It is 5:50 a.m. I sit on the roof of our teamhouse, waiting for the sun to rise. It is still dark, but I am beginning to see some pink on the horizon. I see a man out jogging. I hear the putter of the tuk-tuks, scooters, and dirt bikes on the streets below. The city is just beginning to wake. A rooster crows to my left. It's so peaceful at this hour, when no one is around. Ten minutes later, the city seems to have woken, and bustles around, becoming increasingly noisy.
I'm up on the roof trying to get a time lapse of the sunrise over Phnom Penh. It doesn't work. I'll have to catch the sunset tonight.
Judah is organizing and building a farm in one of the rural areas of Phnom Penh. Today, we visit the farm to get some shots of it for the documentary. The documentary is on human trafficking and child prostitution, but we want to include what Judah is doing to help. The farm is there to provide more of an income to provide for the orphans, as well as to help feed the orphans.
Next, we eat a quick lunch then make our way back to the orphanage. We set up the shot and then everyone clears out except for Judah and Landon. We'd decided last night that this would probably help the people we're interviewing feel more comfortable opening up.
Once I've finished helping set up the shot, I go inside to hang out with the orphans. One girl is holding a baby wearing nothing but a diaper who looks to be about 18 months old. The baby is crying, and the girl is frustrated. I walk in, just as she shakes her slightly in exasperation and exclaims, "Stop crying!" .
"Can I take her?" I ask as I hold out my arms. She nods and gives her to me. The baby's name is Deborah, and she actually isn't a baby at all. She's four years old, and she has something like cerebral palsy. She can't walk or talk, she isn't pottytrained, and she is tiny. As soon as I pick her up, she stops crying. I hold her for what seems like no time at all, until the girl takes Deborah back from me.
I look around and I see a girl, whose name escapes me. She's sitting against the wall, and there are tears in her eyes. I sit next to her and wrap my arms around her.
"Why are you sad?" I ask her. She doesn't answer. She doesn't even look up. I don't think she understands me, or if she does, she doesn't know enough English to express herself. We sit there for a while, my arms wrapped around her. Kids need so much love, and these ones just don't seem to get enough of it. Another baby girl is writhing on the floor, crying. She is sleepy. I pick her up and she falls asleep on my lap. Then Henn, a boy of thirteen, comes over and sits down next to me. Now I am surrounded by kids. I could die happy right now.
We stay at the orphanage for maybe an hour, then make our plans to leave. I could have stayed the rest of the day, but there are more things to do. I still haven't seen the Vietnamese floating village yet with my own eyes. Also, it is imperative that I get a time lapse of the sunset tonight!!!! Every night this week, I've tried to do it, but something always gets in the way.
We board a boat. It has two stories: a lower level, and the deck. I am determined to get some sun while I'm here, to prove that I was actually here. It works. I get an awesome farmers tan from sitting up there. Well I suppose this farmers tan got started today on the farm, then got more prevalent on my right side when we were riding in the tuk-tuks. Now I just have to even it out. We float by the floating village. There are kids, buck-naked, jumping in the river and playing. Many are pulling in their giant nets to gather up their catch for the day. Others just stay inside their tiny covered boats, where they live, to stay cool.
According to Judah, this right here is a brothel:
It is getting close to sunset. Mike knows how important this shot is to me, so he rushes everyone back to the tuk-tuks so we can hurry and get home.
In spite of our best efforts to hurry, the sun sets on our way home. The time lapse is postponed. Again.
We go out to eat dinner at another internet cafe, then head home. Landon comes into the girls' room and we all participate in one of our very interesting conversations.
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