Armarlie, Helena, Jon and Leah and are all living in Mondulkiri Province, which is in southeastern Cambodia and borders on Vietnam. Several times on this trip we were close enough to the border to be able to see Vietnam in the distance. Because of its proximity to Vietnam, this was one of the areas that was heavily (and illegally) carpet-bombed by the U.S. during the Vietnam War. Today, this area is ravaged by another type of evil – greed. There is massive, illegal land-grabbing and deforestation here, and our students are all witnesses to it in one way or another.
Vietnam straight ahead.
Our connection in Mondulkiri is Yun Mane. Mane is a member of one of Cambodia’s indigenous tribes and they are feeling the brunt of the land-grabbing. She is an activist and works daily to try to stop the loss of indigenous lands. Helena and Leah are living in the provincial capitol of Sen Monorom. Leah is working at the Indigenous People’s Lodge, which is owned and operated by Mane’s family. It is in a charming setting with a number of quaint huts, each representing a variety of traditional homes from indigenous tribes. In addition to helping at the lodge, Leah is teaching English to the staff and their children. Helena is working for the Indigenous People Health Improvement Association. Helena is working with the staff there to research, write and edit grant proposals. The NGO is involved in various health support and education projects in the province and is currently working heavily on TB education and eradication.
Marlie and Jon are each outside of the capital city living in small indigenous villages, both quite far off the beaten path. Just how far? Get a glimpse here, as we all traveled to visit Marlie’s village. While their service is to teach English, they have had significant time to immerse themselves and to “be” in their communities. They have had opportunities to sit in on meetings about indigenous rights and concerns, and they have traveled to other villages to listen to discussions about land-grabbing. These assignments are very rural and they allow a lot of time alone. Jon and Marlie are both building significant relationships, are learning about life in indigenous villages, and are both learning some of the finer points in regards to the value of indigenous people protecting and living off of their traditional land.
Huts at the Indigenous Peoples’ Lodge.The view from one of the huts at the lodge.A quaint hut at the lodge.Traditional Banong houses. These are used at wedding ceremonies for the bride and groom.Bananas growing by the lodge restaurant. Leah checks them every day to see if they’re ripening up!A very pretty and lazy stream runs through the lodge property.Leah with some of her co-workers and family members at the lodge. She also spends time in the evening teaching them English.Leah’s host brother and his family.Leah at home, just down the road from the lodge where she spends her days.One of the many beautiful plants at Leah’s host family’s home.Leah on the balcony of her house.The view from Leah’s porch. She lives very near the village mosque.Leah’s host niece and friends.A pineapple growing in front of Leah’s house.The Indigenous People Health Improvement Association offices.Helena in front of the IPHIA office. She is standing with her host sister (who also works at the organization) and her boss.The shop and and pharmacy above Helena’s apartment.Helena outside of her host home. Helena with one of her host sisters.One of Helena’s neighbors’ homes.Jackfruit. A new taste for most SSTers.Beauty!Helena and Jill having lunch together. We met with each student separately over lunch to check in with them, and learn more about their service experience. The view from a charming restaurant in town.Cambodia has some fun bathroom signs!Jill and Marlie in front of the upper Busra Falls.Contemplative Jon sitting at the top of the lower falls.Leah behind the upper falls.The Mondulkiri FourOne of the cuter restroom signs we’ve seen in Cambodia.Liter bottles of petrol for sale beside the road. We see many of these stands throughout the country. They serve as small gas stations between larger, more formal ones and are especially popular with motorcycle, tuk tuk and scooter drivers.Marlie’s house. The building on the left is the kitchen. This is common in Cambodia because families cook over coal and they don’t want the smoke or the heat in their houses.Part of Marlie’s family. Her host father was at meetings in Phnom Penh when we visited. Marlie in front of her house.Marlie, her host brother and host cousin.Marlie in her family’s kitchen house.Leah trying desperately to get close to Marlie’s family’s piglets. They were pretty skittish! The Catholic church in Marlie’s town. The Protestant church. Marlie has been told that her town is somewhat unusual as most of the people living there are Christians. Marlie with her host mother.Marlie at the well where her family gets their water and bathes.Marlie and a neighbor, who has also become a friend. He is the president of the Indigenous Peoples’ Party of Cambodia.Blog flower photo.Marlie getting ready to moto back to her village after coming to town to meet with us.Jon in front of his house.Jon with his host siblings at their new sugar cane press. That’s some delicious juice!Jon sitting on his bed.Cassava stalks. Many people in Mondulkiri raise cassava, including Jon’s family. Jon with his host sister and brother at their roadside stand. This is where Jon also teaches English each evening!The view from Jon’s house toward the family’s roadside stand.Rubber production. Much old-growth forest has been clear cut to plant straight rows of rubber trees.Rubber tree up close. There was no sap flowing currently as we were told that this is not the season for collection.Peppercorns drying by the side of the road.Peppercorns up close.Cashew fruit and nut in Jon’s front yard. Seeing how labor intensive collecting would be makes us more appreciative of how much they cost!
