Our trip started out early saturday morning to Siem Reap. We loaded the bus and got ready for a five hour bus ride. Little did we know how bumpy this ride would be. The roads in this country are driveavble, but not as great as we are used to back in the states. Also, the Cambodian people do not drive like we do. They are in a hurry to get there as one might describe it.
We stopped at a market on the way to use the restroom, buy water, etc. As we pull into the parking lot to park the bus. We are surrounded with small children and some women. As we get off the bus they instantly start asking us to buy things from them. This is a very over whelming feeling, or at least it was for me, because so many of them are arround and your not so sure what to do. When I finally made it off the bus I was greated by a young girl. I am not sure how old she is because in Cambodia you cannot really tell their age, due to the malnutrition in children here. She was very sweet and asked me all kinds of questions. She wanted to know where I was from and what I was doing here. She also wanted me to buy some pineapple :).
I wondered around the market taking in my surroundings. The markets here are an extremely different expereince. One thing that makes them different is the fact that they sale crickets and spiders. Some of my fellow students decided to try the spiders there, I did not. I had no desire to eat a tarantula. One of the other nursing students that tried one decided they taste like beef jerky.
After we finally got over all of the spiders and crickets I was approached by a older lady holding a baby. She was begging for money or food for her child. It hurt to see the small child bundled it her arms knowing that she has no clue when the child’s next meal will be. I ended up giving her a little money in hopes she would have enough to feed her child.
As we got back on the bus I thought to myself that children should not have to live like this. Most of the people begging or selling something were children. A lot of them were telling us that if we bought something they could go to school. I wonder if they even go to school and where our money is actually going. Its a very hard to thing to watch children beg for money and know that no matter how much you give them it may not make a difference. It makes me realize how truly blessed I am to have what I have in my life. I hope one day maybe the children in Cambodia will not have to sale fruit and beg for money on the side of the road.
– Rachel Painter