love love love!

tonight was just amazing.
to start off the day, i got to sleep in... the glory of a sunday. then i chilled around all day, until about 4:30.
at 4:30 i went out to the markets... got a lot of stuff. the owners of the markets are really pushy when it comes to selling, as i think i said before, but they are also really into bargaining with you. when looking at stuff, i'd point one thing out and they'd be like, i give you discount if you get more! and then i'd haggle to get lower. meng told me when i first arrived that the prices they try to sell for are usually marked up 100% more than what they're worth, so bargaining is often a good idea. i got a lot of stuff tonight, i'm pretty pleased with how it went :) but that's not the good part of tonight
after shopping for a bit, i headed over to the orphanage. tri-weekly, they do performances and i'm disappointed that i haven't gone to more. they advertise their performances by going to pub street (i think it's a restaurant, but it might also be just a busssssy street) and they give out brochures about the orphanage... the visitors (which there were a lot of tonight) come and watch the show and get a free dinner and stuff. everyone who came tonight was thoroughly impressed with the kids. they did such a great job dancing and they love doing it.
after the show was finished, everyone got up and started dancing to all this upbeat dance stuff... we all got into it and the kids absolutely loved it. i think tonight was the breaking point where i realized how much i truly will miss them. they had smiles on their faces soooo big which contagiously transferred to everyone around them. these children are so upbeat, happy and just all around amazing to be with, it's gonna be so tough to leave them.
this whole thing has been an indescribable experience.. everything is so different from home and even though i miss home like crazy, i've gotten to be so comfortable in this area. there isn't any structure, there is a general routine that i follow, but everything is just so laid back and carefree. i appreciate cambodia and everything in it so much more everyday. i can't believe there is only one week left until i come home... i feel like my life is going to be so much more different now that i've done this and this has undoubtedly been the best decision i've ever made.
tonight showed me how much of a difference that i and all the other guests and volunteers make... i wish i could bring a piece of everything that is good, happy & enjoyable home with me.... so every single one of the kids lol but pictures can suffice. this is really an experience that has to be personally experienced and lived for one to truly understand the magnitude of realization, appreciation and gratitude that it instills in someone. this has not, in the least, been a depressing experience. it has not been at all what i thought it would be but that is far from a bad thing, i've loved every minute of it... the con's are outweighed by the pro's enormously.