8.27.08
We’re beginning to branch out now. Because my last entry had the awful baby duck metaphor, I’ll spare that for now…but I think you and I both know what object I’m referring to, and you may or may not know that Peace Corps, in one session, asked us to come up with an object (and draw it) that describes our strengths and weaknesses. I chose a tree, so ‘branching out’ is pretty normal for me…
In this particular instance, we went traveling. One of the LCFs (Language and Culture Facilitators) took the majority of our village PCTs to the nearby town of Oudong, where we climbed up a bunch of stairs to see a temple, and saw a beautiful wat which is a provincial center for monks to come and study. This wat had a giant Buddha at rest, a statue of a woman who soaked up the water in a lake with her hair to save her husband from a crocodile, and a wonderfully decorated temple with a giant jade Buddha. We saw the equivalent of nuns, d
ressed all in white, and plenty of monks, in the traditionally different shades of orange.
At the top of the nearby ‘mountain,’ and I use that word sparingly because it is just 300 some steps to the top, we could see for miles and miles (kilos and kilos). The top looked down on wetlands and villages. Please note that on the way to the top, you can pay children to follow and fan you. There are lots of stops on the way in case you are hungry for a coca cola or a snow cone, and you can get plenty of fruit as well. Our LCF bought some, in fact, which subsequently got stolen by a monkey on the way down. I’m not exaggerating – the monkey was very passionate about that fruit.
Back at the bottom, we had a lovely family picnic…Khmer style. We rented a table with hammocks tied on the posts, sat
down on the top and ate. It was a real picnic when the ants discovered the area and went straight for the pile of roast chicken. One thing was different…throughout our meal, several children came by with big trays of bracelets and souvenirs (one bracelet even said souvenir on it) or big trays of things to sell. Our LCF bought one that said ‘hip hop’ on it, which is very fitting for the guy whose ring tone is ‘Just a lil bit’ by 50 Cent.
Once we returned from our journey, we went out on a long bike ride, through rice paddies and tiny villages to 2 different wats near our village. There must be at least 7 wats within biking distance from my house. And this is in a village of somewhere between 1000 high school students and 10,000 people. It’s hard to be sure (my family has no clue). Either way, the wats are very beautiful everywhere and they are a pleasure to visit, although I don’t know the proper vocab to speak to the monks yet. Instead of our usual greeting words, there is almo
st another language to learn for conversing with them. So, instead, we just visit, sit, enjoy, and listen to the silence that permeates the entire compound (Except for those geese that are not quiet at all, and angry).
When we rolled back into town from our long ride (which none of us know how to say in Khmer…why would we want to ride our bikes if we aren’t going anywhere?), we enjoyed some delicious coconut milk, straight out of the coconut of course, and recharged. Whenever I am tired or sleepy in the daytime, my family recommends a coconut which they graciously provide from one of the many trees in our yard. It’s funny, I hated coconut in the States, but here it is one of my favorite things. Like hammocks. And cold beverages. The list goes on and on.
I am constatnly thinking about life back at Simpson, back at the PA with all my friends...I know the stand around is soon, if not already past, and I imagine the school bustling about.
We’re beginning to branch out now. Because my last entry had the awful baby duck metaphor, I’ll spare that for now…but I think you and I both know what object I’m referring to, and you may or may not know that Peace Corps, in one session, asked us to come up with an object (and draw it) that describes our strengths and weaknesses. I chose a tree, so ‘branching out’ is pretty normal for me…
In this particular instance, we went traveling. One of the LCFs (Language and Culture Facilitators) took the majority of our village PCTs to the nearby town of Oudong, where we climbed up a bunch of stairs to see a temple, and saw a beautiful wat which is a provincial center for monks to come and study. This wat had a giant Buddha at rest, a statue of a woman who soaked up the water in a lake with her hair to save her husband from a crocodile, and a wonderfully decorated temple with a giant jade Buddha. We saw the equivalent of nuns, d
ressed all in white, and plenty of monks, in the traditionally different shades of orange.At the top of the nearby ‘mountain,’ and I use that word sparingly because it is just 300 some steps to the top, we could see for miles and miles (kilos and kilos). The top looked down on wetlands and villages. Please note that on the way to the top, you can pay children to follow and fan you. There are lots of stops on the way in case you are hungry for a coca cola or a snow cone, and you can get plenty of fruit as well. Our LCF bought some, in fact, which subsequently got stolen by a monkey on the way down. I’m not exaggerating – the monkey was very passionate about that fruit.
Back at the bottom, we had a lovely family picnic…Khmer style. We rented a table with hammocks tied on the posts, sat
down on the top and ate. It was a real picnic when the ants discovered the area and went straight for the pile of roast chicken. One thing was different…throughout our meal, several children came by with big trays of bracelets and souvenirs (one bracelet even said souvenir on it) or big trays of things to sell. Our LCF bought one that said ‘hip hop’ on it, which is very fitting for the guy whose ring tone is ‘Just a lil bit’ by 50 Cent.Once we returned from our journey, we went out on a long bike ride, through rice paddies and tiny villages to 2 different wats near our village. There must be at least 7 wats within biking distance from my house. And this is in a village of somewhere between 1000 high school students and 10,000 people. It’s hard to be sure (my family has no clue). Either way, the wats are very beautiful everywhere and they are a pleasure to visit, although I don’t know the proper vocab to speak to the monks yet. Instead of our usual greeting words, there is almo
st another language to learn for conversing with them. So, instead, we just visit, sit, enjoy, and listen to the silence that permeates the entire compound (Except for those geese that are not quiet at all, and angry).When we rolled back into town from our long ride (which none of us know how to say in Khmer…why would we want to ride our bikes if we aren’t going anywhere?), we enjoyed some delicious coconut milk, straight out of the coconut of course, and recharged. Whenever I am tired or sleepy in the daytime, my family recommends a coconut which they graciously provide from one of the many trees in our yard. It’s funny, I hated coconut in the States, but here it is one of my favorite things. Like hammocks. And cold beverages. The list goes on and on.
I am constatnly thinking about life back at Simpson, back at the PA with all my friends...I know the stand around is soon, if not already past, and I imagine the school bustling about.
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