This is what my mom had to say about the trip to Cambodia:
On November 22, 2013 Charlie and I boarded a United flight from Newark, NJ to eventually arrive (22+ hours later) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia to see Meghan. We had said our goodbyes about a year and a half ago (July 2012) in Washington, D.C. as she embarked on her life changing Peace Corps service as a health care worker.
On our 2 week visit, Meghan gave us a glimpse into her rich Cambodian life, introducing us to her 2 wonderful host families and extended families in Angtosom and in Sasar Sdam, her neighbors, friends and Peace Corps friends. Charlie and I do not speak Khmer except for the 3 phrases we learned while with Meghan, but through witnessing all of the warm conversations we know that Meghan is loved, cared for, and entrenched in her community at her site and wherever she goes. Everyone we met extended such extraordinary hospitality to us. We had so much fun sitting on the floor in Mai and Pok's home and playing Connect Four with Ny, Nooan, Hong, and Hing and looking at wedding photos of Aleck and his bride. Much is communicated without words, though I would have loved to have understood the fun banter back and forth and the laughter filled conversations between Meghan and her community friends and family.
This is what Peace Corps is all about - becoming such an integral part of the community that lines are blurred and differences don't matter. Acquisition of language is so important. Meghan has worked extremely hard to become fluent and converses with all in Khmer. She surprises most Cambodians who don't know her with her language facility.
Meghan planned our entire trip to share with us the big city life of Phnom Penh and the Tuol Sleng Museum, the country village of her wonderful family in Angtosom, the southern regions of Kampot and Kep on the Gulf of Thailand with the crab markets, Siem Reap with the temples of Angkor and our Halo Trust field trip to see land demining in action in the northwestern region of Banteay Meanchey Province, and her second wonderful host family in a village 30 kilometers outside of Siem Reap.
Cambodia is a beautiful country with green rice fields lining the roads for miles and big vibrant cities that are growing by leaps and bounds. Our senses were constantly stimulated, from the sounds of traffic, smells of foods being cooked in the markets and different fruits to be savored, to the temples and the Royal Mansion. There was so much to see and experience. Traffic in Phnom Penh is a bit like playing chicken. There are few traffic lights and no street signs, but there is this sense of organized chaos. As a pedestrian Meghan advised us to go with conviction, make no sudden movements, and flow through the motos, cars, vans, buses, tuk-tuks, taxis to cross from one side of the street to the other. Kampot and Kep gave us a bit of a respite from the big city comings and goings of Phnom Penh. We swam in the Kampot River, hiked in Kep National Park, walked Kep Beach, where we dabbled our toes in the Gulf of Thailand. We visited a crab market where women were catching crabs in the rocky shallows with traps. It was really fun to watch Meghan communicating with the women in the market place and the laughter that ensued when Meghan found out that "the crabs just wander right into the traps without bait; they're a bit stupid."
Cambodia's present is vibrant, lively, and filled with hope. While its past history of the Khmer Rouge and its devastating impact on families and an entire generation of educated adults, and the continued political instability and poverty impact the country today, we were and continue to be overwhelmed by the resourcefulness, resilience, and warmth of everyone we met along the way. Thank you for opening up your homes, your hearts, and making us feel so welcome. Cambodia is a special place. Meghan, thank you for giving us a renewed perspective on life and what is truly important.
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