they took us into their homes and treated us like their own.  using squatters, bathing with a water scoop, eating rice three meals a day, sweating it out at night-- it was all worth it to spend time working with and learning from these people.  though i sincerely hope otherwise, it is entirely possible that i will never see them again.  but what is sure is that they reminded me of a great, great lesson: as part of humanity, we are, in essence, the same, regardless of background, race, religion, gender, culture, or socioeconomic status.  and our membership in humanity gives us a responsibility to help those around us in whatever way we are able.  the people of koh preah taught me this.  and i will never, ever forget them.

final sunset on koh preah.

Homestay on Koh Preah

after another boat and bus ride, we made it to siem reap and took on the role of tourist in the angkor temples.  the temples are stunning-- a reflection of a great, great civilization.  at one point, one of the students asked, "why don't we ever learn about the khmer empire in school?" a very astute observation, if you ask me.

tree on temple at ta prahm

after a few days in siem reap, we headed back to phnom penh for a last night in cambodia and began in the long flight home.  the kids were marvelous and it was wonderful to spend time with them.  they were great travelers, even though most of them had never been in such circumstances before.  i hope they absorb what they learned on the trip and make it part of who they are.

in summary: this trip was fantastic. and hard, especially emotionally.  the bloody history of cambodia and the poverty that exists is hard to try and understand. but me thinks the trip's difficulty is what made it so incredible.  i have a hunch that it will take a while to understand and process exactly how this trip impacted me, but i can state with certainty that i am changed.

here are the links of the organizations we associated with:
Cambodian Rural Development Team
Westline School
Pour un sourire d'enfant
Aziza's Place

and a big thanks to students shoulder to shoulder for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime!