Why You Sad Today?

Last week I had my first sad day in Cambodia. There wasn't any one major reason but a number of small frustrations that seemed to hit me all at once. In the afternoon I was a bit quieter than usual but I didn't expect my Khmer family to notice. They did. Three family members asked the same question, "Why you sad today?"

If we could converse fluently I'm sure I would have quickly covered up how I was feeling with a torrent of words. In 10 seconds I would have talked my way out of any acknowledgement of my need for others; for comfort, for sympathy or to simply share the reality that sometimes I do struggle in this new place. I'd probably then make an extra effort to "act cheerful".

In this case, however, the barrier in verbal communication became a bridge to relating at a deeper level. They asked, "Why you sad?" and I had to stop and think before speaking. I felt a bit exposed but that moment of having to wait opened the way for more honest, simple communication.