The last few days have been really great since getting back from Siem Reap. Not going to lie, but by the end of it, I was getting pretty templed out so it was nice to head back to our base camp, which we now call the Red House. When we got back, our little guard kitty, Tabi, was there waiting for us and was excited for us to be home.
The next few days were spent at our volunteer project. Our goal was to finish the house before the weekend came, but with everyone tired from the long journey back from Siem Reap it was somewhat slow going, especially in the heat. Those two days of working were long and required a lot of hard work, but it was really worth all the blood, sweat, and tears since we were able to finish the house for the family to move into over the weekend! The moment when we finished the house was almost surreal. To see the smiling faces of the family, knowing they now a had their own place to live, was the most incredible feeling of accomplishment. Simply knowing that we just gave this family a new start to their lives brought a lot of tears. As we were taking photos and having a group hug at the end, we all began crying. What a great feeling to start the weekend off with!
Friday evening we travelled to the city of Kampot to the Bodhi Villa where we would be staying for the weekend. The Bodhi Villa was bumpin' when we arrived Friday night! The music was loud and buzzing with Australian accents from the Aussie's who run the place. We decided to celebrate and ate and drank to all of our hearts' content. Even when most of us were partied out, the music continued until about 3 am. Thank goodness for the creation of earplugs! In the morning as we all dragged ourselves out of bed, we woke up to a beautiful riverside and the sun shining on the water making it glisten. Arriving in the dark the night before didn't provide the spectacular view that we had in the morning when all was illuminated by the sun. We ended up going on a trek up one of the mountains in the afternoon where we saw the ruins of a school, a church, and an old hotel. We walked around taking photos and joking together, so it was all pretty fun. Today's adventures include swimming in the river at our guesthouse, laying in the sun, and drinking mango, banana, papaya smoothies on the deck. What a perfect Sunday! We'll be starting to work at the school with local English teachers and the kindergarten class and construct a community latrine tomorrow. Namaste friends!
The traveling gypsy
Maggie B
DWC Student Participant
Cambodia, May 2012
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