Meet me on the otherside.

Water Festival!!
Phnom Penh has just finished it's humongous water festival. There are boat races in the mekong river and teams from all over the country come to the city to have a festival! The city swells with 2 million guests! Amazing, huh?

E. and I took a little walk down to the river yesterday to see the boats and people watch. Many of the people who come from the province for the festival are very "rural"...and are even more awestruck by white skin then the usual P.P. dwellers. Fun times, fun times!

While E. and I were people watching, drinking some iced coffee, and discussing our love for P.P., three lovely young boys spotted us and decided to make us their friends. They said they were around 12-15 years old but i would put them at around 10/11 years. We named them; Nuon (b/c he looks like my lovely tall friend at the gym), Capitain (b/c he was the leader of the posie, hands down. Despite his short height he was a child of confidence), and lastly Goalie (b/c he said that when he grew up he wanted to play Football).

They came to our table at the outdoor restaurant and we smiled and they smiled and through our LOVELY waitor, we asked them about themselves. Oh, they are adorable young men! They acted so mature and stood with their arms crossed, their legs crossed...but their smiles gave them away!! They would go and walk around and then always come back to us. Eventually they asked if they could have 500 riels each to buy icecream. 1500 riels is about 27 cents. So E. gave them a dollar so that they could get a real treat for the three of them. Their eyes were wide with excitement. They ran off and then they returned again!! They had boughten us a bag of sugar canes for us to eat. They had used the money we had given them to also buy us a treat too!! They were honestly thankful for our gift to them and we were so happy that they had come back!! (side note: the sugar canes actually weren't that good...i hid them on my lap so that when they returned they would think we had eaten them! What?! I didn't want to break their precious hearts!)

They told us that they played football together. And when they came to say goodbye to us and to tell us that they were going to play football we asked if we could follow!! They took us through the crowded streets. Always a couple steps ahead but always looking back with their lovely white teeth to make sure we were okay!

We got to a little park filled with football players and we sat on a bench and watched our lovely boys play. (Goalie boy obviously played goalie, Capitain was a firey little offense player and Nuon squatted on the side...maybe not so good at football? Who knows!) I felt like my mom when i was a little girl. Sitting by the pool while little Kimmy screamed for her to "watch mom, watch me do this!" I pretended they were my nephews; Cameron and Mitchy. I sat there in complete contentment! I felt so much love for these little wonders. And I prayed as I sat there, "God, bless my boys! Bless their hearts!"

We had to eventually leave. But I hope to find my way back there again soon. To see my little boys again and to bless them, like they blessed me that day.

God, bless my boys!