Bruises

My last weekend in Cambodia  I had a massage that left me with a series of bruises down my leg. It was actually a really good massage & it hadn't hurt anywhere as near as others I've had here.  But There is certainly a lack of gentleness here, which extends far beyond massages. A common way of showing affection is often done by pinching, slapping or punching, not dissimilar to what you'd see in a primary school playground. Little babies will get smacked forcefully on their bottoms by their family & it's not done out of anger, a malevolent act or even punitive, it's just pure love.

So today - my last day in Cambodia - I look down at the fading blue fingerprint tattoos on my leg & I'm aware of the constant dull, almost unbearable, aching in my heart & I'm reminded that here if they love you they will bruise you.