After 40 hours of traveling spent in either an airport or an airplane, we finally arrived to humid Cambodia. We struggled to get through visa applications and customs, then piled all 12 people and 22 bags into a van, and off we went. Our guest house is cute, we hike up 3 flights of stairs to get to our room, and we all eat on the roof, another floor up. The next morning we woke up and met our tuk tuk drivers, Lay and Boo Phat. Our translator, Meng, is absolutely wonderful. She quizzes us on our Khmer, which is less than impressive, and we make our way to the Toul Sleng prison. It was very emotional going to the prison. I had watched a movie on it before coming, but being in the rooms where so many innocent people had been tortured and killed was hard. There were photos and details of everything hanging in every room. It was such a shock to be there in person, my stomach started turning with every new story.
Next we headed off to the Killing Fields. The streets here are so crowded. Everywhere, there are mopeds with families of 4 zooming by. Tiny babies sit in the laps of their parents, or 2 or 3 kids sit behind their dad holding on tight. The sides of the streets are bustling with items for sale; food, clothing and gasoline. Trying to cope with the brutal experiences of Toul Sleng was rough, but being at the Killing Fields was even harder. Although beautiful, it was a horrifying place. It was so green and full of flowers and life, however you could see the indents in the ground that represented the mass graves hidden underneath. Knowing that we were walking on the places so many people were executed was sickening. I literally walked around prepared to duck around a corner to throw up.
After the rough morning, we headed out to the orphanage. I was numb, my brain and emotional being had shut down. When we arrived, the kids came rushing out to greet us. I still felt uncomfortable, so I held back a bit. My Khmer is nonexistent, so I didn't really try to communicate with the kids past a smile. The orphanage was different than I had expected. It is a giant lean too, with only 3 walls. Since the girls now have a dorm built by CGA, it is only the boys and the caretakers that sleep here. After getting a lay of the land, LMH suggested I come to the slums with her for a home visit. We walked around the corner and found ourselves in streets of mud and trash. There were corrugated tin buildings on both sides with no doors or windows. We finally came to Lavin & Srey Neath's house and Srey Neath rushed me to the back to wash my feet (I tripped in mud). We then walked back into the kitchen/bedroom and Meng translated the dad's story. The kid's mom had died recently, leaving the dad with 4 kids, the youngest being about 1. He is unable to support them, so the oldest three live and eat at the orphanage. While sitting and listening to their story, a small boy with no front teeth passed the front door and we exchanged a smile. He then bolted into the room and started holding my hands and playing hand games with me. Something about him shifted me back to reality. Upon going back to the orphanage, I was back to myself. The rain started pouring down and we all played and got soaking wet. It was by far the most fun, rewarding day I could have possibly asked for. When we got home, the only thing I had energy for was to eat and go to bed.
