By Jessica Wawrzyniak
November 1, 2009
It's difficult not to smile when you are in Cambodia. The only exceptions are the moments when you encounter the remnants of genocide and war: amputees, hundreds of hardworking homeless people in the streets all trying to make a living – but still can't afford a roof over their heads, very young children spending all day and night selling things instead of being in school, festering mountainous dumps where people scour for items that they can use or sell, animal cruelty, trash trash everywhere, burn victims, neglect of natural resources, neglect of humanity, people dying of illness, poverty, extreme poverty, and poverty of a level I didn't even know existed, HOWEVER in the face of all this, I have never walked down a street here and not gotten a smile from every single person who met my eye. These are an enduring people. An inspiring people. Because while the country itself has survived a wretched past, from which every single person is affected, the people charge forward and make no excuses. It is the potential that every individual has that is inspiring, for no one here feels that anyone owes them anything. They are willing to work their fingers to the bone if it means a better life for the people in this country. This is a place where the person who has nothing will give you the shirt off their back if they thought it would please you, and I'm not kidding. It is an overwhelming experience being here (which is probably why I haven't been able to write until now).
From the moment I arrived until just yesterday, things have been Operation GOGOGO. Our schedule here was jam-packed with teaching and visiting and working and preparing for our classes and gathering materials. It has been a privilege working with the children and young adults here. Teaching English and photography has been an absolute joy, but even moreso are the learning experiences that I am going through myself. While here I have learned bits of Khmer (the language of Cambodians), as well as been taught the steps of traditional Khmer dances (including the fun-filled coconut dance), and I also spent an entire day visiting the various families and homes (some of which can barely be considered shacks) of my students. This experience was extremely humbling as we were welcomed with open arms by complete strangers. I am hesitant to get into all this too much because I'm not sure I would be able to stop writing if I started telling you about the project I am involved in here – so to spare you, I will just give you links to places you can get a bit more information on:
and for some video and photo footage of what we've been up to check out Dave's page:
http://peiser.typepad.com/classact
We haven't been out and about in Phnom Penh all too much, and in just a few hours we'll be heading to Siem Reap to visit the great temple of Ankhor Wat. It's an 8 hour speedboat ride from here all along the rivers and lakes of the region. I'll be sure to include photos in the next email.
But of course, no stint in Asia would be complete without a night of karaoke. CHECK.
Personally, I would like to write more and overload you with my adventures here, but I get reprimanded when too hefty an email weighs in people's inboxes. I hope this one is enough to answer your questions and concerns for now. I wish you all well and hope to hear news of your respective parts of the universe soon.
– Jessica