Smiles around the world

People’s resiliency shines in every culture and every different walk of life. All cultures have their own problems to face and crosses to bear. Some individuals choose to look trials in the face, shake their fists and say “you can’t keep me,” and others don’t come out with such great strength.

Resiliency is a powerful word and I have been working it over in my mind lately like a big mound of red Play Doh. In the face of adversity, no matter how great or seemingly small – pain is pain, and pain hurts. I feel how people handle the pain in the long run defines them.

Last night, Roger and I sat at the dinner table and discussed the concept of resiliency, how it relates to us and the world around us. He reminded me of the strength and kindness toward each other we saw in the Cambodian people on a trip to Siem Reap two years ago.

We hired a driver and tour guide to show us the various temple ruins such as Angkor Wat. He told us stories behind the stories of the temple ruins. He worked very hard and still took time to walk around, talk to the children at the sites we toured and offer them water. People of Siem Reap always held smiles in hot, dry conditions where they spent long days working.

I loved the natural wit we encountered. A young woman saw me eyeing the scarves from her booth and tried to get a bite from Roger, who could care less about pretty scarves. He told her “I need nothing.”

“I HAVE nothing!” she teasingly replied and offered to sell Roger some of that “nothing” for $10. He bought a scarf. We also fondly remember the moment when we were about to hike up a great hill to watch the sun set over Angkor Wat. After a long, hot day of touring, we looked up the path with narrow eyes and an opportunist little boy ran up to us trying to sell us a cold drink from his mother. She had a cooler full of only Angkor, a local Cambodian beer. That did not look appetizing for us before a hike, but the little boy was convincing as he stood behind the cooler and next to his mamma.

“OK” Roger relented, “I will pay your price, but only if you give me two.” The boy quickly agreed, took our money and sent us along the way.

One afternoon, we stopped to drink some water in the shade, and our tour guide broke down in a rare and poignant moment. We were confused at first, but, with language barriers, he shared some experiences with government corruption. At this time, Roger and I had lived in China for about two years and knew better than ask about or discuss political issues in sensitive countries.

Knowing we were foreigners living in China, he told us that Cambodia is not the free country the government claims it to be. Hearing the pain in his voice, we listened to stories of abject poverty, poor medical care, and the needs of the people. Every month, he said, he sends what little money he can to a school for children affected by the tragedies of Cambodia’s civil war 35 years ago.

When traveling abroad, Roger and I always try to get a chance to get away from the tourism scene and see the way people really live. We rented bikes and rode alongside rice paddies and two small villages. Here again, we saw beauty among the stark realities. I remember a lovely green rug with a peacock intricately woven into the pattern hanging outside a dusty hut situated on a muddy creek. . We saw a little girl sitting cross legged on the floor of her hut with elbows planted in front diligently working on homework or coloring something lovely.

When we rode the bikes through the villages, children ran after us yelling “hello!” I rarely take pictures of locals when we travel, as I do not want to intrude, but these kids desperately wanted their pictures taken. We took a picture of one little girl and at least a dozen kids appeared immediately with cheesy grins planted on their faces. They wanted pictures made so they could see themselves on the back of the camera. We showed them their pictures and watched as the kids giggled, guffawed, and the boys playfully shoved at each other.

So, if in our culture resiliency means to roll with the punches of life, take the hits and come out standing on the other side, I would say we must live on a resilient planet. People inspire me wherever I look.