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.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
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!
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!
silk island
We visited a traditional weaving village that is about one and a half hours outside of Phnom Penh by boat and one of the women let me have a turn for a while on her machine. I am attempting to make a traditional Khmer scarf, known here as a kroma. I asked her how long she thought it would take me to finish and she said 2 weeks... it usually takes her 1 1/2 days... guess I shouldn't quit my day job.
Also, check out my sweet flip flop tan... don't think that will fade for a while!
Sunday, July 17, 2011
The Killing Fields and S-21
Often when traveling around Cambodia and witnessing it's beauty and meeting friendly people it is easy to forget about it's recent troubled past. In the 1970's a communist government, the Khmer Rouge, came into power and brutally and senselessly murdered over 2 million Cambodians. Today I visited the Killing Fields, where over 20,000 people were murdered and buried in mass graves and S-21, a former school that was was used as a prison and torture center during the Khmer Rouge.
A memorial to those who died at the Killing Fields
S-21
Read more at:
Olympic Stadium
Phonm Penh's soccer stadium is open every evening for anyone to come to run, do aerobics, play volleyball or badminton, socialize, sell food among many other activities. It is fascinating to visit for people watching and because it is a great place to watch the sunset. As a surprise during my most recent visit there was actually a soccer game going on! That is a more unusual sight than a group of fifty Cambodians of various age and fitness levels jazzercising!
another temple...
There are Buddhist temples everywhere you look in Cambodia. Luckily, the monks who reside there are very welcoming to guests who want to take a look around. It is unbelievable that there are so many ornate buildings in even the smallest of villages.
Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat is one of the Seven Wonders of the World and it is definitely worthy of being on that list! I was able to go view the sun rise at this amazing temple. I didn't stay to explore the grounds further but I will be back in 2 weeks and can't wait to see more!
service in L'Peak
Three of my students teaching a lesson on body parts in English! They did so great and the Khmer kids loved it!
Some Khmer students enjoying the picnic table and bench set that the Rustic students donated as part of their service project of improving the school buildings and yard.
the beauty of biking
Rustic Pathways purchased bikes for us to explore L'Peak with and I'm sure glad they did because there we had many amazing rides!
Sunrise
My co-worker Patrick got off his bike one morning to help these men move their very heavy looking boat from one lake to another, which are separated by a dirt road.
They sure got a kick out of a barrang (Westerner) helping them out!
painting in L'Peak
One of the school buildings before cleaning:
During cleaning:
Painting!
I forgot to take a picture of the finished product but I will be out in L'Peak again in a few days and will take many. Isn't the paint color I picked beautiful?
Children of L'Peak
For our community service projects we spent 6 days in a village named L'Peak in Kampong Cham province and these are some of the kids that followed us around all day wanting to play, screaming "Hello!"and after hearing us talk for a while picking up on the phrase "Oh my God!"
Here are some of the shots they got when I gave them my camera:
tiny toones
Tiny Toones was one of the NGOs that I visited with the students. They help street kids by giving them a safe place to come learn English, take Khmer classes and express themselves through break dancing. They also have a strict no-drug policy which encourages the kids to stay clean so they can be a part of this amazing group.
Look at her go!
Check out some more info about Tiny Toones at:
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