------------------UNDERNEATH THE SURFACE------------------ (Sex Trade Documentary)

8/9/09 (Mon) Today was my first day teaching the film class to the girls at TLC. I must admit I was pretty nervous and nowhere near as prepared as I would have liked to have been. I didn’t know what to expect, but it seemed to go really well. A counselor and Zaya (my spelling) helped translate for me. It didn’t go how I planned, I had to change it as I went to film the girls, but it went pretty well. They all voted and decided that they wanted to make a movie about their real life, about themselves and their family. I was really excited, but somewhat surprised that they were willing and ready to take that on. At the end of class I had them try to figure out not just what they wanted to talk about in the movie, but why. Trying to get them to see that they need a purpose, a reason for saying what they want to say and figuring out who their audience was. Most of the girls worked really hard on it, but some didn’t even try. I gave it as homework hoping that some of the girls would be able to think about it and write something before tomorrow’s class. One of the girls started crying and I didn’t know if it was because she was frustrated that she couldn’t think of what to write, or if it was because she had to think about the pain in her life. For a minute I was like, oh no, what have I done, this was a horrible mistake! Zaya helped her and I think she was fine in the end. 

After the class one of the girls we call “little Zaya” gave me some bracelets, it was so sweet. We hung out it the office at TLC while Jen took pics of the girls. I was learning a little Khmer (Cambodian) language and trying to write it down in a way that I would remember. Little P-diddy (P-rone) is one sharp cookie and can copy anything down in English and can pretty much say it right on after only hearing it once! 

I was sitting in a chair in the office and the girl that had been crying in class sat on the floor and put her head in my lap and wrapped her arms around me. She said something in Khemer (Cambodian) and the counselor translated telling me that she said she loved me so much and even dreamt about me! I couldn’t believe my ears, I almost started crying. Although she has been at TLC for about a year she still cries at least twice a day and obviously has deep, deep issues, it’s so sad, and she’s so sweet. It just breaks my heart to think of what these girls have been through.  

Zaya told us a really hard and moving story that one of the graduates of TLC went through before she came to Transitions. At 11 years old the girls mom had her go with these people to, what she thought was, work at a restaurant. To make a long story short the girl was sold into another country and found by the police with a man holding her hand on a bed. She didn’t speak the language and she was scared out of her mind. When the police questioned her she tried to tell them that her mom sent her work at a restaurant, and so they assumed her mom had sold her and they sent her mom to prison for 11 years! So not only does this poor girl have to deal with being sex trafficked and all the horrors associated with it, but she also has to deal with the guilt of sending her mom to prison! Zaya was crying a bit when telling the story and I was extremely choked up. It’s hard to not get too overwhelmed and visualize what’s going on, because then you just get consumed by it and can’t really do any good when you are in that place. It is important to face the crap and deal with it though, not bottling it up. 

Okay, so we are extremely lucky/blessed that this horrible typhoon didn’t get us here. In Taiwan there were 400 people missing, and millions were evacuated out of China! It went right over where we flew in, in Taiwan. I just can’t believe it, Steph had to cancel her Loes trip, which is just North of us, because of the typhoon! Reminds me of when I was in Georgia when there was the massive hurricane that hit many states around us and we had severe winds storms, but nothing too major. There isn’t any storms here though, just bouts of strong winds once in a great while for a short time.  

By the way, did I mention that it’s freaking hot here and I’m gonna sweat to death? ;) Even James & Athena, who lived here for years, can’t seem to handle the heat. James is always in a pool of sweat. I’m sure that he’d love to know that I mentioned that in my blog.

Not long before we left “little Zaya”  wanted to trade rings with me. Ha, ha, ha, I told her (through an interpreter) that it was my wedding ring and I couldn’t give it to her. She still insisted that I take her ring that she wears everyday! I tried to have her keep it, but she insisted, so I did. I need to find a little ring somewhere to give her. They seem to do that, just easily give what they have to others. They’d rather make others happy then to keep it themselves. These girls truly are amazing. They have endured so much, yet they are more positive and loving then any American teenager who hasn’t experienced even half of their pain and loss. 

Steph seems to have “the room of plagues,” as it has been deemed.  She has had all kind of bugs come out of her drain, including flying ants. Today she told us that as she was laying in bed late last night and she kept hearing water, she looked out her door, nothing, and so she laid back down. She heard it again so she investigated the bathroom nothing in the sink or shower, so she lifted the lid to her toilet and there was a big fat sewer rat that had climbed up the drain pipe into her toilet! She video taped it before someone took care of it. Can you imagine, I would have freaked out! She said she just imagined the guy dropping it and the rat running around her hotel room, nasty. I concur now that it is indeed the room of plagues. 

Poor Steph, her and I have been fighting off a cold that started out as a bad sore throat the last few days, unfortunately she lost the fight. She doesn’t look so good, her eyes are watering terribly, she still has the sore throat and now has a horrible headache to go with it. She was in bed for quite a few hours this evening. I’m hoping and praying that with a goodnights rest she will feel much better in the morning. I REFUSE TO GET SICK! 

Okay, so there is this older man that works at the front desk of our hotel room that seemed extremely friendly and smiley when we first got here, but is starting to creep me out a bit. I think he might have a crush on me. He always has an extra big smile when I’m around and he follows me from the desk to the front door of the hotel asking how I am doing and he’s just kind of creepy. Jen said it’s weird watching all these guys (young and old) check me out, ‘cause I look like I’m freaking 16, I’m with her on that one. So just today on my way in the hotel to rest the other older man was just getting off work and telling me that he gets off at 5pm, and wondered if I wanted a ride on his motor bike, I said no thank you and started into the hotel. He kept asking me if I wanted to go for a ride on his moto and then proceeded to ask if I wanted to go out for Mexican food! I couldn’t believe it, I just laughed and said goodnight as I walked in the hotel. What’s with these men? 

Well, this has most definitely been an eventful trip to say the least. I think I neglected to say that we were in a little car accident. Don’t worry no one was hurt, it wasn’t really that big of a deal. The funny thing is we all found it surprising that we didn’t find people wrecking all the time with the chaotic way people drive here, and then we got hit. I felt so bad for the poor driver, he looked very worried. It wasn’t his fault, some bull-honky plowed right into us. It was almost in slow mo, we all were like oh crap we’re gonna get hit. Jen said it was like Mr. Magoo, he just got closer and closer and somehow never saw us, even though we were this big van right in front of him. When the driver started talking about the police he got all pissed, like he had a right to get pissed. We thought we were gonna see a brawl. Guess the dudes from Vietnam, probably doesn’t have a Visa or something…

 An update on the 24 rescued girls. I think they were all Vietnamese and they were found caged in wooden crates!  4 of the girls have been at TLC for a few days. I guess they speak Khmer but wouldn’t, except when Zaya mentioned food, convenient. Looks like they are doing great now, I saw them yesterday and they were playing around. God is good. 

It’s crazy how God uses bad things and transforms them into good. Apparently the girls mom who’s in jail taught all these women how to sow and now they are making clothes and getting money for it! If it wasn’t for that woman, who knows if they would have learned that. Zaya and the girl go and visit the mom and Zaya says she looks really good. The girls father was very abusive to her, and probably her mom as well, who knows if she might be in a better situation after all. She has a roof over her head, food, a purpose, and she isn’t being abused. Not saying this is an ideal situation by any means, but it kind of reminds me of Joseph and how he went through so much, but God was with him throughout it all and used him in so many peoples lives. God makes beauty from ashes. 

I’m FINALLY all caught up with my journal entries, and therefore my blogs, yeah! Well, I’m still not feeling great and need to take care of myself, plus go to bed early. So I’m off to bed, night.