Reports
Cambodia = Love: Reflections on a Trip to the Third World
By Kate Berry
May 2006
Words cannot begin to describe our experience in Cambodia. Our trip to Pailin exceeded all of our expectations in so many ways. Most surprising was the realization that we learned more than we taught, received more than we gave. We learned about gratitude, happiness, acceptance and love. We learned to dance, play games, eat beef ball soup for breakfast and speak Khmer. We brought with us flashcards, Frisbees, and music and returned with several hundred new friends and so much more.
As I create these summary remarks and reflections on the trip, I find it impossible to take only five minutes to describe such a life-changing journey. How do you define a friendship formed in only days that you will remember all your life? How do you describe the smiles, the laughter, the joy? My new friend Sopheap, one of the boys from the school, told me the day we left, “I have never felt happier in my entire life.” How can I express in such a short time that I, too, have never felt happier in my entire life and that Cambodia equals love?
From the moment we arrived at the school, we knew this trip would be incredible. We had been disoriented by the fourteen-hour travel experience the previous day, the unpaved roads, the poverty, the food and the giant bugs. But, this was what we were here for: the school and the kids. The students formed two straight lines down the pathway to the school and clapped for us as we paraded through. We were nervous; they seemed overjoyed.
When our vans drove down that pathway for the last time only five days later, no one wanted to leave. There was something special about that short stay with them, something that caused us to connect with complete strangers in ways we never thought possible. We did not think we would have much in common going into the school for the first time. But, we soon realized we shared a very powerful connection through our smiles. As they say, “Laughter is the same in any language.”
It was this happiness that built bridges between our cultures. We smiled and laughed as we played games. We giggled hysterically as they learned the “Hokey Pokey” and “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.” At our Thursday night dinner and dance party, there was not one unhappy face as we partied to traditional Khmer music and the Macarena with the whole village of Pailin.
The students challenged us in ways we did not expect. We dealt with the language barrier, tried our hand at Khmer games, and attempted traditional dance. They challenged us to think differently about ourselves and our country. The students gave of themselves in so many ways, teaching us about their culture and sending us home with mementos and memories of kindness that will last a lifetime. They challenged us to “pay it forward,” to emulate their generosity and to overlook our original judgments and assumptions. They challenged us to realize that sometimes the “Hokey Pokey” really is what it is all about.
I am amazed by what we experienced. We transcended a language barrier to effectively communicate in the strongest of all languages: love. Yes, the way we say “I love you” is different, but not the way we feel it. We learned a new way to love from the students at the school. They loved us from the beginning and helped us learn to love them in return. I loved their eagerness to learn, their bright eyes and joyful mannerisms. I loved what they taught me about happiness, and simply giving them the Macarena is no fair exchange.
It is sad to think that I may never see those beautiful children again, the ones who touched my life in so many ways. It is difficult to return and not succumb to the little, everyday stressors. It is a challenge to keep that happiness and that love alive.
I received an email from Sopheap the other day, the teenager who told me he had never been happier than when we visited. Sopheap reminded me of something very important, clued me in on the secret of the Cambodian attitude. “Please do not make yourself dirty look,” he wrote, “Please try and smile everytime as possible.”
Sopheap knows that smiles are what bond us, regardless of our language or culture. He knows that sharing our happiness is equivalent to sharing our love. So, as you leave here today, take some of our Cambodian love with you: “Please try and smile everytime as possible.”
