After two days in Chiang Mai, we jumped on another plan to get to Phnom Penh. Somehow, the airports and planes feel more familiar than our hotel room. We had a four hour layover in Bangkok. It apparently is our layover city for the trip. We spied the corner that we slept in on our way to Chiang Mai, and I was particularly grateful for the daytime layover. One of my personal favorite parts of the day was when we played cards to pass the time. We played Egyptian Rat Race and B.S. Brandon also taught us how to play Copi, a Libyan card game taught to him by a friend. We were being international all around. It was a fun time to make memories as well as remember home, for card games are a family tradition during my family reunions. Other memories were made as well. Christine bought a block-type Rubik cube that we all became obsessed with. Almost every person tried at least once, with Brandon, Billy, and Bounchan spending a good amount of our flight and layover trying to tackle it. The worst part of it was that the girl who sold it was five and could complete the puzzle in under a minute. We have yet to solve it. I guess that will be our entertainment for the rest of the trip.
The plane ride to Phnom Penh seemed short in view of our expectations. I said goodbye to Thailand and hello to Cambodia. Though the countries are close by, the difference is vast; and I could see the effects of the genocide in years past and the poverty. It saddens me to think of all that this country has gone through. I almost want to cry every time I look at an older Cambodian and remember what happened in this country. But one thing has comforted me and allowed me to have the willingness to continue: though these people has suffered together as nation, they are surviving and working to rebuild a nation. They have the strength to continue to survive and begin to live. With the thought of their strength, I begin to think that I am able to give all I can give to them.