I'm on my return leg from SE Asia, leaving behind eternal summer for a new spring at home. I can't help but wonder what "red hat girl" is doing. On two consecutive days we met her outside the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh selling cold water to tourists.
I can't get her out of my mind.
On the second day, she remembered us from the previous day and said she had waited for us that morning but had not seen us. We spent some time walking and talking with her that late afternoon. She pointed out her father nearby, working as a tuk-tuk driver, and her mom was there also selling water and snacks. I gladly overpaid for our waters, paying $2 instead of the going rate of $1 each. I just did not have the heart to try to bargain her down. I came so close to giving her a $50 bill and telling her it was payment for her smile. But I held back, not sure that it was the right thing to do.
This girl, whose name I cannot remember, is 14 years old and works nearly everyday doing what she was doing. She told me she studies for one hour each night in reply to my question about school, but does not attend school really.
She is all covered up to avoid the sun, skin whiteness being prized there. She rolled up her sleeve and showed us her arm, which as significantly lighter than her face is in the picture below. Although she did have a bead of sweat on her forehead, she was not hot - this was still the end of the cool season for her.
She is bright, apparently happy, and intelligent. She seems to have a strong family connection, all working together. So why is it so hard for me to move on?
I think back to my own two daughters when they were around this age. They weren't having to help support the family but were immersed in that bizarre American pre and teenage girl culture. Their daily crises were not about food and shelter, but things far more trivial, however real they seemed at the time. Not to knock them at all. We Americans generally don't have these kinds of worries, even near the bottom of our economic scale. At least not like I have seen this trip, or my previous travels in Mexico.
I guess my heart went out to her because I'm a Dad. I see girls like her, and like with my own, I want to help. I want to support and comfort. I want to help them be successful. and this pretty little girl struck that note in me for some reason.
I don't have a pithy close or moral to share. I'm still thinking about "Red Hat" and not sure what really to say or conclude. I hope she is well and stays so bright and happy.
I can't get her out of my mind.
On the second day, she remembered us from the previous day and said she had waited for us that morning but had not seen us. We spent some time walking and talking with her that late afternoon. She pointed out her father nearby, working as a tuk-tuk driver, and her mom was there also selling water and snacks. I gladly overpaid for our waters, paying $2 instead of the going rate of $1 each. I just did not have the heart to try to bargain her down. I came so close to giving her a $50 bill and telling her it was payment for her smile. But I held back, not sure that it was the right thing to do.
This girl, whose name I cannot remember, is 14 years old and works nearly everyday doing what she was doing. She told me she studies for one hour each night in reply to my question about school, but does not attend school really.
She is all covered up to avoid the sun, skin whiteness being prized there. She rolled up her sleeve and showed us her arm, which as significantly lighter than her face is in the picture below. Although she did have a bead of sweat on her forehead, she was not hot - this was still the end of the cool season for her.
She is bright, apparently happy, and intelligent. She seems to have a strong family connection, all working together. So why is it so hard for me to move on?
I think back to my own two daughters when they were around this age. They weren't having to help support the family but were immersed in that bizarre American pre and teenage girl culture. Their daily crises were not about food and shelter, but things far more trivial, however real they seemed at the time. Not to knock them at all. We Americans generally don't have these kinds of worries, even near the bottom of our economic scale. At least not like I have seen this trip, or my previous travels in Mexico.
I guess my heart went out to her because I'm a Dad. I see girls like her, and like with my own, I want to help. I want to support and comfort. I want to help them be successful. and this pretty little girl struck that note in me for some reason.
I don't have a pithy close or moral to share. I'm still thinking about "Red Hat" and not sure what really to say or conclude. I hope she is well and stays so bright and happy.
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