Monday, June 3 Koh Pdao ceremonies

 Today was our last day on the Koh Pdao Island. We started the morning with breakfast and then went home to change into our traditional wear for the Wat ceremonies. Our homestay mum picked out these beautiful skirts and ornately beaded shirts— the colors matched us perfectly! We were so appreciative of their generosity, and they even tailored the clothes to us. Our homestay mother and sister-in-law had big smiles on their faces after we had put everything on. We made our way to the Wat where we got a water blessing from the monks (they literally just poured buckets of flower water on us). Afterwards we went back to our houses, and we ate a delicious Cambodian lunch prepared by our homestay parents. We had a peaceful afternoon relaxing with our families in the hammocks under the house. We also gave the homestay hosts the bags from SF (thank you parents back home!) and photos of our families. 

In the afternoon, we went to the community center and learned about international development and where we stand with our privilege in the Silicon Valley compared to the world. We then split into groups to prepare for the final dinner party with our families. We ate food, asked them questions and thanked them for their hospitality. Our Where There Be Dragons' guide Pum served as our translator. We also performed "Party in the USA" and then danced with the children (specifically our homestay daughter) for an hour.

Today was such a great finale to our Koh Pdao journey, and we’re so excited for Angkor Wat!


--Sophie, Isla, Scarlett 










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