Some Battambang Pictures

Look at this handsome threesome. I did a photo op where each kid was invited to bring into a picture who they wanted. I then got prints and handed them out to each child in each picture. Remember, this is their home, and they need pictures of this family they are living in.

Dr. John never leaves an Orphan Home without lots of clinging to his legs. He serves a special role here. They call him Dr. John in honor of his medical background, but are so proud and pleased that he continues to return to honor them with his presence.
Bobbi, on the other hand, is just a sucker for attention. How can you not smile when you try to take a small picture, and all at once 20 are in the frame.
These young women, and their house mother, are among the most "senior" of the Asia Hope students. These are the future doctors and business people of Cambodia.

We returned to Phnom Penh yesterday and went out to dinner with friends, Graham and Seda Geisler. Graham and Bobbi were on their first trip to Cambodia together in 2004, while John had met Seda in 2003 on his first trip. Needless to say, we have watched with love and prayer their proceeding towards love and a trans-cultural marriage.

Yesterday, Seda asked me what changes I had seen in her country in the last five years. It was an excellent question, so here are some answers for you all to share in. First, there are signs of progress economonically.

There are still many, many, many who have nothing (tuk-tuk drivers sleep in their tuk-tuks 24-7 because they are too poor to afford rent anywhere). Garbage is still spread in a pile on the street, but there are now trucks that go around and collect the garbage nightly. I even saw a whole business given over to recycling.

In addition, my overwhelming response to Seda was that Phnom Penh is a lot more crowded than five years ago. Poor provincials are coming to the city to try to make money. Think New York City in the late 1800s and I suspect you will have a fair reality glimpse.

There are many more families that have a vehicle in what is the "middle class" section of the city. There are MANY more restaurants serving in a western style and more sanitized kitchens making meal accessibility far easier than five years ago.

One fo the most significant observations is that there are many more Westerners who now see Cambodia as being a regular tourist destination, not an "adventure" tourist destination. We saw tour buses made up totally of foreigners, unheard of a few years ago.

Last evening we had delicious fried tacos, followed by a trip to Swenson's for ice cream. Yes, some franchises are actually braving the economic graft here and beginning to set up shop.

There is also progress in some good government at the agency level. There is a Department of Social Affairs that oversees the orphan homes, and I was frankly impressed at the excellent questions they asked for the protection of the Khmer children.

Thanks for listening to the brief insights on this blog.

We are taking time this weekend to visit old friends When we first came to Cambodia there were 20-30 college students rooming in a house provided through Asia's Hope. We will be seeing many of those students this week for "old times sake".