Day 7: My most significant day here yet!

Today was amazing! Starting to feel better and now have the energy to leave the apartment. Yesterday my in country coordinator found the taxi driver who knows how to get to AOA. Well let me back up. Before I left the US I learned a co worker of mine adopted a baby girl from Cambodia in 2002. She gave me the name of the orphanage and the nanny who cared for the baby girl the first 7 months of her life. She gave me photos of her daughter now and asked if there was any way I could find the orphanage and deliver the photos to the nanny. She also gave me the name of the hotel she stayed at in Phnom Penh and the name of a taxi driver who worked at the hotel who knew the location of the orphanage. When I arrived in Cambodia i started to search for the orphanage on-line, but couldn't find an address or a phone number. I was worried that maybe it had closed. I spoke with my in country coordinator Srey Aun about the orphange and how important it was to find it, the nanny, and the taxi driver who knew how to get there. A few days later, Srey Aun had tracked down the taxi driver and got his phone number. He no longer worked at the hotel, but people there knew how to reach him. Srey Aun and I called him. He still is a taxi driver, but is no longer employed with the hotel at which my co worker had told me about. He spoke English which was so awesome! He remembered the orphange and we arranged for him to take there. OK- so now you have the back story.

Today was the day! I met up with the taxi driver, Sothea. He had not been to the orphanage since 2002 or 2003, he couldn't remember exactly when the last time was. It was outside the city about an hour or so. We finally found it after asking a few villagers since it had been so long since he went there last. When we arrived the gate was locked and my heart just dropped! I had finally found the place and now we couldn't get in! And there was no way to let the people know we were coming to visit. Thankfully a family that lived next door told us how to get in! People are so helpful here I am amazed! We made our way down the dirt road. It was awesome that Sothea knew Khmer. I had my in coordinator write a letter in Khmer explaining who I was looking for and why just in case I needed it. There were still kids there, but they were older- probably between 7 and 10 years old. There was one little one, maybe 2 years old. The nanny, Chom was not there- she was in the city (Phnom Penh). Turns out she no longer worked there. The orphanage had to lay people off because of the economy and restricitions on adoptions from Cambodia. A woman who worked there had a phone number to reach Chom. After a few attempts we located Chom! Sothea spoke to her on the phone. He said he knew where she was in the city and he could take me there. I thanked the woman at the orphanage who helped us and we headed back into the city. On the ride into the city I asked Sothea how kids got to the orphanage. He said the poverty is so bad in Cambodia that people cannot afford their children. When this happens they just drop them alongside the main road that leads to the orphanage and just leave them there. Someone then brings them to the orphanage. Or mothers will give birth at a hospital and just leave the baby there because they cannot afford to take care of it. When this happens the orphanage is contacted. An ad is put out in a newspaper with a picture of the baby asking the parents to come claim it. If no one claims the baby, it is sent to the orphanage. I simply cannot imagine dropping a child off in the middle of the countryside. Nor can i imagine leaving a baby at a hospital after giving birth never to know what happens to him or her. Then again I have been extremely blessed to be born in the United States to a family who could afford to give me all the necessities of life and then some. I have never experienced extreme poverty first-hand other than what I have seen in developing countries. I am so grateful! Everyone is definitely not born equal or with the same opportunities.

Chom (the nanny) now works at a hotel that is run by the same person that owns the orphanage. We pulled into the hotel and Chom came out to meet us. She was so happy! She had big tears in eyes. She had a small photo album with her and she showed me pictures of my co worker and the baby she adopted!  She remembered my co worker and the baby. It was amazing to see someone here holding pictures of someone I know back home! I gave her the photos I was sent with. She was so thankful and just kept saying "Or-Kuhn" which is Khmer for thank you. She asked how the girl and my co worker were doing. I said everyone is very well and wished her well too. My heart was so full! It meant so much to her! I just kept thinking how amazing it is how people so far away from each other can have a connection like the one i was experiencing. The quote, "Life is beautiful, life is useful" from the Dhali Lama just kept running through my head. I couldn't wait to email my co worker! We just kinda stood there for a moment. I told her it was honor to meet her and thanked her for meeting with me. She gave me her phone number and I asked that I give it to my co worker in the event she no longer works for the orphanage or the hotel. I said I would give it to her.
I gave her hug and then she just held my arm for a moment and we said goodbye. I waved to her as we pulled away in the taxi. As we drove away I could see the tears in her eyes. Tears of happiness and gratitude. It was amazing. I tear up just thinking about it and while writing this. My heart just feels full! I am so glad I could do that for my co worker and Chom. I got a picture with Chom and emailed it to my co worker with the note about my meeting. The response I got back was amazing. I learned of how hard the last day of the adoption was for everyone involved, especially Chom. I was thankful to be able to be a small part in a very meaningful experience. It felt like maybe now there was a sense of peace obtained for all involved. Chom now had photos to show the baby she cared for was in a much better place with a great life and an amazing family that would provide her everything that Cambodia could not. My co worker was able to reconnect with the woman who has been such an intrigual part in making their dreams of parents come true.
Today was the significant day here! It was definitely meant to be that I came to Cambodia!

Chom and I