“It’s All About Perspective…Even in the Cambodian Countryside”

Day 2 of Siem Reap, Cambodia

Friday, 16 August, 2013

Local Time: 1919 Hours

            Today was a wild success. Everything went better than planned. I started the day to the sound of a rooster cock-a-doodling. I got a solid three hours of fun on an ATV going through the Cambodian countryside. My motto for the past couple weeks has been “it’s all about perspective”. And it’s true. How easy I as a middle class American complain about the dumbest things. Today, I saw naked children playing in the dirt roads in front of their shacks, waving to me with enthusiasm as I drove by in something their family would likely never be able to afford. It was very weird stopping to take pictures of them…it was like I was at a human zoo, fascinated by the creatures who lived in a diseased swampland. Why, without fail, were small children running to the side of the road to wave at me as I passed? What kind of person would pay money to take pictures of people who were going about their daily lives? God, I pray for forgiveness for all the times I’ve failed to notice the blessings I’m surrounded with every day.

            After the ATV adventure, I was dropped off to my hotel to find my taxi driver patiently waiting for me. I had told him I would be ready at 10:00 am, not 11:15. I apologized, and he smiled, revealing a full set of yellow teeth. The simple fact that I have white teeth is something to be thankful for. He took me to a popular restaurant that is frequented by tourists. No offense to him, but I wanted to try the local foods…without trying the local food. I ate outside on the second floor, overlooking the massive moat on the side of the Angkor temple.

            He then took me to the Landmine Museum. The statistics were staggering: 600,000 civilians maimed or killed from the American bombing campaign to cripple the Khmer Rouge. The best part of the museum was finding Cambodian flags to buy! I got an amazing deal of five flags for $10. I also bought soap in the shape of a landmine for my mom. It’s up to her if she wants to use it, but I have to admit, it would be an awesome decoration in any bathroom.

            I had originally planned on seeing the Floating Village, which is a two-hour boat ride that shows what local life is like. Judging from what I knew of that from YouTube, I decided to skip it, because I had already seen that on my awesome ATV ride. I decided to just spend a little time at another temple – a great idea. Throughout most of that, I was bombarded by little girls trying to get me to buy bracelets, postcards and other goodies. They wouldn’t leave me alone, so I started to mess with them (in a loving way, of course). To get them to stop asking for money, I starting asking about them; what was their favorite subject in school, what they wanted to be when they grew up, etc. One adorable 10-year-old said she wanted to be an English teacher. Her favorite food was pancakes. After many attempts to get her to lower her prices, I finally got a great deal: five magnets for four dollars. I agreed, and gave her six dollars. She showed her appreciation by giving me a bracelet and a small wooden flute that was protected by a cool case she said she’d made. By the way, I just realized she reminded me of Lily on Modern Family. I’m so thankful I got a video of her talking. I’m excited to see my friends and family’s reaction when I upload it tonight.

            Another thing I’m grateful for: my hotel has some computers for the guests with free, high-speed internet. Yesterday’s photos uploaded very quickly. I just had the thought that Mom would probably like it if I typed up these thoughts and sent them to her.

            A lot to look forward to tomorrow: I get to visit the nation’s capital, Phnom Penh. I have a few friends there, so I hope to link up with them. Anyway, I’m done with my delicious food. Time to upload my media, and get a lot of sleep…I asked my driver to pick me up at 1030 am.