Saturday, June 1 Koh Pdao scavenger hunt etc.

Hello friends and fam! We are still in Koh Phdao. 🙃 Today was a good one. We started the day nice and early, awakened by a chorus of frogs (coaxed out by last night’s thunderstorm) and roosters (as always). Zoe had the best sleep of her life though! 😊 We rallied for breakfast before being abandoned by our teachers left with only an ominous note… eek! 😬 Equipped with basic Khmer skills and a positive attitude, we embarked on the journey to Samphin—another village on the island—to find our chaperones. When we arrived in Samphin, we found another note to go to Ming Angkang’s house…where we each received a fresh coconut! 🥥 The coconuts were so delicious they almost made us forget about the betrayal. But then Ming Angkang handed us a new note. The mystery continues! Then, we found our way to the Wat (Buddhist Temple). One more note and we returned back to the community center where the traitors aka our teachers were waiting for us alongside lunch. The lunch was the typical ensemble of rice, morning glory, stir fry, and soup. But today, lunch also featured a spicy competition between Isaiah and Henry to see who could eat the most chilis. 🥵Tears were shed… Tensions burned… But in the end, Isaiah emerged victorious! 👑Then our favorite part of the day: Downtime!!!! In our (Amber, Zoe, and Lauren) homestay, we have grandparents and four adorable grandchildren. The oldest is Kahli, an 11 year boy, then Sinah, an 8 year old girl, then Taree, a 7 year old girl, and finally Senay, a 2 year old girl. They know all the games in the world from Tag to Marco Polo to Patty Cake to Fashion Shows. You name it, we’ve probably played it. They chime in English, “Let’s go” and “Ready” and “Action” and our Khmer can’t keep up. The baby’s favorite games are high fiving us and playing with teddy bear. 🧸 We even made a secret handshake with them but that will remain a secret… 😉 After downtime, our homestay grandfather, a special guest, taught about his passion of traditional Cambodian music. 🎶 In the meantime, another group learned from a local about Mekong Dolphin conservation. 🐬 Our day wrapped up in volleyball and dinner. 😴 Until next time!


XOXO, Amber, Zoe, and Lauren











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