After an arduous twenty hour flight, I arrived in Cambodia yesterday. Moving through the streets, I could barely fathom that I was in the country I have been studying and planning on visiting for so long! It was a surreal feeling. In only one night, I have learned so much about the children at the Palm Tree Orphanage, and I have been deeply touched by their lives here in Phnom Penh.
Fortunately, Jennifer arranged for me to be picked up by one of the staff members, so I could easily get to my destination without trouble. As I mentioned before, I planned to stay in a guesthouse for the first weekend to rid myself of jet lag and rest for my impending work. I was fortunate to be picked up by Perun, one of the directors. However, I did not expect to be greeted by fifteen young children, who could not wait any longer to see me! As soon as I exited the airport, I was welcomed by hugs, kisses and questions about myself. All of the girls told me that I was beautiful, and that they wanted to be like me. They very rarely see people who look like me, meaning light skin and Western features, except for the volunteers who visit. It was quite overwhelming, as I felt so much love generate from these young children. They were very happy to hear that I would be staying with them for three months!
When Perun asked me which guesthouse I would be staying at, the children became very sad. They assumed that I would be heading with them to the orphanage, and immediately started asking where I was going and why I wasn’t going to stay with them. I tried to tell them I would move in with them on Monday, but they were upset nonetheless. I quickly decided in my head that this was not the way I wanted to start out. I asked Perun to take me directly to the orphanage. Despite the jet lag or the problems I may face, it was more important to the children that they see me move in that night. I did not want to give them the wrong impression or hurt their feelings, especially upon our first meeting.
However, upon reaching our destination, I wondered if I made the right choice. There was a power outage! I immediately began worrying about how I would contact my family to let them know I arrived safely. My mind flooded with concerns about my mother and father. If I could not call or e-mail them, how would they know I was safe? Would they worry all night? The thoughts plagued my mind for the entire night, as I could not sleep at all. This may have been a side effect of the jet lag, but my mind raced with thoughts and kept me awake all night. I resigned myself to unpacking my clothing at 3am and reading to keep my mind off of things I could not control.
The children did make things a bit better. Upon entering the orphanage, each child came out to greet me, hold my hand, and thank me for being there. I was touched by their affection and love. The other volunteers, Cory and Shea, also helped me; their room was still cool from running the air conditioner earlier, so I stayed in their room a bit and learned about their past few weeks at the orphanage. They told me that it is rewarding work and that, overall, they really enjoyed being with the children. I hope I have a similar experience!
I feel a bit better today, because I woke up and called my mother immediately to let her know I had arrived safely. I miss my family very much and I hope this does not impact my work this summer. Upon arriving in the dark, hot orphanage last night, I wondered to myself, how can I do this for three months? How can I stay in this underdeveloped country, with no source of support? I hope to keep in contact with my family and my partner so that I have the strength to go on. I am facing a challenge, but I hope beginning work on Monday will help motivate me.
No comments:
Post a Comment