The Importance Of Adventure In Cambodia

Cambodia: Baked Alive Adventure is a common word. Each person’s definition of adventure varies. For some it may lead to love, others danger, and some are lead to places of significance. Adventure by definition mirrors these patterns. My adventures are usually safe, and I have a hard time thinking outside normal realms. My favorite adventure was a trip I took with my Drama Team last summer. I had never been out of the United States before and I did not want to go. I found myself on a nineteen hour flight to Phenom Phen, Cambodia. We went with The People for Care and Learning or PCL. The extreme heat, dark history, and beautiful people made it the best vacation I have ever been a part of. We arrived in Cambodia at eleven o’clock at night.

The interaction we had with the Khmer people started in a little city we walked through, as well as at the orphanage. Both interactions had many things in common, the biggest being how happy the people were. When we were walking through the streets, the kids were so happy, the little boys were linked arm and arm running around playing and they all desperately wanted their pictures taken. While we were taking pictures of them, one of the police officers was taking pictures of us! I found this very comical. Most of the Khmer people know how to say a few words in English. The smallest of children would say “hello” and “goodbye” to us. I noticed very quickly that there was a large amount of children, and very few older people. I was told that more than seventy percent of the country’s population is under the age of forty, and more than fifty-five percent is under the age of twenty-two. It was something I would not have believed until I saw it. We also were able to spend some time with the children at the orphanage. They were very sweet children, who knew English. PCL said that the reason they did this, was not to westernize them, but to triple their earning power when they get older. I learned a lot from the Khmer people. Despite the great adversity this country has been through, they are so joyful and kind. I love this country and these people. I wish to