WHEN LIFE IS NOT AT ALL ROSEY

 My heart sank everytime I arrived in Cambodia and saw many kids being neglected, abandoned and/or working 'full time' to help their family with food. Children as young as 3-4 years old are either being used or are really selling various lady accessories such as bracelets etc to selling postcard and books. Once I invited and bought the poor child to eat with me at the restaurant (although the restaurant owner was not so pleased).

Cambodia is not a place for those with faint heart. I can be all emotional whenever I see a boy as young as Aaraf walking in hunger, approached and begged for anyone to allow them to polished their shoe for a small fee of USD$1.00.. One Dollar.

The smile on the boys face when we agree to allow him to polish our shoe was just...... so indescribable. He was just so happy and it made our day.

Cant help but to think and miss Aaraf.......

But not all are as hardworking to earn their own money as the young boy... some children are just happy to ask for money instead to working.... When we stopby the traffic light, a bunch of children approached our car for money!!!

They were all smiley thinking that we will give them money.. 

so easy they think they can get money.....

When we did not give, their face changes..............

 and when its green light before our car move, knowing they wont get any money,

they quickly stick their tongue out being angry......

Unbecoming but this is how some children are.... 

Once, I was walking by the market waiting for the next appointment, I walked pass this goldsmith and saw a man presumably the father, beating up his son while the boy cried in pain. He threw endless punches on the boy's back with one hand while his other hand was holding the boy. The boy's cry and the father's scream is still playing in my head. The mother sat still speechless. I cannot comprehend how anyone in the right state of mind could beat up a 6 year old child until the boy is without any voice to cry..

I wanted to stop the idiot... perhaps beat him up as hard as how he beat up his son and regretted that I did not. I do not know the law and wanted to avoid any problem trespassing into someone's shop to stop what I deemed as 'child abuse' but I should have!!! I cant stop playing the boy's voices and cries in my head. This was my first experience witnessing first hand a child being beaten up heartlessly. Subhalllah.....