Dear Cambodia,
It is with tears in my eyes and tightness in my heart that I write to you today to say thank you and goodbye.
In the most uncertain of times, you sheltered us. After a year of moving from place to place, two nights here, three nights there, you gave us the feeling of home. When all around the world, people were scared to come in contact with each other, you reached out to us with reassuring smile after reassuring smile.
How can we ever thank you enough?
I loved shopping in your marketplace. You treated me with dignity, never like a foolish foreigner, no matter how accurate that would have been.
You welcomed me to your table. And though we had few shared words between us, still we laughed and joked as friends.
Your children were our students and playmates. To see them smile, wave, and say hello brought such joy.
To the cake baker, the shoe repairman, the barber, the seamstress, the tuk-tuk drivers, the shop owners, and the fish roasters, thank you. It was a pleasure to be part of your lives, even for just the tiniest bit of time and space.
We’re finally becoming familiar with your ways. To get shoes repaired, we ask the guy who makes keys. For batteries, we go to the sunglasses shop. To cure strange afflictions, we don’t need a doctor or hospital—pharmacists always know the answer.
But now it’s time for us to go.
To this country that bears scars from decades of political abuse, both domestic and foreign, we are in awe of your resilience. You have overcome so much and emerged with a countenance of unmatched kindness. May your children and your children’s children grow healthy and strong and self-assured.
We will miss you.
I cried too – and miss Cambodia- a place I have never been. And I cry for the ease of smiles and touches of the community that is so stifled and different in the face of this pandemic. I wish I could protect you from the new world you will find flying away from Cambodia 🙏🏻😐😘
I’m happy to say that we haven’t needed any protecting–but love and thank you!
And so you know, I never to did ascertain whether or not Spalding Gray swam here. It’s an awfully long way!
It makes me happy to know that you felt so at home there during such a strange time in our world. I am also glad that now you are able to venture on and try new places 🙂
If there is a lesson to be had, it might be that we can make a home wherever we endeavor to do so. We all might be better off if we were to simply make a home right where we are.
Beautiful. I am so glad you had a shelter there and created memories to shape your family’s future.
Indubitably!
What a wonderful experience for your family and those you touched!
We feel very blessed. The whole experience was wonderful and we’ll always be grateful for our impromptu home in Cambodia and all of the people that we met while there. I hope you two are settling into your new home as well!
I’m glad to learn that you had such a peaceful and happy time in Cambodia. After meeting the 5 of you on the train to Hanoi we often wonder what adventures you are up to next. So where from here? – wherever it is I am sure that you will find kindred spirits. Take care and love from us both, Nigel and Sian
It’s good to hear from you! We’re in England (https://fivebackpacks.family/how-does-a-nomad-stay-at-home/) and slowly starting to travel a bit as things tentatively open and thaw. If life were more normal, we would be looking forward to visiting you in Luxenburg this summer, but I fear that isn’t in the cards for this year. Maybe next year!