There is so much running through my head right now I don't know what to write about. I want to tell you everything, but organizing my thoughts is too much for me at 10pm. Krissy n I went to yoga tonight finally. A little studio in the nicer part of town. I've never seen the nice part of Phnom Penh. There are fancy shops, clean streets, few if any street vendors. The class was good, but it was the area we were in that left the lasting impression. I don't understand how the people here can live in these massive houses, and drive these luxury cars, when there are so many people starving and struggling. Kids are begging in the middle of busy roads, tapping on Range Rover windows in their rags while the passengers inside stare straight ahead with no emotion.
The kids at Cambodia Peace Orphanage are some of the most amazing kids I have ever met. I thought I'd fallen in love last year, but this year the love has only deepened. Their smiles, their little words, their laughs. I love every moment with them. I have spent the entire trip thinking about renouncing most of my worldly possessions and moving here to be close to them. Living simply and being able to mentor them like I do the students we bring on these trips. All they need is love, hugs, acknowledgement, things their families hardly ever give them, if they get anything at all.
Yesterday, Krissy and I went for a walk away from the village and the orphanage. Lisa Marie sent us off on a singletrack through a cow field, and we walked in silence for a while, pausing to hid behind a large bush when it started to downpour. We reached a section where the path widened and was bordered by ponds. Lotus flowers sprouted out of the slightly cleaner water, boys waded with their nets, searching for snails, the poor man's delicacy here. We found a spot where a concrete ledge was built and decided to bust out some yoga. We picked a pink lotus for Meng for her birthday and Krissy tested her balance on the ledge while I readied my camera. A cute boy, round and Buddha like of about 12, came riding up on his bicycle and stopped to say hello to us. His English was limited, as is our Khmer, and we shared very little words. He hopped off his bike and waded into the water, returning with a pink lotus that he put in our water bottle with the other one we had picked. Then he waded back in and came out with something else, the center of a dead lotus, the seeds of which are considered food here. He began to peel out the lotus seeds and hand them to us to eat, which we decided to do together, so that if we got sick we could commiserate. They were actually quite good, relatively tasteless but reminiscent to snap peas. Krissy then hopped back up on the ledge and the boy followed her, mimicking her yoga poses, slightly off but an A for effort. After about 15 minutes, our yoga photo shoot came to an end, and our little friend said goodbye and hopped back on his bike, riding off down the path, lotus flowers in hand. It may have been one of the most beautiful moments of the trip.
Today was special because the kids started making cards and gifts for us. I have been slowly giving away belongings over the last 2 weeks, trying to give little trinkets of me to both old kids and new. I got so many beautiful drawings and paintings from kids, and the hugs and "I love you"'s are becoming more frequent. It's as if they know, without us telling them, that our time together is coming to a close. I am trying not to think about it, but it is the elephant in the room. Everyone holds tighter during every hug, hands are held when it's not necessary. Even my little wild and crazy Niroon is starting to stay close to my side and stick around to play games with me, even when everyone else is off doing other things. Paneth made me a beautiful paper flower today, and his brother Rath painted me two amazing paintings (not sure how I will get them home but...). I honestly love all these kids more than words can explain. I love them more than I ever thought was possible. I am quite confident I will not survive Friday without enormous amounts of tears, but at least I know that our love will last years, oceans and all in between, and I can be forever grateful to be lucky enough to have met and loved these outstanding human beings.
