The hardest part of the killing fields was these signs in place of where things would happen or buildings that use to exist. It was eerily quiet and kind of spooky standing there with the audio guide playing, but it was hard to picture just how many people were dumped in the one spot, or the events that took place.

Been in Cambodia for 3 weeks and I’m turning into somewhat of a local… Not really, it was just so dusty on the drive to the killing fields our tuk tuk driver Mr. C pulled over and kindly got us these and these combined with sunglasses were 100% necessary for the dust and not to mention the smells!

The following photos are not mine, I wasn’t brave enough to head to the protest, Elena (a girl volunteering in Siem Reap working with an NGO who is from Scotland and works for Amnesty International at home on the other hand was, she pretended she was a journalist and in turn got let right the way to the front of the crowds because Cambodian’s were desperate to get as much media of this spread throughout the world)

Spending my morning here was a-okay with me, and this day spa had the most amazing textiles shooed attached to it, and if I could carry around a bed spread I would have bought one in an instant.

Lets all take a minute to appreciate the sheer size of this grapefruit…!

We thought we were going on a girls night out for dinner with Socheat, but when we got home from school she told us her aunt loved us so much and has cooked us fried noodles and wants us to come for dinner (she’s a vegetarian too-first Cambodian vegetarian I’ve met). She made us a delicious spread of fried noodles a vegetables, most of which were from her own garden, as well as home grown dragon fruit and a very strange orange fruit which was almost like sweet pumpkin, the texture was the hardest part to get our head around. Thankful for something other than rice, and feeling very welcomed we had a big family dinner outside and it was so incredibly lovely and generous. She also makes home made soy milk which we tasted yesterday and loved so we had a second batch of that to take home, more passion fruit and she picked us a new grapefruit cause we had told her who much we loved the first one. An experience like this with locals is exactly the reason I am so thankful for where I have been placed. Cambodia’s are the most generous humans, our kids will carry all our bags and umbrellas and books, and we’re always offered mountains of food and gifts from kind new friends, even those that don’t have much, here they go above and beyond for you and it’s the most wonderful feeling. One day I hope to return here, and re-visit all my children (hopefully sponsor one- though that will be a tough choice) and have the big welcome back party on Mrs. Laymeng’s top veranda that we’ve been promised. Hopefully not alone next time 😀

Socheat was taking me on the back of her motorbike when the “candyman” rode past and she insisted we get some. Essentially tasting like boiled lollies but he sculpted us a rabbit, 2 roses and a dragon to take home!

The walk to and from the orphanage (and Pursat in general) makes you feel a little bit like a celebrity. Everybody wants to say hello, or try to say hello in English, we always reply in English and Khmer. We have little boys running up to us, like so and little girls running up to us with flowers. So many people wave and smile and it’s so lovely!

This little girl is the who who’s drunken mother showed up. She loves coming to the market with me in the morning as well as doing both of our hair in incredible braids.