I’m still spending all my time dealing with my health issues. Last week I went back to Phnom Pehn to check out some possible clinics and hospitals that can help me. I met Sokni, who isn’t very forthcoming, but was homeless and had a story I have heard too often now.

No major Shadow updates as I am still in Kampot, mostly dealing with my health, for which I have also created a sister-site http://expathealthstory.shadowvoices.org

I had met a new Shadowvoice, kind of, in Kampot (first met him in Phnom Pehn). Sounds like an interesting story but I don’t know when I can see him again. I’ll try my best.

Much less to write about nowadays, as I lived in Kampot for most of the last quarter. I came back about a month ago, but the move really crippled me physically, and I think when I leave back, possibly next week, I might have to stay there.

So I did meet and interview one new Shadow Soriya She’s a homeless street seller. Although she had limited English, I learnt that she has no plan or expectation for her situation to change.

There is an update with Yooun (with the missing child (I actually saw her today)).

So when I first got back, she told me she no longer wanted to go to this detention centre to look for the boy (Kresar). Well, about ten days ago now, she found me and said she’d changed her mind and wanted to go. It was around the holiday, but we arranged it midday on New Year’s Eve.

I went to her place on time, and she said to wait in a nearby cafe, and it would be ten minutes. I waited two hours and left. I saw her a couple of days later, and she said that she came, but I wasn’t there. I told her how long I waited, and she agreed it was longer than two hours. But the cafe was 40 meters from her place; she didn’t even send someone out to say it would be a long time or that she was still coming. The fact is she didn’t care enough but then somehow made it my fault with that single comment.

I’m likely leaving in a week, as I said, and my health worsens. Hard to see how I can help this going forward.

There is one other thing, which I think is positive. I had one friend, Srei Nui. I’ve known her for years. She has a young son of about nine or ten. I’ve known her living in a slum and also in a makeshift tent in a building site. They disappeared for a few months, and she told me they were taken to a detention centre (for being homeless), but when they let her go, I must say she was looking much better.

Well, she disappeared about a year ago, but the boy stayed on the street alone. I noticed because I know him, and I saw him behind a bin smoking a meth pipe. I asked the people I know about the situation, and they said there is an older boy looking after him, but he’s homeless, and no one cares, basically, and no one knew where she was.

She was gone for over a year. Then she turned up a few weeks ago. She reunited with her boy. Again, she seemed well fed and healthy, but they slept on the street for a few nights. Then I saw her yesterday, and she seems to be with someone, looked to be on her feet, clean, in new clothes, and with her boy.

So these things can work themselves out. There is another example; I think her name is Srei Nit. I barely know her, mainly because she was insane, most of the time in the street screaming at thin air. I know her, as she asked to phone her child, who is being raised in another province.

So she also seems to be on her feet, working, cooking in a restaurant. No hallucinations or screaming, and seemingly well taken care of.

These lives can be turned around sometimes, and even apparent psychosis, which has gone on a long time, can improve to the point of normality.

We should never give up.

Perhaps no news is good news?

I moved to Kampot this quator, mainly to get writing done. There was some talk of visa changes, which hopefully turned out to be nothing, and I did go back for three days.

Before I left I saw Sokri (Arrey). She was in the same situation. I said she can have my fan and chair because I wasn’t keeping to the room and we carried it up together. She is living pretty much opposite me. Five floors up, sleeping on the floor on a landing, although I was able to give her my yoga mat to sleep on.

I saw her later the same day. She told me she’s very ill, fatally is and basically dying. I’ve no idea if that’s true but she said about a year. She also showed me Lisa’s ID, and she had a different Khmer name.

Anyway, I was away, and then went back to see the visa agent. I bumped into her with a foreign man. They were friendly. She told me he’s her boyfriend and looking after her, and all seemed well.

I bumped into Youen. She met some woman by the riverside who’s child was taken, and is certain that her own boy as well as Kresar are being held in some kind of detention centre. She had a name and we were using a translation app to try and find it, and with the help of a tuk tuk driver we got it on the screen, a map and a name, and we agreed to go together and look for him when I get back (this was the evening I was leaving to come back), so that is some development. I’ll post pictures of the place she was trying to communicate below.

I saw Niza but we didn’t get to speak.

Never saw Lim.

I’m currently sitting at the Riverside. I bumped into Nari earlier (You-un), the lady who’s son going missing inspired this website and project and was so transformational for me.

Well, we finally got the interview recorded. It was certainly an eye opener for me, there’s a lot I didn’t know, including the fact that this has happened twice, i.e. she’s lost two children. Well it was also pretty harrowing and she was crying at the end, but she is adamant that she wants it to go online as we are still loooking for the boy.

I showed her the this website and she was pretty happy. I also found the Missing Child poster I made earlier, so I’ll be adding all this soon.

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