Sambo

After four days of exploring Siem Reap and four temples in the Angkor region, we headed to a village known as Sambo for a home stay. 

Before we got to meet out hosts, we wandered around Sambo Preykuk, a cultural and historical site that predates Angkor Wat by five centuries.

Though overall the architecture is quite different, the influence of these ancient temples can be seen at the temples in the Angkor region.

Nature reclaiming the land. It is a common trend ;)

Later that night, we got to talking to Teng, our host, he mentioned growing up playing around and on the ruins of Sambo Preykuk, thinking nothing of these structures that had always sat on the outskirts of the village. It had been like that for generations until Sambo Preykuk was rediscovered by archaeologists. Now this historical site provides a source of tourism to the community, thus providing jobs for local guides and exposure to different world views to a village that was once isolated.

From Sambo Preykuk, we took an ox and cart ride to our home stay with Teng and his family.

It was a great way to see the countryside!

We stopped at a small farm owned by a family in Sambo. They eat the food they grow and the rest they sell to their neighbors. From farm to table at its finest ;)

Here are our sleeping quarters. The mosquito nets did a great job and were quite spacious.

Once we dropped our bags off upstairs, we headed downstairs to see, talk to and play with some local kids. Teng, in his free time 5 days a week in his free time, runs a school to teach English to kids in Sambo to give these kids the opportunity to venture out to find jobs in big cities, if they want to, once they are older. 

Teng grew up in the years following the Khmer Rouge regime when Cambodia was struggling to deal with the aftermath of genocide that wiped out generations and land mines that still riddled the countryside (hundreds still do, in more remote areas of Cambodia). Playing outside a well-trodden road was a risk. Teng saw dogs and people die from stepping in the wrong place just feet from where he was. Going to school meant walking for miles and risking coming into contact with a land mine along the way. 

Cambodia was also struggling economically and people were starving. Every family member was needed to help grow and harvest food, so often choosing to go to school meant going without food and many kids chose to have full bellies. Education is important. Teng determinedly finished school, worked many jobs to build a better life for himself and his wife, taught himself English and now uses all of this knowledge to provide kids in his community with opportunities that he never had. I am sure this goes without saying, but in case it does need to be said... It is people like Teng that help to create a world of generosity, kindness and compassion. Work like this is to be greatly admired and giving back to your community at this level is something to aspire to.

After the kids sang a couple of songs, they enthusiastically ran over to us to practice their English. About 6 kids ran up to me at once. Within 15 seconds they knew my name, how old I am, and where I am from. It took me a few moments after this to compose myself and start asking questions of my own. After I learned the names of the kids, they brought out posters of animals, fruits and vegetables and asked me to pronounce the words for them. The kids knew all of the English words for the objects on the poster and by the time I figured this out, they started teaching me the words in Khmer. After about 20 minutes they asked me to play duck duck goose with them. It was awesome! I cannot even remember the last time I played and I forgot how much fun it is :D

 I am so glad that we got to stay with Teng and his family :)