Sun, Sand, and Drama: A Teacher’s Trip to Sihanoukville

School teachers in Cambodia, like members of every other profession and occupation, often put in some long, hard hours. But there are quite a few holidays and special occasions when they get a break. And, for our school at least, there was an occasional weekend getaway for teachers and staff collectively. One of these occurred during our time volunteering, and we were invited to tag along. It was an overnight “team building” excursion to the coastal resort town of Sihanoukville (pronounced See-a-NOOK-ville).

It was a fun trip for the most part. But it also had its trying moments; and some of them were courtesy of one particular teacher who was a consistent train wreck. She was, we’re sorry to say, a fellow American; and she was constantly stirring up drama at school. Honestly, we felt bad for her; she clearly had neurotic disorders that demanded professional help. But she should not have been in any position to be around children all day, a capacity that constantly caused headaches for everyone else.

When we heard about this trip, we secretly hoped that she wouldn’t be going with us. But after we reported to the school at 6:00 on Saturday morning to wait for the van to be ready and all the passengers to arrive, lo and behold, it wasn’t long before she showed up too — in a tuk-tuk, for which she tried to get the school to pay the fare, since she conveniently didn’t carry cash. She was toting a huge suitcase, along with other bags. It seems she’d brought along four pairs of heels (for an overnight trip to the beach) as well as several bathing suits (she never went in the water) and who knows what else. She also claimed to have 8 cell phones; we don’t know how many she brought with her, but she thought (incorrectly) she’d left one back at the school after we’d departed, which almost caused us to turn back to try to find it.

It’s standard procedure in Cambodia to stuff as many bodies as possible into a vehicle, even for a long ride like ours; evidently you’re not supposed to breathe while traveling. So it would have been crowded enough already, without any personal items. Meanwhile, the music teacher brought along his guitar, which was excusable enough; but that in addition to the other teacher’s gargantuan bag made the back seat something approaching the conditions of a medieval torture chamber.

Sihanoukville, Cambodia

But we arrived, safe and sane, and unloaded onto a nice beach. Everyone began ordering lunch from some local vendors; and while vegetarian fare can be difficult to find in Cambodia, we managed to round up some grub.

Then we went to the hotel that the school had booked for us, and dropped off our things; there were 4 of us per room.

Then it was off to another beach, where we spent some time wading — nobody actually took a plunge — and found a cool swing at the water’s edge. Alessandro, the music teacher, had packed along a bocce set, so several of us had a great time playing bocce — Alessandro himself took it seriously, and was quite competitive. (Later, alas, he stepped on a sharp rock and injured his foot, so he was limping around for a couple of days.)

Around sunset, we built a fire and started grilling dinner. As often happens, the individuals who brought in the supplies neglected to remember (or just didn’t know) that there were vegetarians stalking among them. But not to worry, they managed to scrounge up some vegetables we could grill, so everyone was happy, and so was everyone’s tummy.

Meanwhile, the music was playing and so many of us got up and started dancing. And we must humbly confess that we were the ones who got that ball rolling.

That night, back at the hotel, there was a bit of a crisis in one of the ladies’ rooms. It revolved around the notorious Teacher X, though this time it was not really her fault. But she fell asleep and began snoring. Loudly. Very, very loudly. And her roommates were unable to wake her up. Ultimately, they decided that the only way they were going to get any shuteye themselves was to book another room. So that’s what they did, leaving her there alone; and later she did wake up, and was in a bit of a panic to find she’d been abandoned, until she learned what had happened.

Early the next morning Dennis, who had been awake since 4:00, began trying to get his morning tea fix. He’d brought along tea bags, but there was nowhere on the premises to obtain hot water. So he began hiking around the neighborhood, and ultimately happened upon a nice little coffee and tea shop. It did not serve black tea, but green tea was on the menu; so he ordered two cups (one for Kimberly, who also likes morning tea). Trouble is, when Cambodians make green tea, they don’t just pour water on a tea bag. They also add some kind of foamy sweet coconut concoction. So the morning lift was sweeter than we’d hoped, but at least it was something.

After everyone was up and functional, we started the drive back to Phnom Penh. Originally, the school had budgeted to buy everyone lunch, but those funds were depleted in obtaining getting another room because of the snoring problem. So we just had to make do with snacks, or purchase out of our pockets.

Statue of Preah Thong and Neang Neak

The long drive back was broken up by some interesting pit stops, including the impressive Statue of Preah Thong and Neang Neak, two characters from Cambodian folklore. The largest copper statue in the country, it stands 69 feet tall, and faces the sea.

According to tradition, Preah Thong was a prince who came from India and fell in love with Neang Neak, who was a sea serpent that had been transformed into a princess. He journeyed with her to her underwater home to ask her father, the king of the sea serpents for her hand — or scales — in marriage. At their wedding, he carried her serpent’s tail in the procession; accordingly, it has become the Cambodian custom for the groom to carry the bride’s train, as depicted in this sculpture. Naturally, we had to pose with the statue in the same gesture.