Pablo
08-28-2008, 03:50 AM
Hi Everyone!
I just got back from a 2 month trip to Cambodia and I must say, it's good to be back to the comforts of home.
Yeah, I saw the usual things most tourists will see. Ankor was breathtaking, the trip up there was something that you'd have to experience for yourself to find out what it's like.
I spent a few silent moments in prayer at the Killing Fields where so much atrocities was committed to human kind.
I experienced the beauty of Cambodian culture.
Still underneath all that, I am deeply saddened when I saw the quality of life there.
It was after dinner and a few of our group was enjoying a cold beer outside a bar when a young boy of about 8 years approached us and asked if we would like to buy some pencils from him for $1.00. It was a week night and I wondered why he's not at home resting or preparing for school the next day.
It didn't occur to me that perhaps he doesn't go to school, otherwise he wouldn't be out in the streets at night peddling pencils for $1.00. He certainly looks like he could add on a few pounds.
We quickly bought him some food but he wouldn't touch them. Instead he asked if his brother and sister can come share this meal with him. Then it hit us that a full meal like what we bought him would be enough to feed his entire family. For us, it's just enough for one person.
So friends, I want you to be grateful if you have enough food on your table to feed your entire family.
Be grateful that your kids are not peddling pencils on the streets at night.
Be grateful that you can afford to give them the proper education.
Be grateful that you have a comfortable home to live in and not a one-room shack where eight people have to cramp in.
Even if it's a one-room shack, be grateful that it's still a roof over your head.
Be grateful if you're reading this because it means that you have opportunities that other people don't.
I know I am.
Cheers!
Pablo Remirez
I just got back from a 2 month trip to Cambodia and I must say, it's good to be back to the comforts of home.
Yeah, I saw the usual things most tourists will see. Ankor was breathtaking, the trip up there was something that you'd have to experience for yourself to find out what it's like.
I spent a few silent moments in prayer at the Killing Fields where so much atrocities was committed to human kind.
I experienced the beauty of Cambodian culture.
Still underneath all that, I am deeply saddened when I saw the quality of life there.
It was after dinner and a few of our group was enjoying a cold beer outside a bar when a young boy of about 8 years approached us and asked if we would like to buy some pencils from him for $1.00. It was a week night and I wondered why he's not at home resting or preparing for school the next day.
It didn't occur to me that perhaps he doesn't go to school, otherwise he wouldn't be out in the streets at night peddling pencils for $1.00. He certainly looks like he could add on a few pounds.
We quickly bought him some food but he wouldn't touch them. Instead he asked if his brother and sister can come share this meal with him. Then it hit us that a full meal like what we bought him would be enough to feed his entire family. For us, it's just enough for one person.
So friends, I want you to be grateful if you have enough food on your table to feed your entire family.
Be grateful that your kids are not peddling pencils on the streets at night.
Be grateful that you can afford to give them the proper education.
Be grateful that you have a comfortable home to live in and not a one-room shack where eight people have to cramp in.
Even if it's a one-room shack, be grateful that it's still a roof over your head.
Be grateful if you're reading this because it means that you have opportunities that other people don't.
I know I am.
Cheers!
Pablo Remirez