10.7.10

Cambodian Morning/Afternoon


FRIDAY, JULY 9


Red roads and dust

Palm trees rise like sentinels

Against the distant grey mountains

Kampot

Pepper and salt

Development and Peace

We arrive at Tareach Village

Juhm ree-uhp sue” we bow hello

Sit on straw mats legs tucked behind us

Women, men, children and babies

We listen hard to hear and understand

Khmer words and English translations

Questions and answers

Stories of an agricultural cooperative

Community organizing

Rice bank, cow bank, pig bank

102 families, 953 people, 420 women

174 hectares

Rice storage

Money for medicines and education

Afternoon Daung Village

Walking on dusty paths beside rice fields

Sky black and the sound of palm tree leaves

Rustling in the wind

Rainy season

A new culvert and possible double rice crop

Corn in the dry season

Rain falls

We wait underneath a family's roof

We drink fresh coconut juice as the heavens open up

Communion

Awe coon” (thank you) we say to our hosts

We emerge as sun streams through pineapple and palm trees

Hope

Buddha smiles


by Robin Adeney

2 comments:

Joan O'Connell said...

Beautiful way to comunicate your experince, Robin. Sure brings back memeories of my solidarity trip to Ecuador two summers ago.

Joan O'Connell
Ottawa DC

Anonymous said...

Nice entry! It reads like a poeme and have all different kind of info!

It is a wonderful to re-discover Cambodia and our partners through your words!

Congrats to all!

Gen