I used to always wonder why people who are down and out are
usually the ones who philosophize the most. Most of it is usually all bull shit
with them trying to make their situation look far cooler than it actually is;
but sometimes there is some wisdom in what they say!
The same applies to me, last week I was way out of my
comfort zone so I was all about ‘learning
from my experiences’ trying to decipher the hidden meaning and basically
connect the dots! Week 2 came and went and I am back to square one in my
outlook, my mindset and my overall inclination to figure things out, which by
the way has/had dipped considerably.
I spent most of my second week in Siem Reap, as the theatre
was shut for the Khmer New Year. Had been introduced to Rajesh an Indian living
there by a common friend and after my difficult first week of adjusting in
Phnom Penh I was sincerely hoping for a little good ol Indian hospitality from
his end.
I took to Siem Reap instantly, it was green had a lot more
character and was spread around this little river with captivating bridges to
go across. I love small bridges there is something very quaint and charming
about them. Visited the phare circus one eve got a lovely front row seat and
was deeply moved by their simple execution but deeply moving performance. I
cried multiple times as I was gently reminded of the country’s past. What
really gets me is that fact that in spite of all that they have been through
they have not turned bitter, they are still simple honest people who are trying
to make ends meet, they have pure emotions and are happy! While shopping for
anything I was by now used to ending the conversation with the mechanical
‘happy Khmer New Year’ I didn’t necessarily say it like I meant it, but their
response made me feel very small. Their faces would light up and their entire
body language would change when they wished me all the best things in life and they always said it like they meant it.
Angkor Wat blew me away but due to some unfortunate turn of
events I had to head back to the hotel, sooner than planned so will have to go
back to the complete justice to the place.
The highlight of my trip though was Rajesh and his fantastic
circle of friends. Firstly my entire itinerary was planned for me included
Rajesh personally picking me up from the airport, coordinating with the tuk tuk
guys (which can be quite a nightmare as an address has no meaning in Siem Reap),
taking me around town, welcoming me to his inner circle of friends, opening up
his house with a home cooked meal thrown in. WOW!
I was elated somebody else was doing the planning. I was
getting the princess treatment, was meeting some really wonderful people whom I
instantly fell in love with. Everyone was being so nice to me! They were going
out of their way to help me out when they had absolutely no obligation
whatsoever; they had just met me! In those 4 days, Siem Reap quickly became home and I
unwittingly got
attached to all those lovely people. Back in my comfort zone
where there was no struggle, nothing to figure out and I went back to my familiar
state of just being.
I conveniently forgot that this was the very reason I left
India in the first place, to get out of
my comfort zone. How quickly I made a new one! While leaving for Phnom Penh the water works arrived in full
glory. I was scared of going back to a place where I had no friends, nobody
cared about my existence and most importantly I had no one watching my back. I
started doubting my move yet again! But then again it was the same Phnom Penh
that taught me so much in my first week here. I had taken one step forward in
Phnom Penh and four steps back in Siem Reap!
So yeah tough times do teach you a lot about life, which is
why I guess people who are down and out seem to understand more as they are in a position to feel
things a lot more. Am now reluctantly back to my life in Phnom Penh, this
is the path I have chosen and hopefully I will be a wiser and happier person
post my stint here! I was told i was an increadible woman by someone i met in Siem Reap going to survive on that compliment for now :)
No comments:
Post a Comment