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Published: February 7th 2009
Roof cat
View from my hotel window at 6:58 this morningIt was smokier this morning, with more mosquitoes. I spent some time reading and writing in a hotel cafe that has air conditioning, WiFi, and plugs for charging your laptop. For lunch I had a pumpkin soup, with a chicken broth that was heavy on the schmaltz, with fresh spring rolls and young coconut juice.
I then visited
Rajana, a fair trade, non-profit art and craft association. They're one of the workshops that recycles the brass from bombshells into jewelry--a true beating of swords into plowshares.
This evening I attended a performance called "Life is Struggle, Life is Hope" by the Independent Disabled Dance Troupe. It was like a cross between
DanceAbility and
Courageous Kids, for those of you familiar with those organizations' performances, but on the grass in the yard of the Singing Tree Cafe. In addition to the Cambodians who are injured by land mines and unexploded ordnance, there are also many with birth defects and sequlae of polio. As the roads are improved, people drive faster and there are more motorbike and driving injuries. Cambodia is a difficult country to navigate with a motor disability or any other that makes it hard to manage uneven surfaces. In
addition, since physical difference or disability is considered a reflection of karma, people may be shunned, which was depicted in the performance.
Here's an excerpt from a song by Mr. Soeurn, who stepped on a land mine while hunting. He sang in Khmer, but this translation was provided on their handout:
Thirsty, thirsty, thirsty,
Wounded grievously
With so much pain inside my body.
Nearly dead
My final wish: I want to see my parents
What past sin has condemned me to this torture?
Ooh beloved mother, father, come help me! save me!
Everybody has deserted me so callously. I'll try to get some photos posted tomorrow.
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