Phenom Penh

We are traveling with a very heterogeneous group of nine close friends, which is to say among other things that we have a wide range of experience traveling. Being a seasoned traveler, I am always fascinated to see someone's initial reaction to a developing country as it makes me question my own sentiments. Is my reaction more appropriate given all of the travels I have had, or have I become inured to the suffering of so many people having seen so much of it?

This is the first time one of my friends has traveled outside of the United States. She was in tears sitting outside in Phenom Penh after a young girl carrying a baby walked by and asked us for change. She was disgusted watching so many of our friends either ignore or shoo away the many children begging along the streets. Their reaction to her tears and her disgust was to attribute them to her naivete. I'm not so sure. Perhaps those of us with well worn passports should take a moment to remind ourselves what's happening in these countries where the streets are filled with children beseeching tourists.

I have been approached by hundreds of children imploring me for an amount of change many may not even bother bending down to pick up off the floor. As much as I logically want to reach into my wallet and hand over 25 cents, I know that ultimately such behaviors only incent parents to send their children out to the streets instead of into the classrooms.

The important take away from such experiences is to remember how fortunate we are, and realize what an impact a small amount to us can have to someone in the developing world. The right way to do that is not through handing quarters out. But there are many things with equivalent costs to a quarter that we all can do. For me personally, I plan to give more than just my quarters. I plan to dedicate my career to this cause and let me tell you that considering the trajectory I am leaving behind in the corporate world, that's an awful lot of quarters indeed. And that's just fine.

Nate and Dennis pushing out tuk tuk after it ran out of gas.