Day 5: International Women's Day

On our fourth day in Cambodia, we flew from Sihanoukville to Siem Reap where, after a tasty lunch, we caught our bus to Battambang. We dropped our luggage off in our hotel, picked up the scholarship girls from the Cambodian Village Fund (CVF), and went to an exciting performance by students at the Phare Circus School. The profits from the show support the education of hundreds of other students at the school.

Phare Circus performers

After an egg-cellent breakfast at the King Fy hotel, we drove to the Buddhist University in Battambang. We were greeted by the sounds of birds chirping and huge elephant statues towering over us. As we filed into a classroom, we introduced ourselves to the monks waiting there, and took a seat. The monks taught us the basic principles of Theravada Buddhism, the main religion of Cambodia.

Walking into Buddhist University in Battambang

After learning about the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge a couple days before, we were curious to know the Buddhist response to what had happened. The monks then explained to us how many Cambodians have learned to forgive the horrible things their neighbors might have done in the past through Buddhism. Our conversation with the monks definitely gave us a lot of insight about the importance of Buddhism in Cambodian culture, as well as a glimpse into how 95% of Cambodians who practice Buddhism live their lives.

Our lecturer, Phumchhon Tola

The monks also gifted us a beautiful wooden statue of the goddess Apsara in honor of International Women’s Day, which is considered a national holiday here in Cambodia (no school for the kids). Each of us also received two books detailing the life of Maha Ghosananda, a Buddhist monk who led the reunification process following the overthrow of the Khmer Rouge.

Celebrating International Women's Day

We also got an opportunity to try some new Cambodian delights at the university-- like sticky coconut rice with banana and jackfruit. After a filling snack and some pictures with the monks, we headed out to visit the scholarship girls from CVF at their dormitory. They greeted us with warm smiles and proceeded to show us around their home away from home. We were amazed by how different our lives were - our bedrooms, kitchens, and even our bathrooms. In fact, most of the older girls owned motorcycles to get around town and to the university and we saw them parked in the first room in their apartment!

Tasty coconut snacks after class

After the tour of their dorms and apartments, we all headed out to the village, which was about an hour drive, where most of the girls live with their families when they have a break from school. Upon arriving, we were greeted by many members of the village, who invited us to join them in eating a delicious lunch, which included steamed rice, stir fried vegetables, fried mushroom and chicken, and fresh fruit for dessert. We were amazed by all the animals wandering the village, and joined in the laughter of the CVF girls when we whipped out our cameras to capture photos of the stray dogs strolling before us. After lunch, we broke off into groups of four or five to visit some of the CVF girls' homes and visit their families. One of the groups went to Sovanna’s house and met her wonderful family. Her mother was impressed by the Khmer we knew - joohm ree-up soo-a (hello), joohm ree-up lea (goodbye), and or kun (thank you) - and embraced us in a big hug each time we tried the language. She graciously showed us around the house and the farm, pointing out the mango trees and introducing us to different members of the household. It was interesting to us how close each family was; a lot of the girls lived with their aunts, uncles, and grandparents, in addition to their immediate family.

Sovanna's new house. Construction started in 2016; they work on it as money comes in

Another group also visited Sreinoch’s house and were greeted with the same hospitality we had happily received at the first house. Her aunt was riding a bicycle when we walked in and gave us a big wave. We were then given a tour of the home and got an opportunity to ask some questions about their daily lives. Each day the families go to a marketplace to sell their food, so our next stop was the market. We saw all kinds of food like different types of meat and vegetables, sugar cane, and even barbecued rat!

Barbecued rat at the village market. Mr Gass swears they taste good.

On the long drive back to town, both we and the CVF girls played some songs that we all loved and sang along to, like Ed Sheeran’s "Shape of You" and Taylor Swift's "You Belong With Me". After much laughter and singing on the bus, we stopped to take some photos all together. As the vehicles easily maneuvered around us, we stood in front of a statue on the road to take a group picture. Then, we drove to the night market, close to our hotel, and practiced our bargaining skills for the first time. It was amazing to see something so interesting and different from what we’re used to.

Parker and CVF students in front of the symbol of Battambang

It was crazy for us to think about how different our lives are from the CVF girls, yet how easily we connected with them. All in all, we had a really amazing day spending time with the CVF girls and learning more about Buddhism and Cambodian culture.

Our group at Buddhist University. Venerable Sovechea, President of the University, center.

 - Rees Sinnot, Arpita Iyer, & Olivia Koonin