Leang

by Filippo Belliti (Italy)

Making a local connection Cambodia

I chased love for many years, around every corner. Never would I have expected to find it in Cambodia. 2018. My six months trip around south-east Asia was about to come to an end. Around mid-February, I finally reached Siem Reap, the gateway town to the mythical lost city of Angkor. It was during a warm evening, just after spending a full day visiting the ruins of Angkor's temples, that I decided to hit one of those local restaurants just down the road from my hostel. As soon as I set foot in the tiny building, I was greeted by one of the most beautiful girls I had ever seen. Dressed in traditional Cambodian white and red clothes, her hair tied up in a blue velvet ribbon, her smile lit up the room and her eyes were looking right into mine. After having dinner, I plucked up the courage to speak to her. Her English wasn't very good, but I managed to ask her out for lunch. Despite my lack of confidence in the fact that she would say yes, she accepted. Her name was Leang. The next seven days, were magical. I would spend the day walking around the town and as soon as she finished work, I would pick her up and we'd drive on our bike somewhere in the fields just outside of Angkor and occasionally we would spend the night together, listening to jazz music and enjoying each other's company. Sometimes I'd talk to her about my travels, in her eyes, I could see that for her all the places I saw felt like alien worlds. Other times she would open up with me, telling me stories from her troubled past. Stories about how she used to live in a roofless house with seven sisters, about skipping school to help her mum selling food to get just enough money to survive, about losing her dad when she was only 4, about having to split a bowl of rice between the whole family. I remember once, asking her if I could see some pictures of when she was little. She said she had none. Her mum had left her and one other sister alone in the house once. Then it started raining. Heavily. The house flooded and Leang, being only 10 could only stare, frightened, at the water rising. All of their pictures got ruined. Listening to her stories, always helped me realize how many things I give for granted, every single day. Even as simple as looking back at a picture capturing an important memory of your childhood. One day she invited me to her new house in her village. This one did have a roof, but compared to a regular house back home it was in pretty terrible conditions. Her mum and stepfather were there. She also introduced me to her niece, who she looks after. We all decided to cook dinner together. The more I spent time with them, eating and laughing, the more I was intrigued by the wonderful smiles on their faces. I remember having a bit of envy for their ability to find a bit of light even in such a tough situation. For them, in fact, life is still not easy at all. After the family of Leang's mother had to escape Pol Pot's regime of terror, they always had difficulty in finding a way to survive, for their past stained their life with poverty. When you're in such a dramatic situation, even basic needs such as healthcare and education are not easily accessible. However Leang, to my eyes, is a superhero. For her, waking up in the morning is incredibly difficult and sometimes she thinks she'd rather not wake up at all. But she does... and fights. She fights against a sea of misfortunes, working fifteen hours a day, taking care of her parents and niece, studying English by herself. She fights with kindness and with a big smile on their face. After two years, we still video chat every day. I love her like that first day. She is my medicine, for her smile always reminds me of the importance of fighting, even when everything seems hopeless.