Oratory

Last Sunday was extremely busy. We brought ten truck-loads of Cambodian children from the provinces surrounding Phnom Penh to our school for the day. For the past year, my students have been going every Sunday to the provinces to teach these children. Some of the provinces have schools, but in other areas the girls teach outside, under the trees! Today was the end of the school year, and a final celebration for students and teachers.

So, you'd never see trucks full of children in the U.S. However, this is one of many examples of how creatively Cambodians use transportation. Seriously, the things that people fit onto motos or in trucks can be amazing. We had a total of 300 children come for the day. At first I wondered where they would all fit, but it turned out not to be a problem. For many of them it was their first time in the city of Phnom Penh and their excitement was catching! Their smiles and cheers kept the energy high all day.
The volunteer teachers had planned a full day, complete with porfamances, dancing, competitions and games. Below, young girls prepare to perform the traditional Khmer blessing dance. It was really beautiful to see my students take on the role of teachers. Passing on both their knowledge and talents to younger Khmers.I helped out my students wherever I could during the day. At one point (after teaching the Macarena to teachers and kids) I found myself blowing-up hundreds of balloons. By the time we finished, my cheeks were aching. However, the game for the children was a huge success!
Below, children playing a one of the games with water-balloons. Another favorite : ) By the end of the day, I was exhausted. We'd all worked non-stop throughout the day. Some of my students looked like they were ready to drop. However, it was a great feeling to have spent the day with these children. I was completely exerted and fully content. As we piled the kids back on their trucks to head home, the shouts of goodbye brought the whole neighborhood peeking outside to watch the kids depart.

Internships

Yesterday was my final day with my students who are studying in their second (and final) year. They will all begin internships on Monday, the last part of their course before graduation. This date snuck up on me all too quickly, leaving me unprepared to say goodbye. Addressing my class for the last time, I was determined not to cry. However, looking at all of the faces of these young women who I’ve grown so close too, knowing our lives are now headed in very different directions, I couldn’t hold back a few tears.

Later, as I said an individual goodbye to a student, she told me there is a word in Khmer that means “someone, once we greet, we can never say goodbye to”. As she hurled herself around me tightly in a hug goodbye, crying, I wondered how I could let my students go. Needless to say, I will miss them tremendously.

At the same time, I’m so excited for them. Over the past few weeks I helped find them internship placements at various companies and NGOs around Phnom Penh. It is really wonderful to see them transition into the next phase of their lives. I think (and hope!) that they are prepared and ready to support themselves!

Angkor Continued

The second day, we journeyed to Phnom Kulen, considered by the Khmer to be the most sacred mountain in Cambodia. On the mountain, the girls filled bottles and bathed in the mountain’s sacred water. (Visiting sacred Buddhist sites with a Catholic Sister in charge was interesting; while the girls were informed that it we weren’t on a pilgrimage, I think most of them were still able to appreciate the sacredness of our journey). We reached the falls for a picnic lunch and a chance to swim! We hit up a couple more temples that day, and I was completely awe-struck walking through the path and wandering through them.

On our return, we stopped half-way at Mt. Santuk (another sacred Buhhdist pilgrimage site). This was one of my favorite places to explore. Christine and I were the only tourists as we began climbing the 800 steps to the pagoda at the summit. It felt as if this site was completely untouched by the evils that tourism and development bring. As I photographed the site, the students were all laughing at me, I don’t think they could understand what I found so fascinating about a pagoda that is quite typical to them!

Aching and sleep-deprived, Christine and I rolled off the bus. While it was Chinese New Year, we were both too tired to track down the celebration and instead, simply fell into bed.

Angkor Wat

After being asked a million times if I had seen Angkor Wat, I finally made it to the majestic temple in March on a trip with all my students. While I wasn’t able to take as much time to soak in the atmosphere as I would have by myself, being with 100 girls made the experience all the more unique.

Early on the first morning, we all clambered onto three chartered buses to begin the 5-hour drive. My plan to sleep on the bus was quickly nixed, as the girls’ excitement for the trip found an outlet in karaoke. With music blasting and the bus full of girls enthusiastically singing along, I realized it wouldn’t be catching up on a sleep anytime soon.

The adventure was just beginning, though. At our first bus-stop, one of my students noticed me looking curiously at the buckets of bugs for sale. Instantly, before I had the chance to decline, she had bought me a bag of fried crickets. With great trepidation, and many on-lookers, I ate my first cricket! Luckily, it just tasted fried (a rather crunchy fried, though).

As soon as we arrived in Siem Reap, we headed right away to the temples. The temples themselves were incredible, surrounded by a mystical grandeur. As I walked through the remains of these ancient buildings I was awed by the details of these impressive structures that were still intact. The presence of my students made the historic and spiritual significance more real; Angkor Wat is central to Khmer culture and it was really neat to be with these young women, many of whom were seeing this important part of their country for the first time.

On a tight schedule, we packed five or six temples into our first afternoon. Everywhere I turned, I had students asking me how I was and offering me drinks (it was incredibly hot!). Soon we were all heading uphill, to catch the sunset over Angkor Wat. The whole school gathered on top of the hilltop temple for a picture (and surprise, surprise!) broke into song. The girls were all smiles as they received the delighted attention of other tourists awaiting the sunset.

While hot and exhausted after hiking through the jungle and up temples all afternoon, it didn’t stop our group of girls from dancing the 45 minute drive back! Christine and I joined the girls this time. As our bus weaved in and out of traffic, everyone out of their seats, dancing to Asian hip-hop, all Christine and I could say, was “this would never happen at home!”.

Waterfalls, elephants, and dirt...oh my!

The day after Christmas, Christine, Andreea and I embarked on a week-long adventure, venturing into the wild north-west of Cambodia. The trip began with a 10-hour bus ride (fun, fun). The one good thing about long bus rides is that you really get to see a lot of the country-side. There was a drastic difference between the bustling city of Phnom Penh, and Ratanakiri Province, which is well-known for the red dust that coats everything (trees, cars, and you!).
Besides the dust, Ratanakiri is full of natural beauty. It is an incredible feeling to catch the first sight of a waterfall as you are hiking through the jungle. And even better to climb and swim under it!
I think just about everyday we were there, we went swimming in the blue crater-lake. The lake is perfectly round and believed to have been formed by a meteor strike. Ratanakiri is home to many different indigenous minorities, some of whom believe the lake is inhabited by mysterious creatures (luckily, we didn't encounter any).
One of my favorite stories from the trip happened while we were swimming at the lake. Christine, Andreea and I had all dived into the water, when a group of Buddhist Monks arrived for a swim. I'm sure they spotted the three of us swimming in the water. Andreea, very considerately, got out of the water to move our stuff over to make more room for them. However, as soon as they saw a girl in a bathing-suit, they immediately turned their backs, covered their eyes, and ran away! Needless to say, Ratanakiri isn't quite as modernized as other parts of Cambodia.

The one thing I really wanted to do in Cambodia, was to ride an elephant. And I got to do it!!!

After all our explorations in the north-west, the three of us headed to the south coast of Cambodia for New Year's. Here are the three of us on the beach on New Year's Eve.

We had a great time relaxing and enjoying the beach over the next few days, before going back to class.

Happy Merry Christmas!

Through the month of December, one thought kept running through my head "I can't believe its almost Christmas!". I'd never been in a tropical climate for Christmas, much less a Buddhist country. The only place that put up Christmas decorations were the major shopping centers; around the city one could also find signs of "Happy Merry Christmas!". Christmas cards I received from my students, also have this greeting on them : )

On Christmas Eve, the Sisters held a party for all the school staff. The teachers prepared a Khmer dance for the event, and included Andreea and I. They even found us Khmer clothes to wear for the performance!
A few of the Sisters also dressed up and performed a skit for the occasion.
The first time I felt like it was actually Christmas, was during mass on Christmas Eve. Although the mass was celebrated in Khmer for the most part, somewhere between hearing Christmas songs I finally felt the Christmas spirit. After mass, we returned home and celebrated with the Sisters; opening presents, playing games, and eating.
Christmas morning, Christine, Andreea and I woke up early to prepare a special breakfast for the community of Eggs Benedict. Here are some of the Sisters about to dig in!
Later that day we had a big Christmas lunch complete with games and dancing : )

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever!

The month of December was dedicated to preparing for the school's annual Christmas play. The play this year was "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever". Coincidentally, Christine happened to bring the DVD of this story with her to Cambodia before the play had even been selected for the year! Our school's play is greatly anticipated by a number of expats as Cambodia is 95% Buddhist.

During this month, our class schedule changed just about everyday (as practice shifted from the morning, to the afternoon, to mid-day). While I consider myself a fairly patient person, I really had to remind myself to be flexible throughout these constant changes.

Somehow, I was but in charge of the choir for the Christmas play. Anyone who has ever heard me sing, knows just how ridiculous this is...while I play piano and clarinet I can't carry a tune to save my life. Despite this, I had a lot of fun singing everyday with the chorus.

Here I am with the chorus

The dress rehearsal...

The angels...

Mary and Joseph...

Before major events, the blessing dance is performed. Below, students performed the dance before the start of the play.

The 23rd of December was the official performance of the Christmas Play. After the performance, the school had its Christmas party (complete with Khmer dancing and a gift exchange). The students always love seeing me attempt Khmer dance : )