Truly Loved

Today I want to talk about a few specific instances that have happened in the past few days that made me think. There are 4 events I want to talk about, each of which happened yesterday.

First of all, I talked to So Piep yesterday. He is 29 years old, lives at the orphanage, and he is blind. I had never talked to someone who was blind before, so I didn't know if I should act any differently, or if there was anything special that I should do. At first, I was a little bit nervous, but as I started talking to him, I got more and more comfortable. He made me feel very welcome, and he really took an interest in my life, and I learned a little bit about him as well.

The next instances happened during the farewell. First, there was a little girl who approached me to say goodbye, and she pointed to her eye and said “I,” then made a heart with her hands and said “love,” then pointed to me and said “you!” I did the same to her. I was later told that she did that to everyone, but it didn't matter to me. That moment was special to me, and nothing could have taken that away. The fact that she said she loved me after only 3 days within meeting her was incredible.

Also, I hugged Lavin before we left yesterday. It seems so small, so insignificant from the outside, but it was such a monumental moment for me. Originally, Lavin seemed shy, and quiet, and kind of reserved, not the type of person who would be open enough to hug me after only truly knowing me for a couple of days.

Finally, as we were leaving, I hugged Srey Pi goodbye, and she kissed me on the cheek. I did the same back, and it was a very important experience for me. It made me feel so needed, so loved.

The reason that I'm talking about this is because there is a common theme. All of these things happened after only a few days within meeting each other. It really made me think about how different it is here from home. After only a couple days in America, you barely even have a conversation with someone. You certainly aren't hugging them, or telling them that you love them. People here are just so amiable; I love it so much! In America, sometimes even people you've known since you were little wouldn't do those things. Here, in Cambodia, I feel truly accepted, and loved.