Showing posts with label kids. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kids. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

"Please, lady, buy this for only one dollar..."



In Phnom Penh there are a lot of children selling (copied, not original) books or drinks to tourists in the street. Tourists should, however, not buy anything to prevent the misuse of children on the longterm as they do not profit from their sells. An advice which is hard to follow. Some, like this boy, like to train their English and they often speak better than other children. Besides they are very interested in learning about the different countries. Hopefully this will help them in the future.

In Siem Reap, which is more touristic, it is almost impossible to enter the little shops on the markets as everybody tries so hard to sell you postcards, clothes or pineapples (usually they all sell the same).

This girl tries to sell drinks to boat passengers. She was brought by a little boat, but had to swim back, without having sold anything.






Some people seem to cry almost, having difficulties to walk but start insulting those who do not give anything the next moment, walking away normally. Some kids point at your bag or follow you for several minutes repeating "dollar, dollar". We preferred to give food or drinks in some cases, luckily many people do this instead of giving money.

Anyway: hard, hard, hard.

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

The Children of the eternal smile


Since we started walking around the streets of the towns near by, we realized how friendly and warm the people are here.

Specially the children, every time they see us they scream: HELLOOOO, and they won't stop until you answer back.

Even though they live in very questionable conditions, they still keep that BIG smile on their faces.
They make you feel welcome!!

If you take a picture of them, show it after to them, they love to see themselves on the camera screen.

We have dinner every night at the orphanage of the Khmer Foundation, they take care of more or less 50 kids, most of them boys. Every night, when they come to eat, they sing a song to give thanks for their food. The song is beautiful.

It makes you think, how a country with so many problems and difficulties, still has the kids with the biggest smiles we have seen.