Now That We're Back Home...

We've been back home for a handful of days at this point, but Cambodia is sticking with us and hopefully will forever.

It was an incredible trip to an incredible country. But it was also sad. I can't shake this melancholy feeling.

Here's what I wrote in my Word It Out newsletter about the experience:

I just got back from Cambodia with my family, and the trip hasn’t left me. Cambodia is a country of breathtaking beauty — the temples in Siem Reap, the islands in the Gulf of Thailand — and also one carrying deep wounds. Visiting Tuol Sleng broke me; the genocide wasn’t all that long ago… And even traveling around now, you see widespread poverty, corruption, and people working so hard just to move forward.

Since returning home, I’ve been sitting with the contrast: how a place can hold so much wonder and so much sorrow at the same time. You can adore a country (or any place, really) and still ache for it.

I think it’s hard to hold both beauty and struggle, but I’d venture a guess that this is how most of the world’s population lives each day. And I’d also guess that, at this very intersection, we find growth and resilience, adaptation and creativity.

Taylor and Wyatt say they miss the beach and the warm water. Tim loved the locals we met -- so warm, so kind, so friendly. I loved the history of it all, the adventure of it all, and the non-stop family time.

Until the next time...

Thanks for reading our Cambodia blog!