More good news from the SFODA orphanage over here in Cambodia where for the first time we could sit back and enjoy the fruits of our work as the older children created, rehearsed, and performed some short plays for us - in English!
Please take a moment to appreciate that these children have never done anything like this before. The teaching system here seems to be very old school and based on repetition so asking the children to go away to create something and perform it for the rest of the students was high-risk and could have easily bombed. But no. They delivered, and they delivered with gusto. Mrs Ouk, the director of the orphanage who is a severe-looking woman and very much the disciplinarian (yet with a heart of gold) was very impressed and in her limited English asked me to paint the words ‘Helen O'Grady’ on a wall which is full of wonderful artwork. I am very proud as I write this.
We are also working on a banner which the children at SFODA have been happily painting in for the past few days. We will be officially unveiling it tomorrow, our last day here.
In yesterday's update I mentioned that we were looking into ways to end our project here with a bang - I say "end"' but I mean "pause for now" of course - so what better way to say goodbye than with a farewell party? So this morning, like utter mġienen, we went rummaging through markets and shops to find the best prices on balloons, streamers, posters and music CDs, miscellaneous goodies and whatever else it takes to throw a good party. Of course, we also stocked up on tissues because I have a feeling we're going to need them too.
We have in the meantime been gathering information and bios of the children we hope to find sponsors for when we get back home - and as sad as they are, they must be seen as tales of hope.
Sreypheap for one. She is seven years old and very frail of frame. But that's where the frailty ends. At just over one meter tall she is the youngest of 10 children as a result of which we think she maybe didn't get enough nutrition as a baby - hence her size. Her father scrapes a living shovelling rocks for a contractor and cannot afford to give his children the life they deserve but the siblings adore one other and it’s a pleasure to see the love they share. As for Sreypheap, my God, she's intelligent. She observes, and observes and then perfects whatever it is she sets out to do, and I've seen her dishing out orders to the older children. We call Sreypheap ‘Madam Prime Minister’ because nobody messes with her and she is a born leader. LRDE was desperately looking for someone to sponsor her education but I'm afraid she's no longer available. I'm sponsoring Cambodia’s future PM myself!
That’s all from us for today. But I will leave you with this: At this very moment there is someone outside selling second-hand underwear: 3 for a dollar. So if anybody back home wants to stock up, please let us know... :)
Choom Reap Lear