Phnom Penh, Cambodia

We've been to Cambodia before and loved it, even talked about the possibility of retiring here. That was five years ago, while sitting on a beach drinking $.25 beers. We still love Cambodia but it didn't have the same lure or pull this time, but it did have that faint air of familiarity, which is always a welcoming feeling. We were here for five days and the reason for our return was for Sheryl to see, first hand, her favorite NGO in action, Sak Saum. Sak Saum is an organization that works within their community to make a difference for those who have been sex trafficked. But as we quickly learned, they do so much more for their community by providing a safe place for kids to learn English and play soccer, access to computers, employment, education, music, daycare and to truly be part of a family. Their story is absolutely remarkable and inspiring and we feel blessed to have been welcomed with open arms and allowed to see the work that they do here.

Sak Saum is a Christian based organization and one of the things that makes it Sheryl's favorite NGO is that they do not require volunteers to take an oath of Christianity. Finding an organization that works with human and sex trafficking that does not require this is nearly impossible and has been a source of frustration in the past. We are not Christian. We are not religious. Not once did we feel judged by Ginny and Eric and actually had some excellent conversations regarding religion and God. We feel it is important to mention this because Ginny and Eric really love God, trust in Him, His plan and it was a beautiful thing to witness. This, what they do here at Sak Saum and In His Steps, is Christianity at it's best because everything they do here is based in love, not conversion. Again, it's remarkable.

We were in Cambodia for five days and spent two with Sak Saum. We spent an afternoon at the Fair Trade Christmas Faire at a swanky hotel with the air conditioning cranked so high we were both smuggling raisins. Several dozen organizations supporting remarkable causes were lined up in conference halls and hallways selling their goods and getting the word out for what it is that they do. This is where we met Ginny, the founder of Sak Saum. Although she was busy, she took time to talk with us, told us more about herself and her mission and we made plans to shop at her store, see their facility and volunteer. We then walked through the fair, talking to vendors, buying goods, collecting informative pamphlets and of course eating and drinking free samples. We spoke to a peppy French ex-pat who works with kids and families who literally live under the streets, in the pathway of the city sewer. She casually informed us that every time she goes down there she gets physically ill from the bacteria. She said this with the brightest of smiles and a contagious energy. It really makes you take a step back and look at the value of life and that possessions are the least important thing in this world.

Our first day with Sak Saum was spent talking with Ginny and learning more about their goals, vision and plan, past, present and future. We met Ginny at her gorgeous store front down a side street from the Russian Market. And then we shopped.

Sheryl came prepared with her wish list of items to send home to sell to family, friends and the Truckee community. With the help of friendly staff and a volunteer we filled a box with bags, wallets, backpacks, clothes and jewelry. This, of course, worked up our appetites so we headed out and ate at a cafe that had an American Thanksgiving themed sandwich! It was delicious and a much needed taste of home that Jason had been craving for days. We were then off to Sak Saum's facility, a home/school/church/daycare/soccer field/housing/sewing complex about 30 minutes outside of the city. This is where we met Ginny's husband, Eric. Eric is a ball of energy and his love for what he does is evident in his enthusiasm to share. The facility they have built is beautiful, welcoming, modern and professionally designed and constructed. It is a home for many who don't have any other place to call home. It's a church for many to find and/or praise God. It's a place of employment, allowing many to make well above the country's average wage. It's a place where dreams are nurtured, encouraged and supported. It is a place where lives are saved. We left at dark, just after their free community English classes began.

We returned the next morning to work, Sheryl in the sewing facility and Jason, with the men to clean out the warehouse where all metal work for bags and jewelry is done. Sheryl worked in quality control and got to inspect and refine some of her favorite items. Sheryl also had the privilege of assisting Mary the painter. Mary is visually impaired and loves to paint, sing and dance. Sheryl assisted with dipping Mary's paintbrush in paint and then aligning her body with the canvas, a t-shirt and a large canvas backdrop that was recently discovered to be the perfect material for a new, hand-painted by Mary, backpack.

Jason helped move, sort and organize a warehouse full of items for their upcoming garage sale and move over to the main grounds. I may have also drank coffee, ate doughnuts and watched some locals play some intense matches of bocce ball, but that's besides the point. I was hesitant in telling Sheryl how good my iced coffee and doughnuts were, but I couldn't resist, they were so good, and it slipped out while I was helping for a bit in quality control.

Our time with Sak Saum went by quickly. Honestly, it was the most "work" we've done in six months and we were tired. This is somewhat embarrassing to admit and worries us as to how we will ever find the time or energy to hold down full-time jobs again. We left after many hugs, thank you's, and well wishes and it felt like we were leaving family. If you, your family, friends or church group are looking for a way to give back and work with and for a remarkable cause we highly recommend reaching out to Ginny and Eric through saksaum.com.

Phnom Penh has changed remarkably in five years. The skyline is littered with new skyscrapers, the menu prices are a bit more than we remember.

We learned a lot this trip, mostly from talking with Ginny and Eric, but also from doing and seeing new things, like visiting The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, a high school that was transformed by the Khmer Rouge into the notorious S-21 execution center. Pol Pot, in his convoluted attempt to create utopia, led a regime of henchmen and henchwomen to slaughter millions of their own people. At the end of the Khmer Rouge's reign, after they lost the Cambodia-Vietnam War in 1979, nearly the entire city of Phnom Penh had been murdered. Most of the estimated three million people who died, did so from being overworked, starved, denied basic medical care, tortured or murdered, often with blunt farming tools. The perpetrators of this heinous crime are just now being tried for their crimes and in my opinion are receiving the equivalent of a slap on the wrist. A number of the perpetrators have admitted to murder and torture and remain unpunished.

In 1979, many of the perpetrators returned to their jobs, including educators and their former positions within the government. Many more of them continue to live freely within the country. The information provided at the museum and on the internet is conflicting and I got the sense that we are not being told the whole truth. The Khmer Rouge are reported to have finally lost power in 1999, but by the level of corruption that continues within the Cambodian government, I would venture to guess that they still are involved. Education is not valued and remains a privilage reserved for the middle and upper class. Interestingly, the senior leaders of the Khmer Rouge were mostly European educated and were educators themselves. Keep your people ignorant and you have a better chance at controlling them.

The museum is well organized, very informative and emotionally draining. Classroom walls had been knocked through to create makeshift prison cells.

Other classrooms were converted into torture chambers. One of the classroom displays tells of how, in 1978, Pol Pot and his cadre of murderers fooled a group of Swedes. Gunnar Bergstrom, an anti-war, drug counselor and three other Swedish Cambodian Friendship Association members were invited by the regime to be shown what they needed to see in order to report back to Sweden that it was just life as usual in Cambodia and to keep up their financial support. They enjoyed a two week tour of near empty cities, they were wined and dined and their belief that the Khmer Rouge were of the people, for the people, fighting imperialism. They were so efficient at deception that Gunnar returned to Sweden and informed the world that the rumored genocide in Cambodia was a Western lie. Sweden continued to support Pol Pot and believed that under his leadership, Cambodia would be a successful egalitarian society.

In 1979, Gunnar began questioning what he was shown during his visit to Cambodia. He began questioning how there were entire cities that were empty. He questioned the strange itinerary, similar to how a westerner is currently "welcomed" to North Korea. He began hearing the voices of thousands who had fled and he changed his story and was quick to apologize and admit he had been fooled. Gunnar personally apologized to Cambodians and the world, numerous times. Sweden has not apologized, and if the information on display is to be trusted, they have shown no remorse for their role in allowing Pol Pot to commit crimes against humanity.

On our last night in Cambodia we took a stroll along the river and came upon a number of street vendors. One in particular caught our eye and we were quick to remember that the last time we were here, we had failed to find the courage to eat at one cart in particular, the bug cart. We just could not fathom chewing on one of these, crunchy, slimy, or furry creatures. Fried tarantula is a coveted snack here. Before crossing the border from Vietnam we had made a pact, that we would not leave Cambodia without eating bugs. So here we are, face to face with a cart full of spiders, cockroaches, crickets, and piles of other never-before-seen, bugs.

We have to do it , we can not wait, we have climbed the rock, peered over the edge, excited yet scared to jump into the water below. We both know that the longer we stand there, looking, we will let the fear win. We both decide to go with some grasshoppers. I am served a handful and one by one I start crunching down on them. Sheryl, asked for one grasshopper, the cart owner was not amused with our fussiness and left me to pick one of my choosing. Sheryl sought out the smallest one. The bugs were actually quite tasty, with a nutty flavor. Deep fried and delightfully seasoned with teriyaki. I was a bit disappointed and almost wanted it to jump around in my mouth or squirt gooey stuff, but no, nothing. It was, after all, dead and fried. A delicious little treat, if you can let go of the fact that you are eating an insect. Next time I plan to try something a little bigger, Sheryl's not so thrilled but will definitely eat fried bugs again. We accomplished a goal and faced another fear and in the end it wasn't bad at all.