GLIMPSES FROM VILLAGES

Although I’ve lived in big cities in some countries in Asia - bet the stresses of life, worked hard to conform to the standard of living, enjoyed the enticing city-lifestyle there, at the end of the day I would still say I don’t belong in those crowded places. Sad to say, I am not a village person either. I grew up in a small but busy town. All my life as a teen was not curbed in a village environment except for special occasions like fiestas, singing and dancing competitions, and weddings where I was personally invited. But this doesn’t mean I hated living in the village. I used to visit a lot of places like these for a day or so way back in my homeland. Yet it didn’t capture my heart. I could not stand the seclusion too long. It was very suffocating as well. One valid reason for sure I was born hyper-active. So no one could really confine me in a solace world like this. Well, except for a fact when I was left by my father to my grandparents’ custody at the age of five in that village I called hell. Where everyday was a struggle wrestling to get back to the place I was raised basically. I felt darkness was all over me. Every single moment seemed like haunted by loneliness and sadness. I had no one around at my same age to play with. And this caused negative impacts not to appreciate a village life-style for many years. Not to mention my fear of being alone, left out as a kid. Growing up I tried hard as much as I could to avoid being stuck in the country side. That’s when I took a chance to live in the city. But I still gave time visiting my hometown and my friends’ but not alone. I only went adventuring with friends. So it was a different story from living there literally.

When I was in college, I had to go through an internship to finish my program. That was a year before my final academic journey at that institution. With the approval of the School Board and the Internship Committee, I was placed in one of the biggest cities in Metro Manila. Precisely that’s where I spent my internship for a year. Hesitant, I didn’t ask why I had to do my internship in the city although it was really my desire, but my speculation was all about my personality. They knew me well aside from my capability. They predicted ahead not finishing my internship if I was placed in rural areas or remotest vicinities. I thought so. And I was grateful for considering this reason. But then life in the city was different - busy, busy, busy. All but was a busy-city-life. So I don’t blame myself if for a year I had no village immersions. My work was so demanding as well. Besides my location is surrounded with neighboring cities which totally lured me forgot my countryside life while I was in Manila. Even at the last day of my internship, I never had a chance visiting a remote area nor visit a village to observe a particular life-style different from my humble origin. Then few years after, I went back to Manila to pursue my graduate studies. And this urban exposure went on for many years left me unaware about rural existences.

Seven moths after I finished my graduate school, I was hired to work as a volunteer teacher in Cambodia. I taught in the city on weekdays and did community development in the countryside on the weekends. That’s when my life was emotionally and physically involved in the village again after a long while. I loved the work and I always looked forward for the weekend to come where I see myself attached to children in the village. Sad to say, I didn’t want to be based there. It was only for a weekend-endeavor. I still felt the place was very isolating. I think I was focused too much with my work that I took for granted appreciating the beauty of the scenery and the unique culture of the people. This lasted a year. But then I had to move on. So I left the country with a thought of not coming back again. Destined to cross the neighboring country called Vietnam where I had a tremendous opportunity to stay longer years. I did!

Life in Vietnam was no difference unfortunately. At times I traveled to different places within the country but those were tourist spots only displaying no village life so to speak. The only location closed to a village experience was tracking through the Mekong River seeing villages from a distance which I considered only a facade. Again for many years I never had attachment to a village life but only in the countryside which still very rural to me. There was no village immersion still even at my last days in the country.

I felt I had enough in Vietnam and needed to find a spot to breathe so I decided to leave Saigon. Happy to say, I needed to move to another third-world-country but this time to Laos. I already had a conjecture seeing myself more in remote areas doing participatory observations. But it didn’t happen consequently because I ended up stuck in Phnom Penh for another brilliant opportunity. Not knowing I would be having a blast a year later. I had indeed. But it took me a year to have this life-changing experience. For few reasons - all my volunteering works were in the city, my time in the city was so busy, and unluckily I got no invitation from a student or a colleague during Khmer holidays big or small. I just stayed home and rest. As I said I had a blast because my amazing journey from village to village began.

Last year, I met a University student at the apartment where I just moved in four months ago. Only to find out he speaks Vietnamese which gave me an agenda to share the same interest. We ended up like brothers. When I found out that he comes from a village so closed to Vietnam border, curious, I asked him if I could visit his place for a weekend. He was kind enough to host me. That weekend get-away was a flabbergasting experience for a village excursion. It was an eye-opening on the one hand. I don’t want to elaborate this further again and again. But once and for all, I would like to confess that it was truly the beginning of a blast. If you want to know the whole story of this particular journey, you can read it in this blog-spot still. I had it published last year sometime in August. Please feel free to read it.

Eleven days after my first village excursion, I was asked by our operation manager if I could train teachers at the village. After further inquisition about the place itself, I accepted the invitation but only twice a month on the weekend. It was because I considered teaching kids in another village every other weekend as well. So I conducted the teacher’s training immediately. It was actually exciting but I had mixed feeling still and worries sort of past issues staying in places like these. But this time it was different and more daring for a reason I just had an awesome excursion days ago. It helped.

To go on with, I left the city a day before the training which was not the original plan. My intention for that was to see the place myself first and go around town. I took the third trip bus at one thirty in the afternoon. I arrived in town at four the same day and my director was already waiting for me at the station. After our acquaintance, we headed to the organization’s headquarter and stayed there for an hour. Then he gave me a tour down town everywhere. Right at first site, I fell in love with the place. The following week, my director gave me another tour to another village located north-west of the town. We stayed there for about an hour and then headed back to the center for supper. I met his friend who speaks Vietnamese and I had a good conversation with him and his children. By the way, the place is named Takeo and is known for its beautiful lakeside, a growing lobster and a producing palm juice including palm sugar areas. I started coming every other weekend, then every weekend, and then decided to move in five months later. Within this seemingly longer time, I learned a lot. One perfect example is character changed - let say in all aspects. Here I tried all the first times- from eating to drinking, from comfort to discomfort, from safety to susceptibility of getting sick, from holding on to letting go of pride and privacy, from teaching to learning, from kindness to sacrifice, and a lot more. To sum it all, it’s been amazing being here. I fell in love with the place, the people, the culture, my volunteering endeavors, and the warmness of it all. Everyday I feel the same way. This was my second village encounter. This is where I am currently based.

The next time I was in another village was a sad story. The wife of our academic director passed away and so we went to pay respect and mourned with the bereaved family. We had to travel a long way including a ferry ride crossing the big Mekong River to get to our destination. I had two concerns in mind while we were traveling though. One, I was shocked about the situation and pitied a boy who became a motherless at a very young age. At the same time perplexed in everything I saw before me especially seeing Cham people in their traditional dresses. After we paid respect, we were allowed to visit the neighboring vicinities such as local schools and temples and observed silently the peculiar life-styles of two particular people groups- the Chams and the Buddhist believing villagers. The villages have no boundary where you can see people of different groups drinking coffee together, sharing common spots in the market doing businesses. Transparent enough, you can also see mosques and pagodas built undisturbed. I found out from my host that regardless of identity the villagers have no trouble getting along. There was no issue of fight above all in the name of religion. That short visit with a long travel was not that enough I think, but I got to know the hearts of the villagers for sure even just by observing carefully.

As I have mentioned, my commitment last year conducting teacher’s training in the village was just every weekend. So I still taught in the city and conducted other trainings during weekdays at Volunteer International (CWF). When one of our staff figured out that I had been going to the village every weekend the same town where he is from, he invited me and two of our common friends to visit his village as well. So we went. But I only stayed there for few hours because I had to go back to the village where I would be conducting the training the following day. I saw the same things except for a beautiful lake, a very huge lake. Later I heard from my student that people kept seeing harmless crocodile in the same lake which only eats fish and isn’t used to harming humans. Not so much to say about my visit in this village, but I was invited back here for Pchumban ceremony and spent two nights. The ceremony is equivalent to All Soul’s Day in western holiday. I went with my student to pagoda and observed the ceremony. I was planning to stay longer but I could not stand the heat and got severe headache everyday. So I went back to the city two days after not finishing the ceremony.

Before 2010 came to an end, I still remember I’ve visited one more village. It’s on the west side of Takeo basically an hour tuktuk ride from where I am recently volunteering. I was with my students and co-teachers visiting a night to celebrate the teacher’s training success concluded just a week ago. That was the first time I have tasted black duck meat and fruit of another kind. I liked it. The visit again was for a short time but meaningful because it opened an opportunity to meet some families and learned good things from them especially about farming, fishing and raising children. I also noticed that some of the kids do not look typical Khmer but got French features. When I asked why, they don’t know either and said that none of their family had intermarriages with French.

This year my life has been attached to villages. I noticed it lately in fact. Sometimes the situation was so abrupt without even planning it much. I just found myself caught mingling with villagers in whatever reason tossed by destiny. Every village I went to told me different story and taught me different lessons at hand. Now going from one village to village it’s not about the scenario anymore, but an agenda to grow, to learn and to appreciate life all the fullest. I still wonder of course why I am in a world like this growing up running away from it. And when it happened, I questioned destiny a lot.

Again this year in the span of four months, I have been into tremendous invitation through village immersion. This unbelievable experience opened the gate of wonders ushered me know the hearts and mind of the villagers especially their cultures and aspirations. Remember my encounter with the villagers who got French features? I went back to visit for a day together with my students and co-teachers but ended up spending the night to another village, the north side farther. Something happened that night which did not please everyone. I don’t want to elaborate further but I was not pleased at all. Lucky me one of my students who is now studying in the city came and drop by when he found out that we were visiting his close friend, our host. In my frustration, I left the place right after dinner and headed to my student’s village. It was already dark that I could not clearly see the beautiful scenery of rice fields along the way. But I could clearly hear the beautiful sounds of crickets and frogs greeting us. We arrived to another village at exactly eleven in the evening. Tired and sleepy, I only had few minutes talk with my student’s parents. Then we all went to bed. I was struggling to sleep that night because of what had happened a while ago. It was already twelve midnight but I was still awake. The rest were already snoring and sleeping tight. Then I heard sound of footsteps downstairs walking round the house. I was trying to listen anxiously. The dogs were barking loud but didn’t attack the person. I was thinking maybe he is a family member of the host or a robber himself. I tried to sleep but I could not. Suddenly, I heard happy sounds of children laughing, giggling, and chasing one another. The noise was too loud that all the dogs in the neighborhood were barking at them. They were heading to one direction. Few minutes after, they were gone. I was wondering why in the world children were playing that late night. It was very dark as well. Of course I wasn’t scared at all. I liked what I heard in fact. It was so beautiful for my ears to hear. I was only wondering. When I told my host about it, they were surprised. Each one of them had different interpretation of the story. I just listened. After all what I cared about was getting to know their hearts and minds.

When we didn't make it our trip to Saigon, we decided a city tour instead in Phnom Penh. The next thing I knew it, I was hopping into villages celebrating Khmer New Year with my students and co-teachers. The most unforgettable journey as far as cultural immersion is concerned.

Two days before the Khmer New Year, we headed to Phalla's village where we spent a night and a day with delicious typical meals prepared by the host. Then took a nap for few hours. When the ice cream seller passed by the village, we cooled down ourselves with scoops of homemade ice cream in both hands. And then we we went strolling in the fields, visited an old student, and took advantage of the views with endless photo shots. In the evening, we went to a wedding ceremony and danced traditional dances.

The following morning, with enough thanksgiving we bid goodbye to the host and headed to Ravy's village located on the east cost from where were. We traveled by motorbike for almost two hours going through the long and dusty road. When we got there, we were welcomed with typical but delicious lunch again. This was a day before the Khmer New Year. After siesta, some of my students helped prepare dinner and cooked roast chicken in their own way. It was another yummy meal. In the evening, we watched a film showing held in the middle of rice field right after the monks offered a corporate prayer. Film showing is a common thing to expect every important ceremony big or small.

...a get together lunch a day before Khmer New Year...

First day of the long awaited celebration, I was awakened by the sound of clanging utensils downstairs. My host and the rest of my students prepared special curry noodles for breakfast before heading a day trip to Phnom Da. It's a famous mountain where an ancient temple is built on top of it. It's also a favorite place to visit by villagers in whatever occasion. On our way to Phnom Da tracking another long and dusty road, I took some photos along the way. And then spent three hours at teacher Ket's village for lunch. There I had fun conversations with some of his family member who speak Vietnamese. At exactly three in the afternoon, we arrived at Phnom Da and took photos of the beautiful scenery. After the excursion, my co-teachers and my students had to go home to their respective villages to spend New Year with their families and relatives, and must join every accustomed rituals. While I decided to stay at Ravy's village and spend the rest of the days until the celebration is over.



...few photos along the way...


...at teacher Ket's home and village...



...at Phnom Da...

I had no regret staying at Ravy's village where everyday was a new thing to learn. Of course, I didn't want to be confined home sitting and doing nothing, so I always asked my student to take me around to get to know stuff during this big celebration. To be honest, I had a blast. It was a wonderful experience to cherish for eternity.

Then I got amazing site seeing of fields and neighboring villages.









I was able to visit pagodas in different locations.








I had an opportunity to celebrate with them specifically playing with powder even to people I didn't know.






Eventually, I met a lot of new good friends.



Most importantly, I got to know their culture a little deeper. For instance, how dance is always looked forward to in every celebration. More than that I learned their dances as well.




These are glimpses from villages.

Thanks for journeying with me.

A CITY TOUR INSTEAD

We busted our butts just to make everything ready. Aside from constant planning, several meetings, fund raising, emailing friends, updating sponsors, and rigid practices for our performances, the kids had to work their own things as well in order to get their passports done with the hope of a happy trip. Then few days before the expected tour, we made everything ready except for one thing. We did not raise all the amounts needed because half of the sponsors backed out for a reason. It was a tragedy at first but I was still hopeful that all of the kids can go. So I decided to shorten the trip into four days instead of eight days because I want everyone in. That was the best thing to do for the moment. But I already had a plan to talk to our host in Saigon to help us make our trip extended. Who knows?

Finally, I had our passports in my hand. I bought our bus tickets. We all had our things packed. Most importantly, I had all the necessary documents ready. At last, we were on our final countdown. I can feel their excitements despite restlessness. We were all exhausted because we had to perform four intermission numbers during Takeo Idol held a day before the trip. The program was organized and spearheaded by Peace Corps to promote our organization. And even at the last few hours before our departure, we had to prepare our food because we didn’t have enough budgets to buy expensive meals along the road. It was a practical thing to do as well. When the food was ready, we realized we only had an hour and a half left to sleep. It was already one in the morning. We had to wake up at two thirty and leave at three that early because the bus had to leave at six in the morning. Besides our center is two-hour drive away to Phnom Penh and we didn’t want to miss our bus.

We arrived at SAPACO Bus Station to be exact at five in the morning. The excitement filled the air as we were sitting in a coffee shop right next to the station waiting for a joyride. Since we still had an hour before the departure, we took our breakfast then. Before we knew it, we were all in the bus settled and ready enough for the long-expected trip of their lives. Some of my kids had to take advantage of the cool bus for a nap because we were just tired. Some kids had mixed emotions. And some of them could not stand the coldness the air-condition. While I, myself was very anxious and was trying to chill.

An hour after, the bus attendant collected our passports. So I handed mine and the kids' passports. Only to find out we were in a great chaos. The bus attendant asked us a huge amount equivalent to our field trip expenses. I tried to negotiate and defend the kids' rights but the bus attendant wasn't accommodating and helpful at all including the bus driver. They wanted money. In my disappointment not to be able to give what they exactly wanted, I took my passport and the kids' back and told the attendant that I'd work it myself upon the immigration. And I did.

When we got to the border, all the passengers were asked to get off from the bus for immigration purposes. So we did. And the bus attendant told the officer about our situation. So I immediately talked to the immigration officer and pleaded for an opportunity in behalf of the kids. At first they asked us some amounts but we told them we do not have money for that. The kids helped negotiate for the matter. I was asked to hand in the letter as well as a proof of our purpose going out of the country. When they felt the sincerity of our hearts, the immigration allowed us mercifully without string attached. They turned out accommodating and helpful to us. But it wasn't a total guarantee yet because we had to get the approval from the Vietnamese immigration officer. So we did what we were told to do. As I said a while ago, the bus wasn't helpful at all to his own passengers and left us walked to the other side of the border. We paid for the bus and it was their responsibility supposedly to take us there because we paid for it. But they didn't. And even at Vietnam immigration, he didn't attend our needs and walked away from his responsibility. So we took the initiative ourselves since I speak Vietnamese. Off course, what would you expect but worst scenario. Yet I was still hoping... it's no wrong thing being hopeful.

Anyway, we started talking to an officer but then he referred us to the director. So we had to find the office and the right person himself. So when we found the place and the right guy, the director told us to sit and wait. After waited for a long time, the negotiation started. He looks gentle but he was totally cunning. Money. Money. Money. That's all. When he realized we didn't have money to offer, he said we could not got through and left us in the room. So we had to plead harder, persistently and followed him wherever he went. But he made his decision. Then he called another officer who speaks Khmer to interpret to the kids the reason for not allowing us. Money in short. We waited and waited and pleaded and pleaded, but nothing happened. So they finally asked us to leave and go back to Cambodia. That was a total devastation for all of us especially for the kids.

What can we do but take the kids to Phnom Penh. It was painful and embarrassing at first but there was nothing I can do. Seeing their faces with frustrations, I can't help but thought of another action plan. It's been a hard long day for the kids so I didn't want to end the trip that way. They deserve a treat still. I had four hours to plan before we get to the city anyway. At last, an idea came.

A city tour instead.

So I carefully gave my kids instructions when they get to the city since we were not in the same bus. I made sure assigning big brothers and big sisters for each group. I also informed friends and sponsors about what happened and told them about the change of plan too. Thanks to their kindness and encouragement. As I was sorting out things for the city tour, my mind was occupied with worrisome about the kids as well. Thank God I gathered everyone before dusk came. Everybody was safe and sound. Then smiles in their faces glowed again.

Looking back at what had happened during the day; heading to Cambodia border downcast and disappointed, I said to myself and to my co-teachers "We have done our best." We realized in time that amidst obstacles along the way, we found a solution to every problem but not this corruption. Despite the situation, I was still grateful for the lessons learned although it took me few days to accept. I could have pinpointed someone and put all the blames for that carelessness and ignorance, but I held that feeling back. I was also thankful for our safety back in the city. Lastly, I would like to acknowledge sincerely the help of Cambodian immigration officers for accommodating us and for believing in us. They took time arranging buses for us one at a time because we cannot be in one bus together. Lastly, for my kids for their cooperation and understanding with the situation. To all the sponsors, we are so sorry for the change of plans. But then a million thank you for making even this city tour happened.

I would like to share some photos taken during the city tour. On the hand, I also would like to apologize for my recklessness deleting accidentally all the pictures taken during our 2 days trip in the city. It was my bad. I regret because we had so much memories to cherish supposedly like going to Royal palace, S-21, mallings, riverside, etcetera. The pictures you will be seeing soon were taken during our last day in the city.

Enjoy!

...at Sorya Mall refreshing...


...they were watching roller skating...



...ice cream time at Lucky Burger...



...at KFC...





...crossing the busy street of Phnom Penh along Monivong Road...



...dinner at night market in front of Orrusey...


...a tuktuk ride heading to riverside...





...at the river side...





...in front of Royal Palace at night...



...somewhere down the busy road...


...at hotel Cambodiana...

...somewhere out there...








...wandering around Naga World...

Once again, thank you very much sponsors! You made the kids happy.