Cambodia An adventurous, fun, chick travel blogger lost in South East Asia. Find out her little adventure HERE and at travelagys.blogspot.com

Miss…Miss…Please buy this ! Please buy ! I need money to make a business …”

Young girl, only 12 years old, carried two big baskets full of beaded bracelets and key chains trying to sell me some souvenirs when I just got off from tuk tuk that brought me around Angkor Wat.

“Enjoy, Miss. I stay here.”said Jackie, my tuk tuk driver.
“Thank you, Jackie.”

It was hot, very dry and humid. Been away from my daily routines in Jakarta for couple of days to Cambodia to celebrate my birthday - it was just me and my small backpack, celebrating life and love. As I kept walking through the temple’s gate, this girl smiled at me and she touched my hands.

“Please buy this, Miss. I need money to make a business…”
“No, thank you.”
“Please, Miss…”

I smiled at her again and walked away. I was half whispering to myself, isn’t she supposed to be at school right now ? Like
what other kids do ?

Well, this is not something new to see as in Jakarta, I’ve seen so many unlucky kids singing on the street, train, bus, selling souvenir to the tourists at the time where they supposed to be at school, playing with other kids, learning how to write, draw, and spelling. Maybe these kids are not lucky, but do they have dreams ? To be a doctor, an astronaut, an engineer ? Something that your teacher or parents always ask when you were at school and you were so excited to think about what you want to be in the future.

Her face didn’t fade away in my mind. I couldn’t stop thinking if she and her friends here do have dreams, or they always think that they were born to live that way. Are they happy ? What’s on their mind ?

After exploring one of the temples for an hour, I decided to get back to my tuk tuk. Very happy to get lost between the unique structures of the temples, in a very exotic Cambodia nature – met interesting people, which all made a perfect birthday trip to me. Except one thing that bothered my mind…that girl I met at the gate.

I told Jackie what was on my head.
“Jackie, those kids…do they go to school ?Do they have dreams ?”
“Most of the kids here, they don’t go to school. Too expensive. They have to help their parents selling souvenirs to tourists. It’s difficult to make money when it’s low season here in Angkor Wat. Everyone wants to make business, like guesthouse, working in hotel, because the money is better, Miss."

“Dreams ? Sometimes, to us, ...dreaming is expensive. Next temple, Miss ?"ask Jackie.