In the past month I have had several visitors. Last week I was visited by a friend I met in India, who is living there but is from the US. She is a journalist who majored in history and is very interested in politics. She would noticed things like infrastructure in different cities. She would ask about the government and why they chose to focus their efforts in some areas rather than others. She wondered what it was that made Cambodian Buddhism so much different than other traditions of Buddhism, and how it had been influenced by Hinduism. She asked well-educated, dynamic questions that I had never been asked before. I loved it! We had long discussions about how our cultures impact us, the history of different countries, and how it all comes together.
It was such a joy, being with her opened my eyes of new way to seeing Cambodia. I realized that her background, interests, and personality all changed how she viewed this amazing country.
A few days after I said goodbye to this friend from India/US, one of my dear childhood friends LexiJo arrived. These two friends are polar opposites, in so many great ways.
Lexi is a creative at heart, drawn to all that glitters. She notices movements, colors, and music. She would point out the blue tinted windows, the colored rooftops, and the lit buildings. Anytime a child or animal would pass by, she couldn't pull herself away. When we drove through the city in a tuktuk, she would be constantly immersed in the world we pass by. Her bright heart blends with this bright country so very well.
I was talking with my roommate about this, about how each of them see the city in ways that mimic their own personal interests. I reminisced on previous visitors and teams and thought about what their eyes were drawn to in Cambodia. My roommate asked what the thing I noticed when I came to Cambodia... I paused for a while, thinking back to that day 6 years ago. I remembered instantly feeling connected to the country, but I couldn't put my finger on why that was.
"It's the people"
She interrupted my thoughts, or maybe came right into them. She told me that whenever we talk about Cambodia, whenever I come home from a day of work excited or defeated, it is always tied to the people in this culture. And she's right, even as this country is rapidly developing and changing, I am continually drawn in by the spirit of the Cambodian people. Their resilience and kindness brings me new joy each and every day.
So there's three of us- the historian/journalist, the creative, and the bleeding heart. Respectively drawn to the cultural context, the beauty of the city, and the hearts of the people.
And the reality is that for each person who is fortunate enough to visit this fantastic country, there is another lens with which they see it. Cambodia is all things to all people because each one of us is seeing the part of it that brings out our own joys and fears. Somehow it is funny, sad, and beautiful all at the same time.
It was such a joy, being with her opened my eyes of new way to seeing Cambodia. I realized that her background, interests, and personality all changed how she viewed this amazing country.
A few days after I said goodbye to this friend from India/US, one of my dear childhood friends LexiJo arrived. These two friends are polar opposites, in so many great ways.
Lexi is a creative at heart, drawn to all that glitters. She notices movements, colors, and music. She would point out the blue tinted windows, the colored rooftops, and the lit buildings. Anytime a child or animal would pass by, she couldn't pull herself away. When we drove through the city in a tuktuk, she would be constantly immersed in the world we pass by. Her bright heart blends with this bright country so very well.
I was talking with my roommate about this, about how each of them see the city in ways that mimic their own personal interests. I reminisced on previous visitors and teams and thought about what their eyes were drawn to in Cambodia. My roommate asked what the thing I noticed when I came to Cambodia... I paused for a while, thinking back to that day 6 years ago. I remembered instantly feeling connected to the country, but I couldn't put my finger on why that was.
"It's the people"
She interrupted my thoughts, or maybe came right into them. She told me that whenever we talk about Cambodia, whenever I come home from a day of work excited or defeated, it is always tied to the people in this culture. And she's right, even as this country is rapidly developing and changing, I am continually drawn in by the spirit of the Cambodian people. Their resilience and kindness brings me new joy each and every day.
So there's three of us- the historian/journalist, the creative, and the bleeding heart. Respectively drawn to the cultural context, the beauty of the city, and the hearts of the people.
And the reality is that for each person who is fortunate enough to visit this fantastic country, there is another lens with which they see it. Cambodia is all things to all people because each one of us is seeing the part of it that brings out our own joys and fears. Somehow it is funny, sad, and beautiful all at the same time.
