Two Dollars!!!

That is what this little munchkin yelled to us as we approached her boat and took her picture!

While in Cambodia, we took a boat ride down the Tonle Sap River. It is home during the dry season to many people who live in floating homes. When the rainy season comes, the river fills up so that even the trees you see in the background are submerged under the water and these people become displaced. I can't even begin to explain the sorrow I felt while I cruised down the river and saw the horrible conditions that these people live under. Their homes, if you can even call them that, are just sorta shaky things, no heat, no electricity, no water, no furniture. It's totally sad. Many of the children don't attend school and are "working" by the time they are old enough to walk or talk. Many times during our ride, other small boats would come up to ours and a child would jump off and onto ours with a little pail of sodas and try to sell them to us. It is so hard to have to turn them away, but how can you buy everything from everyone?

While we were coming up to a sort of floating souvenir shop, I noticed this little girl. How could you not? She was maybe 3 years old? Had her hair bobbed up on her head with some sort of tie thing, a binky shoved into her mouth, a little dress on and a python wrapped around her neck! I immediately told Roger to snap a picture of her...well.....I should have realized that she was not for free! She immediately began yelling to us "Two Dollars!! Two Dollars!!" for her picture. Of course we gave her the money she had "earned" and off she went. She left a considerable impression on me for sure. Such a small, little child of God, put to work at such a young age.

This next little girl is Kia. She was hawking magnets at one of the temples we went to. When you visit the temples, across the road they have these stands where vendors are selling souvenirs, inevitably you will also find dozens of children with magnets, scarves, postcards and wooden flutes to sell...all for one dollar! They approach you the moment they see you, yelling out "Madam...lady...you buy my postcard? 10 for a dollar" and then they proceed to count out all the postcards for you....or they say "buy a magnet? 3 for a dollar" and so on and so forth, and forget about saying no to them, they don't give up, following you until you either get to the entrance to the temple, drive off or break down and buy their wares! Kia, was selling magnets. Roger, who seems to be a master at the art of haggling with these children (as all buyers haggle), was able to get Kia to sell him 5 magnets for a dollar! She then turned to me and wanted me to buy some as well! LOL While I didn't buy any, she did run off to where her mother was and she drew me a picture. It's a little flower drawn in blue ink pen on a piece of dirty, lined notebook paper, and it will proudly go into my scrapbook! I wanted a picture of this little darling and she was more than willing to take one with me! I'll always remember Kia and wonder what will become of her....
I have tons more pictures and stories that reflect much the same lifestyle of the children of Cambodia. Each one left his or her mark on my heart and place in my memory. If I could have, I would have taken each one home with me and offered them a better way of life. It truly makes you stop and think about what we take for granted each and every day. Food, safe drinking water, shelter, education. I'll never look at these basics of my life the same way again.

Until next time,
Blessings!