12/02/2025
I haven’t been posting much while I’ve been here—I wanted to be fully present for this life-changing experience.
I feel truly privileged to have witnessed firsthand the impact our partnership with United World Schools (UWS) has had on one of the most remote communities in Cambodia.
After four days of travel, we finally reached them. The night before, after language lessons to help us communicate, I felt nervous. I had no frame of reference for what was to come.
But as soon as we arrived, I knew this experience would change me forever. A place with no electricity or running water, the most basic living conditions, where every day is a struggle to put food on the table.
And yet, we were welcomed like royalty. My eyes welled up as I met the children we had come so far to see. It was hard to hold back tears—you could see their hardships. Rotten teeth. Blistered feet from working in the fields.
But their smiles. Their joy. Their excitement to play with us—it was overwhelming.
We handed out toys, and their eyes lit up. A skipping rope, a bottle of bubbles—things we take for granted became magical in their hands.
I’ll never forget teaching a group of children to skip for the first time or watching 19-year-old girls giggle in amazement under a parachute, covering their mouths in shock at the sight of it.
The community welcomed us with open hearts, giving us their homes while they slept in hammocks underneath.
They gave everything they could, and when you don’t have much to begin with, that generosity is beyond humbling.
They have so little, yet they are rich—rich in love, community, friendship, peace.
A powerful reminder that true wealth isn’t in things, but in human connection.
I feel blessed beyond words. There are so many individual stories I can’t wait to share.
But for now, I just want to say thank you. To everyone who chooses to buy Tropic products—I’ve now seen firsthand the profound impact you’re making.
Every purchase helps us continue this work, changing lives in ways you wouldn’t believe.
