Shabani Matani

He worked in kitchens for a few years, eventually getting promoted to a chef.

Shoaib struggled for years with debilitating stomach ulcers.

The stress of his work sometimes made them worse, and eventually he was forced to take bed rest.

After those initial messages, the recruiter told Shoaib what they needed from him, and it actually wasn't much.

He sent them his passport information and filled out all his personal details.

And everything was just moving so quickly that it didn't seem real.

Shoaib had to leave in a hurry.

When he got to the airport in Kampala, he met a group of 10 others, all guys who were also headed to Cambodia.

They showed their passports and were quickly ushered through.

Schreiber never stepped foot on a plane before, so as he boarded, he felt such a rush of emotion.

Shuaib landed in the Phnom Penh airport on February 10th, 2025.

His new employers had sent a driver to pick him up outside the terminal.

The group of 10 Ugandans split up into different cars.

So it was just Shoaib and one other guy who got into the Lexus, bound for the same location.

And then they drove and drove and they kept driving.

They drove at night and he really couldn't get his bearings.

It was totally pitch dark and the main thing that was illuminating the streets were just the lights of the cars on the road with him.

Beyond that, there wasn't much to see.

And after they drove for such a long time through these potholed roads and deserted roads, suddenly he saw a city come into view and suddenly he felt a totally different pulse.

He started to hear music.