More KNY Highlights

It took almost twelve hours to drive from Phnom Penh to Ratanakiri. I was thinking of jotting a dozen experiences that made it worthwhile. But there's one that needs more than just a line to explain....

I got to meet a 10 year old kid who has never had the chance to go to school. This in itself isn't thrilling... but... we hung out quite a bit over the week so I had time to play some games and make a guess at her abilities in numeracy, logical thinking, problem solving etc. We played number games using Uno cards, wrote some Khmer characters, talked about numbers in Khmer and played games to learn some colours in English. It was exciting to see that even though this little girl can't write her own name, she can play, think, engage, question, express herself and beat me at a memory game. I'm stoked to think that now given love, time and instruction, it is possible she should be able to go to school with some kids of similar age in a year or two. Seeing that was probably the highlight of my week.

And here's another 12 things I loved about going bush:

1. Smelling the rain-soaked earth.
2. Seeing skies teeming with insects, butterflies and a dozen other flying creatures.
3. Hearing the sound of water splashing over my body and onto the tiled floor as I bathed using a tub and a plastic scoop.
4. Noticing the watermelons bobbing around in that same water storage in the bathroom one afternoon. Realising that in a house without a fridge this is a great idea!
5. Passing tribal people with such awesome, knotted, wild hair that dreadlocks seem straight in comparison.
6. Getting up at dawn just to be present as the day creeps forward. Sitting on the verandah with a hot coffee in the half light.
7. Watching a leaf fall and stop and fall again as the wind cradles it from the heights to the forest floor.
8. Looking up. Seeing sky through the foliage.
9. Putting my pre-New Year Khmer dancing lessons from the girls to the test. Not caring if I looked foolish.
10. Driving past villages seeing fires lit at dusk to keep the cows warm during the cool nights.
11. Reaching for a blanket at 2am.
12. Always having someone around. Finding many opportunities to laugh and loving it all the more now that I can enter into some of the frivolity in Khmer.