What a crazy few hours it has been. And by that I mean that I have been traveling for the last 24 hours and only have about 9 more left to go before I get home to Phoenix. Currently I am sitting in LAX figuring out my next move. But before I do that, we have some catching up to do.
The last time I gave an update was oh about 9 days ago. Since then so much has happened so fast that it is going to take a long time to explain it all. So this is fair warning, if you do not want to read a lengthy post turn away now and wait for the next one.
Alright, I guess we'll start with goodbyes. The last 2 days we spent at Sarath's and Sopheak's schools were so much fun and yet a little heartbreaking. We reviewed all the things we had learned so far and played games and just hung out with the kids and with Sarath's family. On Friday, his mother Maleaop and aunt Malian allowed us to help them make lunch. Just being able to sit around a table and laugh and talk even with a language barrier with that family was such a blessing. At the end of the day we said all our goodbyes to the students and Sarath's family (I'll admit that there were a few tears) and went back to Babel - our guesthouse if I have not already mentioned it by name.
Then came the task of packing. One little bag for a week at the beach. Well in reality the trip to the beach was half the fun. We stopped in Phnom Penh to visit the Killing Fields, a place where hundreds of thousands of lives were taken during the Khmer Rouge rule. It would be 100% accurate to describe the fields as one of the most painful places I have ever been. If any of you wonderful readers get the chance to visit Cambodia, I urge you to spend some time learning about the history of the country before during and after Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. And visit the killing fields. It is in places like it that you can almost see history happening in front of your very eyes.
We then continued on our 14 hour bus ride down to the coast. We saw a gorgeous sunset and sang along to songs both English and Khmer. There are songs that will always bring you back to a time and a place, right? Suffice it to say that Celion Deion's the Heart Will Go On will now be one of those songs for me. We made it to Otres Beach which is 20 minutes outside of Siahnoukville right around 8:30pm. All Sunday we spent at the beach, which for those of you who have spent more than an hour in the sun with me, means that I got a sunburn. Yep, before we even got to our beach getaway I was burnt. To a crisp. However, I didn't let it dampen my spirits because I still ended up on of the most amazing beaches I have ever seen.
We spent Monday- Wednesday on the island of Koh Rong. Which had no wifi by the way, otherwise I might have updated a little sooner. Or maybe not... We lazed about in hammocks, trecked to the other side of the island to watch another beautiful sunset and even swam with- get this- glowing algae!!! Thursday we took the boat back to Siahnoukville and almost missed our flight to Siem Reap because our driver to the airport was late picking us up. Had that happened - and since there's literally one flight to Siem Reap per day- I would have had to have stayed in Cambodia forever! Or just until I booked another flight. Honestly, either option would have been just fine by me. Luckily we did make our flight though and spent a last few hours in Siem Reap hanging out together and packing for our trips back home. Which brings us to now.
I must say though that what I can't put into words is all the little moments I spent with my new friends that helped to make the trip special. I could have gone alone to Cambodia and done all the same things, but it is in the in between spaces and times that were filled with stupid jokes and honest conversations that will stay with me alongside the obvious moments of awe and wonder. So I want to send out a big thank you to everyone in my group who helped make this trip one of a lifetime. If any of you ever read this blog, I hope it brings back all the good memories we made. So here's to you Erica and Stefan, Morgan and Lika, Sarah and Sean, Rylee and Jelica.
And thank you to all you wonderful readers who have stuck with me throughout this whole trip, even though I'm not theist consistent of writers.
In the next day or so I hope to upload some of my favorite photos, so as always stay tuned for more.
With love,
Mikayla
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