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[post_content] => Hi!!!
so sorry everyone for the last post... it was quite short as i was feeling a bit under the weather that day.
im still a bit sick, just a small cough-nothing big.
anyway--
homestays were wonderful!! at first i must admit that i had a hard time adjusting to being alone with my family and being sepparated from the group for such a long time. but against all of my hard-headed arguing, i fell in love with my family and the village. my homestay mother was absolutely hilarious and i miss her dearly.
also i was blessed with the mama dog of my house giving birth to six puppies while i was there!
it was amazing.
so much fun, we all grew so much. ill never forget it.
xo
ashton
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Cambodia, Summer 2008
Hi!!! so sorry everyone for the last post… it was quite short as i was feeling a bit under the weather that day. im still a bit sick, just a small cough-nothing big. anyway– homestays were wonderful!! at first i must admit that i had a hard time adjusting to being alone with my family […]
07/29/08
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[post_content] => A lot has happened since the last time I wrote here, so I am going to write one story, myfavorite, about my home stay.
My home stay brother, Sambo, and I swim almost everyday and today was no exception. We decided to take his father's fishing boat out to the middle of the Mekong with some of our cousins as well. We went out on the boat every once and swam around itwhilepushing someone off of the boat when he or she wasn't looking.
Today, however, we walked the path beside our cousins' house to find the fishing boat missing. Everyone else seemed to understand why the boat wasn't where it should be. I found out when my home stay father cruised up to the bank and motioned Sambo and me into the water.
Sambo and I swam the few feet to the boat and jumped aboard. The boat is rather small and so my father sat at the front of the boat, doling out net, while Sambo sat at the rear steering us as we floated downstream.
As my father finished throwing out the nets and Sambo began to let us drift freely with the current, the sun began to set. Red and gold reflected off the murky brown water of the Mekong and filled the blue sky above my father's head. The trees seemed to frame the river and I had one of those moments where I felt a surge of happiness for being present.
When we met the bend of the river, my father began to bring in the large net he had cast out. I sat quietly in the middle of the boat, realizing that this was a two-person job and my weight was already threatening the boat's stability. I tentatively broke my silence and asked my father in Khmai if the net had any fish. He replied that it did though that felt more and more unlikely as he reeled in more of the net. As my father finished pulling the net aboard the boat I asked him again and he responded sadly: 'atmein-tae'. The net had no fish.
We spun around and turned on the motor to go back upstream. We did so in total silence and when we pulled up to the bank, we only carried away the two fishmy fatherhad caught earlier in the day, which had been swimming in three inches of water in the middle of the boat.
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Cambodia, Summer 2008
A lot has happened since the last time I wrote here, so I am going to write one story, myfavorite, about my home stay. My home stay brother, Sambo, and I swim almost everyday and today was no exception. We decided to take his father’s fishing boat out to the middle of the Mekong with […]
07/28/08
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[post_content] => The Homestay was great. I will update more tomorrow.
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Cambodia, Summer 2008
The Homestay was great. I will update more tomorrow.
07/28/08
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[post_content] => This is a short sensory poem about Prak P'dao
__________________________
I am Prak P'dao
I am the cool evening bucket shower under the great blue sky
I am the piles upon piles of red chili peppers
I am the long dusty road meandering along the banks of the Mekong
I am the old hammack swinging gently in the breeze
I am the small island across the stream, teasing passers by and
I am the endless bunches of bananas, hanging from the trees
I have been here for years, and shall be for years to come
I am Prak P'dao
___________________________
Now we are in Kampot, an old French colonial town. It is nice to come back into the modern world, but I will miss the humble charm of Prak P'dao.
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Cambodia, Summer 2008
This is a short sensory poem about Prak P’dao __________________________ I am Prak P’dao I am the cool evening bucket shower under the great blue sky I am the piles upon piles of red chili peppers I am the long dusty road meandering along the banks of the Mekong I am the old hammack swinging […]
07/27/08
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[post_content] => From Prek Pdao:
My home-stay mother is listening to the radio downstairs. Crickets peep outside my window, dogs howl incessantly, and there is pounding karaoke music coming from down the street. I lie in bed and think about the evening boat ride I took with my home-stay sister and friends...
Picture the most calm scene possible: the Mekong River meandering lazily past a village of traditional stilted houses and red dirt roads. A single wooden row boat creates ripples in the water. The sky is glowing pink. Now add to this perfect image of serenity Khmer techno music blaring from a loudspeaker on the bank of the river. That is Prek Pdao. I love the contrast. How wonderful. The scene is too idyllic, too perfect without the music. But the music makes it all so real.
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Cambodia, Summer 2008
From Prek Pdao: My home-stay mother is listening to the radio downstairs. Crickets peep outside my window, dogs howl incessantly, and there is pounding karaoke music coming from down the street. I lie in bed and think about the evening boat ride I took with my home-stay sister and friends… Picture the most calm scene […]
07/27/08
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[post_content] => Homestays were great. I loved the ponies.
[post_title] => Homestays
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Cambodia, Summer 2008
Homestays were great. I loved the ponies.
07/27/08
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[post_content] => I am Prek Pdao
I am the vermillion of a freshly picked chili
I am the steady beat of rain on a tin roof
I am the slowly snaking Mekong
I am the shining saffron of a monk's robe at sunset
I am the popping oil of a frying banana
I am the echoing call of a gecko
I am a slowly swinging hammock
I am a child's laughter
I am a town caught back in time
I am Hello Kitty schwag
I am Prek Pdao
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Cambodia, Summer 2008
I am Prek Pdao I am the vermillion of a freshly picked chili I am the steady beat of rain on a tin roof I am the slowly snaking Mekong I am the shining saffron of a monk’s robe at sunset I am the popping oil of a frying banana I am the echoing call […]
07/27/08
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[post_content] => I'm homesick.
Having left Prek Pdao no more than a day ago, I'm already feeling a severe longing to return to this place I knew nothing of prior to my trip.
A sleepy, but at times quite lively, village that lays nestled along the Mekong, Prek Pdao is the village in which our guide Mara grew up. At first it appears to be a simple village, where families go about their days according to the needs of life. But after having the pleasure of staying with one of these families, I can honestly say that culture, human connection, and life have never been so rich as in Prek Pdao.
But the homesickness! I knew before I left my host family that it would hit me soon after. I even knew before I left how I would deal with it. I would commit myself; tie myself down to this family in some way. I promised my family that when I return to Cambodia, I will find Prek Pdao, and I will find them.
It doesn't make the homesickness go away, but it gives it hope.
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Cambodia, Summer 2008
I’m homesick. Having left Prek Pdao no more than a day ago, I’m already feeling a severe longing to return to this place I knew nothing of prior to my trip. A sleepy, but at times quite lively, village that lays nestled along the Mekong, Prek Pdao is the village in which our guide Mara […]
07/27/08
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[post_content] => I went into the homestay not knowing quite what to expect from what I was told would be a magical experience. I was not sure what my family would be like, whether they would like me, or what kind of the usual comforts I would be missing. I arrived in Prek Pdao to find a warm family that was eager to get to know me and a first task for me to carry out, washing cows in the Mekong. The family had two cows who lived at times across from the house and at times underneath it (Khmer houses are built on stilts). These cows needed a daily bath, so my host brother and I lead them down to the Mekong so that we could wash them and then wash ourselves. The cows loved the opportunity to wash off the flies and cool off from the heat of the day. These were not the only animals who lived in our house; there were also two piglets who lived underneath the house, a mother pig who had her own little shelter since she was so big, two dogs, a cat, and several chickens and ducks which ran around the house freely. The homestay in Prek Pdao quickly became one of the highlights of the trip.
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Cambodia, Summer 2008
I went into the homestay not knowing quite what to expect from what I was told would be a magical experience. I was not sure what my family would be like, whether they would like me, or what kind of the usual comforts I would be missing. I arrived in Prek Pdao to find a […]
07/27/08
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[post_content] => Prek Pdao is a magical little village andone of my favourite places on earth. Wooden one-story stilted homesdot the village's red dusty roadsand ponies with bells attached to their reignsfrequently trot by. Banana trees crop up everywhere sunlight touches and chili plants fill the spaces between them. The village is strung out alonga subsidiary of the Mekong river and streamlined wooden fishing canoes hold "Helloooooooo" bellowing fishermen.
Our in-country instructor Pho Mara had the pleasure of growing up in this sleepy town and is thrilled to share his childhood playground with Dragons students every year. Here the students stay in stilted homes with Mara's neighbours, sleep on mats under mosquito nets with their younger host-brothers and host-sisters and spend their days soaking up the rural Cambodian pace of life.Mara's family is right in the center of the village so the instructors have the pleasure of seeing students slowly peddle by on bicycle with their brothers and sisters on the back yelling "hey guys, I'm off to teach an English class at school!" or "Just picking something up for my host-mom at the market!" Itputs a smile on our face everydayto see the students warmlyopening their hearts to this community.
Every morning the group convenes at Mara's house to practise language skills and share experiences. "I helped my host-mom pick and sort chili peppers for 4 hours!", "I herded my family's 4 cows and then washed them in the river!", "I performed a guitar concert for all the children in the village!" is just a random sampling of what we hear daily. Mid-day siesta style naps are essential andlots of journalling in hammocks under banana trees is becoming a daily routine.
We are all soaking up this amazing experience up as best we can and will try our best to communicate how much this has meant to us soon!
Lots of warmth from Prek Pdao,
The Cambodia 2008 Team
[post_title] => Halfway through the home-stay!
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Cambodia, Summer 2008
Prek Pdao is a magical little village andone of my favourite places on earth. Wooden one-story stilted homesdot the village’s red dusty roadsand ponies with bells attached to their reignsfrequently trot by. Banana trees crop up everywhere sunlight touches and chili plants fill the spaces between them. The village is strung out alonga subsidiary of […]
07/22/08