Randy

Randy
Originally uploaded by An Smith.

Meet Randy. This kid haunted me for the entire three days we were in Siem Reap. Every time I looked down the lil guy was tugging at my arm with his big sad eyes, dressed in dirty pj's and his hair all crazy, holding his hat in his hand and asking for a handout. There was something about him in particular that stood out from the other kids - I still can't say what it was exactly!

Anyway, it got to a point that I couldn't handle it anymore. I kept telling Denise that if I saw him one more time I was going to absolutely lose it. He's only six years old, and his parents send him out all day and night to get money from tourists. We were told that it is quite common that kids will get a beating if they don't make enough money in the day.

Cambodia was a place that really hit me hard in a lot of ways. I actually felt how 'real' life is as opposed to the cushy lives we grew up in and are so accustomed to (and take for granted). It's not the first time I've seen poverty or been in a country with hardship but there was something about Cambodia that struck something in me and I think it was there amazing attitude and how full of life they are. The poverty, the disadvantages, the hardships these people have lived through..its right in your face. The happiness you see is what makes it so amazing. These people really stick together, they watch out for each other. They depend on each other for survival.

So back to Randy (actually, the way he says it: it is Rand EH kind of with a pause and a huge gruff excited emphasis on the EH part, haha cute..). You can't give kids money, it just encourages them and I also know the father is lurking in the alley or across the street waiting to take what he gets from the tourists. And besides, with all of the aid and charity organizations we saw all over in Cambodia it doesn't seem like there is an excuse to beg or to further encourage it. So instead of giving him money, we did the next best thing and bought him a giant bowl of ice cream. The smile on his face while he ate it was classic and he didn't hesitate for one second when I suggested the idea. He didn't say much while he ate and ran off quickly when he was done, immediately hitting up the next tourist in site for money, but he did hang close by us for the rest of the night.

The most amazing thing (and impressive) was that as soon as he sat down with us there was a police man and another man (who I assume was his father) immediately watching what was going to happen next. In a country where sex tourism is a such a concern it was nice to see that they had a genuine concern and reacted quickly when we showed interest in him. They were pretty happy about the ice cream for him - when they realized what was happening they sat back and relaxed.

So that was that. I left there wondering what was going to happen to him and to be honest he is still on my mind all the time. I hope he takes advantage of the aid programs that are offered everywhere in his country (and free education!).

With that said, if you are in Siem Reap and you see the lil guy, buy him an ice cream on me. He prefers vanilla to chocolate :)