My first day at work didn’t start until the afternoon, an indication of the flexible schedule that will surely characterize my summer. My housemate Caroline took me to the Westernish mall after I complained about having packed too little. This means that I had not allotted for sweating pieces of clothing to an un-wearable state every single day. However, like the Central Market (which is outdoor) that we would tour later, the space was so jammed with clothes, accessories, and aggressive salespeople—and conspicuously bereft of dressing rooms—that I ended up too overwhelmed to buy anything except a pair of sunglasses for $3, which I later saw a street kid selling for $1. My bartering skills have improved, but not my ability to handle the immense crowding.
After the director updated me on the project in our VERY small office, we met with the filmmakers who will be creating interactive videos for site users. It’s the same company that produced Duch on Trial, which about one-fifth of the country watched—a huge percentage considering how many in rural provinces do not have televisions. Afterwards, we toured their studio, which right now has a set prepared on one floor for a soap opera they’re producing to increase cooperation and tolerance among Khmers and Cham Muslims. Get this—and this is the best part—it’s funded by the U.S. Department of State.
Later, wonderful dinner at an Indonesian restaurant, a brief exploration of some rather avante garde short films at a Cambodian film archive, and then another fitful night sleep.
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