Meet Net

Meet Net. Her jubilant, toothless smile really sums up the day we just shared. I fell in love with Net the day I met this little beauty, which was the day I arrived in Siem Reap, Cambodia. She and mother live in a home for girls and women leaving a life of prostitution. This home allows the women to not only learn new life skills, but to also reconnect with their families. And Net loved every moment of reconnecting to her family. Her joy was contagious in the house, and it wasn’t hard to be in a good mood around her.

This day in particular myself, the girls in the house, and many members of their church, went out to a nearby lake for a picnic and a beach baptism. The children and adults were giddy about the idea of swimming in the lake, as it was not an everyday experience. We spent the morning singing, eating, praying, swimming and talking. It was a beautifully exhausting day. As we load up our 2 flatbed trucks to ride home, the Cambodian sun was beating down. Net picks up one of the banana leaves in the truck, and covers her little head, and hopes the sun doesn’t burn her skin. She looks up at me smiles and I do the same thing. Together we rode back to the home, with our leaves above our heads and smiles as bright as the sun. What a way to spend the day.

This post has been entered into the Grantourismo and HomeAway Holiday-Rentals travel blogging competition. I'd love to hear any comments or thoughts on this post!