Cambodia Today

Our dental work was completed today with a total of 1048 patients treated this week. Last weeks total was approximately the same. As a thank you, the children performed traditional Cambodian dances for us, and in an unexpected turn, they broke into break dancing complete with spins and flips. The show complete, they pulled us onto their makeshift dance floor and we moved ourselves to their version of American hip-hop. It was a great end to our time with the children of the PIO, People's Improvement Organization.

Leaving the orphanage, I thought about the children's future. There are 14 million people in Cambodia, half of which are under the age of 17. The young people whom we met are honest, hard working and optimistic about their future. But they live in a country where the wealth and power is extremely unevenly distributed. And there is very little to no government support for the poor.

The social structure was apparent to us, as outsiders, as we travelled to and from the orphanage. The street is like a sea filled with schools of motorbikes. The vast number of motorbikes is only occasionally broken by the predator-like late model Lexus and Range Rover SUVs.

Cambodia is much like I imagine China was several years ago. Yet I don't know if they will experience the growth in middle class that occurred in China? Their leaders, who they ironically refer to as "father," are often former members of the Khmer Rouge. And it seems that they are satisfied maintaining their status and the status quo. Time will tell.

Tomorrow, Jamie will travel to Siem Reap and join the throngs of tourists who visit these temples. Happily we will be joined by several other dental volunteers, giving us the chance to share stories about a most memorable lifetime experience.