Boat Ride & Interviews

Monday, January 9, 2012

Boat rides can be fun, but we might want to stock up on sunscreen. Lesson learned. After waking up with another early morning and crowded bus ride full of new goodies from yesterday’s shopping, we boarded a sleek, narrow, dynamic ferry bound for Phnom Penh. All too soon we managed to find our ways to the roof of our boat where we took on the wind, testing our endurance against it, maybe a little too much. We passed many floating villages, and I desperately wish we had another week here so we could venture to such places. Nevertheless, the view was spectacular, as I find it always is here in Cambodia. The striking clusters of houses suspended over the water between small, individual, overgrown island and trees growing straight out of the water made me feel like I was dropped into a Tolkien novel (I made sure to listen to the Lord of the Rings soundtrack for dramatic effect).

Five short hours later, we got off the boat with crazy hair and crazy sunburns (raccoon eyes and all). We then split our little group in half, as we set off to do interviews with many people from Cambodian Living Arts and the East-West Management Institute. My group met with Kavich, a dancer and filmmaker. It was very moving to receive such in-depth, sincere answers from someone who is so close to the issues we are studying. It really hit home for me and I just feel so proud to be taking part in this trip.

-Kessie