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Posted on November 20, 2004

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Posted from Phnom Penh, Cambodia at 11:45 PM local time

In Cambodia - With the Children of Apsara Arts

Well, we're in Cambodia. I've written up a few prior entries, but this really marks the inaugural trial run of my little Web Log. At present, I'm posting entries to the Web server on my tablet PC. Before long, I hope to have things up for public display.

Molly and I arrived yesterday after a comfortable flight that connected from Seattle to Phnom Penh in Taipei. For those of you who don't know her (or perhaps either of us), Molly is a Seattle friend who shares my passion for the Cambodian culture and people. The wife of a former colleague, she and I are here for ten days together. We'll be visiting several orphanages, hospitals, and otherwise looking for ways to help the Cambodian people. We raised funds at several events over the summer to be spent at Cambodian orphanages and hospitals. Although our funds are minor, the money goes a long way in this part of the world - and I've no doubt we can make a small difference in the lives of a few people while we're here. Special thanks to the people back home in the States who donated (and bought) books and videos, cards, etc. A few of you even contributed cash to this little endeavor. You know who you are (and yes, I'm thinking of each of you right now). Thank you.

Our big day #1 activity involved a visit to Apsara Arts Association here in Phnom Penh. I received an introduction to Apsara in 2003, and the organization quickly became one of my favorites. Apsara teaches traditional dance and music to underprivileged children in the area. What makes the place particularly special involves its function as both arts school and orphanage. A number of the students are housed on site. And the atmosphere at the place is just positive. The children are happy and healthy - the management upbeat, friendly, and gentle with the kids. For Molly, Apsara was entirely new. Somehow, I failed to communicate the orphanage part of its mission prior to leaving home - so it made a lot more sense to her yesterday why I'd been so adamant about including AAA in our itinerary.

Saturday is always a big day for the kids (today is Saturday), as their regular performances are scheduled for Saturday evenings (generally about 6:30 or 7:00 - I will keep up-to-date details on the venue and performance times in the introduction of the Apsara Arts slideshow I've created - will provide a link at the bottom of this entry). So Molly and I headed out early, snacks in hand, to catch the evening performance.

Our visit was particularly fun for me, as I photographed the kids in 2003 - and lugged a dozen prints with me this time to share with them (including two 20x30 inch prints). I hadn't been in contact with the organization since my first visit, so I had no idea whether I'd find the same children present. I was delighted to find many of them still around. One of the subjects in my prints greeted us on arrival. Some of you back in Seattle might recognize her face Morning Rehearsal , as I've displayed several photographs of her at Seattle-area Cambodian cultural events. A few local Cambodian-American girls, aspiring apsara dancers themselves (apsara is a word referring both to celestial dancers of Khmer and Hindu mythology and a present-day form of classical Cambodian dance), even talked me out of several prints, they liked her grace and form so much. At any rate, she seemed pleased to receive my gifts. The director quickly rounded up several other kids in the photographs - and all graciously accepted their gifts. Meanwhile, as I was doling out photographs, Molly was quickly becoming acquainted with - and falling in love with - the kids. Several latched onto her immediately, their smiles and happiness obvious. We were early enough to gather up the troops for a few group photos, and then the dancing commenced. As I'd witnessed in 2003, the performance was colorful, energetic, and fun. We stayed for a few minutes afterward to get a few more details about the organization from its director. By the time you read this, I will have added a number of pictures from the evening to the Apsara Arts slideshow. Molly and I have already arranged to return to Apsara on Monday. We'll be purchasing books, arts supplies (several of the kids are decent artists), food, etc. Should be fun.

Here are a few links related to this entry:

Scenes from Apsara Arts (Slideshow)