What’s poor?

        What’s poor? I”m sure everyone has his owned answer. I really hope I can make a banner put on my chest and all the questions people will ask everyday. If you asked me “how is your company laterly?”, please see “column 1″ shown on my chest. “If you asked me “does your company reduce your salary?” Please see column 2 and so on.  It sounds like I’m very heartless and cold blood that I don’t care about what happen laterly in this world.

       As a sales representative, it’s hard to pretend there isn’t anything happen by the stange atmosphere. Not only the order qualities shocks me by one missing “0″ compare to the orders last year, but also the people you met and the news you saw reminds you the economic isn’t good.      

      It reminds me the moment when I visited the Tonle Sap Lake this new year vacation. On the way from Siem Reap to Tonle Sap Lake, you left from a mid size town to the middle of no where. The road are from a blacktop road to yellow rock road. The house are from concrete apartments to thatch houses. I took photos after photos like a hunter see many running deers and never felt enough photos on my way there.  When I realized a strong fishy smells attacks my nose, the driver told me that we’re arrived.

 

        Honestly, I only had one thing in my mind. How people can live in a bad environment (slang called “sxxt hole”) like this? I knew the Combodian are poor but it beyonds my expectation. I did a boat tour like every tourist comes here.  I have more chance to know this area not only by its smells. After I took few photos, their faces make me into a deep thought. I thought they definitely dislike their poor life. However, I took few photos that kids played on the boat or in the kindergarten. I found some smiles that I seldom found from the city kids.

       

Grocery store on boat

         Of course, rich brought happiness? But, why does their faces confused me?  They have right to hate their life but they don’t.  They might not have Nitendo, Xbox and PS3. Most of the houses there even don’t have TV. Why should they happy? I found out from the answer my tour guide on my boat. He told me proudly. We have grocery store, barber shop, school even restaurant and you can swim to see your neighbor. The river brought us foods and pleasures.       

         So, you don’t need to be rich to be happy. It surprised me by this simple life guideline. I don’t against people who wants to be rich. They have better goal of life than regular people like me. For the TV rating, the news anchorman needs to create a “Noun” everyday to describe how bad our life is. However, if we can’t be happy when we have money, why don’t we try to be happy when we’re poor. As the cases I showed above, it’s possible.

 

         Before the economic crisis, people complained the job keeps people busy that we don’t have time for our family, friends and lover. So, why should people complain if there is one more or two more days off monthly (or weekly)?

 

          About my combodian trip, there are two questions I answer make me proud of myself. I met one Taiwanese guy in Siem Reap airport and he told me why he came to visit Angkor Wat. He said his company gave the staff a half month vacation without pay. He decided to give himself this vacation to compensate his effort the last few years.  I said “Good, you’re not only do a good thing for yourself, but also do a good thing for the world”. He said he can understand good for him but doesn’t know why good for the world”. I said you makes people earns money and thinks the economic isn’t bad. Therefore, they will also spend money. If everyone expects the economic isn’t bad, the economic will grow up again. Sounds like fairy tales but might be true.

 

       The other answer prounds me is when I met my best friend Mingshang and I told him I’m glad I did this Combodian trip even I almost lost all the money I had in the stock market last year. He asked me why I felt it’s great even I spend my last few bucks in hand. I said if I didn’t do travel, maybe those money would also lost in the stock market. Who knows? I lost everything last year. What a person with nothing to lose can lose? So, when you felt bad about few days break without pay,  when you think the economic will bring you to the endless darkness, maybe it’s about the time to find something you missed for a long time back.

 

For more photos of the Tonle Sap lake, please see below:

http://cid-14264881f3145c7b.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/The%20trip%20of%20the%20Tonle%20Sap%20lake

http://cid-14264881f3145c7b.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/The%20way%20to%20the%20Tonle%20Sap

For more photos about this trip, please see below:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/orpheuslin/sets/72157620839201810/