Kampong Speu

We left Phnom Penh in the midst of prime traffic and made our way along the bumpy gravel road to the province---not that I would really know much about the ride since I was thankfully passed out for the majority of it... However, when we turned on to the narrow roads of the village, there was no hope left for sleep as we had to brace ourselves so as not to be jolted against the roof with every ditch and divot. Palm trees taller than any I've seen in the states, emaciated cattle traipsing across the street, and, in every direction, people knee-high in water harvesting rice, all indicated that we were clearly no longer in the city.

The homes here look quite different from those in the city as they are sided with dried palm leaves and placed upon stilts to prepare for flooding. The flies too will be something to get used to as they just SWARM everywhere; though, by the end of the day, I had grown pretty accustomed to just having them perch their nasty little bodies all over my arms and legs.
These pictures aren't great but they're all I took becuase first of all I felt a little weird and secondly, my battery died...

I will be coming out and spending the night here every Wednesday as I'll be teaching English at several schools. It actually worked out really well that this week ended up being just one day in the village as it became more of an orientation and I now know better what to expect. I was able to meet some of the teachers and students as well as the school cook and see where I'll be staying. I only gave one English lesson today---teaching ABCs to a fifty-year-old woman who teaches in the single room school. Though I wasn't fully prepared, it went surprisingly well; I just can't imagine how difficult it must be to go from Khmer script to the alphabet-- especially to a language as idiosyncratic as English!


It's been interesting though to get creative and discover so many ways that we can and do communicate without language. The language barrier is gong to be particularly difficult and exhausting here, but at least I'll be with Tigor who is nearly fluent in Khmer. Despite the barrier, everyone was so gracious and hospitable. We gathered at the cook's house for lunch and all sat upon a low bamboo table-like structure. They kept offering more food and so I was able to add the phrase "I'm full" to my limited repertoire. Kinyum Ch-I-it. After eating, the dishes were quickly taken away and, in Cambodian style, mats and pillows were laid out on the same table in order for us to rest.

Tigor sitting on the table after lunch

Kampong Speu is definitely going to be different from being in the city, but I'm looking forward to it. Also, I know it's going to make things in Phnom Penh that took some getting used to--like our makeshift bathroom and sleeping on mats on the floor, seem like a complete luxury. It's crazy how much we take for granted...