Day 4
Yesterday was our first day away from CPO, our main orphanage. We spent the whole day going to SFODA and the PIO orphanage and handing out supplies like clothing, food and medical supplies. The first orphanage we went to was SFODA. This orphanage is right by the Tonle Sap River and was in the middle of a slum village, very unlike CPO, this orphanage was much bigger and had much better living conditions. Unfortunately our tuk tuk broke down so one group was an hour and a half late. But despite our tardiness I was able to connect with some of the younger children. Very soon after I had arrived it was time to leave, so we hopped in the tuk tuks and headed for PIO.
PIO is on the outskirts of not only a slum village, but a trash dump as well. As we drove by half-naked children would watch us from piles of trash, their tiny hands desperately clutching items that they found there. Once we got to PIO I immediately felt a different connection then what we had with SFODA, all the kids ran up and hugged us and lead us into the main room in the orphanage where we all sat down and made origami. One sixteen year old boy, Vinsna, came over to Nikko and I and we talked a drew with each other. Over the past few days I've noticed that whenever I tell someone my name, they immediately drag me over to their friend and say excitedly, "Ava!" but finally Visna told us that Nikko, Ava, and Visna were all famous Cambodian singers. I suggested that we make a band but they just laughed at me, their loss anyway. Once we finished origami some of the kids put on a show and it was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. Delirious with excitement, one girl who was preforming smiled hugely and nearly fell over when she saw me smiling at her. After two dances and a lot of clapping, our whole team was privileged enough to have a dance party, and let me tell you, they are the best dancers in the world. One boy with a sort of mullet whose name I never got to know was always in the center of the dancing circle, dancing like there was no tomorrow (which really there wasn't) because soon it was time to go. As we piled into the tuk tuks Lisa-Marie gave a bag of clothing to the trash dump kids. As we were about to drive away Visna came up to my tuk tuk and said, "Will you come back?" And I said I would try. But then he said, "Promise me. Promise me you will come back. I want to see you again." I was nearly in tears when I told him that I really couldn't promise too much, but I did promise I would work my soul out to come back next year.
Day 5
Today was an amazing day for sure. We went back to CPO and everyone was so happy to see us. After huge hugs and hellos we all messed around for a while, then it was time to work. Nikko and I were in charge of washing the clothes by hand which isn't too hard, getting the kids to tell us what clothes were dirty was a different story. All the kids think that everything is clean even if it's drenched in mud and covered in stains. Once we finally took a basket of clothes and headed up to the well, we were able to clean everything fairly quickly. With our first chore down we then headed back to the garden, where we would be raking trash for the next hour and a half. Seeing as though the fences were almost falling over with the continuous weight of wet clothing, we were cleaning an area of grass and dirt for new clothes lines (plus it could use a clean-up anyway). Under a tree by the corner of the fence was a total ocean of trash, so stupidly unknowing of what could be back there I went under the tree and began to rake, not knowing I had awoken about ten-thousand fire ants, and I'm not exaggerating. On this trip I've been bitten by more fire ants than I have by misquitos, and they hurt. After calming myself down and double-checking that there were no ants on me, I went back to the stage and began a game with the older boys. There are two teams, one is defensive and the other offensive. The offensive team has to say, "Oooooooo..." The whole time they are on one side of the stage, once they touch one of the defensive members, that person must run back to their team, still saying, "Oooooo..." if that person runs out of breath and stops saying that, they lose, the defensive team is also allowed to trip, push, or put into a head lock who ever is trying to return to their team. I have to admit though, the talent to touch someone who wants to stop you at all costs and return to your team unscathed is a talent I do not possess.
Our game ended, I was sweating like a pig, and it was raining, so we started a dance party. I don't think a grown-up will ever truly understand the bonding that goes on between kids when they throw a dance party together. We danced, and we danced, and we danced, until finally it was time to go. Still sweating but wearing a huge smile I climbed into the tuk tuk and we rode away, the kids chasing after us, trying to make our hands touch for just a little longer.
On our drive home Nikko and I came up with a game; if anyone stared, pointed, or laughed at us as we passed, we gained a point. We ended with a total of thirty-five points. Most people just stared in awe at us as we passed, but when we stopped at a red light one man on the motorcycle next to us reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone, and took a picture of us!
"Let us wipe out the past, trust in the future, and rejoice in the glorious Now." William R. Evans 111 & Andrew Frothingham
