Chip Pride: Day 10...or the day a Thai priest made me cry.

The silk worms feasting

Eating never was such a happy thing! I had some crackers and yogurt for dinner the night before, so I indulged a little more for breakfast this morning. Everything stayed put, so I gave myself a go ahead to eat somewhat normally again. It was really nice to have a full stomach again!

Day two in Siem Reap was consequently much more enjoyable than the first day. It also was a really nice day. Everyone told me Cambodia was going to be hotter and more miserable than Laos and Thailand, but once the sun goes down, a cool breeze blows through Siem Reap and it's actually pleasant outside. And today was actually nice most of the day, still pretty hot, but totally doable.

I started the day with a trip to the silk farm. There's a workshop near my hostel that offers free shuttles twice a day out to the farm where you learn the entire process of

The silk worms spinning cocoons

making a silk scarf. It sounded great because (1) it was free, (2) the van is air conditioned, and (3) well I love silk.

It was a really cool experience. I had no idea that silk was so difficult and time consuming to make.The price of good silk makes a lot more sense to me now. Silk worms love mulberry leaves so the silk farm is surrounded by tons of mulberry bushes. I think this might honestly be the first time I've seen a mulberry bush, but I was half tempted to skip around one sining about monkeys and weasels (I refrained because, you know, I'm an adult).

The cocoons being boiled and spun

Newly hatched silk worms feast on mulberry leaves for about twenty days until they're ready to spin their cocoons. In the farm, the worms just stay in trays filled with leaves. When it's time for them to spin cocoons, they get moved to these woven wheels. In the normal course of the silk worm's life, it will come out of the cocoon with wings that don't work. Silk worms never turn into butterflies! They basically come out of their cocoons, mate, and die.

In the world of silk farming, once the cocoons are spun, the baskets are placed in the sun to kill the worms inside. The cocoons are then boiled and the outer shells are slowly parsed into thread for raw silk. The inner shells are used to make fine silk.

After the thread is made, it is is dyed and readied for weaving. We learned about three different styles of weaving...all of them hopelessly complicated so that I couldn't

explain them. You'll just have to imagine how impressive it is that beautiful scarves come out of the
complicated machines. And even more that these women know what they're doing!

The footbridge to the market

There were a few other girls that decided to do the tour as well. One was an Israeli solo traveler. She kept trying to convince me to get a motorbike with her and explore the Cambodian countryside. While a trip to the floating villages sounded really awesome, I figured I'd save mom and Jeff a heart attack and not have my first biking experience be in a 3rd world country. There was also a set of twins from Texas who tried to convince me to ride a bicycle about 13 miles to the village and back. This time I said no because I know my limits. There's no way I would've lasted in the sun/heat biking that far! I didn't want to ruin the rest of my trip! So I set off after the tour on my own to explore some of the markets.

Crossing a foot bridge to the market

I found markets. I found skirts and scarves and a host of other souveniers. Things here are beautiful. And cheap. I had to leave and get lunch though. And then I barely made it back to my hostel before a huge storm started! Once the storm ended, I headed down to the pool for some relaxing swim time. Most of the people were already quite drunk, but I made the best of it and hung out with a cool British guy I had met the day before. We made plans to grab dinner together when I got back from church.

Which brings us to Mass.

It's literally called "Catholic Church"

I love attending Mass in different countries because it's a glimpse of culture that many people never get. Usually I try to walk to the church so I can observe some of the less touristy aspects of life. I walked by the Cambodian People's Party headquarters where group kick boxing was going on in the yard. And through the royal gardens, where many Cambodian women were walking and running or working out.

In the gardens, I'm pretty sure I stumbled onto some fire ants, but I'm two days post run-in and only have one nasty bite so it seems to be okay.

The actual church

I got to Mass and was somewhat surprised that it was surrounded by barbed wire. I've spent almost two weeks in 3rd world countries. Seeing first hand the poverty that corruption breeds. Walking into a church in a country where less than 1% is Christian, I wasn't sure what to expect. Many Catholics were massacred during the genocide in the 70s (this is a good article for more information).

I knew Catholicism was weak in Cambodia, but the surroundings of the church really drove home what it is like to be in a minority. The church was small with few furnishings. Most people just sat on bamboo mats on the floor. The music was from a guitar and tamborine, not as a statement of hipness, but because that's literally the only form of instrument theycould afford. The speakers and microphones cut in and out. But everyone was there for Jesus and it was beautiful.

The inside of church

This homily was the most heart-wrenching things I have ever experienced. Given it was Pentecost Sunday, the priest's homily focused on how we are to let the Holy Spirit manifest itself in us. He focused a lot on compassion and for good reason.

Traffic mortality is a really big deal in Cambodia. Poor roads and no adherence to traffic laws results in multiple deaths a day, even in a small city like Siem Reap (around 200,000 citizens). Earlier that week, the priest ran into a motorcyclist. One of the riders died at the scene and the other is still in critical condition (please pray for him). The priest related the story and described how bystanders encouraged him to just disappear. The police wouldn't care or chase him. But he stayed. He stayed and prayed with the dying man and the injured man.

He then spent three nights in jail. The priest said he was worried all this time about the people and their families. That they would be cared for, but that the Cambodian police and government were more concerned with fines and bribes. He used this to juxtapose the difference in approaching a situation with and without compassion. I cannot even express with words the impact the homily had on me.

It would behoove many Americans to experience a mission parish like this. To truly see commitment to faith, despite enormous odds. It's really something we cannot comprehend in the Western World. Most of the hardship we face in our faith back home is of our own creation. The priests here travel to villages on a rotating basis to provide people with Mass. I can walk out of my house and to two different parishes with daily Mass. It is truly a convicting experience how much I take the Eucharist for granted, and a feeling that I don't want to forget in the near future.

After Mass, I went to dinner at a restaurant called Haven. It's a vocational training NGO which provides Cambodians a chance to practice English and learn very good serving skills. They earn good wages and are able to move to knew jobs after their year-long training or stay on at Haven. Vocational training is a huge thing in Cambodia. Many of the artistic things like the silk farm and circus are centered on providing free training to young Cambodians to help them earn sustainable livings.

BONUS PICTURES:

The grounds of the silk farm

Dead/mating silk flies? I'm not sure what they're called after that methamorphisize. All the little dots are eggs.

Drying the cocoons before boiling them

Many people bring their kids to work. It's a really interesting facet of these countries I've found. Child care is nonexistent or too expensive. A NGO provides free artisan training to these women, which provides them with stable jobs.