It all started with a routine meal at a small eatery next to the old market in Siem Reap. We preferred to sit near the outer edge so that we could still soak in the atmosphere from the street. But this seating arrangement also meant that from time to time, we’d be the easy targets of the clusters of street children that regularly wondered by trying to entice you to part with a buck for their mediocre selection of post cards.
A pretty young girl placed a pamphlet written in English on our table. She was a bit shy and only spoke Khmer. The slightly older boy accompanying her spoke pretty good English so we struck up a conversation with him about what they were doing. It turns out that they were promoting the weekly free Aspara Dance performance to be held at their school the next evening. With vague promises to attend on our part, the pair said they’d hoped they would see us tomorrow and left.
The dancers were boys and girls, aged between 10 and 18yrs of age. We had already caught another Aspara show the night before so had an idea of what to expect, but we were so impressed by the quality of this performance. They danced beautifully.
Afterward we mingled with the students and the other 20 or so tourists in attendance. A few of the students started to play with our 2 daughters and were kicking a soccer ball around the field. My husband also joined them and soon an impromptu game broke out. There were smiles on all the children’s faces and laughter filled the warm evening air. Later as we bid farewell, the Director and the students urged us to come back to play again soon. This innocent request took us by surprise.
Throughout our trip, we have been very budget conscious and focused on the well being of our own little family. This was an unexpected opportunity for us to give back. It was so humbling that our small donation of time could mean so much to these children who had so little.
