{as i write this a little girl plays with my hair}

she kind of marvels at the coconut scented blonde silky streaks that fall arbitrarily around my shoulders. She knows very little English, but its much more than the 2 words I know in Khmer. She tells me I am beautiful. I whisper that she is my sister and she is altogether beautiful also… but, she shakes her head and scrunches up her nose. My world crashes down Compliments are a dime a dozen, but I am telling you, this girl is gorgeous and not because she resembles some barbie doll. Allow me to introduce you to Ava.

Our tuk tuk zipped around the precocious streets of Phnom Penh until we navigated toward back streets and entered an unassuming gate where we were met by a wave of elation. Girls aged 6-13 live here {i will keep the safe house mission’s name anonymous for safety} and have stories that will melt you to a puddle of tears, but you would never know by the looks their faces volunteer. 

Ava is fair skinned and periodically nods to the left encouraging her capricious side swept bangs out of her eyes. Her delicate hands carry a constant slew of pens, markers, and other means of sketching the scenes in her mind. Beautiful pictures despite the hurt that has shaped her reality. Her mother is dead and so is her only sister. She tells me that she prays to God every night for a sister… and that is when the words come with difficulty, she chokes on her words for a second and you can sense the burning in her eyes, a tear falls, but not without her brushing it away frantically. I immediately grab her in my arms and hold her so tight. She exclaims ‘i am ok i am ok!’ as if a tear is a crime. I rock her in my arms and already dread the day I have to say goodbye. 

This little darling is fantastically talented, she can author images that no 7 year old can conceive, my mind is reeling with ways to empower her. Today I bought her a notebook with money from my supporters and told her to leave no blank pages. She is a cage of potential and talent, she doesn’t even know how to complain, she works hard, she does her chores, she has so many dreams, her name is Ava.

…internet is scarce here, but I will try to introduce you to more of these darlings and keep you up to speed with the happenings of phnom penh. Just know that I love it here and see poems around every corner, so I will try to queue more posts to publish while I am unable to be at a computer! xoxo kristin

** I have renamed the darlings to protect their anonymity

*these photos are mine and may not be used without my permission. thank you!