Showing all posts tagged all in a day’s work

In Expat Life, Food, Sreisaatv2, Work

From Drama to Delicious

Author sreisaatPosted on 2 Comments

Ugh, homesick alert! Missing you tons, Mama, and craving all the good stuff back in Capiz! This Capizeña needs to visit the homeland soon!

Today was a rollercoaster! Ugh, not again! The day kicked off with more drama, this time courtesy of the same person who always seems to be in the middle of it. Tsk, never learns a lesson, it seems. But hey, as they say, sometimes you lose some to win some.

The win today? An incredible lunch invitation to a home-cooked Khmer lunch! It wasn’t just any meal – it was a feast of homemade Khmer dishes, all prepared with such love and care. I felt so honoured to be included in their family, and in their community. អរគុណមិត្តសម្លាញ់! Thank you, dear friends!

The food was amazing! My colleague and her army of young assistants cooked for me one of my favourites – prahok khtis dong, a rich and flavourful dish with minced pork and prahok (preserved fish), slow-cooked in fragrant kreung (aromatic paste – lemongrass, galangal, ginger, etc.) and coconut milk, and a side of fresh vegetables to eat them with.

Clockwise, from the top: Meatballs with Napa cabbage soup, fresh veggies, rice with the pickled-cabbage stir-fry, and the spicy prahok khtis.
Takeaway dinner is served. Prahok khtis is eaten with fresh vegetables – cabbage, cucumber, string beans, eggplants, etc.
Up close. That’s tiny, round thingy is a Thai pea eggplant.

There were also meatballs in a clear broth with Napa cabbage (great palate cleanser), and a stir-fried pickled cabbage with pork (well-balanced savoury and sour flavors). It was hearty, homey, and the delicious meal felt almost like an embrace for an expat who’s missing the comforts of home. Like a big, warm hug, on a day that could have been a total washout.

Here in Cambodia where hardship is a familiar face, it’s the everyday acts of kindness that shine the brightest. Despite facing challenges, the Cambodian people continue to amaze me with their generosity and resilience. They truly embody the spirit “those who have less are often the most giving. ”

P.S.1. As I shuffled back to the office, Tita Shawie is bleating inside my head, on repeat: ‘balutin mo ako sa hiwaga ng iyong pagmamahaaaaaaaal…’ (wrap me up in the magic of your looooove) A cheeky grin spread across my face as I clutched the unexpected takeaway container a little too tightly (I didn’t ask for one!). Dinner sorted! Maybe I’m turning into a bit of a…Sharonian*, haha.

“*Sharon” is Filipino slang referring to the act of taking leftovers from a Filipino party. It’s derived from the song “Bituing Walang Ningning” by Sharon Cuneta, which contains the lyric, “Balutin mo ako” (“wrap me up”). Those who do “Sharon” are also referred to as “Sharonians.”

The Filipino-American Life on Instagram

P.S.2. Just finished dinner. Belly full, heart happy! Thank you, universe, for reminding me that even on challenging days, there’s always something to be grateful for, especially the kindness of strangers (or in this case, friends!)

In Expat Life, Images, Sreisaatv2, What's on in Cambodia, Work

From Fieldwork to Flying Bats in Battambang

Author sreisaatPosted on 7 Comments

This week’s My Corner of the World and Skywatch Friday takes a detour from my usual work routine when I did a field work in our Battambang program office. My schedule is typically a whirlwind of program office meetings and fieldwork in the communes that require traveling distances, collaborating with community partners and beneficiaries for monitoring and documentation. Office days have a familiar rhythm, while fieldwork often stretches our days from dawn to dusk.

My schedule for the day wrapped up early, finding me back in the car alongside colleagues by 4pm. Just as we were settling in for the drive back to town, a brilliant suggestion from a colleague sparked a spontaneous adventure – a quick stop at Phnom Sampov! This historical and natural landmark, renowned for its resident bat population, was conveniently located on our return route. Needless to say, I was all in!

Located about 20 kilometers from our fieldwork site and 15 kilometers from the town center, Phnom Sampov offers a unique blend of history and nature. Three large caves, adorned with Buddhist shrines and statues, pierce the mountainside. One such cave is pictured below. Giant Buddha carvings grace another side, while chilling reminders of the Khmer Rouge period remain within – locals claim human skeletons can still be found inside.

But the real allure of Phnom Sampov, attracting both local and international visitors, unfolds at dusk. As day surrenders to night, a breathtaking spectacle takes flight. Thousands, if not millions, of wrinkle-lipped bats emerge from the cave, their synchronized exodus painting the twilight sky with a mesmerizing dance. The movement reminded me of a starling murmuration – the closest comparison I can offer to capture this awe-inspiring phenomenon.

My phone couldn’t quite capture the detail, but these flying mammals are breathtaking! 
Clicks, squeaks, and a blur of wings – witness the nightly ballet of bats emerging from Phnom Sampov cave to hunt!

A moment of peace. Just me and this monk, after a near-Olympic sprint to dodge tourists for THIS shot. Worth the run.

So, if Battambang ever finds a place on your travel map, consider adding Phnom Sampov to your itinerary. And for those who appreciate the unexpected wonders of nature, don’t miss the chance to witness the nightly bat dance – it’s an unforgettable experience that will leave you feeling truly batty (in the best way possible) about Battambang!

In Expat Life, Images, Sreisaatv2, Work

Cheers to Beers

Author sreisaatPosted on 6 Comments

Before the Khmer New Year this year, my boss (who is based in Battambang province) swung by the Phnom Penh Programme Office for his regular check in. On his last night in Phnom Penh, we had a staff dinner and, unlike other well-funded NGOs, ours was a split-the-bill-evenly kind of situation. But hey, our budget woes didn’t stop the good times!

Southeast Asia has a fantastic tradition when it comes to beer: it’s all about camaraderies and laughter. Picture this: a bunch of people around a table laden with food, karaoke, mugs or cans of beer in hand, ready to clink glasses and celebrate. As an expat in Cambodia, one thing that really caught my eye (and my funny bone a few times) was how they toast here. It’s a whole different ball game to what I’m used to back home (and probably everywhere else!).

In Cambodia, for starters, beer comes with an endless supply of ice (genius in the heat!) and often a straw for, I don’t know, maybe some added fun experience. When it’s time to toast, or chol muoy (one sip), as they call it locally, forget the usual clink-sip routine. It’s a ritual that’s about more than just a drink.

Here’s the fun (and sometimes slightly overwhelming) part: cheering is a huge part of the beer-drinking experience. In Cambodia, saying chol moy with every sip is pretty much the norm. So, you take a swig, everyone else follows suit (and vice versa). But the twist? Every time someone raises their mug for a toast, you have to do the same – and it happens a LOT, which can be quite amusing (or slightly annoying) for a newbie in Cambodia. Imagine you just finished raising your mug and half-way through taking a sip when another one decides to chol muoy again, and so on – hah, you get the picture! And forget about a simple raise of your glass – those mugs and cans got to clink for a proper cheer!

Each clink is like an invitation to share stories, have a laugh, and build memories together. It’s a beautiful way of celebrating the sense of community that is at the heart of Cambodian beer-drinking culture. And, as I looked around the table that night, I saw this incredible mix of people and thought about how similar and yet different we are at the same time, united by the universal language of cheers.

So, as we sat down with our boss that night, we raised our mugs to the moments that bring us together, to the challenges that push us to do our best work, to the traditions that make us smile, and to the quirky customs that remind us – especially expats like me – that sometimes it’s the little things that make life in a foreign country truly delightful. Chol muoy!

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This is my first post to the weekly My Corner of the World link up.