I don't want your THANK YOU

"Sir, 10 postcards for 1 dollar."

"I've already bought."

"You can buy more."

"No, thank you."

"You can bring it back to China."

"No, thank you."

"10 wristlets for 1 dollar. You can bring it back to China."

"No, thank you."

"Ok, 10 postcards and 10 wristlets for 1 dollar."

"Thank you."

"I put wristlets in your bike basket."

"Thank you."

"I help you, you help me."- the girl holding my bike stable.

"Thank you."- I unlocking my bike chainlock.

"I don't want your THANK YOU. Thank you can not do!"- I pushing away my bike and hopping on it. Off I left.

A dialogue between me and a girl at Angkor Wat.

7.8.2008 at Funky Munky

Dieng

"10 postcards for 2 dollars. You buy postcards. Send to your girlfriend. Your girlfriend loves you very much." A boy approached me and touted his postcards while I was about to crack-open my cool Tiger beer.

"No, thank you." I replied without second thought, out of my traveller's instinct, nodding my head with smile, which was the most polite or harmless way I could do. As expected, he wouldn't let me go and tried hard to talk me into making the deal.

2 dollars wouldn't be a problem to me if I had had just started my 3-month-long trip. Now I really had to watch out on my budget. I was struggling with my morality and consciousness. In the end, I fixed my mind and started shuffling those not-so-attractive photos of Angkor Wat. I bargained to buy 5 cards for 1 dollar.

"It is lunch time already. Is he gonna buy himself a meal with 1 dollar?" wondering I was.

He was a 12-year-old WEE boy. I really mean wee 'cause he is much more shorter and slimmer than my nephew who is just 10. He goes to school but not today, thanks to summer vacation. He speaks English very well.

He was a Cambodian boy named Dieng.

7. Aug. 2008 at D's Books, Siem Reap

本質

海外志工的本質為何？海外NGO工作的本質為何？為何遠赴重洋擔任志工？為何離開故鄉親愛的家人從事NGO工作？

這些問題會不會在當下找到答案？能不能馬上找到解答？

答案存不存在？解答正確與否？

存在的本質為何？正確的本質為何？

……

一切的一切本質為何？

2008.8.4 at TOPS (Two days left in Mae Sot)