Lessons from Cambodia
“The Khmer people have opened their arms to the world and make any visit to the kingdom a humble lesson in the endurance of the human spirit. The past is not forgotten in devotion to their ancestors and pilgrimages to pagodas, but the future is embraced, as youngsters seize the day.” ~ A caption in the Lonely Planet guidebook to Cambodia.
When I read this sentence, I was reminded of the bike ride I took along the Mekong River between Kratie and Kampi to view the freshwater Irrawaddy dolphins. It was a 15-kilometer ride along a paved, albeit bumpy, two-lane road lined with homes and stores. People were busy working in the nearby fields, repairing mopeds, making sticky rice snacks and carving dolphin sculptures to sell to tourists.
As we pedaled along, kids ran to the side of the road to scream hello and wave. Some would continue with “What’s your name?” and “How are you?” If the mother were nearby, she’d often follow with a sua s’dei, which means hello in Cambodian. If she were holding a baby, she would pick up its arm, wave it back and forth and repeat in a high-pitched voice, “hello, hello.” Some kids would run to keep up with us while others stood in place with arms stretched out and palms flat looking for a high-five. The kids who were inside of the house would stick their heads out of the windows to join in the cacophony of greetings.
While this particular bike ride stands out in my mind, I was often struck by the flood of warm smiles, the genuinely kind greetings and the persistence to survive throughout Cambodia. In a country that has suffered so much tragedy in its recent past, seeing how the people forge ahead is certainly a lesson in the endurance of the human spirit.
