The exhibition is up! .....with a little trouble and a lot of help, the photo project that I worked on with the kids at the hospital is now gracing the walls outside the In-Patient Department. I felt so accomplished when that grid of images finally went up onto the wall. For a moment, I thought it would never happen. And with only two days left at the hospital, it was just in time. Also, the children got to see the photographs that they took blown-up to a large size and displayed, which, frankly, was one of the coolest things I've ever seen (the kids' reactions). It was about a "Day in the Life" of the children. It was a chance for them to finally get some real art therapy and express the way they feel about being in that place at this time in their lives. It was beautiful. And it was only sheer moments after the successful installation that Bill Clinton came walking through the doors of the hospital. He was a good-looking man, but I expected him to seem larger-than-life, for some reason, and he did not. He looked like any man I'd ever seen (except, of course, for the fact that I recognized his face). He greeted some of the children and spoke with the executive director of the hospital about procedures and problems of having this kind of a facility in a place like Cambodia. It was interesting to hear the small bits of their conversation. He left as suddenly as he came. And as soon as he walked out the door, Sinath (play specialist) was telling me how beautiful she thought he was. Soon, all the Cambodian female nurses and staff were talking about how much they enjoyed just looking at him. It was hilarious. I loved being a part of that moment with them. The experience of seeing Clinton for the first time was so much more enhanced because I got to do it with these people.
