Aside from Jim nearly drowning in the pool today, he continues to lead us valiantly through the streets of Phnom Penh vigorously (a gust of wind sent a wave over Jim during a backstroke and nearly wiped him out; thankfully, he continues to be our fearless leader and the score remains, Jim 1 : Nature 0)
Funny thing about the pool, though, is that there's a large sign that reads, "No Spitting". So, while we're not sure why the water's murky, at least we know there isn't spit in it!
It's been great roaming down the streets (particularly after 6pm, which we were warned is when the streets become dangerous), searching for unique foods (fish head, anyone?) followed by a brief exploration of the area. Tonight, after having pizza and burgers (which did not taste so much like pizza and burgers as we know them. Kevin believes his "beef" burger was a yak burger). Then, we proceeded to walk further down so we could rent a Tuk-Tuk (small carriage toted around by a motorbike).
Jim and I have a favorite amongst the children. I believe her name is Ka-moi (below). She is incredibly smart (top student in her English class); wonderfully athletic (she wore both of us out during our volleyball game today, and she was sick!); and has an impressively fierce spirit (she demanded to be a volleyball team of her own versus everyone else). Needless to say, she is definitely my personal favorite. I would take her home with me in a heartbeat.
Jim and Little Ohn
Kevin continues to remain a crowd favorite ever since he started lifting the kids in the air and flipping them over. One little girl, Pi (pronounced, pea), is particularly fond of him. Kevin had discovered that she and her mother live a couple of houses down from Rahab's House and is a prostitute; chances are that little Pi has or will soon be trafficked herself. Another little girl who Jim and I were playing with had been trafficked since she was 5 year old; it was only 3 weeks ago that her grandmother decided to no longer prostitute her. It is perhaps the hardest thing to accept that when I hold each child close to me in love, another has done so in lust.
Teeth Cleaning Demos
We rode to two nearby brick factories to demonstrate how to properly brush your teeth. Kevin demonstrated teeth cleaning in the first village, then was partnered with Jim in the next village. Both of them did an excellent job! Jim is a born entertainer and both he and Kevin can now add to their resume, "Doctor" and "Actor". Unfortunately, the internet here is too slow for me to upload a video that I'd taken of them, but will post it as soon as I get back for your entertainment!
Photos from First Brick Factory
During the teeth brushing demos, Kevin would ask for a couple of volunteers to show off what they'd learned and Jim would give them t-shirts as rewards. Kevin did an excellent job explaining how to properly brush your teeth (so well, in fact, that Jim now knows how to do it!) and Jim did a great job showing how not to brush your teeth. I must say, they do make a great team! After each demo, we passed out toothbrushes and toothpaste (we had taken 500 of each with us to Cambodia). The second brick factory was larger than the first and appeared to be more "successful" in that there were several factories and had a larger work force. Apparently, I have many admirers from the second brick factory and Bridget had said that I should be expecting marriage proposals on my next visit. Ha!
About 1/3 of those whom we visited attend Pastor Chantah's church in Rahab's House. "Slowly, one by one, I will get them all [to come to church]," he declares.
Brick Factories
How long, O Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen?
Or cry out to you, "Violence!"
but you do not save?
Why do you make me look at injustice?
Why do you tolerate wrong?
Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife and conflict abounds.
Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails.
The wicked hem in the righteous,
so that justice is perverted.
- Habakkuk 1:2-4
The brick factories are essentially slave shops; children as young as 2 are somehow integrated into the work force and many have died from inhaling lethal fumes and working amidst incredibly hazardous "equipment". At the first brick factory, we saw women who had their eyes bruised shut and young men with scarred hands from handling dangerously hot bricks. Shacks are lined closely together; hammocks are created from old tarp; and there doesn't appear to be any source of water other than the small river where everything, from bathing to fishing, is done. Which is why in addition to passing out toothbrushes and toothpaste, we passed out vitamins and anti-diarrhea drugs. While passing out adult vitamins, I spoke briefly with one of the young women with Pastor Chantah. She must have been about 15 or 16, and was pregnant. We gave her extra vitamins for her baby in hopes that it would grow strong.
Tomorrow, I will be speaking with Pastor Chantah to get more knowledge of the brick factories and will write about it then. The only thing I do know is that they are required to make 7,000 bricks a week and the workers are not given any proper tools. In fact, in the second brick factory a young girl (18 years old) had died last week from not wearing a mask while working amidst incredibly dangerous and insecure conditions. It's this kind of thing, an essentially preventable accident, that adds to the injustices that we witness and further inspires us to provide them with resources (like toothbrushes/toothpaste, face masks, etc.). Unfortunately, we only had enough for both of factories and regretted not being able to visit others.
Kid's Club
In the afternoon, all of us partook in the final theatrical installment of "The Nativity Story". Alli, director of Kid's Club for AIM, led today and decided to portray God sending His only Son to die for us through a story of a bird and a man. Jim was the man; I was the bird; Kevin was the dog; and Renee was the cat. For those of you unfamiliar with the tale, allow me to weave the Cliff Notes version for you here:
The Man and The Bird
A man had been gazing out his window one winter's day when he caught sight of a beautiful, green bird. He had motioned for the bird to enter through his door, knowing that it was far too cold for the bird outside. But the bird did not understand that the man had wanted her to enter through the door, and instead attempted flying in through the window, crashing into it each time she tried. So, the man thought that sending his dog to bring her in would work! (Enter Kevin) "Woof, woof!" The dog's barking frightened the little bird, and she retaliated by beating him into submission with her powerful wings!! (as you can tell, I had a lot of fun playing this role!). The dog fled from the bird, humiliated by his defeat. Since the dog didn't succeed, the man sent out his cat (enter Renee). "Meow, meow!" The bird was just as terrified as when she had encountered the dog, and began beating the cat away. The man, now frustrated at his failed attempts, decided that he would dress up as a bird to lure the bird inside! But even though the man looked like a bird and tweeted like a bird, the beautiful bird was not so easily persuaded and continued to crash into the window until she died.
Well, not a very happy story! But the kids seemed to enjoy my crashing into Jim and beating up Kevin (can't say I blame them; I enjoyed it, too!).
** Be sure to check back later for photos of the drama! I forgot to steal them from Kevin's camera before he took off for bed...**
Arts & Crafts
Thanksgiving
This morning before heading out to Svay Pak, I ran into Don and Bridget in the lobby of our hotel. Apparently, they had another team from Virginia visiting and they were seeing them off. "Tomorrow's Thanksgiving!" exclaimed Bridget. How odd; I'd forgotten the holiday! I recall Jim asking the church if they could send us one of those Thanksgiving dinners, but not one of us had remembered the holiday. Tomorrow evening, Don, Bridget, Alli and Ruthie are joining us for a buffet-style dinner where apparently Jackie Kennedy had once stayed and who had special wine glasses made in her honor. Should be good!
On Friday, Kid's Club is having a big birthday party for Jesus! The public schools have given the kids special permission to attend this event, so we are expecting nearly 120+ kids. Interestingly, 1/3 of the year is spent in holidays here in Cambodia. "They celebrate everything," says Bridget. "So, if you're looking to party, this is the place to be!"
Why Cambodia?
"I never really know what to say to people when they ask me this question," says Kevin while we're both busily typing away at the computer, informing everyone of our trip. "You simply have to be in it." Indeed...
The truth is, though, that you really do have to be in it in order to really answer a question like that. And it's not too long before the question turns from, "Why Cambodia?" to "Why not Cambodia?"
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