I could never express fully what we saw during our week in Cambodia. I'll say that I learned a lot and was very impressed with the resilience of the people. They suffered unspeakable horrors from 1975-1979 - including the genocide of at least 30% of their population (mostly educated adults), leaving them with a country consisting predominately of youth.
In Phnom Penh we visited the S-21 museum which was really depressing, even traumatizing. If you haven't read "First they killed my Father", by Loung Ung, please do. It is a quick read and is written from the perspective of a survivor, a young girl who lived a pleasant life in Phnom Penh until the Khmer Rouge took control of the city. Within 3 days her family was forced out of town, then subsequently separated, tortured, starved, and some murdered, simply because they were middle class, educated citizens.
A bright spot in Phnom Penh was our visit to a Romdeng, a training restaurant which helps street children get off the street, teaching them English and practical skills. It's run by Friends International and was truly inspiring. The kids were charming and worked hard to please us. They seemed happy to practice their English with us, and the food was really delicious, too!
Smiling faces welcomed us!
Despite the rain, we received excellent service
There are many of these restaurants in Cambodia. They are making a difference, but the presence of street children really is overwhelming. One evening as we were approaching a restaurant, I noticed just next door on the street three children, ages looked to be around age 4 or 5, digging through the trash. It was pouring rain and they were half-clothed. No one around stopped to look. We walked into the restaurant and I began to bawl...couldn't stop crying the whole meal. My instincts told me to buy a pizza for them, and indeed I have done similar things before in the face of need. But highly emphasized by people who live and work for non-profits in Cambodia is that the children are actually harmed by 'compassionate tourists' who give them money, buy things from them, or feed them. Literature is placed in hotel lobbies, restaurants, train stations, asking tourists not to buy from or give to children on the streets. Apparently in most cases, their desperate parents force them to work on the streets which means they have no chance to become eduated. This continues as long as people patronize them. It's just a heartbreaking cycle. I don't even know what to say about it. I just know that as I filled my belly, my heart felt like it was breaking. 
The rain here is like nothing I've ever seen. Due to a deluge, we actually had to get out of one of our tuk tuks and help the driver push, with water up to our knees! I'll never forget that experience. Business as usual in Phnom Penh.
Dear Violet,
Aunt Becky and I rode around in a tuk tuk in Cambodia in a big city called Phnom Penh. It was raining so hard -we got very wet! These boys look like they are enjoying playing in the rain, don't you think? Can you find Phnom Penh on your map?
Love, Uncle Chris
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