#savecambodia

Do you remember me talking about a girl I work with who was extremely selfish? Well this past weekend I happened to see something new from her which made me extremely happy and hopeful. While listening to her I placed everything down to give my full attention because, for the first time I saw sincere and genuine emotions in her voice and face. For the first time it wasn’t about her or how it affected her but it was purely about someone else and how they would feel and think.

This girl hates children, but was willing to table that for an unborn child whose parents are involved in a bad lifestyle including, smoking, drinking, drugs, stealing, etc. She told me that she would rather raise the child to give it a better life although she struggles with money herself. The chances of that happening are very slim since the mother doesn’t want to give up her child. But the fact that she had enough compassion to just try and do so was touching. She said she felt so compelled yet angered by the situation that it almost drove her to put a fist through a wall.

I couldn’t help myself and gave her a hug. I don’t give many hugs, but I gave her one and really meant it.

OMG! Somaly Mam favorited one of my replies to her tweets!

"WE'RE GOING TO CHANG CAMBODIA. WE WANT U TO HEAR FROM US. OF YOU DON'T LISTEN WE'LL KEEP ON TALKING - WE'RE NOT TIRED AT ALL." - Somaly Mam on twitter 3/24/13

“Forced eviction in Keo Phos village, Stung Hav district, Preah Sihanouk province - March 2013 Praying to the god of dirt to witness what happened and to help the people of the nation.”

This woman’s house was taken away along with many other people in Cambodia. She is asking God to witness what has happened and to help them. She also cries, begs, and prays to the angels to help her and the citizens. She is taking the dirt from the ground and pouring it on her head from the devastation of her house being taken away after all of the hard work and sacrifice she had to go through making it. She wants all of nature to witness what has happened.

She also states that she worked extremely hard to vote for Hun Sen, the prime minister of Cambodia since 1985, who has only hurt the people of this nation since being elected. She worked so hard to save money from food just to build her own house. Now they tore down her house, don’t they know how much she is hurting. She also says that life is harder than during the Pol Pot regime, which is the Khmer Rouge/killing fields and/or genocide that took place between 1975-1980.

I've been on a little "sabbatical" at the restaurant, due to a lot of personal reasons, and I also need some rest. I have been working 7 days a week for almost a year, and need a break. I work Monday-Friday at a regular job, then Saturday, Sunday, and holidays at the restaurant. All of the free time I have I am working on Save Cambodia. Monday-Friday, after work, I go to Starbucks to work on Save Cambodia until closing time. I also go during the weekends, sometimes during the day before I go into work, or late at night. Sometimes ... no all the time, when I have a free moment at work, I am working on Save Cambodia stuff. Last night, I worked because they couldn't find someone to cover me but I told all of my favorite customers when they asked that I wasn't coming back until April.

The customer that I usually chit chat with, has always said if I was younger and less mature, he would adopt me ... haha I am going to take that as a compliment. They always make me laugh .. or I make them laugh ... one of the other because we are always laughing when they come in.

Tonight, they asked me a little about Save Cambodia, and he kept telling me to never give up. I laughed and told him that once I start on anything ... and I mean ANYTHING, I never give up. I refuse to even have that word or possibilities exist in my vocabulary. He continued to tell me that people will always tell you the negative things, and say it is not going to succeed. I told him and his I know. I have this little black book that I keep with him and write all the negative comments that people tell me. All the things that people say I can't do and will not be able to do. I write it down, look at it, and use it to push hard, and work harder. I have done it my whole life, only this time I am documenting it. So far I have plenty of people who have told me that this is not possible, and I will not be able to succeed. I just smile, write it down in my book, and make sure I end up proving them wrong.