Day 5: Getting to Know Battambang and our Pen Pals

We began the day with an authentic tuk tuk ride through the city to a traditional Buddhist monastery. Our tuk tuk driver was the kindest man who gave us an intricate history of the Khmer Rouge and communism within Cambodia and how it pertained to his family. He was so eager to share his love for his renewed country and passion for its story that it made Rachel and I feel truly blessed and honored to be his audience. We drove over rivers and through rural neighborhoods where the locals were giving out free smiles and endless laughter as we passed by. Everyone in the tuk tuks waved to the children, who ran along the side of the road with their soccer balls and soda, searching our foreign faces and greeting us with their warmth. The living situations of the townspeople were minimalist, and conversations were being shared throughout the drive about the simplicity and quiet joy found in these rural villages. We were driven to the Buddhist Monastery. Once there, we were led to a classroom within the monastery by a monk named Sovechea, who gave us a lesson on Buddhism and its history in Cambodia. The monk began the lesson by encouraging us to meditate, or self reflect. He informed us that meditating was a ritual that could be practiced through personal or religious relief, rather than specifically Buddhism. Then, he gave us a step by step lesson on how Buddhists hope to achieve enlightenment, via the eightfold path. He followed up his lecture with the simple truths Buddhists hold dear to themselves-truths believed to be founded by the Buddha. These consist of four virtues that encourage individuals to liberate themselves from suffering through fasting, meditation, and community service.

After our visit to the monastery, we took the tuk tuks to a rice-wine making company located in one of the side roads within the rural villages. This was a family-owned business, that grew the rice by themselves. It was very moving to see the hard work these individuals went through to supply the town with such a necessary cultural commodity. Afterwards, we went to see rice papers being made. These rice papers were used for spring rolls and other traditional foods. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to eat any of the food, due to health reasons, but you could clearly see the hard work the young women who made them. On a side note, these women had the most beautiful skin! We concluded that it must be the steam from cooking the rice papers that gave them their radiant glow. Following these various excursions, we enjoyed a nice lunch at a local restaurant.

After lunch, we were joined by our pen pals and we all went to play volleyball. Although some of us had played volleyball before, as a group we were all pretty bad. Despite our apparent lack of skill (with the exception of Aeriel, T-Will, Dina, Laney and Hannah), we still had so much fun! We divided into two groups so that we could play alongside our penpals. Even our guide, Por Heng, Mr. Wineholt, and Mr. Gass joined in on the fun. The floor of the courts was a soft dirt, so we were a bit dusty afterwards, but it was most definitely worth it!

We ate dinner at Cafe Eden, where they served us beef burger patties and french fries. After dinner, we took an ice cream cake to our pen pals’ home to have a group party. We also celebrated Malli’s birthday and everyone sang the birthday song. The pen pal girls were very kind and so eager to converse with us. They were ecstatic to surprise Malli, blowing up balloons and customizing a cake just for her! It was such a sweet gesture, welcoming 18 people they'd just met into their home. Together, we sat down on the wooden floors of the girls’ home and celebrated Malli’s birthday, and the bonds created with each other caused us all to laugh. Today was an exciting day filled with valuable experiences that have only added to our enjoyment of this trip. I can speak for us all, when I say we are all very eager for the days to come.
Aeriel, Rachel, Hannah  

The primary school where we taught english

Picture from our tuk tuk ride

Group picture of us at the monastery with the Buddhist monks