Didja know that Cambodia is the 10th poorest country in the world? Joey and I had felt like we hadn't seen much poverty until we took the bus to Sihanoukville on the coast. Along the way, we realized how much trouble the people of Cambodia are in. Sihanoukville is a haven for ex-pats and tourists. Unfortunately where the tourists are, are where the poor kids flock to. Kids are begging for money and trying to sell you anything they can. Some of them are quite funny to talk to because they have already been hardened by tourists, and are such smart asses. You'll ask their name and they'll be like "Why would I want to tell you that?" They also have a preprogammed answer to "Why aren't you in school?" which happens to be "Had it this morning" Or if you don't want to buy a bracelet shaped like a squid, their answer will be "Do you think I care?! I don't care!" This is soon followed by the worst cut eye I've experienced from what might be one of the cutest little girls I've ever seen.
Joey and I are feeling overwhelmed. Being asked for money left, right and center is exhausting especially when you know these people depend on it and have no other way of income. These kids can't afford to go to school so they sell bracelets, and sunglasses or the services of others (manicures, massage, waxing etc). It's either this, prostitution, or working in the rock quarry for a lot of kids. Most of them know quite good English from working on the beach and are easy to make friends with until they keep on asking for money. Joey and I had a conversation with a girl for quite some time today at the beach. She was quite keen on selling us an ugly bracelet neither of us wanted. We ended up buying her lunch and that made her happy. Most of the beach kids were super jealous that she was eating in a fancy "westerner restaurant." They couldn't believe that we had bought her something. We mostly did it so she would shut up about the bracelets. Haha. As soon as she was done eating, it was back to the bracelets. Jeeeeeze. We just bought you a huge lunch and you still want us to buy a bracelet? Bug off.
During her lunch with us, we were visited by all her beach friends. One particular young girl kept on asking Joey if he wanted a massage. His answer was that I give him massages. Bad idea, buddy. This led to quite an inappropriate conversation with one girl who quite graphically described what she thought was a massage. I was in disbelief. This young girl, probably not even 7 years old, claims to know what happens behind closed doors at night. We didn't even ask to discuss, she just put it out there. We didn't even know how to respond with what she had just said. It made both of us quite uncomfortable. It's hard to know what to do in a situation like that. You can't scold the child, you shouldn't laugh, and they're not gonna go away if you tell them too. Especially after reading a book called Sex Slaves in Asia which discusses the process of which young girls go through (emotionally and physically) the world of the sex trade. This young girl was obviously being prepared for it by somebody. Either a parent or someone she trusted. It makes me sick to think about.
The sex trade is very apparent here. It's a regular sight to see a fat ugly bald white guy with a hot young Cambodian girl. After reading the book I mentioned previously, I really start to empathize for these girls, and the younger ones who will ultimately be put into the trade. The psychological and physical pain these women go through on a regular basis is unimaginable for me. Today, I saw a old man with a prostitute on the beach. I guess she did something he didn't like because next thing I saw he grabbed her by the face and pushed her down to the ground. Next thing he does is shake his finger at her like she's some kind of dog. I had to contain my anger and walk away. NO ONE should ever have to be treated like that, and it breaks my heart that I'm in a country where this kind of a event (and even worse) happens every day.
Joey and I are enjoying the beach and the pool by our hotel, but both of us are feeling more and more heavy hearted. There is so much pain here. We're so lucky to come from where we do. It's sad to say, we're also lucky for what colour skin we have. It is a very common practice for women in South East Asia to bleach their skin to become more fair. I've seen lots of women who do this, and it surprised me today when one of the young girls on the beach inquired about my sunscreen making her whiter like me. She seemed disappointed that it wasn't going to help her be less Cambodian.
We didn't expect for this trip to be all fun and games. This trip is to open our eyes and see things that make us realize that we can't take life for granted because there are people out there in the world who would do anything (sell themselves, or bleach their skin) for a chance to be us. I apologize if this blog entry is depressing because I don't mean it to be that way. If anything I wish it were more funny, or exciting, but it's just reality for today.
On another note, tomorrow Joey and I are signed up for our Open Water PADI course which will allow us to go scuba diving throughout our trip. It's quite expensive but it was something that we had planned to do while we are here. The first day of the course will involve sitting in a classroom for 5-6 hours, watching DVDs and doing quizzes. The next two days will be on an island nearby where we will actually learn how to dive. We're both pretty excited!
We're also starting to make plans for Christmas. We will more than likely be in Siem Reap for Christmas. We have nothing special planned, but we'll skype with our families for sure. I think if we think about Christmas too much, we'll get more sad. It's been exactly a month since we left. We're starting to miss you guys back home! I hope some of you decide you want to come visit us out here during our journey. It's easier than you think. Yes it's expensive getting out here, but once you are here, it's soooooooo cheap. Think about it ;) haha.
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