Adventures continue in my neck of the woods. A few days ago we left the city of Phnom Penh and travelled to the very small village of Chamcar Bei. It is a totally beautiful place, although you can't even find it on google maps, its so tiny. We began our work placement there. With only a few days of work, we were able to put the framework of the house up and put the thatching on the roof. I can't even begin to describe the feelings I felt when we finished the thatching on the roof and saw all of the smiling faces of the family to move in. It was amazing. They shared mangoes with us and we laughed and danced under the roof in celebration.
A couple of things about Cambodia that I have very quickly fallen in love with are the people and the sunrises. Cambodians are the most honest people in the entire world. As we ride to work in the mornings and afternoons on our bikes, tons and tons of kids greet us with frantic waves and hello's as we drive past. They know that they will be seeing us at the school and they are extremely excited to see us as we pass by. Also, any time you are being thanked for something, the Cambodians with their hands in prayer position slowly bow and then often grab your hand and hold it a very long time after. They are so humble and so thankful. As for the sunrises, they are completely fantastic. It is the mildest part of the day, in terms of the heat, and it is also when the land comes to life. Cows munching on grass or being herded to a nearby water hole, water buffalo drinking in the swamp nearby, women washing clothes in the river, and kid's happy laughter in the distance. It is a really incredible thing to just sit with your eyes closed outside in the mornings and listen to all of the sounds. Everything is so alive.
As for me in particular, I keep waking up thinking that I am in a dream world and eventually I will wake up in Canada again. As for now, I'm going to soak up every bit of this little piece of heaven that I possibly can. In fact, I have been invited to go to a Cambodian wedding tonight and will be going to the market today to find appropriate attire to wear for it. I will update next time on just how fabulous it is!
With moon beams and sparkly stars,
the travelling gypsy
Maggie B
DWC Student Participant
Cambodia, May 2012
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