Cambodia: Day 9 & Day 10

Day 9

Our project is almost at an end! We have come so far; less than a week ago, I picked up trash and pulled the grass out of a large rectangle area, and today we finally put up the last of the walls. I can feel the excitement in the air in the orphanage every second we become closer to being finished. The girls look into the windows and today they played ring around the rosy with Lisa Marie inside the new house when all the concrete was dried. It is so exciting that we have not only made an emotional impact on these children, but a physical one as well.

I started to make friendship bracelets with Roat and his brother Ret. They taught me how to make a
certain type of bracelet that spirals around itself. Roat and his brother Ret are probably the most talented people I have ever met in my entire life. It’s strange to think that even though we don’t speak the same language, we are able to build friendships that will last a lifetime.

Day 10

Today was so much fun! We put in the bunk beds and cut out windows in the girls’ house. We were all inside and the girls would stand outside and watch us put their beds together. In the second half of the day, Meaghan and I went to the school and taught the children for the afternoon classes. We switched off; I taught the first class, and the second class Meaghan taught. I worked in the preschool/ “library” and somehow by some miracle I got 7 screaming children to all sit down in a circle and go through colors, numbers, clothing items, and different emotions for about an hour. I have fallen in complete love with every child I meet and I can’t wait to continue making memories with them.