These are three of my main reasons for staying two extra weeks in Cambodia. I wish I could stay with these kids forever! Dareth (2) is the little boy sitting on my lap, Palla (3) is the little boy in the orange, and Srey Na (7) is behind me.
I’m really going to miss this face! Dareth was the highlight of my mornings. I would walk in and scan the room for him, but before I could find him, he would almost knock me over from running full force into the back of my legs. Dareth is one of three kids. His mother also has AIDS but his sisters do not. His mom brought him to the orphanage because she is too poor to provide him with the proper care.
Srey Na and Dareth! Srey Na’s face and head has almost completely healed.
I guess HIV and AIDS patients often get boils like Srey Na did.
Palla!! This kid loves ice cream! He would finish his and move on to mine when I wasn’t watching…
he would even steal sips of my iced coffee when I was looking!
Srey Na is a challenge, but I love her! I learned that she has been at the orphanage the longest. She was one of the first to go to the orphanage when it opened, but unfortunately she is the only one left from that group of kids. The others were brought there by their parents when they got too sick to take care of.
You can’t do anything without at least two children attached to you and a couple trailing behind you!
Um…cutie!
She decided to use pain as lip stick! She looked adorable!
The girls playing house!
Palla was their victim for the afternoon!
This baby was hysterical!
Try turning them over!
Every couple of nights we were able to take a few of the kids out of the orphanage. We went to see water and light shows at the parks, to ride in bumper cars and on mini roller-coasters, and out for ice cream. We even had a night where we took the kids to see fireworks on their independence day! I really enjoyed our time out with them.
Ice Cream!
There was even an afternoon when I ventured out to the park by myself with seven kids! It worked out well… but I was happy when our translator showed up to rescue me!
