In my studies of the brain during college and grad school, "memory" was an idea that came up frequently and with research to back up the common knowledge that like Jon Snow, we know nothing. Actually, that's not quite true. We know many things about the location of stored memories, long term and short term memories, and sensory specific memories. There are scores of studies and "experts" who advise on how students are better able to retain information and how drugs, hormones, languages, and sensory information contribute to information retention. Still all of this book learning left me a bit unprepared for my return to the States following the conclusion of my Peace Corps service about 2.5 years ago, in August of 2014. "What a long, strange trip" I titled my last blog post, attempting to convey the end of my service in a brief (ish) blog summing up both the end of my Khmer life and the beginning of my adult American life. However I had felt about the experiences of the end of my service, in whatever way I experienced them, they were no doubt colored by my return home and the feelings I had toward that. When I returned to the States, it is impossible to describe it in any way other than the oxymoron of a phrase, "everything changed, and yet everything was exactly the same." I remember describing to a friend how though I knew life was continuing at a ready pace without me, I somehow had this lingering idea that my life in America had frozen, waiting for my return to pick up again.
Of course that's not what happened and when I got back to the States I jumped into the middle of the rushing river that is my life and kept living it, my Cambodia experience a healthy 2ish years of contribution to the person that I am still becoming. And though I know, still, that life continues without me (I am not, it turns out, the center of the universe), I had the same lingering idea about my village in Cambodia when I left - that time slowed down when I wasn't there, and for the most part, nothing really changed.
In January, I returned to Cambodia.
Like I said, déjà vu is a funny thing. Because as soon as I landed in Phnom Penh I was hit with the feeling that I had experienced all of this before. Because I had.
(Side note: the plane, while landing, hit a bit of turbulence and I remember the thought flashing through my mind that while Cambodia hadn't managed to kill me during my two years of rice, it surely wouldn't pass up a second opportunity. That anecdote is supposed to be funny.)
My sister, Diana, was waiting for me in the airport and seeing her with her hiking backpack had me again with a bit of déjà vu. Because being with her in Cambodia was again, something I had already experienced. She was even wearing a shirt she had worn to the Bode previously. We headed outside to get a tuktuk and I began to bargain with the man - he wanted $10 and I argued for $8, More déjà vu. I remember being a bit tired this time, as $2 now means quite less to me than $2 did before, when I had been living on ~$4/day. We settled on $9 and proceeded, after a few tuk tuk changes, to the city.
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| Arand women in the Kingdom of Wonder |
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| Man Kheang and Sokchea |
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| Sister, meet brother. |
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| The fam bam |
To everyone who has donated, spread the word, and given support, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Before I left, the library was in good standing, with plenty of books and a brand new fan/electricity in a newly painted and tiled room. However it has been two years in a sweaty Cambodia. So I had high hopes that the library would be functional and working, but no idea if that would be the truth of it.
In reality, an amazing thing had occurred and déjà vu played no part in this chapter.
Diana and I went to the market the morning of our library visit in order to purchase books, pens, and other items to contribute to the students and the library. We wandered from stall to stall as I asked where to find these items and negotiated items for purchase. When we eventually got to my village and the library, it was quite a wonder. Not only is the library still standing, beautiful, functional, full of light and full of books, it has been incorporated into the students curriculum so that (as it was explained to me) each week a new class gets that week to have a library period. During that period they can look through as many books as they want to or utilize the library as they chose. The appointed librarian showed me a log - it lists the week, the class using the library that week, how many students in total used the library, and how may female students made up that number. I was able to see one of these class periods in action and let me tell you, it was a thing to behold. Nothing could have prepared me to see a project I had a hand in so clearly a success. I wish I could take credit for that success, but it truly lies in the students, teachers, and encouraging parents of that village school. I am so proud to have been a part of their success and their story.
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| The library log |
The other main reason for my foray back to the 'Bode was Christin - my Khmerican still hanging out in Siem Reap with the love of her life, Sambath. Christin and Sambath decided to get married and I made plans to fly back for their wedding. When Christin asked to me to be a bridesmaid, I said something along the lines of "HELL YES" and completed my travel plans.
And.
This.
Wedding.
Instead of the traditional 3 day wedding, Christin and Sambath chose certain wedding ceremonies special to them for their own wedding. This selectivity cut the wedding down to 2 days. Two full days of nothing but wedding celebrations in Sambath's village. Check it out:
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| The team works on us bright and early around 4am |
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| The makeup team was pretty great. Above: I get my hair done for the fourth time in two days |
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| Ok so this wasn't a ceremony and Sambath was the most excited groom I'd ever seen. He couldn't wait to marry Christin. |
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| Hair-Cutting (Cleansing) Ceremony - Gaat Sah |
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| Monk's Blessing - Soat Mun |
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| The bridal party |
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| Bridesmaids! |
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| Knot-Tying Ceremony - Sompeas Ptem |
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| Paparazzi |
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| Pretty stellar bridal party! |
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| The bride and groom in traditional Western wedding wear. I am still wearing traditional Khmer wedding wear as in Cambodian culture, the bridesmaids are dressed to match the bride. |
Please enjoy a few of my wedding costumes (I had 6 in total):
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*side note: something else amazing happened at the wedding - I got to visit with some Peace Corps Cambodia staff, both Khmer and American. One of the staff members, who had arrived in Cambodia when I was a volunteer, told me about the science book that I had written and project-ed while I was there (See The Science Project Complete for more details or in case you missed it). Truly a project that I didn't know if it would go anywhere, She told me that it was still in use, that PCVs used it and asked for it, that it was shown as an example at a STEM conference of what could be done in rural areas to promote science education. She told me, in short, that it had made a difference. I was high on adrenaline and excitement, low on sleep that night (it was the end of the wedding), and eager to share my enthusiasm and plain wonder at the success of the library. Her telling me about the science book just about tipped me over the edge for happiness and I felt after speaking with her that just about anything was possible. If that staff member ever reads this - thank you.
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| Remember this? |
Finally, cheers and jol kaio to Christin and Sambath. Your love, which has crossed oceans and time zones to stay alive, is the most inspiring of stories. I am so honored to have been a part of it.
This trip I went home and then I came home. Memories like these are ones for the books.
...And also for the hippocampus and the amygdala.
May you feel the love from my blog and from my village.
xo-Amanda
And here's a treat for making it to the end of my blog:
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| My crew. |
