Wat Pho

hello bangkok... first stop, the grand palace.

MY LAST POST FROM CAMBODIA!!

To be more accurate, this is my last post about Cambodia.  I am currently updating my blog from Pai, Thailand.  I left Cambodia about a week and a half ago and have been traveling around Thailand since.  On my last day in Phnom Penh I went to the Russian Market to get my last minute shopping done and eat at my favorite food stall, which serves Vietnamese noodles.  Maybe I should have gone for some Khmer food you say?  I think I had enough in the 2+ months.

 

Goodbye Cambodia!  Thank you for a great summer!

Khmer Dancing

The kids who are a part of the BSDA's Mekong Kampuchea's Kids Project put on a dance performance for our students after we had worked on our service projects:

rainbow!

A lovely rainbow over a not so lovely construction site.

graffiti in phnom penh

a night out in phnom penh

At the Heart of Darkness in Phnom Penh with Katie and our Slovakian volleyball player friend:

Lily and Pauline:

from sunrise to sunset at angkor wat

After sunrise:

Angkor Thom:

Bayon:

Sunset:

a little something not quite each day while i'm away

So while this attempt at blogging has been much more successful than my first go, I have definitely failed at providing a something everyday.  There are a few reasons for this...

1. lack of internet access at times
2. not owning my own computer
3. I'm busy! (leading programs is quite time consuming)
4. laziness

I'll leave you to figure out which is the main reason... one hint... it's number is divisible by 4.

So for an update as to what I've been up to... the From the Ground Up program finished at the end of July.  I then had one week in Phnom Penh and am currently finishing up a week running a program called the Cambodia Orphanage Project back out in Kampong Cham province.  I have pictures to add from the last 2 weeks but lack the energy to post them now (my camera cord is in another room, it would be a lot of work).

I only have 4 more days left of working in Cambodia.  I have mixed emotions towards this.  I have really enjoyed my time in Cambodia and am sad to leave it and the friends I have made here.  On the other hand, I am about to go traveling around Thailand for 3 1/2 weeks, so I can't really complain.  I am currently planning on visiting Bangkok, Chiang Mai and some of the islands in the south.  And then returning to NY on September 5th.  Not a bad way to end my summer in SE Asia.

So, I will try to post more, but can't promise much.  Well, I promise I will post a lot in September... but try my very hardest to throw some Thailand pictures up as I travel.

Now to get some sleep so I can enjoy my last days in Cambodia which will include one more day working at the orphanage, a crazy dance party with the Khmer kids and Rustic students, a boat ride around the floating villages and crocodile farms near Siem Riep, a visit to Siem Riep's night market, one last sunrise at Angkor Wat and a night in a city I have grown to love, Phnom Penh!

playground!

L'Peak's colorful new playground!

 

Here's a fun fact... if you ever find yourself without paint thinner you can use gasoline to water down paint.  And after you have covered your hands (and legs/arms when you are a bad painter) in this sticky gasoline based paint the best way to get it off is with... you guessed it... gasoline.  Don't worry, the redness and slight sting goes away after a day or two.

village life

The solar powered lamps we used at night and donated at the end of our stay:

Our lovely house... and if you were ever wondering if a house in Cambodia with no windows or electricity for fans gets hot the answer is yes, really freaking hot.

Our fancy floral mosquito net and sleeping mats:

painting the world

A talented Rustic student, Jacky, drew this world map on the wall of the school and the rest of us helped paint it... very carefully.

Australia:

From the Ground Up Session 2:

Can you see Cambodia??

L'Peak's new temple

The monks allowed us to enter their new temple which is still under construction and it was amazing.  Very cool to see the paintings as works in progress.  Every temple has the story of Buddha painted all over the walls and ceilings.  

Kol-Sol

Kol-Sol was the adorable baby who lived in the house we stayed in.  It was amazing how much less shy he was the second time a bunch of Americans invaded his home.  He talked to me quite a bit, even though his babble and my 5-6 word vocabulary of Khmer didn't get us very far.  I tried to take a picture holding him on our last day but maybe he liked me a little less than I liked him because he wouldn't let Sopheap (my co-worker) hand him over!

Our street

A view from the top of the hill at the end of the street in L'Peak:

evening rush hour

Beautiful L'Peak by Bike

Kids swimming:

A boy hanging out by the dam: 

Back out in L'Peak...

When arriving in a rural village with a group of American students it is always best to demonstrate the best techniques surrounding using a squat toilet.  Really happy someone thought to grab my camera during my lesson.

p.s.- this is not the best stance, this is me attempting to get up from my demonstration before a more embarrassing photo was taken.

Wat Nokor

On the way out to our village home stay the students and I made a stop at Wat Nokor, an ancient temple in the province of Kampong Cham to see some monkeys and get our fortunes told.

Me selecting my fortune:

Now selecting a new fortune because the monk did not like my first one:

I was told that in the future I will have a job that pays very well... I hope he meant the near future!

Also, a special thanks to my co-worker Patrick who lent me his shirt and scarf so I could go into the temple. What a gentleman. Women have to have their shoulders and knees covered and I was unprepared even though I had reminded my students all to dress appropriately!