So it turns out that the world is an extremely small place...not that we didn't already know that.
Sarah put me in touch with one of her friends (who happens to have graduated from Quinnipiac) who is thinking about returning to SE Asia to do some volunteer work in Cambodia at an orphanage. I of course told her of my experience while I was there, and said I wished I could remember the name of the place so I could send here there. I looked it up, and couldn't seem to find the name in any of the lists online.
Turns out, the name of the orphanage has changed due to some corrupt businessmen, and her two girlfriends have financially taken over the orphanage...the same exact one that I went to. To give you an idea of how much of a coincidence (or not!) this is, there are thousands of orphaned children in Cambodia and a surprising number of them are infected with AIDS. There are also at least a dozen orphanages that cater to these types of children. Amazing how the world works.
She (Regina) sent me the link to the new website for the kids, and low and behold...there they all are looking healthy and beautiful. Some of the girls who were really sick while I was there last November look wonderful. They all have new clothes, school uniforms, and plenty of food in their bellies. Doesn't that make you feel good? It made me cry. You could imagine my surprise to see pictures of the kids over a year later.
You may remember the photo above of me with the kids. Check out the website of the new "Sunflower" orphanage:
http://s242740355.onlinehome.us/cambodia/wordpress/
See if you can notice the difference that a year makes in some of those beautiful faces.
Life is beautiful.
