Yes, by the end of June I had accepted Cambodian culture and life which means that I had also adapted to it first. What caused me to reach this level of tolerance was the ability to empathise and understand what it is like to be Cambodian. This came from the acknowledgement of their history through visiting the Tuol Sleng/ S-21 Prison and the killing fields and through the different presentations we got about the Khmer Rouge. I saw the horror that is their past and because of that I am able to, at least to a certain extent, recognise the hardships that previous generations faced. Surprisingly, this is what caused me to accept this group of people and let me continue to the next steps.
After tolerance, comes letting them teach us new things. This has already started: I have learned a variety of different things from the aforementioned historical sites, from our local Cambodian staff, from the current political campaign, from all the different NGO's and social enterprises we have visited and more. It's day 4 and I've already learned so much, I can't even begin to imagine all the new knowledge I will have acquired by the end of the trip.
LM
After tolerance, comes letting them teach us new things. This has already started: I have learned a variety of different things from the aforementioned historical sites, from our local Cambodian staff, from the current political campaign, from all the different NGO's and social enterprises we have visited and more. It's day 4 and I've already learned so much, I can't even begin to imagine all the new knowledge I will have acquired by the end of the trip.
LM
