Saturday, October 20, 2007

Journal - First Week


The first week back was pretty interesting, to say the least. Due to a typhoon off of Taipei, my flight was delayed at every point, including an extra stop in Bangkok, which involved an overnight stay in the terminal. To wrap it all up, my year long visa just expired, so I had to stand in line for an hour, only to discover that my luggage was lost in Taipei somewhere. With the clothes I had on for the past three days, I was feeling a bit down.

To top it off, my apartment does not fall into the luxury category - steep stairs, a labrynth of locks and a room with a broken bed, a shower that cleans the toilet (meaning they face each other in a practical way!) Besides the ability to meet all of my hygeine needs at once, I was feeling really out of sorts. Trevor Sworn, a good friend, went way out of his way to make sure I got settled in and had some basic necessities in place. Once I got a decent cold shower in, I felt like I could face the world.

Vanny, a Cambodian who I had befriended in 2004, contacted me to tell me that he wanted to help me in any way he could. He has a busy work schedule, but in spite of it, he took me around to get my visa, deal with my luggage issue (I got it back in a day due to his persistance). As well, he kept my old phone SIM - which if anyone has done this before - is a saving grace. I have all of my contacts and information in my palm again - nothing could have felt better at the moment. You don't realize how dependent we are on technology until it is gone.

Later in the week, I spent some time with the girls at TCI and started working with the staff. Things are looking really good for all of the girls. Many positive things have been coming together and I will be sharing them with you as they develop. As well, I will start focusing on some important aspects of what is occuring here in regard to sex trafficking. Please continue sending in e-mails regarding this blog - it has been encouraging and inspiring.

Jaya Sry, our Cambodian Director, has been doing some wonderful networking and preparation for the next couple of months. The picture above is from our trip to the water park with the girls. More to come...

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