Korat June 2006

This picture was taken at the kindergarten in the slum area near Sri Pattana Hotel in Nakhon Ratchasima.

I was there for only a while, but it was very hard for me to be able to share their temporal joy. Their joy from having chocolates and sculpting balloons for that afternoon as we came to visit.

I found it difficult to just be able to play with them because I cannot pretend that the environment they live in, does not exist. I cannot ignore the nagging thought in my mind about their future and their destiny.

But somehow this boy particularly, was very insistent. He was the consummate model, posing way faster than I can photograph. It was as if he was beckoning me to leave my cares behind and play with him.

We left the kindergarten some money before we left. I know it is not much, but we hope it would at least help them tide through a while at least.