Today we woke up from the home stays in “the building,” said our goodbyes, and took an hour-long ride the countryside south of Phnom Penh. The bus ride was crowded, hot, and at times even smelly.
We finally arrived at some old temples that are said to be over a thousand years old. Waiting at the entrance was a group of maybe 15 young children ages 6-17, all of whom where trying to sell us their flowers that they had just picked.
This was extremely tough for us to deny their adorable faces but we learned that giving money to the kids that live on the streets makes them believe that they should always make money that way.
This is definitely very different than America in many, many ways, but we will just have to get used to this.
~Matt
Matt- Thanks for the bus ride mention. While we often take transportation for granted in the US, in third world countries it is a luxury (albeit a smelly one!) to have a ride to their destination. If buying the flowers is not okay, ask how you could help those kids have a better future....... what can you do differently in your future that will impact them in their future?
ReplyDeleteGeneva, I love your last question. We are all connected, even though worlds apart, and our day to day decisions can deeply affect those struggling across the globe. I am so grateful for that the kids are having this experience.
ReplyDeleteDear Geneva, Thanks for your comment! I have been thinking a lot about how I could impact the children in their future and I believe that I could do this by trying to teach them more english. Also we could just sit down and share stories with them even if they do not under stand completely.
ReplyDelete