Just another naïve idealist

A few days later, I returned to the orphanage. It was the last day of Prachum Ben, a 15-day holiday in which families bring food to their local pagoda so monks can pray on behalf of their ancestors stuck in the spirit world. The children with families had stayed home that day, as did the other volunteers, apparently.

Only the orphans remained. I walked up to the building, Ma and Ly, two six-year-old boys about the size of two-year-olds, holding each of my hands. Svay Lin, the “teacher,” nervously approached me. “Sameth is drunk,” she said. I misheard her, I thought. The kind, responsible man who runs the orphanage surely was not drunk at 2 p.m. on a religious holiday. I walked over to Sameth.

“I’m sorry,” he slurred. “I’m drunk.” Awesome.

I didn’t want to say “it’s ok.” It came out of my mouth anyway. My allowances in the name of cultural sensitivity stop at the caretaker of 12 orphans getting blackout drunk on a Tuesday afternoon. Maybe it’s because, as a child, I watched in terror as Carol Burnett stumbled around in her nightgown wielding a bottle of booze as the mean Mrs. Hennigan in one of my favorite movies, “Annie”. Sameth destroyed my briefly held image of his altruism. Afterward, I wondered…Embezzler? Pedophile? Both?

The kids laughed and pointed at Sameth. Being drunk is funny, they explained. No, it will make you sick and it will make you stupid, I explained, using simple English words I knew they understand. They nodded. A 14-year-old boy said proudly, “I don’t drink.” That is the extent of drug and alcohol instruction they will probably ever receive (not that it does much good in the U.S.). And my brief lecture will surely make no impact.

I proceeded to lead them to a smaller area upstairs to teach my first English class. The kids are eager to learn and listen well. Svay Lin, a bright girl, adept at English, studied in the corner. We drew animals and identified them, acted them out, and used them in sentences. We labeled objects. We made sentences. We sang songs that used English words. Then we played a few games. When it came time for me to leave, I climbed down the ladder to the bottom level. Sameth lay passed out across the children’s desks, mouth agape. And I left them there, with this, their chaperone, feeling guilt-stricken and helpless. I will return next week.