COSA

My experience at COSA has …
challenged me, grown me,
broken me, lifted me and enriched me.
I have been student, teacher,
giver, receiver,
nurturer and nurtured.

I am amazed at the changes I have seen in these girls. I arrived to meet shy girls who giggled nervously and did not want their picture taken. They were especially stand-offish with the 4 men in our group but were still very formal and polite with all of us… Hello my name is _____. It is very nice to meet you. (extend hand to shake.) After playing with the girls, going on photo scavenger hunts, sharing meals, learning about their families, hopes, fears and dreams we had bonded. I not only taught them how to use the cameras that we donated, but entrusted them with my camera. We took them on field trips and they taught us about daily life. Two of my girls were determined to teach me Thai and would randomly stop and issue a pop quiz! We went from receiving short one or two word answers to being asked personal questions and given advice. On one of our photo field trips to a Wat (temple) my girls looked perplexed and Aung asked “Why do you like monks so much? You know they can not like girls, right?” It was difficult for them to comprehend that I had never seen, much less met a monk.

After the other photographers left I got to have more individualized time with the girls. There is a private school for the children of expats nearby that allows community members to use the pool on weekends. We took the girls swimming. Because of the modest nature of the culture I was told it was not an issue to wear my capris and shirt, that I would be expected to wear shorts and a shirt over a bathing suit if I had one. Most of the girls do not have suites and simply wore their clothes. I was taken aback when I realized that most of them could not swim and many were afraid to even enter the water. It was a wonderful moment of trust when they asked to teach them to swim and float.

Yesterday I realized that every decision, every action, every moment of inaction, consists of tiny silken threads. Alone they are virtually imperceptible, but together form the cloth of not only our existence, but also that of those we touch. One of the girls with whom I worked most closely, Rin, had a school assignment several weeks ago to write down in English what she wanted to be when she grows up. I have a photo of her holding up a sheet of paper with one word…”Singer” Yesterday I was given a photo of Rin taken this week, holding a letter to her sponsored telling them that is going to be a photographer. She and I had discussed at length options and classes on photography. I hope she knows the amazing beauty that she adds to fibers of my being.

Photo credit Braeden Hammond