NAVIGATING THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD

This past weekend was spent reunited with our entire team: Krista, Kristen, The Choi family, Steve, Amy & our honorary team member, Kate (she is our friend who is also the coordinator of all we do here for World Relief - we literally would not make it without her!) ... and Amber & I. It was nice to see "westerners" again which are in abundance in the very touristy town of Siem Reap... and it was nice to all be together again... have a weekend off... in air con rooms (yes, they abbreviate it here air conditioning = air con). We walked through 5 of the Temples of Angkor Wat. We took a boat ride through the area that is known for the floating village houses. We ate at GREAT restaurants (first time I felt full in a week)... and had COFFEE... like really, made with grounds coffee (we make instant each day at our sight... which is without a doubt - BETTER THAN NOTHING!). Michelle Choi and I decided we were twins separated at birth (and a few years!). We are so similar it is really funny! I so enjoy hanging out with the Choi family! We walked through the wat they filmed Tomb Raider in (must watch that movie again: Gerard Butler - oucha-ma-goucha he is cute!). And saw some of the amazing ruins... I kept thinking "I can't believe I am walking through Angkor Wat"- it really is the trip of a lifetime for me!

And for those who know my phobias: spiders, dirty feet and heights... I have conquered them ALL this weekend! I watched a few of our team mates eat deep-fried tarantulas (coming soon to youtube)! ISH! But I didn't vomit! (OK, but I did scream a little)... I hiked up these really narrow stairs on a five tier Wat (temple) without falling down or chickening out - think the stairs you see on one of the mayan ruins... steep and small... (AND I was really scared - REALLY - it was HIGH - and there is no "safety" bar or anything - this is not the US, people! - who will you sue here if you fall?). And my feet? They are a mess... all day... every day... DIRTY. And... its OK.

It felt weird, though, being in the lap of luxury. Spending money on food and shopping. Because wherever you are in this country you cannot escape the desperate poverty that the majority of the people in Cambodia live in. Our guide told us of how his family barely survived under the rule of Pol Pot. When he was 5 years old he was separated from his mother and put in a work camp. He remembers eating bugs and living, at times, in the jungle all alone. His story was really amazing... and it reminded me that how the Cambodians live is in stark contrast to the LUXURY hotels that surround Siem Reap now... You see there is a small percent of people who have power & money (and they are all pretty much corrupt) and they hold ALL the cards... and then there is under that: degrees of poverty. In the big cities a small middle-class is coming up... but it is still pretty slow economic growth here. Our "guide" for the day in Angkor Wat has what would be considered a "good" job... he got it because he can speak English (note: why teaching ESL is so invaluable for the volunteers and staff that we teach each day through World Relief)... and he makes $25 a day plus tip (yes, we tipped him well). Add that up. Could you live on that a week? Things are cheaper here, you say, true enough... but not THAT cheap. Imagine living on that salary and living WELL? You know how you do it? You own only a few pairs of clothes and one pair of shoes. You eat simply and with little fan fair most days... plus, as a guide you make deals with the restaurants you take your tours to (he gets free meals when he takes American tourists into a restaurant in Angkor Wat). You wheel and deal and make it through. But it is not an easy life, that is for sure!