I'm Back

Finally, I'm back after two weeks. Really enjoyed the trip very much. In fact, I was reluctant to leave the village. Those two weeks were the most carefree life I've ever led. No handphones. No Internet. No buildings. Kids. Friendly villages. Foreign langauge. Animals. Simple life. Everyday I wake up at 5am in the morning and the village was already bustling with activities. Their 8am seems like 11am in Singapore. They had nothing over there but they were all happy people. Everything is an eye-opener to me. Some kids are ten years old but they look like 5 five years old to me, this is because they are malnourished. Most of the wear the same set of clothes for three or more days and they only have three or four sets of clothes in their closet. They get dirtied easily because of the dusty environment. They do not have proper sanitation and clean water. But all of them have no complains.

We must have looked like clowns to them and their source of amusement during our stay there. As spoilt city-brats, we have built a toilet there for our use. The toilet was small and it's manual flush system, meaning we need to bail water to flush our waste. No throwing of toilet paper into the shithole because it will clog the pipe. So we had to throw toilet paper into a plastic bag. We taught the kids how to play frisbee. They were amazed by our spectacles. I tried to teach them English. In return, they taught me Khmer. I loved the scenery. Plains. Sunrise. Sunset. Starry nights.

I played with the kids everyday. I dared said I'm the one who interacted most with the kids. I loved their innocence. Their sincerity. Their curiosity. Their playfulness. They are easily contented with simple things. Each new trick they learnt from us, they are eager to show other kids and they are very patient to learn. They play with simple things like straws and rubber bands. We showed them chaptay, frisbee and captain's ball. Everyday, I get to laugh heartily with the kids.

After leaving the village, I was very upset. Cried for the longest time. When I finally stopped for lunch, my tears came back after lunch. I wasn't enjoying myself in Siem Reap. I miss them badly. It's amazing how close and attached we have become. Everything complicates after I stepped out of the village. Hope I can go back again to see the kids. I don't want to make any promise now because I'm really unsure of what I can do or will do. This entry is rather incoherent. Anyway, I will be a young adult tomorrow. Woohoo~