Reflections

I think travelling has that effect of making you more aware of what the world is like, but also makes you live in a reality that is twice removed from the world. When i went to Cambodia i was exposed to a whole new way of life that allowed me to appreciate the difference in the way people live their lives, but i also know that living as a tourist, or at least someone who doesnt have the same pressing concerns as them, is only peeking into their lives. It’s also easy to get sucked into a culture too.

Even though i was only in Phnom Penh for a week, i felt i had experienced months there because i opened up to every experience and picked up on everything i can about the social fabric there. Phnom Penh has definitely touched me, and changed me in some ways, like all life’s events.

Amongst my many “realizations” from Cambodia is this:

I am inspired when i realise that no matter how difficult my situation is, there is always someone who has endured a situation more difficult than mine. I am humbled when i realise that these people who have endured the greatest sufferings, are often those who possess little more than self-determination.

I hope I remember this the next time I complain or struggle in the inevitable face of adversity.