Nothing but Delicious Food.

ជំរាបសួរ មិត្តភក្តិនិង គ្រួសារ!

Today was the first day we woke to the sound of an alarm. Thankfully, it wasn’t as bad as the 6:30 am wakeup ritual of senior year. We rolled out of our single beds at around 7:45, dressed in our shoulder and knee covering attire, and were walking past the street carts and Tuk Tuks by 8:30. 

Arriving at JWOC with almost ten minutes to spare, we took our time signing in and greeting the children playing all around us. At 9, we met David in the office, where he let us know that Nesa was not coming in today because she had a family celebration. We later found out from two of the scholarship students that she was at a celebration much like a birthday, but for old people. They said that in Cambodian culture, as a family member gets older, the parties get bigger at better as they wish them more healthy years to come (Grandparents and Auntie, I think we should bring this ritual home with us!!). 

Because Nesa wasn’t there, the library and classes were a little chaotic (she is JWOC’s MVP), but that almost made them more fun. We spent the first half of the day just simply playing and getting to know the students. I started the morning completing a puzzle with a little girl who I remembered well from the kindergarten class we observed a few days ago, while Sash joined the circle of boys playing with Lincoln Logs near the door. The puzzle was actually really tricky (as all are for me... I am not my sister), taking a solid 20 minutes to complete. I looked back over at Sash by the time we were finished (minus the four pieces that were missing), and she was covered with children shoving books at her. 

*LESSON OF THE DAY* 

If you grab one book with one student, expect to be surrounded by kids of all ages holding books of all sizes (and languages!) in roughly 10-20 seconds. And make sure to sit comfortably, because you will be there for while. 

As the morning went on, waves of different ages came and went as their classes started. The library is sometimes used as a classroom, but is mostly there as an “activity center” full of games, toys, stuffed animals, and books for children to use in between classes, since most of these children have very little to nothing at home. 

One of the things that touched both Sasha and I right away was the cleanliness and organization of the library. You would think that a space open as a free-for-all play area to children of all ages would look like a tornado hit after just a few minutes. But no, each and every child (even the really little ones as young as 3) put everything right back in its place as soon as they are finished using it. We were also really impressed when we noticed that the teachers sweep every hour, even though everyone is required to wash their hands and take off their shoes before going inside. 

Anyways, as the day continued the kids felt more and more comfortable around us and vice versa. We spent the morning reading, puzzle making, piggy back giving, and (a favorite among all ages), pressing plastic animal figurines into pin art, reenacting the sound the animal makes and having the kids tell you the English translation— pig, rooster, dragon, and the all time favorite, dinosaur. 

At 11, there was a pre-K class in the library. We sung songs, read a story (Sash and the teacher alternated sentence by sentence reading aloud in English and Khmer), and crafted a drawing of a carrot using our hands as the leafy top and then drawing an orange triangle underneath. It was adorable. 

They never smile for the group picture, but every other second of the day they are grinning. 

By the end of only three hours, Sash and I each had our own followers— kids who had taken a special interest in us and who we had become closer with. Mine consisted of three little (trouble making) boys and one little big eyed girl who had just lost her two front teeth.

When the library cleared out as the kids went home for lunch, we met with David and Pat in the conference room to start planning JWOC’s Got Talent. We put together a solid list of rough plans and are feeling super good about what’s to come. Don’t worry, we’ll keep you all updated on any potential live streaming or video sharing:) 

Then it was time for our lunch. Pat introduced us to a local place only 5 doors down from JWOC, where we learned how to order fried noodles in Khmer. Each (very generous) serving was $1 and just simply delicious. For dessert, we shared an iced coffee with condensed milk. Again, simply delicious, just like literally every other thing we have consumed during our time here. 

After lunch we returned to JWOC, where there were a lot less children than before. The afternoons are quite slow compared to mornings. Sasha took the time to a photograph tour for you all to see, while I sat in the corner and read to a group of about 6. The kids were older, and I was asking them to teach me some Khmer words in each book we read. I learned 1-10, all the colors, and some animals (I mean, I didn’t retain any of it, but I tried!). Every time I attempted to repeat what they said, they would all look at each other and burst into laughter. They would then repeat themselves slower and slower until I (kind of) got it. I was quite embarrassed, but the kids were really enjoying calling themselves “teacher” and laughing at my pathetic ear language. 

Me and my fav little afternoon guy

The day trickled on and by 3:30 there was really nothing for us to do, so we left for our journey home half an hour before scheduled. When we got back to V&A we just relaxed for a while and caught up on blogging and journalling. 

By the time we were thinking about dinner it was beginning to get dark and the temptation to eat at the villa was strong. However, we fought the ease of staying in and decided to wonder off to try something new. Somehow, we mutually agreed we were in the mood for noodles (even though we both had them for lunch). Victoria, the Northeastern student staying here recommended a place called 8 Boat Noodle, located right outside of the Old Market and Pub Street. We walked there in about 30 mins, and boy are we glad we did. For only 2,500 reils a bowl (that about 30 cents), we got 6 different bowls of noodles (each only a few bites). We were trying to honor the name and get 8, but we were just so full. Needless to say, we were (again) very satisfied with our meal. 

4,000 riels = 1 USD

She's (slowly) starting to know how to use chopsticks!

Since we were so close to the main part of the city, we decided to splurge and look for a place to get some dessert. We ended up stumbling into a cafe we immediately recognized as one Andrew had suggested a few days earlier: Cafe Central. Hearing the live tune of “Brown Eyed Girl” being played by a bald guitarist, we popped a squat in the deep, comfortable couch against the rustic brick walls. We each ordered a cappuccino and scoop of ice cream, me chocolate and Sash vanilla. It was heaven, truly giving Peace Cafe a run for its money. 

Sitting for probably about two hours, this journey to satisfy our sweet tooth ended up being a real memorable moment in our travels so far. It was almost surreal— sitting in a beautiful cafe, watching the hustle and bustle of a beautiful, foreign city out the wind next to us and having a heart to heart about sappy things you all could care less about. It was peaceful. It was awesome.

When the musician stopped playing, we decided it was time to head home, so we made our way to the counter to pay our bill. We ended up chatting for a few minutes with the musician, whose name I will admit I forget (I have simply just learned way too many in the past week). It turns out he’s been living in Siem Reap for five months now and plays at Cafe Central every day except sunday. If the amazing food/drink wasn’t enough to bring us back, he certainly was. 

We took a quick, $2 Tuk Tuk home where we now sit in the dark, Sash sound asleep and me typing with my eyes becoming heavier and heavier. 

With love,

Us