Seasonal flooding is a feature of traditional Cambodian life. For thousands of years the rising waters of the Mekong river have brought rich silt that replenished farmland, water to irrigate rice paddies, and an abundance of fish. In a few weeks Cambodia will celebrate Water Festival, the regional holiday that celebrates the high waters of…
Month: October 2021
Charlotte’s Self Portrait and Introduction
Now that Charlotte is back to in-person school one of her first projects was to draw a self-portrait and reintroduce herself to her classmates. Charlotte’s adjectives for herself Reflective Risk-taker Principled Knowledgeable Communicative Charlotte’s list of preferred activities Play Read Color School Sister
Charlotte back to in-person school
This morning Charlotte started back in-person at school. She’s been studying online for most of the last 18 months. It’s a major transition for her and she’s feeling anxious – we’ve reassured her that she’s ready and that her classmates are probably feeling the same way. We’re grateful for her time in online school. We…
30th Anniversary of the Paris Peace Agreements
Tomorrow marks the 30th anniversary of the 1991 Paris Peace Agreements. In 2019, the anniversary of the Paris Peace Agreements was removed as a national holiday but the 30th anniversary is being commemorated with a 30,000 riel bill. Like most Cambodian currency, it features the late King Father Norodom Sihanouk. Notably, it is the first…
COVID-19: Reopening…again!
This month started with the Pchum Ben holiday, this is one of the longest and most important holidays in Cambodia. Technically, it’s a 15 day long series of ceremonies honoring deceased ancestors but the core is an official week long holiday when Cambodians travel back to their ancestral homelands and pay tribute to their ancestors…
Grilling on our Pot
Gas stovetops have become more common but many Cambodians use a charcoal burner shaped like a pot to cook. We bought one from a passing by cart a few months ago ($6 USD) and have been enjoying grilling with it. In design, it’s basically a recycled materials take on the well known Thai Charcoal Burner….
Charlotte tries some new snacks at Neak Loeung
We stopped for some snacks near Neak Loeung on our way to the countryside earlier this week and Doungchann, our Administrative Assistant, introduced Charlotte to some of her favorites. Charlotte enjoyed the hard boiled quail eggs. There were quite delicious and the yolk had a nice rich flavor. They also came with a tasty tipping…
2021 YAMEN Class
Over the last month we’ve been welcoming our new class of YAMEN participants from around the world. These young adults will be living in Cambodian host families and serving at local organizations for 11 months. The participants this year come from Malawi, South Korea, Kenya, and India. Two of the participants will be living in…