Sister Laura, Teacher Laura

Gruusaa khnom neung mut peat khnom (my family and friends),

Here I am, sitting in my new home just a mere 15k from my previous home. Though the distance I've traveled in Cambodia was not far, the differences are expansive. Not so much in the pace of life or the daily doings-comings-and-goings, but in HOW EVERYTHING IS ABOUT 20 TIMES MORE AWESOME HERE THAN AT MY OLD TRAINING HOME!!!!

My new family fits my personality almost perfectly. They have a passion for life that isn't shrouded in tension or silent judgmental thoughts (ahem, previous home.) My host mom is a beautiful woman, inside and out. She is one of the most generous people I've met and already cares for me like her own child. Living with host families in Cambodia makes me realize how important certain relationships are to me. Since females and males here rarely form close bonds/friendships together unless they are married or siblings means that the female relationships I maintain are paramount to my happiness and sense of belonging. It's amazing how much happier I am now that I have a host mom that openly shows her love, care, and respect for me.

Happy host ma after we enjoyed eating some delicious curry


As far as my work goes, I still feel pretty useless at the Health Center given that my language is severely lacking and I haven't put a lot of action into getting a tutor and/or studied Khmer very much at all. I've gone through vocabulary lists with some of my Health Center staff but that's pretty much it.

I'm hoping with all hope that the Khmer language will just come to me a lot like swimming came to me last summer when I basically taught myself how to swim in preparation for the YWCA Women's Triathlon. I do want to give credit where credit belongs, though, to those that did give me great swimming advice - Melissa Tangye, Ellen Cleary....and others that I cannot think of right now. My bad.

One day while swimming in the murky and uncomfortably warm Lake Nokomis last year, I suddenly realized that I was no longer consciously thinking about swimming (ONE, TWO, THREE; NOW BREATHE! ONE, TWO, THREE; NOW BREATHE!) My instructions were no longer on repeat in my head and I was thinking about things other than swimming! I was thinking about a person that was annoying me then and how I could alleviate that situation. I was probably also thinking about what I should eat after swimming. Once I was conscious of this revelation I was elated and felt like the BEST SWIMMER IN THE WORLD! And I was happy.

And for gosh sake, let's try not to compare my super excellent swimming skills unseen by the public in practice to what actually occurred during the Triathlon that was witnessed by thousands (maybe only hundreds.) My swimming technique in the actual race could be likened to someone near drowning and especially new to the water.

Whoa! Throwback photo of the BEST SWIMMER IN THE WORLD!

And back to my main point: that's exactly how it will go with speaking the Khmer language. All of a sudden I'll be all like "hey, what? I'm speaking Khmer and I understand every single word you are mumbling to me right now." And that's how it'll go.
Until then, I will continue to smile and nod...

Here are things:

My host mom set up an English class for me. When we initially negotiated the English class, she said that she wanted me to teach her children English and I was totally cool with that. Of course I'll teach your kids English! They're my new family after all. And then the actual English class poured into our backyard and I was slightly overwhelmed and in over my head. I can hardly speak English, let alone teach it and there are seven eager/overachieving kids expecting to become fluent in this international language.

Sorry kids, you're going to be let down because all you're going to learn is Beyonce songs and Minnesotan slang. Or YOU'RE WELCOME!

Some of my English Students. They look happy.


Teacher Laura (having an Owen Wilson kind of day)


Cool thing:

I went to my first Khmer party this weekend. I still haven't figured out what the party was for though. I asked some of my new little friends (a hoard of 3-9 year old boys, BFFs) but was unable to get a clear answer. I went early with my host mom to help prepare for the party. I kept the rowdy children in order by running around in the rice paddies with them and making mustaches with giant leaves. And then I folded flowers! Pretty!

Purty folded flower thing that I made!


At first I ruled out the possibility that the party was a Birthday party since most Khmer people don't celebrate b-days or even know when their Birthday is. HOWEVER, there was a woman being blessed, touched by a bunch of people, and given many gifts so then I thought "Hmmm...well maybe it's her Birthday....?" And then I was told that she was 112 years old. One Hundred and Twelve Years Old. Muy Roy Dop Bpie Ch'nam. Holy geez, are you serious?

Oldest Woman in Cambodia? INCREDIBLE.


So in the end, I still didn't know what the hell was going on at this party. I was blessed by a monk and it was one of the most challenging things to sit through. When it comes to things like Buddhism and monks, the Cambodians don't mess around. I sat for over an hour in a Sampot (uncomfortable-long-thick-silk-skirt) with my feet falling asleep, switching from one hip to the next. Sweating up a storm and trying to keep my hands pressed together at my chest. The yays (grandmothers) around me sat nearly motionless and in full attention to the monotonous script of the monk. But he wasn't actually that monotonous. He made everyone laugh from time to time and of course, I joined everyone in the laughter to pretend I knew what the hell he was saying. Naturally.

Sompeahs. Khmer people have amazing endurance when it comes to this sort of thing. I, on the other hand, am unable to sit still for more than 5 minutes.


And it's way past my bedtime. I hope everyone in other parts of the world are doing just as well as I am.

Much love,


Sister Laura