One aspect I truly enjoy in running a rental agency in Hua Hin, Thailand are the many interesting people I get to meet who share there unique stories with me while we visit properties together. The following story comes from a client who rented a condo from us for his holiday and after mentioning I would like to learn more about his story, sent in the following write up for us to post.

I have been going to Cambodia for many years. I think I first went there in 2002 and helped out at an orphanage in Siem Reap. A few years later I was in Laos and met a monk there who became a very close friend. He told me of an orphanage in Battambang that was run by a monk that he knew. I visited there a few times and it was on one trip there that I found myself in Phnom Penh. I had met a girl on a bus who said I should visit the orphanage that she worked at but when I got there I found it was a scam. So I asked my tuk tuk driver to take me somewhere that I could donate the rice and money I had. That is how I ended up at my sons orphanage for the first time. I had a great time there. The staff and kids were great. We played volleyball, I took a couple of language lessons, and we generally hung out. The orphanage in Battambang received a great deal of help from sponsors in Australia so I figured my time and energy was best spent in Phnom Penh. I was already looking into adopting and had done a lot of research, including talking to many people who had adopted. So after spending time there I figured I wasn’t getting any younger and now was the right time. Also I had got on with Ati and Ato like a house on fire. The school I work for was fantastic and they gave me support and time off so that I could spend time in Cambodia with the boys and well as deal with the courts first hand. This was a great way of doing things. It meant that I could spend a lot of time with the two boys and allowed them to form a real bond before I took them back to China, where I live. It made the transition much easier for them. We do go back to Cambodia which helps them keep ties with their routes and I have stepped up my involvement there. I raise funds to help put kids into English language programs so that they can have a much better chance of getting work when they leave the orphanage. Learning English helps break the cycle of poverty.
Please check out the website:

http://web.me.com/helpingorphanages/Site/Welcome.html

I aim to raise $10 000 to send 10 more kids to school and provide food, transport and other essentials.

Cheers

Paul Underwood