Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.
- Emerson

I began this journey as a tourist.

Arriving in Southeast Asia in late 2003 I was amazed and overwhelmed. The natural beauty, ubiquitous smiles and rich culture quickly pulled me into a state of slack-jawed bliss. I spent many of my days and nights in that happy condition, reinforced by good company and the knowledge that I was not selling my soul to afford it.

It’s odd learning just how far your money goes once you arrive here. It’s like some confusing guilty pleasure understanding what a dollar means in a place like this. It makes little sense, and feels like some mass hallucination or strange secret.

After being here for two months you adapt, and the novelty of those economics eventually fade, leaving you haggling over a quarter for a taxi ride. That perception of value is relative, until you check your bank account. It is truly amazing just how far a dollar goes in southeast Asia.

One month ago, after bouncing around the south of Thailand, jumping into Malaysia and lazily exploring the islands, I found myself in Bangkok feeling empty. I had seen much of Asia in two months, but felt like I was still very far from understanding it.

On a tip from a friend and a whim, I changed my plans and took a sleeper train north to Nongkhai, on the border of Laos. I found myself at an orphanage for children with AIDS, doing volunteer work with kids who simply needed love and attention. I had no idea what my presence could do.

In the time I spent there I felt myself shedding something that I had been carrying with me throughout my travels, and my life. For years, ever since I first visited a developing country, sensed poverty and saw how far my money could go.

I was shedding ignorance, peeling it away with an honest experience. I began to recognize, openly, what my time and effort meant to these kids.

Using my background in art I began drawing the children, and putting together a system in my mind to try and help them. I started to understand that simply acting as a bridge of communication between their stories and my friends at home, I could rally support for their needs.

After the orphanage, I made my way into Cambodia, and heard many more stories, equally profound and disturbing. I translated those too, putting them into words and drawings to share. I discovered that there were worthy causes in every direction, but they were hard to see with first-world eyes. Thick filters were obscuring my vision. When I chose to look closely, I was amazed. I feel fortunate that this place had enough dramatic beauty to draw me here. I needed to shed my ignorance.

But we hear about suffering and privation all the time, though we rarely experience it on a personal basis. This place is thousands of miles from home, but not too far for us to listen. Misfortune speaks a universal language. I am doing my best to translate and render these stories for you to read, to view and if you choose, to help.

This is a collaborative project. It would not exist without the relationship between people in need and our collective voice. Between us there is the potential for change.

Thank you for listening.

 

Tobias Rose-Stockwell
Tobias@HumanTranslation.org

News | Our Projects | Translations | Contribute