Eye-opener Cambodia!

Hello people! :)

I’m back from Cambodia and Thailand!! After a good 23 days. (Okay actually I’ve been back for 5 days already! :P)

While I’m there – I think of the many things we took for granted for, just because we live in a much more developed country.

The village I went to, in Siem Reap, Cambodia:

-didn’t have lights at the flick of a switch; we used generators that ran on gasoline to provide us with electricity at night.

(Now and then, when there is no electricity due to power failures etc [in M’sia], I’d be cursing and swearing because I can’t use my laptop/whatever electronics. But now, how can a short few hours’ power failure be compared to the villagers in Cambodia?)

-didn’t have clean water at the turn of a tap; we pumped water from wells to bathe, wash our dishes etc.

(Same goes for the temporary stopped water supplyDue to fixing of pipes etc.

& That’s pretty much we depend on, literally basically, in life. Water and electricity is so taken for granted for, in our lives that we almost didn’t realize it is not as readily available somewhere else in the world.

There were also no washing machines there. So how? We have basins, washing powder and there, we do our laundry with well water!

Our welfare team did a good job, by tying rafia strings at the back of the house, at the balcony, or wherever’s available, for us to hang our laundry. BUT the villages just hang them on the barbed wire fences. Boy, they did not even bother about strings.

And to re-emphasize the point on electricity. During our 12 day stay at the village, our house was the only one(!) that had electricity on at night!!! There was one day we tried without the generator, and the whole village felt so peaceful, without the horribly loud generator. Again, the villages didn’t need the electricity to survive, unlike us city people! They sleep at 7-8pm, wake up at 5am.

 

It was truly truly an eye opening experience!

The village, the school, the kids!

To me, I totally pitied them. Some kids wear their clothes for many many days without changing, and most of their clothes are so stained and dirty.  Some had no slippers. Told mommy the situation of the kids there, and her heart aches.

Ironically, they are happy kids still, even without clean clothes, without slippers. :)

Shall post some photos! My favourite kids! :))

 

Super cute boy, who imitates me when I make funny faces! :D He’s the apple of everyone’s eye!

 

Favourite boy as well! One who started off as a very mischievous boy but turned really sweet a few days before we had to leave! :)))

can’t help but put another photo of this sweetie!

 

So cute right, this lil girl! :D

I like taking photos of the kids. Their expressions. are priceless.

 

My favourite girl!!

 

 

We call him the ‘lao da’ meaning the chief! Fierce and very instructive kid.

 

Tell me, how to not love this bunch of cuties!?!

 

Actually, I feel that if we didn’t have so much language barrier, it would be much better! Like, the kids would get to know us much easier, and faster. and the same goes for us.

I’ll post again, soon!

I’ve learnt to be a more appreciative person. At least I try to.

Time to sleep, its almost 2am. Ciao!