In the middle of October, we celebrated the Cambodian holiday most related to our All Soul's Day, The girls were given and entire week off of school, so some of us, "barangs" decided we would "go for a walk" as well.
Throughout the school year, the Sisters like to go and visit the houses and family of the students. So due to the holiday and knowing everyone will be at home, we made a visit to Takeo, a province about 2, 2 and half hours south of Phnom Penh. We set out trying to visit about 12 girls in around three different areas of the province. I had gone for visits before but within the cities, and let me tell you this was a much different experience. We would drive and have the girl describe where to go until we reached a main area, then proceeded to walk anywhere between 5 to 30 minutes through the rice fields. We would arrive and be greeted by parents, siblings, nieces, nephews, grandparents and the wide array of animals the family has. Each time we raise our hands, greet with Crim Rip Sua to everyone and sit on the table underneath the room of the house, as the girls, siblings and children would prepare whatever was available to share with us. Sr would begin to ask the usual questions (all in Khmer) How long they have lived there?, How many children, grandchildren?, What do they grow on their land? I would listen attentively understanding most because I knew the questions, yet every time I would try to open my mouth to ask or say a full sentence, I would lose it immediately, so I generally would hang near the little ones, asking their names and ages and using my funny little Khmer phrases. Throughout the day we had 2 meals, along with snacks and coconuts at almost every house and were sent back to the city with the bed of the truck piled with coconuts, fruits of every kind, rice, and a Khmer specialty that I cannot remember the name of, but it is sticky rice wrapped into a banana leaf and filled with either bananas or pork, pretty wide range between the two. Every day it amazes me how much the people of Cambodia will give of themselves and the things they have to people they barely know. We had to apologize for not eating much several times throughout the day, because we literally couldn't eat another orange or my bladder wasn't capable of holding another coconut. (Grand total for the day: 4, yup I had for coconuts, often I wouldn't finish one before we had to walk to the next house, so I just sat it on my hip for my stroll through the rice fields.) If you don't eat, they think maybe you don't think their offerings are nice enough or several other reasons, so we take a big swallow and eat a bit of fruit with the family and the others who were with us. Both meals the chickens were killed the morning of and we were told multiple times how much better the country chicken is than those in the city and wouldn't disagree. I feel I have really adjusted because we are walking up to the houses and the 6 cows and several pigs roaming around, I walk up to Sister to say, "Wow, they are rich." Wealth in the province is quite often not to do with money but with their crops and animals, many of these families have their cows for fields, chickens, for their multiple benefits, buffaloes, ducks, pigs and all the crops that grow within their land. Families are often pretty self-sustainable something I really admire.
The day before we left, several of the girls had cornered me and began telling me of this GREAT place in Takeo and saying how much we had to go, they kept saying, "Teacher, tell Sister, tell it is so beautiful, see if you all can go for a trip with us." I did my best and asked but was quickly shut down and that was the first question at several of the houses when we arrived, "Teacher, we will go to the lake, right?" I sadly had to tell them that I failed, but they were still so happy we came to visit their homes.
Throughout the day, we were told hello by atleast 30 children, had stopped and watched the machine taking rice out of its kernels, strolled through the rice fields, stopping to pick up snails and watch the fish in the water, sat and ate with 12 different families welcoming and happy to share their day with us.
We returned back to Phnom Penh and then on Saturday I and 2 other friends set out for Kampot, a province actually very near to Takeo, but the town is set right on the river and then is about a 20 minutes drive from the ocean or a 45 minute drive to a beautiful lookout at the top of the mountain. We stayed in bungalows for $5 a night, which consisted of climbing a ladder to the room of a thatched roof and four walls with a bit of breeze coming in through the openings, a mattress on the floor with mosquito net and fan and a bathroom WITH an actual toilet underneath our room. Just what we needed. The bungalows were set right on the river, so it had a restaurant overlooking and a nice area for some swimming! We rented motos and explored and had a great time, but my main reason for visiting there was because a past student from last year had asked if I would like to spend Pchum Ben with her. So one day we set out to go to her village, we talked to the Father from the church and were able to follow him out to Chum Kiri. It was about an hour drive, cruisining on the moto and enjoying SO much green and we arrived.
We were able to visit several of the girls and their families and even got convinced to stay with her for the night so we could go to the pagoda with her at 4 am, a usual routine for the last day of Pchum Ben apparently.
We went to mass, which to align with Pchum Ben the Church celebrates All Souls Day a few weeks early, so with special intentions for those who have passed and then shared a meal with the entire parish, mats were rolled to cover the ground, bowls stacked with forks and spoons and buckets and buckets of rice. We sat and met some of their friends as well as talked to the priests who live in the village. After we went to Soany's house and were greeted by her beautiful parents, her sisters and brother in law and her young niece and nephew. We were told earlier not to eat too much, because food was prepared at Soany's house as well, so we sat down to another meal and tried to talk a bit with her family, we were asked the usual questions as well as why we had been in Cambodia so long and couldn't speak Khmer, but we struggled through it. Then we went to her field, and along the way it began to rain so when we arrived we set up our hammocks and took a nap under the house to pass the time for the rain, after we took a walk around to see the jackfruit, mango, corn, cashews and peanuts among other things. I learned that although cashews and peanuts are very similar, one actually grows underground and the other grows on a tree, never would have known. After some time we took a drive farther out of the village and with every moto, bicycle or buffalo that passed we were met with strange stares quickly followed by warm hellos. As the sun started to set we had no choice but to go back towards her house, but there was some confusion about what was happening next. We ended up going to another student, Kanha's home for dinner. She has a huge family 9 brothers and sisters and then those that had married in. As we arrived they were still preparing, they told us we needed to take a bath lol we were each given a sarong and showed to the bathroom, where you scoop a bucket of water over your head until you feel content, completely refreshed. Then we sat down to dinner with the entire family sitting on the tables under the house and about halfway through the meal a couple came over from the house next door as well as the priest living next door came and joined in the celebration. Her mother was showing up bracelets she had made, offering us 2 of them, one to wear and one for when the first one broke, we told her how 'saat' they were and wore them proudly. We tried a fruit we had talked about earlier that day, that we hadn't tried. She told her father and at sometime he had climbed the tree, so that we could try the fruit as well.
After dinner we said our goodbyes and headed back to sleep at Soany's house, they had made us a grand pallet on the floor with a mosquito net over to really make you feel like a princess. We began to get ready for bed until Soany said there was no way we could sleep in our jeans from the day, but we hadn't planned on staying so we didn't have much else. Although we told her we were fine dozens of times, she continued finding things, teacher, try and wear this, yet remember I am a big "barang" and they are tiny, tiny people, so I had a shirt and Carolyn found some awesome Angry Bird shorts and then she came back with a sarong and told me I would be very comfortable in it. We giggled for a while, took several pictures, don't you worry and slept contently until time to go to the pagoda at 4 am. Groggily, we drove there and were blown away to see hundreds. Mostly kids and our age, and Soany said it is always like that, the parents sleep and kids head to pray for their lost ones. We brought a plate piled with sticky rice, a candle and a flag. The monks prayed and chanted for about 30 minutes and then everyone headed toward the main building where everyone walks around 3 times and through their offerings of rice every couple of steps. After which we headed back home, ate a little egg with rice took another snooze in the hammocks and then said our goodbyes.
Really looking back on those days, us busy-bodies have so much to learn from them. They really value the most important things and wow, so incredibly happy to share their homes, meals and lives with us. Sometimes we search and search, trying to make our lives better when some of the things most important are the simplest of the simple. Some of the houses we visited with the girls were very small, yet the view from the side of the home was absolutely breathtaking and the families are so loving and joyful and working together to provide. They really have it figured out.
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| walking home in Takeo |
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| Getting to see a new world |
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| Trying to cut open a coconut |
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| Heading back with our coconuts |
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| The girls made me take a photo with the cow, as if we don't have these at home :) |
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| Our pajamas, Soany got for us |
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| Living like locals, carrying everything on our motos |
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| With the girls in Chum Kiri, Kampot Province |
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| Shenanigans around school |
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| pretty little things |
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| view from the classroom in Kompong Spue |
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| Oratory Fun |
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| Some precious little ones |
