From Dreamy Temple Commutes to Fiery Snacks: Experiencing Life at ODA
- oda.org
- 12 minutes ago
- 5 min read
START YOUR DAY WITH A DREAMY TUK TUK RIDE ALONG ANGKOR WAT MOAT
More ripples from the coal face...
WARNING – BE VERY WARY OF FAVOURITE SNACKS
EXPLAINING AWAY ENGLISH AND THEIR IDIOMS
COMMUNICATING AND FAVOURITE KHMER FOODS
If you’ve ever wondered what it’s really like to volunteer with ODA, picture this: a daily commute via tuk-tuk past magnificent, moats and ancient temples, followed by a classroom layout where we are quite literally teaching English idioms while it’s ‘Raining Cats and Dogs outside!’ Read on and discover more volunteer ripples and why one of our volunteers almost needed a fire truck on standby after bravely sampling the kids’ absolute favorite local chili snack!
Same Time Same Tuk Tuk
Savuth, our tuk-tuk driver, picked us up every day at our hotel for the 25
minute trip to ODA Central. It was usually the same time unless we had agreed
on an earlier departure. He was always waiting for us. Always ahead of time.
Always smiling.
Sometimes he took us a different route. We weren’t sure if this was to avoid a
traffic situation or simply to vary the route for us. Either way, we enjoyed the
variety. He would always ask if there was some place we wanted to stop before
ODA.
The first few minutes were spent navigating the traffic out of Siem Reap. Who would
think traffic could be interesting? An entire family on a motorcycle in the lane
beside us, and the children would giggle and wave. Occupants of other tuk-tuks
would smile. We would pass trucks loaded with fruit and vegetables with a few
people perched on top. Tour buses with faces pressed against the tinted
windows. Always something fascinating to see.
Most of our daily commute to ODA was through beautiful countryside.
Depending on the route Savuth took, we passed by the huge moat of Angkor Wat with picnickers along the edge. This year, the monkeys seemed to have disappeared from the area. Maybe moved onto more lucrative ground?
The road leading to ODA Central is forest-lined. Cars and motos were pulled over to the side, and families had spread out blankets. It was very common to see
hammocks strung between the trees for a little snooze.
Closer to ODA, we passed temple ruins, uniformed children playing outside the
government schools, and many vendors. We shared the road with cars,
motorcycles, farm equipment, other tuk-tuks, and cyclists. As confusing as it
seemed at times, there was obviously a system to it all.
Savuth would drive us right into the ODA yard, and the children would look up
from their work and wave.
What a great way to start our day.
How many people actually look forward to their daily commute?
Snack Time
Several kids at ODA Central are around a plate, dipping and chewing.
A little girl at one of the village schools produces a bag, and her friends join her
on the wall, dipping and chewing.
Any question of what they’re dipping and chewing results in being offered to
share. But I need to know what it is before dipping and chewing.
Ah, raw green mango slices and a salt-sugar-chili mixture.
Green mangoes are tart, well, downright sour. That explains the occasional
shudder I witnessed while dipping and chewing. Maybe that’s part of the
appeal. A small amount was good enough for me – I needed a fire truck to hose down my mouth, and they weren’t flinching, of course. OK, I was also really concerned about the effect of green mangoes on the body! Doesn’t seem to phase the kids.
They love this treat.
If you can find green mangoes, it’s fun and easy to share this treat with friends:
In a mortar and pestle, pound 1/4 cup rock sugar to the same size as sea salt.
Add 1/4 cup chili flakes or fresh chili, but take care!
Add 1/2 cup sea salt and pound just to mix. Avoid making a powder. You want
the crunch.
Dip the green mango slices (pineapple or green apple slices would be good too)
and enjoy this Cambodian treat.
Communicating
‘Without saying a word’ as the song goes…
One afternoon during our few weeks of volunteering at the ODA village
schools, I arrived at my school earlier than usual. No teacher, no students yet.
I sat on one of the brightly painted tires that are embedded in the sand school
yard. Before long, a woman from across the road wandered in with a toddler on
her hip and a young girl by her hand. She sat on a tire opposite me.
Not a word. She stared. She smiled. I couldn’t speak her language, and she
couldn’t speak mine.
I pulled a picture book from my schoolbag, and her little girl happily pointed to
things and counted. Mum kept smiling.
After about fifteen minutes, she stood, still smiling, and walked home.
Did we communicate? I think we spoke volumes.
It’s Raining Cats and Dogs
After several years of teaching intermediate and advanced ESL in Canada, I’ve found
most classes are familiar with the expression 'it’s raining cats and dogs.' It
seems to be one of those idioms taught around the world as a fun and baffling
English language way of describing torrential rain.
With that mindset, I casually referenced it in a higher-level class at one of the
ODA village schools. Twenty-five blank stares. “Cats and dogs like animals?”
They queried.
I did not feel it was appropriate at this level to explain the origin of the expression.
It would likely have added to the confusion rather than clarified. Cats and dogs
falling from the rafters! No, better to leave it alone.
From the looks on their faces and hesitation in repeating it, I doubt the students
will ever use the expression. The goal, though, is to understand when they
inevitably hear or read it.
Lucky that was on the way ‘back’ from school, wasn’t it?
When Stephen and I were sharing stories of our day at our different schools, he
burst out laughing. At his school, he had overheard some of the students saying
“It’s raining dogs and cats”. Timeout he called. No, never in that order, he told
them. It’s always “cats and dogs” in that order. No, don’t ask me why!
I wonder, though, when it’s the rainy season in Cambodia, if anyone mutters
“It’s raining cats and dogs”.
Where’s the Knife?
Khmer Spice and Everything Nice
About to delve into your first Cambodian meal? Get ready for a treat.
Take a look at the place setting. You see a fork and a spoon. Where’s the knife?
It’s not there. You don’t need one. Everything is manageable without the need
for further cutting.
Simply use your fork as a pusher. Push an amount of food with your fork onto
your spoon. Your spoon then goes to your mouth. Yes, you eat with the spoon.
Let the yum begin.
Here are some must-tries (also known as our favourites)
Delicious Fish Amok
Vegetable Spring Rolls with Ginger-Soy Dip
Banana Flower Salad
Green Mango Salad
Tom Yum Soup
Khmer Fish Amok
Cashew Chicken
Lok Lak
Khmer Red Curry
Stir-Fried Morning Glory
And rice. With everything. With a spoon.
Whether it’s through silent smiles in the villages, shared plates of spicy food, or the classrooms filled with laughter, the ripples of your support change lives every single day. Great to have you sharing in being part of the ODA family and journeying alongside us!
Suzanne and Stephen, until next ripple message
From the happy volunteers
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