Disappointment, farewell, and lots of tears

As most of you know, I wanted to do volunteer work in a school here in Cambodia and teach English to little kids. During the last few days that Lukas was still here, we planned to spend time together at the school so that he could see where I would be. To make a long story short, we were unfortunately very disappointed and not treated the way we had hoped. I don't want to go into details, but it was a complete failure, so we/I decided to leave and not stay at the school or with the owner's family.

It hurt me so much, and I was/am incredibly disappointed with the whole situation because I was really looking forward to it. The kids were extremely sweet and affectionate. They immediately came up to cuddle and were very curious about us. That made the decision even harder. Looking back, I can say that it was the right thing to do and better for me to leave again. Even though another disadvantage is that it puts a big dent in my budget since I wouldn't have had many expenses during the 4 weeks at the school. But it's better this way than to have an unhappy time.

And now the day had come - May 19th. It seemed so far away and yet I was always afraid of this day. Today, Luki was actually going home after 7 weeks.

The 7 weeks were probably the most beautiful in our lives so far. We had so many great moments and experiences together. We saw so many amazing things and met so many people. When you're together 24/7 for 7 days a week, and you can enjoy every single minute, it's something very special. Luki always let me have the spot next to the air conditioning, even if he was sweating a lot himself. He always gave me the last sip of water when we were both thirsty. He always took care of me when my stomach didn't feel like eating Asian food. He was always in a good mood and went along with every silly idea I came up with.

It was truly an indescribably beautiful time together that we will never forget and in which we probably fell in love with each other even more.

The farewell was even harder, and the tears didn't stop rolling for me. Seeing Luki at the airport and the first few days without him were extremely difficult, and I had to cry into my pillow for a few days. But now I'm looking forward to everything that comes next and to everything I will see and experience. But at the moment, I'm especially looking forward to June 18th because that's when I can finally pick up Kristina from the airport in Bangkok!

In the days after Lukis departure, I had to reorganize myself, make new plans, and use the extra time from leaving the school for something else.

Also, in Siem Reap, I visited a stilt village and a beautiful lotus farm.

Kompong Phluk, the stilt village, was simply impressive. The houses are built on stilts up to 10 meters high. At the moment, the rainy season is just starting, so the residents of the village can partly live under their houses and drive around the village on scooters and bicycles. But when the rainy season comes, everything is flooded, and you can only get from point A to point B with small boats. The children then go to their school by boat, which is also on stilts, and there is also a church on stilts in the village. Most of the residents make a living from fishing. On the riverbank, a few boats were unloading their catch. Sarorn drove me to the village and strolled through the village with me. When he saw the fish, his mouth started watering, and he asked about the price. When he found out, he quickly moved on. I decided to buy a fish for him and his family. He smiled from ear to ear and told me how much his wife would surely appreciate it.

It was fascinating to see how the residents of the stilt village adapt to nature and the seasons, and it was a beautiful experience to witness that.

On the way home, Sarorn took a shower with a bucket from a well by the side of the road. He didn't think about the fact that we were driving on sandy paths. So, thanks to the wind from driving, all the sand stuck to his wet clothes! But he could laugh at himself, and I had fun too.

The lotus farm was also beautiful, and the children of the family living there came running curiously to show everything and give a little flower. We often saw a fruit at the roadside stalls in the city and never knew what it was. Now I had the solution to the puzzle. A lotus fruit! On the farm, I could taste it, and the lotus seeds taste like peas, they're delicious.

After a few more days in Siem Reap, I took the bus to Battambang.