Hello, Hello!

I've already been here a week?! What?! I have done so much, constantly staying busy, and not wasting any time.
Okay, where to begin...I'm working with CIACC (Cambodia Independent Anti-Corruption Committee). Our current project is working with the village right outside of Kampong Thom. This village has so many problems it is crazy. It can make you crazy trying to keep up.

The paralyzed husband from the village is still in the hospital here in Phnom Penh and his wife and 2 of his 4 kids are there with him. He is doing much better, though. Showing emotion other than pain; smiling, etc. I went there today and took his wife to the market to buy some food. The hospital does not provide food or water for patients. I mean they barely provide healthcare. So, it is up to organizations and families to feed patients.

About a year ago almost 20 kids (ages 13-20) left the village to go to the city to look for work. Remember they were moved off their land by the gov and the land they were moved to is not farming land. So, they have no way to make a living. The kids have still not returned and no one has heard anything. We are quite certain human trafficking is the issue. There was already a case solved from this village by another organization and it was trafficking. Vishnu and I met with the administrator of SISHA (anti human trafficking org) yesterday and he told us everything we need to talk to the villagers about to figure out what could have happened to these kids. We are headed there first thing in the morning to spend the day interviewing the families with missing children and to check out the land where we want to build the house for the paralyzed man and his family.

It's so crazy how the organizations really take Vishnu and I seriously. We called SISHA and he quickly agreed to meet us for lunch and discuss our village's situation. We also have a meeting scheduled Friday morning with Amnesty International. I don't know. I just feel like I'm really making things happen for this village and working an important job at the CIACC office and having meetings with presidents of big organizations...yeah, that's what I'm trying to say. Haha.

Okay so tomorrow we're headed to the village for interviews and to look at the land. Then Friday I have to go to the office to pick up the translated version of the villagers' petition to the government to get their land back (we are going to use it as a reference for our petition..that you all will sign online :). Then after that on Friday we have the meeting with Amnesty. And thennnnn Saturday morning Vishnu and I are headed to Vietnam for a few days. Her Cambodia visa runs out on Tuesday so she has to leave the country and come back in to get a new one anyway and I figure it will be more fun and less expensive to travel with someone there. Not to mention Vishnu is awesome. She is so crazy fun. We are taking the night bus back to Cambodia on Tuesday and have to be at CIACC Wednesday morning. Wednesday will be a long day. Ha.

I have some more pics to put up too. No more depressing, graphic ones I promise! I'll get to that...soon :)

Good night!!!
Daniel