Saturday evening we had the privilege of getting to watch the sun set from atop Phnom Bakheng, one of the temples of Ancient Angkor. As we hurriedly made the trek up the hill as the sun was going down, I lost count of the number of languages I heard the other visitors speaking. When we reached the temple, I started to realize how big the crowd really was. Hundreds upon hundreds of people had come to see the best view in all of Angkor as the day drew to a close. We all circled the temple’s summit, trying to find the best place to watch. I was beginning to become overwhelmed trying to dodge pictures-in-progress and step aside so guards could remind hot, sweaty men to please show respect by putting their shirts back on. It quickly became apparent that we wouldn’t be able to get a picture without at least 5 or 6 other world travellers in every shot.

In an attempt to escape the chaos, I found a little out-of-the-way spot farther back from the prime sunset watching site. Taking myself out of the commotion, the chaos transformed to a moment of peace. When I took the time to sit back and listen, the sounds of a hundred languages began to blur into the same hum of human awe and excitement. I overheard a Khmer tour guide speaking with an Indian couple in English. I saw three Japanese girls show an American how to light incense. Watching the horizon dotted with cranes doing restoration work, I felt like I was seeing the past and the present at the same time. I took my shoes off and felt the cool of the stone against my feet, placed there centuries ago, walked over by visitors and worshippers of different religions and nationalities and over many different periods of time. As I watched one of the most beautiful sunsets of my life, I realized that in this crowd of strangers, I’d never felt more part of the world. It’s times like this that I feel God at work, bringing people together over time, distance, and language. He always manages to bring people back together, sometimes in spite of ourselves, and no matter how hard we try to keep ourselves apart.

Our experience with Cambodia and its people exemplifies this in a way I’ve never felt before. Everywhere we have been, we experience the same warmness and truly genuine hospitality of the Khmer people. Smiles and sampeahs (a Cambodian greeting and sign of respect) greet us with every new person we meet. The second time we see them we’re already old friends and get hugs instead. To think of everything these people have been through, from the horrors of the Khmer Rouge regime to the grim poverty and heartache that followed, that warmness means so, so much more. For a country who has seen so much pain, we have seen so much love and joy. There is a reason why there are so many ex-patriates (someone who lives outside of their home country – not to be confused with ex-patriots – someone who is no longer patriotic) in Cambodia. The relationships, love and commitment by those people of so many different nations are inspired by the hearts and welcoming nature of the Khmer people. I give God full credit for putting us all in this wonderful place at such an important time. I think I speak for us all when I say we felt so lucky to be a part – even if only for three weeks – of such a amazing nation.
– Emily Morse, Nursing Faculty