We arrived to Tat Too Guesthouse last night around 11. Lisa Marie had arranged everyone's rooms with little gifts and blankets. Our travel was relatively easy. Our layovers were short, if at all, and we got to Phnom Penh without much fuss. It was so amazing to see Meng and Lay again. When Meng hugged me at the airport I started to cry, for only spending 3 weeks with her, I love her so much!
I'm not nervous for the trip this time, however there are a few things I'm trying to prepare for. Some of the kids from last year won't be at the orphanage from last year. This is to be expected, but sad at the very least. I'm worried that some of the kids I bonded with last year will be gone, which I know will happen. It's difficult to remember that things aren't going to be the exact same as they were last year.
Our guide for Toul Sleng was very good this year. He was 15 when the Khmer Rouge took over Phnom Penh and had a lot of memories and first hand experience. I think it was so good for the kids to have to listen to his testimonies and hear about how he was effected. It is so hard to see the way that innocent people were tortured, the photographs, the stories, the objects of torture laying on the floor in front of you. Luckily, I was able to opt out of the Killing Fields, since I had toured them last year. I couldn't handle dealing with that again, it is so hard to walk through that beautiful land knowing what happened there.
There are lots of changes on the road to the orphanage from last year. Once and a while, I would get a glimpse of something I remembered, something familiar. I spent the entire ride desperately trying to find places, or things I knew. The road and area nearby is much more built up than last year. I was so excited to get to the orphanage and see the kids again. Most of them weren't home this afternoon, but a few were, Piset, Paneth, Sok Heng, Niroon, and big Sok Heng. Piset came running up and gave me a big hug, it was so good to see him. We really bonded last year. I'm really looking forward to seeing the kids again tomorrow, getting to know the new ones, getting to see the ones from last year. I feel guilty for not practicing my Khmer more. I need to really try hard to learn with the kids and pay attention to Meng. Some words have stuck but others have not.
So tired, must try to sleep.
I'm not nervous for the trip this time, however there are a few things I'm trying to prepare for. Some of the kids from last year won't be at the orphanage from last year. This is to be expected, but sad at the very least. I'm worried that some of the kids I bonded with last year will be gone, which I know will happen. It's difficult to remember that things aren't going to be the exact same as they were last year.
Our guide for Toul Sleng was very good this year. He was 15 when the Khmer Rouge took over Phnom Penh and had a lot of memories and first hand experience. I think it was so good for the kids to have to listen to his testimonies and hear about how he was effected. It is so hard to see the way that innocent people were tortured, the photographs, the stories, the objects of torture laying on the floor in front of you. Luckily, I was able to opt out of the Killing Fields, since I had toured them last year. I couldn't handle dealing with that again, it is so hard to walk through that beautiful land knowing what happened there.
There are lots of changes on the road to the orphanage from last year. Once and a while, I would get a glimpse of something I remembered, something familiar. I spent the entire ride desperately trying to find places, or things I knew. The road and area nearby is much more built up than last year. I was so excited to get to the orphanage and see the kids again. Most of them weren't home this afternoon, but a few were, Piset, Paneth, Sok Heng, Niroon, and big Sok Heng. Piset came running up and gave me a big hug, it was so good to see him. We really bonded last year. I'm really looking forward to seeing the kids again tomorrow, getting to know the new ones, getting to see the ones from last year. I feel guilty for not practicing my Khmer more. I need to really try hard to learn with the kids and pay attention to Meng. Some words have stuck but others have not.
So tired, must try to sleep.
