Cambodia 2011 Peace Project Event (Part1 The Story)

PREVI HEAR JOURNAL 2011 ! The Peace Project
PREVI HEAR JOURNAL 2011 ! The Peace Project
around us. The final sound
of CNN rattles into the
distance, as we leave.
“Six people were killed
when a plane crashes into
Arizona mountain Six
people, including three
children, were killed when
their plane crashed into
rugged mountains east of
Phoenix on a Thanksgiving
eve trip, authorities said
Thursday. County Sheriff
Paul Babeu identified the
dead as a father and his
three children, plus two
other men. All were Arizona
residents and knew each
other well, he said.............. “
A busy day or at least
so it seems lies ahead for
us all. Someone needs to
collect Sre Pich’s birthday
cake from Sre’Aem the town
but I don’t remember who
it is. Maybe its a courier.
Whatever it will cost! The
two Phnom Penh media
boys film Dominic riding
the motor bike from the
natural village to the last
check point. Then we climb
the mountain, panting. Mr
Vanna appears and then
disappears like a Jackin-the-Box.
He glances
suspiciously at his Seiko
watch and then at us,
blinking myopically with
creepy eyes. Then he is off
on his way.
I am standing with
three camera men, a
sound recordist, while Sre
Pick holds defiantly an
ultramarine blue umbrella.
So Pert timidly holds a
paint brush. In the grassy
square cross stands the
Buddha image. Big by any
standards. The sun is hot
and a faint breeze ruffles
my collar. We are ready
to apply the final layers
of paint and have only
two days left. There have
been final touches to the
Buddha‘s face. The clouds
require touch ups and so
does the masonry of the
temple. At ten o’clock a
gust of wind dramatically
arrives and the easel
shudders like a coughing
man, in his death throes
rocking back and forth.
It gymbles like a leaning
tower. Two inches to the
left. Then three to the
right.
“Oops, its going to crash
again,‘ Sambo shouts.
The boys rush to catch it
and they tenaciously cling
to the
wooden edges. As
they grapple with the
collapsing easel they
begin singing. Mr Bora
takes the lead. It is a song
about Battambong. The
boys stay holding the
easel. I can feel the ache of
sunburn on my forehead
and my crispy skin fry like
sizzling bacon. Then, if this
is not the worst thing to
strike the next moment we
have run out of turps.
Sokkheng shouts, “One of
you must motorcycle to the
nearest village. We need to
buy petrol.”
I sigh and think, “All we
have are cheap crappy oily
chinese paints and petrol.
They don’t care. I do but this
is the limit. It can’t stretch
it any further. Not here. Not
now.”
At 12 midday the crew
takes a break and we amble
down and film at Sre Pich’s
house while one drives
to get more petrol! After
returning again to the
summit we begin preparing
to apply the texts that say
Universal Declaration
for Conflict Resolution in
Khmer and Thai. Its a decal
transfer that was created
in Laos. We must transfer
it here. Thai and khmer
letters. Tomorrow it will go
on. That is the final step.
In the afternoon we
are graced by another
unexpected visitor. A head
pokes around a corner. My
friend Bouw has come all
the way up the mountain.
She has a guide with her.
She looks beautiful. I really
like her. But I try to ignore
her. There are twelve people
around me. Gives me photo
of her on the mountain.
In the afternoon the three
soldiers from Australia
mounted. They have ridden
up on motorcycles. One,
Steve, is a sniper trainer for
the Cambodia army.
“The professor here,‘ he
rants.The one man from
Phnom Penh with pregnant
khmer wife responds with
the words well the...
I see Bouw on the
mountain. She
surprises me. She has
paid a guide and they
are taking photographs.
I want to talk but
cannot. Instead smile
sheepishly. She is there
and its a very stressful
day..
As we descend once
again we film Dominic
and So Pert on the
truck talking.
That evening Sambo
on the telephone
outside. Birthday with
Sree Pich at restaurant
Sok San. People drink.
Mr Mao with his ABC
bers , mutiplying
like exponentially
as his eyes waxed.
That night we hld
the birthday party
Everyone is happy. Sre
Pichs parents at the
party. She has brought
her sister and small