A day in HappyLand

We returned to Happy Land today and sure enough one of the first faces I saw was my friend from last year, Srey Roth. She is only 5 years old but she understood when I showed her a picture that she and I took together on a swing set  last year. It brought laughter from her friends and a shy smile from Srey. 

It was fun to see familiar faces from last year. As with the COLT orphanage, we have developed strong ties with the  leadership of this organization. Happy Land is run by Stella, a woman In her mid thirties from Belgium. She laughed when someone asked her age. Only recently did she realize that she was no longer 32, but rather, about to be 35. She had lost track of her three years in Cambodia. 

But our day wasn't easy. Happy Land is still accepting new children, which means that we had a lot of work to do. So many choices had to be made regarding whether to extract or whether to save a tooth. 

A bit about Cambodia itself; you may have heard there are riots in Phnom Penh. This is true, though we didn't see it firsthand. Cambodia is a modern communist country with a strong capitalist tilt among the ruling elite. The average worker makes about $150 per week. Though food is very cheap, the money does not go far. The workers are rioting to raise the weekly pay to $160 per week. High ranking officials in government, the police, and the military also own the big Cambodian corporations. When it's advantageous to do so, the protesters are dispersed. Just before we arrived several protesters were shot.

As a visitor in this country I am most struck by the kindness of the people. The tuck-tuck (motorbike taxi) driver who goes out of his way to help me with walking directions and the little girl who worked in her family fruit stand. She did not sell coconuts, so she took me by the hand around the corner to a vendor who could help me. It is hot, dirty and sometimes sad, but still a beautiful place in its own right. That's why we're sad that tonight we'll pack and leave this place for another year. 

I've said it before, Cambodia is a land of contradictions. They are the most aggressive drivers that I have ever seen; but there is no road rage. There are opportunities that are beginning to present themselves for children to become educated and escape poverty; yet few families place a premium on education. And most notably, they are kind and peaceful people; yet they were slaughtered by their very own leaders 40 to 50 years ago.