It’s been nine months in the making but we finally made it to Cambodia.
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| Pre-departure photo at LAX. |
In those nine months, 17 of my students learned about making documentaries, practiced making some short documentaries, and attended webinars about the history of Southeast Asia. They’ve contacted NGOs on the ground and arranged for interviews with artists, activists and social workers in preparation for the documentaries we’re going there to record.
This isn’t your typical field trip.
Teaching in a wealthy neighborhood and being from a wealthy country, I felt it was important for my students to meet people who have fewer opportunities than they do, talk about the struggles they face, and experience living history, particularly from this country with such a troubled past.
Over the next 10 days, we’ll be touring this wonderful country and recording video along the way. The hope is to return with a lot of material that we’ll shape into several projects that discuss the plight of the Cambdian people and some issues that seem to plague all of mankind: genocide, war and recovery. We’ll also celebrate the Cambodian arts and culture, and see how people struggle to improve their lives when faced with many obstacles.
The students will also be reflecting on their daily experiences here on this website. Take a look at what they have to say and how the trip affects them.
Until tomorrow.
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