diamonds in the rough

salaam

let me first start this post with a big, THANK YOU, on behalf of joronda and myself, to everyone that has followed our blog. your support has been monumental, and your posted comments are certainly the highlights of our days. i can't tell you how eager we are to get to a computer and read your reactions to the variety of experiences that we have been privy to. it truly brings us all closer...so thank you again.

...and to the poster that decided to bring out the 1978 to 1991 tight pants and sweater wearing name...you're a damn fool :)

on to the title...
there certainly have been "diamonds in the rough" in this bittersweet love affair that, when coupled with all that cambodia has to offer, has made the overall country worthwhile. while we have been unable to partner up directly with an established volunteer organization, we have tried to help out indirectly. tonight we had dinner in a fabulous restaurant that was recommended by "the lonely planet" (a backpackers guidebook) called mith samlanh, which means close friends. mith samlanh is a cambodian non-partisan, non-religious, non-governmental organization that was founded in 1994 in response to the increasing needs of street children in phnom penh and the surrounding province. with numerous objectives to fulfill their vision, mith samlanh is dedicated to creating a safe, hands on, and proactive environment so that no child is forced to live or work on the streets. they service 1800 children per day and the restaurant is simply one component of their outreach. the entire restaurant functions at the hands of students who have been removed from the street environment. the food is amazing and the atmosphere is a true delight. we decided to frequent the establishment for joronda's second birthday, and volunteer indirectly by spending money for a worthy cause (all proceeds go directly to the students) . it certainly wasn't the hands dirtying volunteering that we had set out to accomplish on this trip...but i guess givers can't be choosers, so we are greatful nonetheless.

other diamonds in the rough would have to be the variety of children that we have met. there is definitely something special about the true innocence and purity that a child possess and unconditionally emits. now certainly we have encountered those with a hidden agenda, but even in that, when steered in a different direction, they have been generally honest, sweet, and loveable individuals. for example, today we rented a motorbike ($3) and joined the other salmon swimming upstream to tour phenom penh. side note...cambodian traffic is HORRIBLE to put it mildly. lane lines are as insignificant as racing stripes...it doesn't matter where you're at or which way you're going, you can rest assured that you are in the correct lane and that everyone else is wrong. anyway, when we stopped at several sights we were approached by numerous children trying to do and receive for a multitude of things. from watching our motorbike, to taking their picture, to trading ink pens...all for $1. this one little guy was so hell bent on watching our motorbike that he would barely let me put the lock on the bike without jumping in my lap to do it for me. i let him try...and then i kept pressing my face into his cheek while asking him why he was having trouble. we all smiled and laughed as he finally backed up and let me do it. he then told everybody, in khemer, that i'd had my nose in his cheek as he laughed and pointed while relaying the experience. we met another little boy who kept asking for a dollar...immediately i started tugging on his dirty camoflauge shirt and begged him to give me his shirt. he laughed and tried to walk away as i kept hounding him about his shirt. he gave me every excuse as to why he couldn't give me his shirt unless i traded him for my watch or my motorbike...we parted amicably. later on, joronda and i saw the same boy when we were leaving the sight and he came right up to us to continue the bartering. i asked him what his name was and he said something that sounded like "boogady". he kept saying, "that's me, that's me, like on t.v.", with a huge smile on his face. after about three minutes of misunderstanding, joronda asked him to say his name again...and clear as day, he let us know who his favorite wwe television wrestler was by giving us his adopted moniker of "booker t". he then pounced on one of the other boys standing around as we drove off, all of us laughing...after all, they're just kids.

so in this country of abrasion, these are some of the gems...thank you all again for your continued support...you are our gems

salaam
mateo