The Traveling Pal

In one of my favorite movies, Amelie, the main character tries to help out her father. He is a natural homebody, but he has always wanted to travel. So Amelie sets out to tamper with his gnome. She asks her friend, a traveling tour agent, to get Polaroids of the gnome in different parts of the world. Finally her efforts bore fruit; the father sets out to see the world. How exciting!

So in the summer of 2008, I took a small teddy bear with me to Cambodia and I took pictures with it. I completely forgot about this project until I was looking through my old photos. I don't remember to whom it belonged to. Now I'm curious.

Pretty Powerful

I realized that I don't take a lot of photos, but I like to share interesting media.

From the NY Times, a photo of a Khmer mother holding her child who is suffering from malaria.

Photo credits: Adam Nade

Siem Reap, Cambodia

I had a wonderful opportunity to volunteer abroad in Siem Reap, Cambodia with a NGO. The first time I went with Alternative Breaks in May 2008. It definitely opened my eyes to the world outside my hometown. I met warm-hearted Khmer locals, and I enjoyed sharing our different cultures. Siem Reap is developing fast, and the Khmer work hard to provide for their family. But they also take the time to relax and share laughs with their friends and family.

Below are photos from my trip back to Siem Reap in May 2009.