elmo's world: Cambodaze

tried to think of an alternative title but Cambodaze really suits the trip- everything went by in a blur, yet while it was happening we sometimes couldn't wait for it to be over and done with, especially the pooping part. these are the same pictures as the ones I uploaded, but oh well.

this will be the last of my study-travel exploits, starting from Field Studies 2556, 6 weeks in Thailand June-July 2013 under Geography, then Field Investigation (Physical Geography) Sept 2013, then Global Summer Programme, 3 weeks June-July 2014 in Australia under NUS, and this final one Field Investigation (Human Geography) Sept 2014.

I'm immensely grateful for these opportunities, especially after learning that I was the only person who did all three field modules offered by the department. I feel like my Geography journey is complete with a minor regret that I didn't manage to make it for exchange, though it's not something I can't say I didn't say. That sentence has too many double negatives. It's not a full regret because I did try for exchange. There, better.

Cambodaze taught me a lot. It taught me to be content, it taught me to tolerate, it taught me to not complain.
It taught me new perspectives on life, like there are lives happening SO different to yours and it's so real, not just stuff happening on TV which brings about this sense of detachment.
It taught me that people learn to adapt and live with what they have.
That sometimes, people's dreams are made of simple things like wanted to start a business, or living on land, yet simply not having the capabilities to do so. For which I feel very blessed that I can at least access help and opportunities where people cannot.
I listen to stories of a couple's ups and downs- having 17 pregnancies yet having one daughter who is still alive. Losing four of the children to the Khmer Rouge, more to miscarriages and poor immunity.
I learnt how a community can come together to protect the environment.
I learnt how to communicate with smiles, laughs and actions, yet understand the importance of still being able to speak a language.
I learnt how to be a little more social, something that I've always been working on since right before the start of time.
I tried to be who people want me to be. I guess that's learning how to adapt.
Peeking into the daily lives of people in the more rural parts of Cambodia, gazing at the stars under the night sky, I learnt how insignificant I was. That my life here doesn't matter to them. Their lives don't matter to me. We will never cross paths again, this I'm fairly sure of. But the connections that we made will never go away.