So recently I travelled to Cambodia for the second time and the same as the first I loved it, it brought me pure joy and I was doing volunteer stuff which again brought me joy. It was nice to take a break from reality and appreciate all those around me at the time. It also made me reflect on things I missed about home and how lucky we are even when things go terribly wrong. Things as simple as drinking water, while bottled water is easy to find over there, you do have to be careful even when brushing your teeth not to use their water, the luxury of an aircon, it is hot and sticky and also the freedom to have the choice of wearing whatever we like, it can be very modest in the villages and at temples, the cities you have more freedom but I tried to stay respectful to their culture where possible.
Even with things like medical and mental health support, I met some families over there where their children are challenged in life and will likely never receive the support they need to live a fulfilling life even with love and care from their families. We even did something called a teddy bear run, where we gave kids teddy bears out in the villages as many will have never received a soft toy in their life and the pure joy and astonishment it brought them, was truly something amazing to see.
While I am not trying to disregard the challenges we have over here or what anyone is going through and compare the two at all. This was me reflecting on my experiences and how fortunate and grateful I am to live in Australia and have basic needs met every day and access to so many opportunities and I thought I would share. I would like to make a difference in this area as I get older to help support them, even if its not a job but more trips like this.
I would also like to share some photos of my experiences and my favourites, we got to play with elephants, go on a bamboo train and play with meerkats. I haven't shared any of the families we met out of respect for them, others and their culture even though they hold more value than these experiences for me.
