Freedom

Ok, so a lot has changed in these past two weeks.

A lot.

I had to make a really hard decision, and right now I'm writing this from England.

I came home a few weeks early, because otherwise my head was going to explode from all the stress of ICS VSO.

Don't get me wrong, Cambodia has been an amazing experience, and I don't regret going one bit. But, I also don't regret leaving. I did six weeks and it's been a cool six weeks. I'm seen some amazing things, temples, waterfalls, gigantic spiders. And, it was so nice to live in this little rural village, surrounded by so much nature and heat compared to the cold concreteness of England. It was so nice to actually see the sun. And it was so nice to live this completely different life.

But, I felt like a fraud. This Khmer family put me up and the community were so welcoming, yet I didn't feel like I was benefitting them in any way. And believe me, I really wanted to help, but ICS just kept throwing constant streams of paperwork at me, and I was drowning in administration. It was draining.

So there you go.

I'm free! No more curfews, or drinking bans or distance limits. I'm a bird released from a cage, a rabbit out the hutch, a dog escaped from the kennels.

I celebrated by blowing loads of money in Phnom Penh at continuous markets and on cocktails and Indian food (my three favourite things), before flying home. But my time in Cambodia was amazing, and I'm already planning my trip back.

There's a beauty in the way the people of Siem Bouk lived. They were so welcoming, and it was great to feel like a part of this little community, despite the huge language barrier, (I ordered rice, vegetables and green tea in week two, and was given chicken, noodles, and soy milk).

I think we can all agree that global poverty is something that really really needs to be tackled, but at the same time the beauty in the way these people live needs to be preserved. I'd hate to see these little villages become built up, the nature destroyed and the community feeling lost, in a quest for international development. There's a lot that we can learn from these people.

I'm not going to jump into all the 'Ive found myself' bollocks. But I have changed, and without meaning to sound really really cliche, I have grown (just a little). It's hard not too. My eyes have been opened. I lived a completely different way of life, and I know it wasn't for long, but it was long enough. And while I wouldn't say I experienced a culture shock, it's still interesting just to put yourself into other peoples shoes.

And while I had an amazing time there, it's nice to be back. I don't think I'll be eating rice again for a while. Although I found myself craving it the other night.

This whole experience has seriously given me a case of wanderlust. I need to win the lottery or something soon because I do not want to be in England anymore. It's a lovely country, but I cannot handle the grey weather anymore.