Kampong Preah

Risky Trip

2012-01-08T00:49:00.000-08:00

along the road to Vietnamese border, we see the motordub delivered a lot of products from Vietnam for one time

On New Year, I visit my friend’s wedding at Snouk, Kroches province where the fresh water dolphins live. Snouk is just about 18 kilometers from the Vietnamese border. After the wedding, I cross the border to Vietnam to visit a small market called Varler.’ Because I had never been there before, I expect it will be a huge market like Phsar Orussey or Phsar Kandal in Phnom Penh. Actually, it’s just several flats in which the Vietnamese bring their fruits to store before they transfer to Cambodia.

I really get upset with the permission paper that I ask from the police in Cambodian side. But Varler market is just a two kilometers from the border and I can even see it from the border. I was told that I must not violate the Vietnamese laws, or I will be jailed. But my friend Chan So Ratha insists me to go beyond though I have to break the law. Ou Mom, another friend of mine, stand silently. Finally we follow him. Each of us exchange 10 US dollar to Vietnamese currency Dong. All of us get about 600 000 dong for 30 US dollar.

We decide to go to a bigger market called Loc Ninh, about 14 kilometers from the border. Ratha and Mom ride behind a big woman on motordub and leave before me. I ride behind a young Vietnamese boy who claims that his mother is also Cambodian. But he speaks very bad Khmer. I find it difficult to communicate with him, but he is likely to know what I want. As seeing the camera hanging around my neck, he realizes I want to take some beautiful places in Vietnam back, so he cross some interesting place, football field, the tanks display or the swimming pool.

When we arrive at the market, it is not too big either. It looks similar to Phsar Dermtkov in Phnom Penh. But Ratha admires the irrigation system near the market. He gets surprised, “wow! water is so clean. I want to try how it tastes.”

As soon as I hear Ratha’s word, my body gets shaking as it disgusts with this dirty water. Anyways, I know he is just kidding me. We look for something to eat, but we don’t know where to get food. We decide to go to the high way though we are risky to be arrested by the police. Finally we find a local food store. Three of us enter, and I walk next to the shelves where foods are stored. But a friend of mine, Ratha, ordered by speaking in Khmer to the seller. “Wow!,’ I am thinking in my mind. “If she knows we are Cambodian and tell police to arrest us. We probably can not protect ourselves because our permission paper is about 10 kilometers out of valid.” I keep silent, but I point my figure to any food I want to eat. I used to live in France and visited Germany, so I know very well that body language is more efficient in such occasion.

While we are sitting, an old woman, about 60 years old, walks from the inside and brings food to us. She speaks in Khmer to us, “oh! all of you are Cambodian! I confused that you are Lao. That’s why I don’t speak with you because I don’t speak Lao. If you are Cambodian, I also speak Khmer.”

Everybody gets surprised because we don’t expect that we will meet any one here who can speak Khmer. We don’t ask many questions to this old woman, and we just listen to her instead. She tells us that she was born in Kraches province, but her parents are also Vietnamese. She studied French language in Phnom Penh. But in 1974, before Khmer Rouge regime, her family moved to settle in Vietnam. She got married and had children then. But she says she missed her livelihood in Cambodia so much. A few years ago she visited Phnom Penh, and she saw a lot of things have been changed, but she still recognized Phnom Penh very well. That’s it her story.

I just visit the market a few hours and then we return to the border. Ratha is a bit happy as he can make it up with safe trip. We get out of Vietnam around 5 o’clock. At the border, I see many trucks export products from Vietnam to Cambodia. at the same time, i see a few oxcarts export some products from Cambodia to Vietnam. I feel that the exportation is still classical for the Cambodia side. It’s not fair!

the immigration office at the Vietnam side

the immigration office at Cambodia side

Cambodia exports products to Vietnam by oxcard

Chan So Rath (left) & Ou Mom

the irrigation system at Loc Ninh market in Vietnam

the tank is displayed in Vietnam

the road in Vietnam

Loc Ninh market

A Vietnamese woman wears her traditional hate Doun

the football field

Why I Named this Blog "Kampong Preah"?

2010-09-22T18:49:00.001-07:00

Actually, Kampong Preah is the name of a commune in Sangke district, Khet Battambang. I had lived and learned there for many years. Though I have left this commune, the images of it still remind me, especially my family there. This blog is too private, but it probably makes somebody who lives in Kampong Preah feel proud while he or she sees the name of his or her commune is used on the website. Anyways, the blog really welcomes everybody!

Photo on header is not the image of Kampong Preah. Actually it is the picture of Battambang town. I found no interesting photo from my commune, so I use this instead.

My Photos of the Year

2010-09-22T18:12:00.000-07:00

All of these photos I have taken entire year. The places are at different places in Cambodia. Wherever I go to do my report, I always bring back my portrait or landscape photos.

I was on Aoral mountain in Kampong Speu province. Actually I didn't do any report. I just visit there to see how the life of people is.

This picture I took in Aoral distict, Kampong Speu province too when I met these folk boys jumping into the river for the swim. They didn't care about my camera, and they even showed me how they jumped.

This is 'Te Teuk Pous' or Hot Spring in Aoral district, Kampong Speu province. It's hard to believe if I don't see by my own eyes the hot water emerging from the ground.

I portrait myself when i was at Yeak Laum, the former volcano in Rattanakiri. I do report three stories, grave yard of ethnic minority, gem stone, and jungle girl with my editor.

I was in Pailin at the stupa of burmese ethnic minority, 'Kula', living in Cambodia during 50s, 60s, or 70s and those people mostly had done business on gem.

During Water festival many people come to Phnom Penh, but we living in Phnom Penh left for Mondulkiri. It's time for us to relax. I really enjoyed with my friends, driving in the forest, crossing the water fall, and invading villages of ethnic people. Unforgettable trip!

My German lecturer Isabel Rodde visited us in Cambodia. Sorry that some classmates were missing on that day!

World's Fair Day at AUP

2009-05-07T09:26:00.001-07:00

AUP is my university in Paris. This university educates and entertain its students in the same time. Recently they hold World's Fair, so students from each country can have a table with their tranditional foods.

Well, the table looks like this. It is a table of Macedonia, and Tiyana owns this table.

Wow, I don't remmember this table.

here is Indian's table.

don't know this table either, but I look on the map, it should be Tanzania.

Oh, this one is Norway's table.

This is Italian's table

Many students go crazy after we have a drink

Never forget Ashley, my friend. First met her at French TV3

Khmer New Year

2009-05-07T07:51:00.000-07:00

After I moved to study in Phnom Penh, I rarely visited my home in New Year. The same with previouse years, this year I cannot meet my relatives, especially my mother because I leave them. However I still can visit buddhist pagoda in Vincence in Paris, France in New Year.

Here is buddhist pagoda in Vincence. Cambodian, Loas and even Thai celebrate Khmer New Year and other buddhist festivals here.

Behind me, Cambodian people cell Cambodian foods. They import them from Cambodia. I observe that some people who visit Buddhist pagoda does not just want to pray for their dead relatives, but als they want to buy some Cambodian foods here. They miss them very much.

17th of April is supposed the very last day of Khmer New Year. In France Cambodian people also take this day to selebrate a pray for people who passed away in Pol Pot regime.

Actually 17th of April 1975 is the day that Khmer Rouge conquer Phnom Penh, so they also celebrate to remind this success.

Some people show their children who were born France and have near heard Khmer Rouge the pictures of Khmer Rouge seneir leaders.

Cambodian treasure! We can buy T-shirt, Sampot from Cambodia here.

This table looks Cambodian.

After they finish praying, they enjoy dancing in front of buddhist pagoda.

The viewers are more than the dance. Maybe they don't know how to dance in Cambodian style.

Robamm Trod(Khmer spelling) is always performed during Khmer New Year, and it is also avalable in France.

I know many kinds of Cambodian dance, but this one seems new to me.

I hear a woman exclaim that "oh, chicken dance!" I think she's right. It should be chicken dance becasue as we see, chicken are on their heads.

Cambodian teenagers in France play the same Cambodian teenagers in Cambodia play during Khmer New Year days.

Unfortunately, they don't play powder and water.

Cambodian women students in Paris. Wearing red, she is studying PHD in France. I call her Bong Sokneang because she is older than me. Another girl I don't remmeber her name even though we enjoy Khmer New Year together in Maison du Cambodge with other Cambodian students the whole day.
[no read!]
I never dare to tell my international friends that Cambodian girls are pretty because I hardly find any evidence to prove them.

My simple life in France

Cambodian students are making letter (Happy Khmer New Year) in Maison du Cambodge.

No, I never play Chhayam, even in France.

Let's Listen to My Profile

2009-01-30T08:28:00.000-08:00

RFI correspondent did my profile. Let's listen to it with a slid show of my pictures.

One Semester has gone at AUP

2009-01-29T06:30:00.000-08:00

Only one guy in this photo doesn't receive this scholarship. All of us are from different countries around the world. We meet each other every month at the party, so we enjoy chatting, drinking, eating and even kidding.

I think this is my hardest time in my life to prepare a presentation about "press in my countries". I feel scared because many people listen to me. By the way, talking about journalism is a kind of embarrassing. But beleive me if anybody meets such situation, just take what you can talk! Make it easy, and wait for answers. They might ask you what you miss to talk about.

We always get together at our donor's house. Besides talking, eating interests everybody so much, but I am not lucky because I don't drink wine very well.

Mark now my new classmate is from Zimbabwe. His country is Africans' paradize. He helped me a lot when I just came.

The girl Tijana from Morocco is my former classmate. She says she doesn't speak French very well, but she can bring me to buy whatever I want.

My new friend Christoph from Ghana. We got the same scholarship and study in the same school.

___________________

It's my classmate's birthday. We have haft a section off and enjoy drinking!

I like writing class so much because I and my classmates make many interesting events in class and in Paris. All of classmates are from many countries in world, . Only I and Vakai are from asian countries.

I attend the guess speaker in my donor's house in Paris. At there, I meet many students from Columbia college.

Christoph and Patia, a man and a woman bowing down, got the same scholarship with me. They are from two different countries in Africa. The rest are the American students. We share each other the procedure of media and communication in our own country.

I always have party in my donor's house reqularly, at least one a month, but honestly speaking, I never eat fully because the foods taste too European.

Snow Visits Me

2009-01-07T06:04:00.000-08:00

I see the tower at least five days a week, but today I decide to take photo here because some snow still exists on the ground.

All trees loss their leaves. They look like the death trees in Cambodia, but they are alive.

Going to the top of the tower, we can see the whole Paris, I guess.

Everywhere in Paris is covered by snow. It looks white.

Here is my dormitory (Fondation des Etates Unis) in Paris. You can call it American's house.

My dormitory is in Cite Internationnale, Paris. Behind me, it is the canteen for international students staying at the international dormitory.

It snows heavily this year. It's good for me because I don't need to see snow at mountain.

At Cite Internationnale, we have Khmer's house here called Maison du Cambodge.

All dormitories here look slightly different from French buildings.

Snow looks like white sand, but it's so cool. I can not hold it so long.

Enjoy snow in Paris!

My vacation in Paris

2008-12-28T07:02:00.000-08:00

My first semester in Paris is finished; one month vacation comes, but it upsets me because all my classmates has gone to their home countries. Fortunately, Cambodian students come to Paris, and we visit some interesting places together.

It is a giant garden behind the royal palace of French last king called Versailles. More information about this royal palace, access: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace_of_Versailles

Versailles looks similar other French buildings, but it attracts many tourists arround the world.

We visit some places in the day and go to night club at night.

We have lunch together at a Cambodian resturant in Paris at 5 o'clock. We get up a little bit late today; that's why we have to take dinner as a lunch time.

We can eat noodle that looks the same the noodle in Phnom Penh.

French has a glass pyramid. Under it, there is a huge museum called Louvre which exhibits statues, pictures, or small decorated building.

Our tour makes us so tired. Seats on metro are a comfortable place that we can lean on and sleep.

You can find naked statues everywhere in Europe.

Many bridges have been built across Seine river in Paris, and some of them are allowed for walking only.

Light are put on trees or buildings to attract the visiters during Christmas.

The winter is just starting, but the cool weather makes us hesitated to take a boat for sightseeing a long the river.

Here is French glass pyramid. French people copied it from Egypt.

We take individual and group photo wherever we go. In addition, we share each other the own experience in abroad.

Short Trip to Germany

2008-06-21T03:25:00.001-07:00

After we finish a two-weeks-workshop in PP, we have a short trip to Germany.

The program requries us to see by our own eyes how German deal with its history Nazy Hitler.

The first five days we have to stay in a wooden house in Munic, Germany. I like this place very much, but I am always complaining about food.

An old church was destroyed during World War II and Germans keep it as evidence.
Berlin Wall is the result of World War II. It was built to splite Berliners, East and West, but now people can join together.
An old building was built in Nazi Hitler regime.
Nuremberg is a beautiful city that I have to keep in my mind.

The motel where I stay for two days in Nuremberg looks quiet.

Seiha, my classmate, gets up early to day.

Wherever I go in Nuremberg city, I rearly see the dusty on the streets.

A small river in Berlin allows many ships bringing many tourists for sightseeing.

I really like the trip because I learn how to run, to catch the bus, train or trump. Especially, I learn how to eat European foods.

Two weeks workshop in Phnom Penh

2008-06-20T05:30:00.000-07:00

I apply for a training course called "Khmer Rouge Fellowship Program" provided by German organization InWEnt. We study about Trauma, Outreach and Law in this program.

The program is devided into three phases. The first place takes place two weeks in Phnom Penh. I found it very interesting because I meet some participants from NGOs and Judge school.

We act two mock trials in this workshop, and I am appointed as a court clerk.

There are sixteen participants

The last day of our first workshop

Bong Sokhoeun sitting next to me is a staff of radio 102 in pp.

We study at Judge school, and we have to have lunch over there, too.

It's so fantastic because we have learned alot from the course.

Steung Treng, Our Researching Place

2008-06-20T04:34:00.000-07:00

We year three and two of DMC visit Steung Treng on 13, 14, 15 of May 2008. Our purpose is to do research about topic related to election for national election is coming soon.

More information about Steung Treng, please access this web:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stung_TrengWhile

We go to the Cambodia-Loa border in Steung Treng

A road crossing Steung Treng to Loa is bigger and better than other roads in Cambodia

I will never forget what Kimoan, Heang and I visit Sekong bridge

Sitting in front of motel, we are waiting for lunch in the evining

I look very unhappy because I have many works to do. I never visit Steung Treng before; that's why I have to come to this province

Ratha, my best friend, is very active in the class, and many people like him even me. He got an internship for two months in Germany

On the bus, year two student is always showing his style when I take photo

Visiting Steung Treng, don't forget to taste the fish behind me. You afford it in a resturant around that place

Heang lives in Kraches province. He is always making us laugh

Steung Treng is not too big. We can walk arround the city, or we can rend a bycicle one dollar per day.

Visiting Chambak

2008-06-17T18:59:00.000-07:00

We enjoy a trip to Chambak waterfall in Kampong Spue as soon as we finish our radio cources.

People always visite there at the weekend

Enjoy the fresh air and the beautuful sound of wildbird