Create Cambodia Arts Festival

Last weekend we held our first annual Peace Corps Create Cambodia Arts Festival and it was amazing. Me and some other volunteers brought a group of our students from different provinces throughout Cambodia to participate in a two day festival that involved mask making, self portrait drawings, theater performances, dance and song recitals and an all out epic dance party. Most of these students have never had the opportunity to leave their villages and travel long distances for a weekend of fun and self exploration through art.
I know that these are the most pictures i have displayed in a single blog but I just want to show how much fun we had overall. One thing I can say for sure is that these students were a group of talented and friendly kids. All the volunteers that put this project together  really outdid themselves and worked really hard in making it a success. I cannot wait for the next one.

The students doing an ice breaker and meeting as many new people as they can.

My counterpart Vanny doing an ice breaker activity on a sweet stage.

I love my students!

A self portrait of me and my friend Jill. My sweet and talented friend Arnaldo drew Jill.

A picture of my students after the festival.

Not only were there many talented students we also had many gifted and talented volunteers who have been guiding and teaching these students along the way.

 Diana can play a mean ukelele like nobody's business.

She can also organize a choir group to sing some tunes such as, The Lion King, "In the Jungle."

Another drawing that Arnaldo did of Charlie. Told you he's talented.

Lets Take a Field Trip to Some Ancient Temples

I went on a field trip with some of my students to a Buddhist temple resort that is located right outside of Phnom Penh. At this resort, I was told that a small bone fragment of the Buddha is located in one of the sacred temples. I didn't actually get to see the bone because it was unclear of which one of the many temples it was in but none the less, I was completely enthralled and entranced by the historical land, the hundreds of steps leading up to the temples and the beautiful sense of calmness while walking around and viewing the temples.
   It actually took us about two and half hours to get there but my students were ready and pumped to leave our site right at six in the morning. We spent the whole day there and did not return until four o'clock. While we were traveling I kept thinking about how awesome it is for these students to have the opportunity to have this kind of experience. They get to visit an ancient temple amongst their teachers and friends and carry it with them for the rest of their lives. I loved that I had the chance to spend the day with them other than in a school setting. We laughed, took many pictures, said and did many silly things and overall just had good, old fun.

This is a picture of a famous and well respected monk who was murdered  in 2003 at one of the temples that we visited. My counterpart, Vanny, informed me that he held strong political views and may be the reason behind his death. His body is encased in a glass coffin where people can come and view.