If Only For A Day
“though love be a day and life be nothing, it shall not stop kissing.” -e.e. cummingsIt’s A Funny Thing
After a good two weeks in Cambodia, we’re now back in Bangkok for the second-to-last time. Tomorrow we’ll take a short bus ride to beach town in the south called Pattaya. This is our last chance to tan it up on the beach.
After a long debacle with plane tickets (don’t ask. for real.) I’m officially coming back to the good old US of A on the 8th. A part of me is mourning the loss of my time here, but I can’t lie and say that I’m not excited to see the fam, sleep in my own bed and party at some much-anticipated weddings.
This whole trip has just been adventure. First I thought I’d stay for a year, then that changed to a few months and now I’m going home three weeks sooner than expected. It’s a funny thing when you learn that what you’ve been combing the globe for all along is right where you left it: home.
I’m sure my life will be a morphing like crazy a week from now, but as for now I’ve still got a week on the beach. Love.
P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!
Angkor What?
This part of my adventure is sorely out of order, but I thought I’d share it with you anyways. We went to Siem Reap with the sole purpose of seeing Angkor Wat and the plethora of ruins from the Khmer empire within an arms reach of the city. Some apparently come to buy 3 day or even week passes, but we just settled for the one-day trip. We didn’t even make it one whole day though. Don’t get me wrong. It’s beautiful and one of the most amazing things I’ve seen yet, but I couldn’t possibly look at old stones for much longer than a half day.
The whole experience was just fun. Most people take a tuk-tuk, which parades you around from ruin to ruin. We settled for a $2 bike ride. What could be better? I mean, it was a little hot towards the end, but who doesn’t like pretending they’re in Now & Then.
Love, Sweet Love
Not much news from this front. We spent the last couple of days bumming around Phnom Penh. We’d planned on volunteering for a week or so in an orphanage, but we’re finding out that finding someone with an actual need for our physical help is tougher than it sounds.
Once we pulled into Lighthouse Orphanage on Thursday, we knew our plans had changed. We spent most of the day playing volleyball and football with the kids in the courtyard, but soon realized that God was taking us in a different direction.
At some point, we ended up at a restaurant on the riverfront called Chiva’s Shack hanging out with a group retired Brits. We adopted one of them, Tony, as our British grandfather. Tony and his friends just recently started an organization called CHOICE, which brings food and supplies to a local village and an orphanage for HIV+ kids called Sunflower Orphan Center. Thankfully, Tony let us hop along for the 40 minute ride to meet the kids today. It was amazing just to sit with them and just love on them. It was a matter of two seconds before one girl, whose name I believe is Deung, came up behind me and grabbed my hand. Most of them looked in relatively good health, although a few had sores on their skin, a reaction to one of their many medications.
It was just a good day. I just can’t help but look at these kids and not see myself in them. I know it’s no mistake that I was born into an amazing family that supports me no matter what, but I wish these kids had been too. I wish I knew how to tell them that they’re loved. Even if it’s just by a foreigner like me…they’re loved.
