Yes. I think there’s something particularly poignant about them working outside the home — if they were helping out on the land (of course, these families have none), it wouldn’t be so harsh — and the fact that it’s to rich Westerners on the tourist trade makes it particularly ambiguous… The particular prevalence of it in Cambodia may, now I think about it, have to do with the Khmer Rouge putting children as young as seven into work groups, making work outside the home part of real life for a generation.

It is very sad. The kids have lost their childhood, at least as Westerners see it.

Oh, I’m really glad you’re enjoying things, and great to hear from you! Z says he is missing English weather, and even heavy rain would be a good thing… We should get loads in Latin America… xx

I’m loving the dispatches, they just seem to get better and better. You have a lovely knack (is it journalistic, or just writerly?) of being able to take the smallest thing and blow it up into a whole story. Quite wonderful. Maybe you should keep on going, do the series, travels with a 9/10/11/12/13/14 (gap here while he gets tired of mum for a while) 17/18 year old. I see a publishing phenomena.

London forecast is heavy rain all this week btw.

x

I’m sorry! I should have taken notes…