Homeward Bound

After many tearful goodbyes to all our new friends from around the planet, Spirit of Soccer Cambodia headed to the Jo'Burg airport with 45 bags, including ten new/used laptops from the Football For Hope Organizers, and one big metal case with our Fair Play Trophy.  Check-in was a bit of a nightmare and through smiles, gifts and pleading, we did not have to pay any extra baggage fees.  Thank you Malaysia Airlines. 

Despite the elation from winning the Fair Play Award and numerous crushes on other players (especially Johann the German blondie), the team was more than ready to get back to Cambodia, the Kingdom of Wonder.  They desperately missed rice, pra-hok (fermented fish paste which is put in most dishes and totally nasty) and warm weather, not to mention family and familiar faces.

The trip home was no easy task - a ten hour flight to Kuala Lumpur, a three hour layover in KL, a two hour flight to Phnom Penh, a four hour drive to Battambang and then anywhere from two to five hours by dirt road to get back to the teams' individual villages.  Couple the long journey with the fact that most of the team had finally succumbed to the flu which was going around the Team Village, it was going to be a long, painful journey home.  Luckily for us, complaining is not part of the Cambodian make up and as we anxiously checked their foreheads and asked the team how they felt, they kept saying they were fine.

A few nights prior to departure, Vanneath woke up with a high fever and we took him to the Village medical center.  He told us his mother always gives him malaria medicine when he has a fever and he was certain that was what he had.  Poor little guy didn't realize there are no mosquitoes in South Africa in winter and that he had the flu because he had never had it before.  The temperature got down to freezing every night during the Festival, but often was as warm as the 60s by day and none of the buildings had heat or insulation, so it wasn't surprising that the flu swept through the delegations.

After a little last minute shopping in the Jo'Burg Airport, we gave the team advil and cold medicine and loaded them up for the long flight to KL.  The excitement of being on the plane tided them over to the meal service and then they all cashed out for most of the flight.  Cambodians can sleep anywhere, at any point, especially if they're in a moving vehicle.  After snoozing through the three hour layover as well, the team was bouncing up and down in their seats the entire way to Phnom Penh.  They were especially excited to see so many Asians on the plane and not so many Barangs (Cambodian word for white foreginer, which actually means French).

Customs and baggage claim was a breeze at the tiny Phnom Penh airport, and the Spirit of Soccer crew was out front to welcome us home.  The team and all their bags were quickly loaded into the two Land Cruisers for the drive to Battambang.  We waved goodbye to our team with tears in our eyes, looking forward to our next rendezvous in a few weeks. 

What a incredible experience it has been for all.  We have so many people to thank for making it possible.  First and foremost, Scotty Lee, Founder of Spirit of Soccer for creating this incredible organization.  A huge thanks is owed to the Football for Hope Team, which includes Streetfootballworld, FIFA, the South African Local Organizing Committee and the City of Johannesburg.  A big Al'kun Cheran to the Cambodian Football Federation and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport for their support.  Thank you Spirit of Soccer employees for your help and willingness to do what it took to get this team to South Africa, especially Sokhorn who worked all the magic behind the scenes.  We can't forget our friends Britt, Casey and Laura at adidas and Agron who helped outfit the kids and the US Embassy who helped us receive the product.  Of course none of this would have been possible without our donors, especially the United States Government & PMWRW and the Laureus Sports Foundation.  There are dozens more who have helped us and we owe you all a huge thank you for helping change all of our lives for the better.