Hi, I’m Kathleen, sophomore-to-be at Stanford with a wide range of interest and therefore with no particular major as of today.

Today was really a special day. We visited the CLA students at their classes, observing the things they did and participating in their activities. When we arrived at CLA, we did stretching exercises to make our bodies flexible, and I realized I have no flexibility to speak of. The students easily bent and twisted their body into beautiful curves and positions, which looked easy but is almost impossible to do for the untrained. After the series of stretching exercises, the teacher informed us that classical dance had over 4,500 gestures, each with a different meaning. However, we will be learning the much easier folk dance, with only 12 different gestures. Sounds easy, but it’s easier said than done. Much hand, feet, eye, and whole body coordination was needed to put all the difference components together, and every part of the body has to be positioned correctly. The result was a dance both beautiful and complex, intricate and expressive. Many different animals were represented in the dance moves, including ox, snake, and monkey. The dance was full of subtlety and delicacy but not lacking in vitality and life. The CLA students helped us and the high school students, demonstrating the correct positions and correcting our mistakes. They were very patient and dealt kindly with our clumsiness. At the end of the lesson, everyone – high school students, CLA students, and Sealnet members – danced and laughed together, singing the Happy Song J

After the lesson, a brief discussion took place and the team members and students expressed their feelings about the dance lesson. People with no previous exposure to Cambodian art found it amazing, beautiful, and inspiring, to mention a few things. Others saw the dance as a source of pride and something to be appreciated. After the discussion, Aey directed the arts productions workshop, which was presented in the form of a game in which the students played the role of producers to direct a music video. They had to learn to put together different components in the production process (cast, logistics, technical) and overcome unforeseen difficulties.

After lunch, everyone went to his or her concert group to begin final preparation for the concert tomorrow. There was some chaos and confusion, especially regarding the circle painting and the method to best hang the painting as a backdrop during the concert. I was gone most of the time for the painting, but I still felt how everyone was willing and eager to help others. Some groups were done with their work, so they offered their services to groups that still had much to do. More than 10 people were helping to make posters for publicity and directing people to the concert. Students and mentors collaborated with each other across groups to make the concert happen.

Dinner was the not usual visit to a restaurant. Instead, we went to Muse Café to meet the CLA staff. The café was elegantly arranged, with comfy sofas and cool visualizers projecting on the screen. Memorable quote: Rith walking up to the second floor lounge, stopping when he entered the room and exclaiming, “Oo, this is sexy.” After eating food, the staff and members formed a circle, briefly introduced ourselves, and described something we learned from a CLA student. We then watched 2 short video clips, one about Sbaek Thom, the Cambodian large shadow puppets, and the other about an annual traditional arts festival hosted by CLA. One of the highlights of the videos was narration by Trent Walker and a brief appearance of the fore-mentioned personage.

Returning to the hotel, the members met in the suite room (109) to go over the master schedule and make sure all the members understand the tasks for the coming day and what will be happening in all the commotion. There was no Spotlight, simply to give everyone more time to accomplish needed tasks in anticipation of the coming day.

Much happened today, the last day to prepare for the first concert, to pull all the elements together and make sure everything will run smoothly in the morrow. But I found the morning visit to the CLA lessons most moving and inspiring. The students were so patient and caring, and they smiled at our mistakes and helped us correct them. They are talented and also humble, and though they possess amazing skills, they do not show off unless asked to. The CLA students remind us that there is something remarkable about everyone, and there is something to learn from every person we meet. There are always things beneath the surface, and if we just take the time and opportunity to search beneath the outer layer, we will discover something valuable and inspiring.