Teardrop Full of Love

A teardrop contains sadness, happiness, compassion, and most of all love. It can symbolize the ending of daily interaction with another individual, but the beginning of so much more. A teardrop may mean that people will break apart; however, when saying goodbye to everyone at the orphanage it meant that a stronger bond would be created. Although I will never see the children again and I was heartbroken to leave them, I can still love from 8,600 miles away. I will face many challenges in my life that I will need to overcome. Thinking about Sarat, Srey Ti, and all of the other children, I know I will be able to climb any mountain that is placed in front of me. With that, my love for the children will only grow, strengthening our bond. Before coming on this trip I was afraid I wouldn’t impact the children. I was afraid they wouldn’t remember me. I know now, however, that is not the case. On the last day at the orphanage, I was sitting on Sarat’s bed and had just given him a stuffed panda with a heart on it that said I LOVE YOU. I was holding Sarat in my arms bawling. After about 5 minutes Rath came up to us and said, “Don’t cry, be happy.” I smiled at him and wiped away a few tears. Then he said, “Tell Marika I miss her every day.” That really hit home for me because my sister, Marika, traveled to Cambodia last year. The fact that Rath remembers her and still thinks about her all the time proves that we make an impact on these kids’ lives. I may not have understood it at the time, but little gestures such as washing the kid’s clothes or teaching them the ABC’s shows them that we love them unconditionally and want to improve their living conditions. The children have helped me grow so much as a person. I have learned to appreciate my life more, live in the moment, and love more deeply.