We met Eric at a cafe near a huge open market and then rode three deep on his moped to their house for dinner. The Wolthuis' used to work in Thailand for about 5 years but were transferred to Cambodia recently and they said it has been quite an adjustment. We had some really good conversations about the work they have done and are doing and also reminisced over common friends and experiences in Holland.
Their Cambodian housekeeper had prepared a typical Cambodian meal which was a treat. We had beef and vegetable soup, lamb meat balls, potatoes and tomatoes with watermelon for dessert. It was nice to be in a family home after constantly eating out and being on the road and it was hard to leave.
The next morning we met some another couple doing good in world - Sean's friends he met while playing ultimate in Bangkok. They were traveling through SE Asia and decided to stay in Cambodia to do non-profit work. Right now they are working with a NGO that teaches Cambodians in the community how to be soccer coaches so they can run some after-school soccer programs. They also raised enough money to take some of the coaches and students on a trip to the World Cup in South Africa.
It was fun to hear about their experiences as well but after talking to the Wolthuis' and Sean's friends there seemed to be one common thread: life in Cambodia is tough. There is still a lot of physical and emotional remnants of the tumultuous past and the recovery process is a slow, difficult and painful one.
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