Here in Cambodia, we worked several different jobs.
In the mornings, some of us taught preschool, some of us went to the farm to learn how to plant and harvest lemongrass, some of us visited nearby villages, and some of us worked at Chanla (our host) and his wife’s shop.
Think dollar store in terms of price. The shop sold phone cases and accessories, toys and games for kids, markers, paints, toiletries, dust pans, kitchenware, and so much more. It was the one stop shop, located just near one of the high schools on the island.
This month, working at the shop, I met one of my favorite kiddos from the race.
His name is Baht. He started off the month shy and hesitant of who we were and why we were suddenly always around. But that didn’t last long.
Baht is the most joyful child I’ve ever met. This entire month, I’ve never seen him sad and he rarely ever asked for anything. He was content with whatever and whoever was around him, finding joy in absolutely everything.
Even if it was just jumping for no reason, playing hide and go seek in the shop, or giving me a million high fives – his smile and laughter was contagious.
Every night as we drove off, Baht would wave and say “bye, bye Auntie” over and over again until we were out of sight, a tradition I will dearly miss.
In the evenings, we taught english at 3 different locations, a total of 7 classes each night – all different ages and all different levels of knowledge.
And here is a recap video of our month made by one of my dear squadmates, Molly!
