Cooking Class

Cooking school has been a popular post-Angkor Wat activity to do for the past few years. There have been a slew of cooking classes that have opened up with a wide range of dish and course varieties. The prices and class sizes depend on the class so I suggest that you go do a bit of research before you enroll in one.

Le Tigre de Papier is one of the “old-school” restaurants that exists in Siem Reap and it is a favorite to both old time expats as well as tourists (better yet, it is open 24hours. Now who can’t love that?).  My coworkers and I decided to have our cooking class here because of the proximity from our work place, the price was reasonable, and everyone around us gave us good reviews.

Each person picks one appetizer and one main dish from the actual restaurant menu which is quite extensive. I picked the vegetable fried spring roll and the som'loh machu kreung (sour soup). Each of us each chose a different dish so we can compare. 

We then got a tour of Old Market. I had first thought we were going to buy our ingredients fresh from the market but it turns out it’s a tourist oriented “extra feature”. I felt a bit arrogant but I ignored most of the tour and went on my own within the market. This is where I do my daily shopping so I knew my way around perfectly well without a guide. I even got some groceries done.

Considering we had 10 people in our class, the instructor was surprisingly efficient, going around teaching each step along the way for each person. The downside was that the kitchen tools were limited so we had to wait around a lot until they became available. I quickly became a favorite of my lovely instructor, who liked the fact I can speak Cambodian. She taught me about the different kinds of herbs and vegetables that I can get at the market to make for myself. 

You need a variety of herbs to make any dish but other than that, many of dishes are not too hard to make which I think contributes to the popularity of these cooking classes. I really came to love Cambodian food so hopefully this will increase the popularity on a global level. Considering how many tourists come and how many have taken the cooking class, I think it is already in the works…!

In proper attire!

My deftly skilled instructor

Making fresh spring rolls

What men do when they get bored of cooking

Serious cooking mode

Rewind: Last Day of School (Dec.14, 2013)

My first term in Cambodia came to an end in mid-December as I headed home in San Francisco for the holidays and also to take my exams and finish my applications for graduate school. As much as I knew that I was coming back in January, it was hard to part with the sewing school girls. The core of my work at LHA involved working with the sewing school girls. These girls have been working very hard for the past 10-months, mastering the art and skills of a seamstress. In addition to their hard working schedules, they also had daily English classes in which I taught them for the past month and a half. Many of them had an exponential learning curve, considering that many started with absolutely no prior knowledge of English. Since they graduate in mid-January, I will not be able to see them when I return.

 

The last day of school went fine for the most part. I brought treats and desserts for the girls to enjoy and they gave me gifts and trinkets. We talked and joked around as usual, half in English and half in Khmer. All went well until one of the girls suddenly started to wail. Then one by one we all started to sniffle and cry, including myself. For most girls who were returning to their villages, we knew that this was the last time that we would be able to meet. 

Though they many not yet be fluent speakers, I do sincerely hope that they do something with them and use it in their future careers as seamstresses. Even though I was only able to be their teacher for a short time, I did make sure that they at least have the confidence to speak English regardless of their fluency. Speaking a foreign language does take a lot of courage but once the confidence is there, it is all about communication skills rather than grammar or vocabulary knowledge. I do know this from my personal experience and I do hope that they carry this mentality. I do pray from the bottom of my heart that they will become successful Khmer women, mothers, wives, and leaders for the future of this country. I am truly proud for each and every one of them.

English is an especially needed kill for girls in the garment industry. Cambodia is a major exporter of apparels worldwide. With many Western clients, having any language knowledge is a big advantage in wages whether it is working for a US-based garment factory or getting foreign clients in a self-run tailor shop. Currently I am working on a more concrete English language course curriculum for the new girls that have started their term just yesterday. I can't wait for the new term to start. 

Dipping Mangoes

One of my jobs everyday is to be a conversation facilitator for students. 
The English conversation class is offered free through our Foreign Language School to mid-intermediate students who want to engage in more active English conversation. Everyday about 15 students get together in small groups to do what we call "free flow talk". We talk whatever is one our mind and talk and English. The conversation topics can range from a casual one about what happened that day in school or about political institutions. 

From a facilitator's view it's a learning experience as well since the students teach me Cambodian in return. Also I seem to leran something new about Cambodian culture every day that I talk to them which is a really valuable experience. 

For one thing, I learned that students eat mango with instant ramen powder.  (normally they eat it with chili salt which consists of chili, salt, sugar, and MSG in which I'm pretty sure ramen powder is made out of too so makes sense). You definitely learn something new everyday the Cambodian way!

Partying Cambodian-style

Cambodians live, breathe, and swear by the way of “sabaai” or be happy. In fact, “how are you?” or “how do you do?” in Cambodian is directly translated as “Are you happy today?” “Did you have a good time?” is also translated as “Are you happy?” Making happiness for others is happiness for them which are very reflective of Cambodian way of life as well as cultural understanding. 

So when Karena’s friend, Theani wanted to take us out for a few drinks we knew we were going to have a good time. But little did we know we were going to have a blast! 

We started the night at “beer garden street”, the local’s version of Pub Street. After enjoying a few drinks, there was a general consensus of going clubbing. After several failed attempts of going to closed or full, we embarked on another venue: Karaoke bar. To be exact it was a regular bar with VIP karaoke rooms in the back. The room is posh: clean rooms, huge flat screen TV, flashy lights, and even has a private bathroom just for our room. There, we had an ice-cooler full of beer and a dancing powwow session of Cambodians and foreigners.

Surely we were all “happy” that night  :)

Preah Vihear

If Angkor Wat is the spiritual and national pride for Cambodians, Preah Vihear is the cultural pride for them. Ever since Cambodia won victory over Thailand on its ownership of this UNESCO site late last year, there’s been a sigh of relief all over the country. 

The tensions have been running high ever since there the shootouts in 2011 and there were additional threats last year from ultra Thai nationalists who were awoken by the Thai protests in Bangkok. 

It’s also been a sigh of relief to tourism and pilgrimages since it was taken off the danger list, although there are still warnings of potential strife. One of our volunteers was going to take her students to the site and she has kindly invited some of us to come along. The temple is located about 3 hours from Siem Reap, few kilometers away from the Thailand border. 

After a long surprisingly smooth car ride (the roads have been renovated the past few years. Before that it was said to have taken 5 hours to get there from Siem Reap), we bought our tickets at the foot of the Dangrek mountains and switched cars as our van is not “physically capable” of going up the mountains. First I thought it was a money making scheme until I saw the hills we had to embark in order to get to the temple. No way could we had made it up there. 

 

The complex is actually a Hindu temple, dedicated to Shiva and stands on top of a cliff  (over 2,000ft above sea level) that overlooks the Thailand. There are five main entrances or gates that lead to the temple hence, the complex is huge: 2,600ft. It is said to be constructed around the 12^th century and the architecture is just magnificent. 

I’m very lucky to have gone to the site with Cambodian students as I can see many were enjoying it but also was in awe in glee of the great establishments that their ancestors have constructed.

Nevertheless, the presences of Cambodian soldiers could not be ignored. They were quite friendly to us; they let us in to areas where general public were forbidden and one of them even lent me their binoculars that they use to watch over the Thai army on the other side of the mountains. Later we learned that our students have bought a carton of cigarettes from the local children and have been handing out to soldiers as a sort of gift/bribe. In return they have treated us well.

It’s a bit of drive from Siem Reap, but there are very little tourists and the vast area of the site makes it much more relaxing and spacious to look around than heavily tourist infested Angkor Wat.