Khmer Beautiful Girls
Unlike most of the Westerners who come to teach in Phnom Penh, I am in the unique and wonderful position of being the only foreigner at my school, meaning I spend all of my days with Cambodians. This has helped me pick up Khmer with a better accent, and given me a great opportunity to learn more about the people, the food and the culture.
Thursday night, my coworkers and I went out for a special Khmer BBQ dinner, so I could say good-bye to one of my former coworkers who is moving to a province near the Thai border. It was also a special good-bye dinner for me, since I am actually finishing up in Phnom Penh in two weeks, then traveling for a month… and finally, flying back to the United States mid-June.
I’m very excited to come home. But I’m going to make the most of my last days in Cambodia, which means seeing everything I can, and spending time with the people I am going to miss the most: my students, and my Khmer friends.
I had an incredible, Khmer food/language/culture/countryside filled weekend.
Friday morning, I went to a Cambodian cooking class, where I learned how to make fried spring roles, fish Amok (my favorite Cambodian dish!) and stuffed pumpkin, which is my favorite dessert here. Alas, my camera malfunctioned and I was not able to document the meals… but I would be happy to cook for everyone once I am back home!
My cooking teacher was an extremely enthusiastic and energetic 24-year-old man named Kungkea. We bonded a bit, and he invited me out to his friend’s home in Kandal province to meet his family, and see the giant Buddha statue. So instead of going out with my friends that night, I woke up bright and early for a two-hour moto adventure into the countryside.
It’s been a while since I felt that instantly comfortable with a random group of people, and its even more amazing considering we did not speak the same language, or come from the same background. They made a huge effort to speak in English for my benefit, and even when they did lapse into Khmer, I was content to sit in my own thoughts.
This is a position I end up in often. The older women who own the drink stand across from my apartment often call me over to sit with them, even though my limited Khmer vocabulary is exhausted after a minute or two. School meetings are held in Khmer. When I go out to dinner with my coworkers, they speak mostly in Khmer, but translate for me when they are talking about something funny, or something applicable to me. At first it was uncomfortable for me to just sit there silently, but now I enjoy just sitting and observing, and trying to understand bits and pieces of the conversation.
I like being thrown out of my element. I like going to parties and celebrations with people who I cant understand, and who can’t understand me. Its going to be strange going back to the states and tuning in to random conversations on the streets and subways, rather than getting lost in my own thoughts, or the scenery. Its going to be even more bizarre not being a novelty! Instead of being followed by staring children and smiled at by awestruck women, I am going to go back to being invisible, just another white woman in a sea of barangs.
Until I go back to my homeland, I will try and document life in Phnom Penh and Cambodia as best I can. Below are a whole bunch of pictures taken this weekend.
Khmer Beautifull Girls
Khmer Beautiful Girls
Unlike most of the Westerners who come to teach in Phnom Penh, I am in the unique and wonderful position of being the only foreigner at my school, meaning I spend all of my days with Cambodians. This has helped me pick up Khmer with a better accent, and given me a great opportunity to learn more about the people, the food and the culture.
Thursday night, my coworkers and I went out for a special Khmer BBQ dinner, so I could say good-bye to one of my former coworkers who is moving to a province near the Thai border. It was also a special good-bye dinner for me, since I am actually finishing up in Phnom Penh in two weeks, then traveling for a month… and finally, flying back to the United States mid-June.
I’m very excited to come home. But I’m going to make the most of my last days in Cambodia, which means seeing everything I can, and spending time with the people I am going to miss the most: my students, and my Khmer friends.
I had an incredible, Khmer food/language/culture/countryside filled weekend.
Friday morning, I went to a Cambodian cooking class, where I learned how to make fried spring roles, fish Amok (my favorite Cambodian dish!) and stuffed pumpkin, which is my favorite dessert here. Alas, my camera malfunctioned and I was not able to document the meals… but I would be happy to cook for everyone once I am back home!
My cooking teacher was an extremely enthusiastic and energetic 24-year-old man named Kungkea. We bonded a bit, and he invited me out to his friend’s home in Kandal province to meet his family, and see the giant Buddha statue. So instead of going out with my friends that night, I woke up bright and early for a two-hour moto adventure into the countryside.
It’s been a while since I felt that instantly comfortable with a random group of people, and its even more amazing considering we did not speak the same language, or come from the same background. They made a huge effort to speak in English for my benefit, and even when they did lapse into Khmer, I was content to sit in my own thoughts.
This is a position I end up in often. The older women who own the drink stand across from my apartment often call me over to sit with them, even though my limited Khmer vocabulary is exhausted after a minute or two. School meetings are held in Khmer. When I go out to dinner with my coworkers, they speak mostly in Khmer, but translate for me when they are talking about something funny, or something applicable to me. At first it was uncomfortable for me to just sit there silently, but now I enjoy just sitting and observing, and trying to understand bits and pieces of the conversation.
I like being thrown out of my element. I like going to parties and celebrations with people who I cant understand, and who can’t understand me. Its going to be strange going back to the states and tuning in to random conversations on the streets and subways, rather than getting lost in my own thoughts, or the scenery. Its going to be even more bizarre not being a novelty! Instead of being followed by staring children and smiled at by awestruck women, I am going to go back to being invisible, just another white woman in a sea of barangs.
Until I go back to my homeland, I will try and document life in Phnom Penh and Cambodia as best I can. Below are a whole bunch of pictures taken this weekend.
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