Barefoot, Barebones and Starving

Hopefully that title explains my upcoming rant. I finally am able to just sit and blog on a fast connection! yippee!

So right to the thoughts on my mind.

I'm still sick. I've lost quite a bit of weight and muscle (argh! Nano Vapor, Gluc, HGH, here i come!) not that I had much to begin, but let's say my 4 months of hard work wasted away in about 2 weeks. Oh well, I was getting to prideful with my bulging glutes. For those who don't know what that is, I was talking about my butt. Yes, my maximus of the the gluteus. haha. Just playin.

So I am back in el capital of Cambodia and it's been raining day and night. It's crazy because the streets flood without adequate drainage and the water is brown... because of mud. While we were shopping in the crowded and congested shops of 98 degrees, not the band but the temperature, the rain came down so fast and I have never seen so many asians scuttle to cover up their trinkets and items, it was like chinese oompa loompas doopadee doopadooing.

I came to the conclusion I like music, I like dancing, asians love to gamble and drink Heineken and coolers, but I hate dirty old men who prey on young girls, and I hate drinking, rather being forced.

So we went to the club last night (*god bless you usher) and it's not like regular clubs, these are all out, you can sit, look at the dance floor from your VIP seat and take in a show or watch them girls go go go! I've been sick for the last two days and attended, trying my best to not be a dull one and have another bar fight experience. But wow, that quickly changed, there was a mix of french, urban, cambodian music all into one, never can one experience the joys of the Madison (cambodian line dancing) Polka and the waltz (made me think of you Amy) in one setting. But as funny as that was, across from me in another booth was a subtle reminder of what ills the world has.

Time for serious voice:
In southeast asia there is a serious problem of human trafficking, selling young girls to men for prostitution and also the proliferation of that abomination in general. All throughout asia there are those who will take young girls under the pretense of work in factories when in reality they sell them out. Trafficking also refers to men and forced labor. Here is a blurb from a very informative site http://www.humantrafficking.org/countries/cambodia

"Cambodian men, women, and children are trafficked for sexual and labor exploitation in Thailand, Malaysia, Macao, and Taiwan.² Men are trafficked for forced labor in the agriculture, fishing, and construction industries. Women are trafficked for sexual exploitation and forced labor in factories or as domestic servants.³ Children are trafficked for sexual exploitation and forced labor in organized begging rings, soliciting, street vending, and flower selling. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Youth Rehabilitations found that 76 percent of trafficked persons returned from Thailand had come from families who owned land, 93 percent owned their own house and had no debt on the land or house, and 47 percent stated that their mother was the facilitator of their trafficking"

Often, overseas men will also come to this region for the unfortunate reason that they can find young girls, not always children but still much younger, who will "escort " them. Already the culture has fostered a european open-mindedness about the entertainment and culture of the west. You can go to clubs, pay 5 bucks for a good looking girl to just dance and keep you company. Then there are actual brothels. What irks me the most is that many men come here and the young cambodian girls (keep in mind many are still "old enough") will keep these pathetic losers company. At the club last night I saw a Pat Morita/ Mr Miyagi look-a-like with about 8 girls, and he was old enough to be their grandfather. He was all over one girl and she just let him grope her. I've already had my temper tested but when a woman's perceived rights, whether they give them up or not are violated I get angry and I was filled with disgust and even more desire to change things, but how I don't know. You find kids here whose parents basically pimp them to beg for money, food. We went to KFC (yes, Kentucky Fried Chicken... finger lickin' good) and a mother made her child stand outside the window, looking poor and dejected so they can beg for food.
I'm not trying to seem heartless but begging and soliciting your children to and family on the hopes of someone's pity is despicable. And although the government has work, shelters for these people, they instead have more children and push them to rummage through garbage dumbs for scraps, sell off themselves and live in the endless cycle of poverty. It breaks my heart, but I'm helpless in the state I am now. If you want more information, here is a great site my friends have volunteered for http://cambodianchildrensfund.org/

I hope that after I finish my teaching licensure and ESL minor I can come for a summer or maybe a year and just volunteer to teach English at an orphanage and volunteer to help.

Anyhow, sorry about that rant, it's just frustrating seeing that countless times here. When I was in the beach town of Kompong Saom, I looked out our top story hotel to a place next door and saw two caucasians with a young cambodian girl, they talked and talked and i think the girl was about 17 or 18... dressed to "impress". Today, while waking barefoot in the sun, a man about 40 was holding hands with a young cambodian girl about 18 years or younger. You see it everywhere and nothing can change it except education. Hope.

Well that's pretty much all the time I had, I was going to post pics but the connection is dying and i just got an important e-mail I need to read. I hope all is well back home. I miss you. (you know who you are )
Until next blog
Lia Hi