Cambodia Day 5

The hottest of days, but a productive day it was.

We started our day with games and puzzles, soccer and frisbee. Again we added more supplies to the medicine cabinet, so thank you to those that donated medical supplies. Additionally, I morphed into teacher mode and worked with a handful of kiddos eager to learn. We covered the alphabet, numbers, blends and the like. Anna took the initiative to read some pre-decodable books with kiddos as well. Kassie was up to her knees in sticky alphabet letters today, Jack was nonstop soccer boy, Nina delivered roofing parts for the coop, and Tabor wired away on the coop, frequently dodging the leaves.

The chicken coop roof is finished and now the hens can enjoy a shaded, protective environment. I hammered my thumb a few times, but by the end I had the hammering thing down. When we arrived to the farm today I noticed a large pile of what I thought was soil, but every other inch of the soil contained trash upon trash. My first assumption was that someone came and dumped their garbage in the middle of the night, but not possible because some of the boys sleep there in the hut. I asked  Ritchie the director about the situation and he said that he ordered some soil to fill the large hole, and this is what you typically get.  Trash is everywhere, and I found it ironic that near the city center many signs are posted highlighting the clean environment. Cambodia would literally need a country-wide Arbor Day (or month) to clean all the trash. The people don't know any different, because it's always been this way. I believe my OCD has lessened somewhat, and that's a good thing. ;)

The highlight of my day today (besides loving on the kids) was our visit to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. This prison was used by the Khmer Rouge/Pol Pot for interrogation, torture and killing after confession from the detainees were received and documented. The photographs and actual skulls were sickening, but our tour guide (a lady who lost most of her family during this time 1975-1979) created a realistic picture for us. Bodies of 14 individuals are still held in coffins on site. Similar to the Holocaust, the Pol Pot regime's objective was to purify the country and start new with the Khmer Rouge, thus killing all intellectuals, former leaders of organizations, babies that would be future threats for revenge, etc. And to end our experience? Handicapped men standing outside the museum-we all got "RayBans" in a multitude of colors! (I put the quotation marks around RayBan like I'd be signaling with my first two fingers) 

After the museum, we ate our power bar lunch on our drive back to the orphanage. We handed out some more clothes again today. Underwear are a hot item in demand! Like a snake shedding its skin, we peeled off their sweaty, dirty clothes and replaced their moist body with dry items. Smiles!

Tomorrow is Easter Sunday, so Happy Easter to everyone reading this blog. Jum Riap Lia!!!