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April 2007 
The LightHouse Orphanage in Cambodia UPDATED
Posted on Dec 20th, 2006
by 
Lilylulay
Lilylulay
Scroll down for the updated portion of this blog =)
Oh my dear Cambodia! What beautiful people, what an inspiration. It saddens me to leave here, but alas tomorrow Joshua and I leave for Vietnam where we will spend 4 weeks backpacking up the coast.
Yesterday we had an amazing day!! We climbed on the back of a motorbike with dear Peter, a man who has since showed us a very real side of the country and it's people. So here the three of us are on the back of this red moto adorned with four gold stickers spelling out 7777. At each stop along our way to The Lighthouse orphanage, Peter would pull out his neatly folded towel from beneath the seat and lovingly wipe the dust away, "You must get off from the left, My Friend." He would tell me kindly smiling ear to ear. Only minutes before I had leaned my leg ever so slightly against the tailpipe sending a wave of pain up my leg from the heat of it. Our first stop was the ATM, nothing exciting there. Next he took us to what can only be described as the rice block. Imagine an entire block where everyone on the street sells rice and I think you get the picture. "The train comes here and brings the rice." Peter tells us. I smile. We purchase a 50 kilo bag of rice for $25. So now we have one moto, one huge bag of rice, Peter, myself, and Joshua. Off we go! The drive is surprisingly relaxing. Peter takes his time and care as we make our way through the criss crossing traffic. Criss Crossing ... that 's not quite the way of it. It's more like weaving as in weaving a silk scarf on a loom. Either way it's enough to intimidate even the dariest of dare devils. But with Peter we know we are safe. He is a pro and before we know it we have taken the 12 kilo journey to the LightHouse Orphanage.
Upon our arrival we are quickly greeted with little, "Hello's" and "How do you do's" and hugs galore. Lots and lots of hugs. They are pleased to have the rice but are more interested in climbing on Joshua and I like a jungle gym, and being spun around. After a dizzying while of "child's play," the manager of the orphanage, Mr Lee, gives me a tour of the complex. I hand the mesmerized Peter the camcorder, give him a quick lesson in Pause and Record and with a child on my hip, let him be off to have his fun "making movie" as he calls it.
It's a simple place. With a dusty yard and two gigantic mango trees. To the left is the "new building" Which took a month to build and had just been finished 3 days before our arrival by kind donation. It consisted of three concrete rooms painted white and each with a wooden door. Across the yard you had the open school room, the open boys sleeping quarters, the "locker room" for the children to keep their personal items like towels and toothbrushes and such, and another room that I cannot remember it's use.. medical related perhaps? He took me back to see the open kitchen, again, only two walls and a roof to keep out the rain. He stopped me with a slight bit of worry on his brow, "Have you ever had Chicken Pox?" I assured him I had them twice. The stove was actually not a stove at all but two propane burners, one for rice and one for soup. They were also a recent donation, before all food was cooked by a simple process involving the burning of wood to create heat, you may have encountered this in your childhood perhaps while camping. . . ; )
He showed me the pigs and the chickens, the water pump, the mango trees they had planted, and the new toilet/ washroom. Two toilets for forty-seven children!
After the tour I was most anxious to get back to playing with the children. One of the first things that struck me about these kids is how tiny they are. A child of 11 most certainly looks 7. A child of 4 would easily be mistaken for 2. One girl, I'll call her Sarah, had only been there for six days. Before living at Lighthouse she lived at a garbage heap. Sarah and I had a special bond right from the start, she spent almost my entire visit glued to my hip, at one point we sat under the mango tree with two other little girls and I sang to the three of them before one of the volunteers surrendered his magazine and we took to looking through that for a small while. Girls will be Girls!
Before we knew it the rest of the children had made it home from school and Josh was thoroughly involved in a game of football, or as they call it in the states, Soccer. He later told me not only was it the fairest game of soccer he had ever played, the kids were damn good, too! Off they went for dinner which consisted of rice in some sort of broth and a couple a vegetables. We suddenly realized how hungry we ourselves were and decided it was time to be off and grab some food for ourselves!
Sorry to cut it short, more later on this wonderful day!
The day continues:
Peter took us to a local place for dinner. We stopped to get some gas on the way and Peter spent all of his money filling up. When we arrived at the outdoor restaurant I invited him to sit and he declined for lack of funds, we insisted he allow us to buy him dinner!
We talked. While at the orphanage Peter met a man. This man mentioned Peter's good English and told Peter if he was ever to have a business he would hire Peter to be an interpreter. He said he would like to put on plays and traditional Khmer dancing and would need someone to welcome the guests and announce the shows. Peter asked if I would write a script for him, an introduction he could learn to recite for the man if he ever called him about the job. Peter and I spent most of the meal practicing. I don't know if the man will ever call Peter, but it really struck me how excited Peter was at the prospect. Peter feeds a family of 11, he makes his money by taking people from place to place on his motorbike. He barely makes ends meet. After dinner he asked if we would like to meet his mother. A frail woman of 78 locked alone on the top floor of a tiny flat. It was nearly pitch black as we climbed the concrete staircase. The corners were covered with cobwebs, the cobwebs were covered with black dust. She spoke no English, but quickly offered Josh and I a seat. I got the impression she hadn't seen her son in a while. Peter pointed to a bed, "Six sleep there" six people sleep on wooden boards making up a bed about the size of a king. His niece leaves at 6 am for work only to arrive home again at 1am, by the time she eats and showers it is 2 am. 4 hours of sleep every night his her usual then off to making pool tables. It took me a moment but I was starting to piece it all together. Peter's father, a doctor, was killed in 1975 during the reign of the Khmer Rouge. Peter thinks he was ten. Peter thinks he is 48 now, but will never be sure because the family hid all of their documents in the ground and couldn't find them again. His brother and his wife were also killed so their children stay with Grandma. That accounts for the 7 although there are a couple children I couldn't account for. Peter has his own flat with his wife and two daughters and that accounts for the other four making a family of eleven. With 2 rental payments a month amounting to $120 US plus utilities, it's no wonder He is just barely making it. This is only one family. In Cambodia 40% is below the poverty line. Streets are swollen with orphans and victims of landmines. Yet, it is truly astounding the spirit of these people. Inspiring to say the least. When I look at the smiling faces of the Khmer people I see such strength and courage. Joshua and I have been talking about adopting in a few years, I would be honored if our child came from the country of Cambodia.
Oh my dear Cambodia! What beautiful people, what an inspiration. It saddens me to leave here, but alas tomorrow Joshua and I leave for Vietnam where we will spend 4 weeks backpacking up the coast.
Yesterday we had an amazing day!! We climbed on the back of a motorbike with dear Peter, a man who has since showed us a very real side of the country and it's people. So here the three of us are on the back of this red moto adorned with four gold stickers spelling out 7777. At each stop along our way to The Lighthouse orphanage, Peter would pull out his neatly folded towel from beneath the seat and lovingly wipe the dust away, "You must get off from the left, My Friend." He would tell me kindly smiling ear to ear. Only minutes before I had leaned my leg ever so slightly against the tailpipe sending a wave of pain up my leg from the heat of it. Our first stop was the ATM, nothing exciting there. Next he took us to what can only be described as the rice block. Imagine an entire block where everyone on the street sells rice and I think you get the picture. "The train comes here and brings the rice." Peter tells us. I smile. We purchase a 50 kilo bag of rice for $25. So now we have one moto, one huge bag of rice, Peter, myself, and Joshua. Off we go! The drive is surprisingly relaxing. Peter takes his time and care as we make our way through the criss crossing traffic. Criss Crossing ... that 's not quite the way of it. It's more like weaving as in weaving a silk scarf on a loom. Either way it's enough to intimidate even the dariest of dare devils. But with Peter we know we are safe. He is a pro and before we know it we have taken the 12 kilo journey to the LightHouse Orphanage.
Upon our arrival we are quickly greeted with little, "Hello's" and "How do you do's" and hugs galore. Lots and lots of hugs. They are pleased to have the rice but are more interested in climbing on Joshua and I like a jungle gym, and being spun around. After a dizzying while of "child's play," the manager of the orphanage, Mr Lee, gives me a tour of the complex. I hand the mesmerized Peter the camcorder, give him a quick lesson in Pause and Record and with a child on my hip, let him be off to have his fun "making movie" as he calls it.
It's a simple place. With a dusty yard and two gigantic mango trees. To the left is the "new building" Which took a month to build and had just been finished 3 days before our arrival by kind donation. It consisted of three concrete rooms painted white and each with a wooden door. Across the yard you had the open school room, the open boys sleeping quarters, the "locker room" for the children to keep their personal items like towels and toothbrushes and such, and another room that I cannot remember it's use.. medical related perhaps? He took me back to see the open kitchen, again, only two walls and a roof to keep out the rain. He stopped me with a slight bit of worry on his brow, "Have you ever had Chicken Pox?" I assured him I had them twice. The stove was actually not a stove at all but two propane burners, one for rice and one for soup. They were also a recent donation, before all food was cooked by a simple process involving the burning of wood to create heat, you may have encountered this in your childhood perhaps while camping. . . ; )
He showed me the pigs and the chickens, the water pump, the mango trees they had planted, and the new toilet/ washroom. Two toilets for forty-seven children!
After the tour I was most anxious to get back to playing with the children. One of the first things that struck me about these kids is how tiny they are. A child of 11 most certainly looks 7. A child of 4 would easily be mistaken for 2. One girl, I'll call her Sarah, had only been there for six days. Before living at Lighthouse she lived at a garbage heap. Sarah and I had a special bond right from the start, she spent almost my entire visit glued to my hip, at one point we sat under the mango tree with two other little girls and I sang to the three of them before one of the volunteers surrendered his magazine and we took to looking through that for a small while. Girls will be Girls!
Before we knew it the rest of the children had made it home from school and Josh was thoroughly involved in a game of football, or as they call it in the states, Soccer. He later told me not only was it the fairest game of soccer he had ever played, the kids were damn good, too! Off they went for dinner which consisted of rice in some sort of broth and a couple a vegetables. We suddenly realized how hungry we ourselves were and decided it was time to be off and grab some food for ourselves!
Sorry to cut it short, more later on this wonderful day!
The day continues:
Peter took us to a local place for dinner. We stopped to get some gas on the way and Peter spent all of his money filling up. When we arrived at the outdoor restaurant I invited him to sit and he declined for lack of funds, we insisted he allow us to buy him dinner!
We talked. While at the orphanage Peter met a man. This man mentioned Peter's good English and told Peter if he was ever to have a business he would hire Peter to be an interpreter. He said he would like to put on plays and traditional Khmer dancing and would need someone to welcome the guests and announce the shows. Peter asked if I would write a script for him, an introduction he could learn to recite for the man if he ever called him about the job. Peter and I spent most of the meal practicing. I don't know if the man will ever call Peter, but it really struck me how excited Peter was at the prospect. Peter feeds a family of 11, he makes his money by taking people from place to place on his motorbike. He barely makes ends meet. After dinner he asked if we would like to meet his mother. A frail woman of 78 locked alone on the top floor of a tiny flat. It was nearly pitch black as we climbed the concrete staircase. The corners were covered with cobwebs, the cobwebs were covered with black dust. She spoke no English, but quickly offered Josh and I a seat. I got the impression she hadn't seen her son in a while. Peter pointed to a bed, "Six sleep there" six people sleep on wooden boards making up a bed about the size of a king. His niece leaves at 6 am for work only to arrive home again at 1am, by the time she eats and showers it is 2 am. 4 hours of sleep every night his her usual then off to making pool tables. It took me a moment but I was starting to piece it all together. Peter's father, a doctor, was killed in 1975 during the reign of the Khmer Rouge. Peter thinks he was ten. Peter thinks he is 48 now, but will never be sure because the family hid all of their documents in the ground and couldn't find them again. His brother and his wife were also killed so their children stay with Grandma. That accounts for the 7 although there are a couple children I couldn't account for. Peter has his own flat with his wife and two daughters and that accounts for the other four making a family of eleven. With 2 rental payments a month amounting to $120 US plus utilities, it's no wonder He is just barely making it. This is only one family. In Cambodia 40% is below the poverty line. Streets are swollen with orphans and victims of landmines. Yet, it is truly astounding the spirit of these people. Inspiring to say the least. When I look at the smiling faces of the Khmer people I see such strength and courage. Joshua and I have been talking about adopting in a few years, I would be honored if our child came from the country of Cambodia.
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