On Saturday we went to church with Secun to teach English. The church is located about 4 km away, so Secun acquired 5 bikes for us to ride there on. The catcher was, was we had to have a Cambodian kid on the back of the bike. It was an extremely uncomfortable, especially considering the bike was three sizes too small and my knees remained at a 90 degree angle the whole time. We must have been a site; all the Khmer people laughed at us as we went by, and I am sure that we terrified the kids. It is all about the experience! It was a beautiful ride.
We arrived at the church, and Secun told us to take off our shoes because it was “muddy” (I.e.: manure and mud), so I did. I walked through the hot, squishy “mud” and arrived at the front door. The kids proceeded to clean our feet off for us. I was dumbfounded when they did this-a picture of what we all should be like.
Afterwards, we went to Secun’s house to meet his mom. It was a long walk, and we had a herd of kids following us through the village (It’s the largest one in Baray). It felt like we were in another world; aloe plants lined the road, pony and oxen carts abound, and curious faces peering out of their huts. She isn’t a Christian, but is interested in it. We arrived, and they brought us coconuts and we talked for a little while. His family was great, I hope I can go back and visit them again. His mom went to church on Sunday and said she would be back again.
Throughout this month, I have seen many elderly people and each one I am very curious about their stories. I realize that they have sad stories, and probably do not like talking about them, but I want to know where they have come from. They have such joy on their faces, or weariness and sadness…but mostly joy. I do not know why I am attracted to them so much, but I am. Most do not speak any English so it is hard to talk to them, but perhaps through Secun or someone else I can have a conversation with them. If anything, I have learned at how resilient and joyess the Khmer people are. They are a great example of how we can have joy no matter what our situation is; that our joy is not based on our material possessions, flushing toilets, etc. These are all things I know, but it is a good reminder…one that I am sure I will have a lot of this year.
