Final Thoughts

As I'm leaving Cambodia I want to reflect a little on everything that has happened so I thought it would be fun if my last post was a list of 10 things I've learned while in Cambodia.  So here goes...

1. One of the first things I learned was how to ride a bicycle through the crazy Cambodian traffic. The streets are not particularly wide and there aren't really lanes of traffic.  The rules of the road only sort of follow those in the US and then it's only when it is convenient.  It was quite the adventure.
2. I learned a lot about Angkor Wat as we toured it and even a little from the locals in preparing to go to it.  This is a necessity since it is essentially the national treasure of Cambodia.  
   
   
   
3. I learned that planning a project works really well when we are willing to listen to each others ideas and especially to the locals since they know the culture better than we do.  Flexibility is key!
4. I learned that there are many ways to say hello.  In addition to the words you place your palms together in front of your face and give a little bow.  Your hands can go at different heights in front of you, but the higher you go the more respectful it is.
5. I learned how to play a few games with the children around Heartprint House.  We were going to play Ring Around the Rosy, but once we got in a circle with our hands linked the children started to sing a song about a beast of some kind and asking them what it wants to eat.  Sometimes they would say just foods, but eventually they would say a person's name and that person was now chosen.  We also learned how to play what we called Cambodian Scum.  It's similar to the card game Scum, with a few different rules.  
6. I learned more about the Khmer Rouge from visiting the killing fields and S-21 prison, and also about its after effects by just living among the people for two months.  It seems that almost every health problem we looked at had some relation to the Khmer Rouge whether it was directly caused by the Khmer Rouge or just worsened by what happened there.
7. I learned a little about construction like how to use the crowbar and saw, but I feel my greatest accomplishment was learning how to hammer a nail into the hardest wood on the planet!  
   
8. I learned that Passion Fruit is great in almost everything.  I hadn't ever really had it before, but I had it almost everyday in Cambodia.  If I wasn't eating Passion Fruit then I was eating another delicious tropical fruit.
9. I learned that Cambodians are some of the sweetest people on the planet.  There were so many times that people went out of their way to help us and they were always willing to do whatever we ask of them.  The best part is that they do it with a smile usually. To prove my point they even have welcome steps into the tuk-tuks. 
   
10. One final lesson I learned was that making mistakes is part of the game.  This became most apparent as we planned and carried out our garbage cleanup day outreach program.  We thought we had a great plan to begin with, but as we went into apply it there were some translation and cultural barriers that became apparent.  We had tried to get some input to avoid mistakes, but sometimes there's not anything you can do, but learn from your mistakes and try again 

Thank you Cambodia for what I have learned and for letting me come and serve even a few people. It was a wonderful experience and I will always remember it.  Chum reap lia!! (or goodbye)