What is the secret to the meaning of life?
~ It is simply to give your life meaning…
I depart today for the states with so many conflicting emotions.
Friends half jokingly warned me about bonding with one of the children here and returning with a fourth child. Well, I didn’t get too attached to one child. Instead I feel I’m bringing dozens home in my heart. But here they stay and so I feel a gnawing emptiness leaving them behind. With the help of CCF and their sponsors, many children I worked with will be well cared for through college. After that their prospects are limited. Those not under the care of an NGO such as Cambodian Children’s Fund continue to beg for food and sleep in the streets.
So I am filled with a longing to do more and will continue to look for opportunities that can provide better futures for these very special, resilient young people.
This journey has taught me many lessons:
~ I’ve learned what it feels like to experience the fulfillment of having a dream come true. I have wanted to volunteer in a developing country since I was fifteen years old. I made a plan and set the goal. Don’t pass up the opportunity to give your dreams wings. It makes your soul soar far beyond anything you have ever experienced.
~ We all can enjoy being with ourselves and shouldn’t be afraid to venture out on our own.
~ Being lost and alone is okay, unnerving, but okay.
~ Toddlers on motor scooters are much better behaved than kids in car seats. I think it’s a matter of “survival of the sittest.”
~ It is possible to fit 5 people plus 800 chickens on a moped.
~ People can laugh in the midst of the direst of living conditions.
~ You don’t eat the leg of a scorpion – just the “stuff” inside. I did not find out for myself – that photo was as close as I got to the spider.
~ Speaking of spiders; you can improve your “spidey” senses. This is necessary to avoid holes in the road, wrecked pathways, oncoming vehicles, pickpockets, gnarly dogs, chickens, trash and random ickies.
~ There are LOTS of people who truly dedicate their lives to helping others.
~ Every day in this world there are mothers who have to make “Sophie’s Choice” type decisions regarding their children, finding it necessary to sacrifice the wellbeing of one for the benefit of the rest.
~ We are very insulated from true heartbreak.
~ When asked about their futures, Khmer people will say their goal is to be able to provide rice for their families. That’s usually the most they can hope for. Unfortunately, a large portion of them will not succeed in this simple aspiration.
~ Khmer is actually pronounced Ka-my’
~ You can break a lot of language barriers using sign language.
~ My son and his girlfriend make great travel companions.
~ You can sit on a bus for 9 hours next to a vomiting child and NOT catch the virus.
~ Happy pizza makes you not so happy.
~ The most disgusting public restrooms will actually NOT kill you.
~ American safety precautions are over the top. Either that or we are far wimpier than we think.
~ The standard of living for Americans in poverty is at a level that the majority of the Cambodian population, and most other developing countries, would consider a dream come true.
~ People can travel, three on a moped with an IV drip rigged up for one passenger, in the rain, in the dark and still smile.
~ Khmer kids are WAY hardier than our kids.
~ Monkeys are awesome – well I already knew that but it bears repeating. And again, monkeys are awesome!
~ Children are the most resilient of all humans and will find joy where they are. No matter where that is.
…and finally
~ We all know that home isn’t a place but it is wherever you find your loved ones. I learned that home is even more than that. For me, home is where I am needed. Truly, significantly needed. And in this culturally different, faraway land I have found my second home and it is here in Phnom Penh where I leave part of myself.
It gave me great comfort to know that there were people at home sharing my adventure with me. Thank you all for checking in here and a special thank you for those who emailed me along the way.
Some people have asked me how to sponsor a child with Cambodian Children’s Fund. Please let me know if you want to become involved. I promise you it’ll be one of the most satisfying investments you’ll ever make!
Leah Hai
So I am filled with a longing to do more and will continue to look for opportunities that can provide better futures for these very special, resilient young people.
This journey has taught me many lessons:
~ I’ve learned what it feels like to experience the fulfillment of having a dream come true. I have wanted to volunteer in a developing country since I was fifteen years old. I made a plan and set the goal. Don’t pass up the opportunity to give your dreams wings. It makes your soul soar far beyond anything you have ever experienced.
~ We all can enjoy being with ourselves and shouldn’t be afraid to venture out on our own.
~ Being lost and alone is okay, unnerving, but okay.
~ Toddlers on motor scooters are much better behaved than kids in car seats. I think it’s a matter of “survival of the sittest.”
~ It is possible to fit 5 people plus 800 chickens on a moped.
~ People can laugh in the midst of the direst of living conditions.
~ You don’t eat the leg of a scorpion – just the “stuff” inside. I did not find out for myself – that photo was as close as I got to the spider.
~ Speaking of spiders; you can improve your “spidey” senses. This is necessary to avoid holes in the road, wrecked pathways, oncoming vehicles, pickpockets, gnarly dogs, chickens, trash and random ickies.
~ There are LOTS of people who truly dedicate their lives to helping others.
~ Every day in this world there are mothers who have to make “Sophie’s Choice” type decisions regarding their children, finding it necessary to sacrifice the wellbeing of one for the benefit of the rest.
~ We are very insulated from true heartbreak.
~ When asked about their futures, Khmer people will say their goal is to be able to provide rice for their families. That’s usually the most they can hope for. Unfortunately, a large portion of them will not succeed in this simple aspiration.
~ Khmer is actually pronounced Ka-my’
~ You can break a lot of language barriers using sign language.
~ My son and his girlfriend make great travel companions.
~ You can sit on a bus for 9 hours next to a vomiting child and NOT catch the virus.
~ Happy pizza makes you not so happy.
~ The most disgusting public restrooms will actually NOT kill you.
~ American safety precautions are over the top. Either that or we are far wimpier than we think.
~ The standard of living for Americans in poverty is at a level that the majority of the Cambodian population, and most other developing countries, would consider a dream come true.
~ People can travel, three on a moped with an IV drip rigged up for one passenger, in the rain, in the dark and still smile.
~ Khmer kids are WAY hardier than our kids.
~ Monkeys are awesome – well I already knew that but it bears repeating. And again, monkeys are awesome!
~ Children are the most resilient of all humans and will find joy where they are. No matter where that is.
…and finally
~ We all know that home isn’t a place but it is wherever you find your loved ones. I learned that home is even more than that. For me, home is where I am needed. Truly, significantly needed. And in this culturally different, faraway land I have found my second home and it is here in Phnom Penh where I leave part of myself.
It gave me great comfort to know that there were people at home sharing my adventure with me. Thank you all for checking in here and a special thank you for those who emailed me along the way.
Some people have asked me how to sponsor a child with Cambodian Children’s Fund. Please let me know if you want to become involved. I promise you it’ll be one of the most satisfying investments you’ll ever make!
Leah Hai
