Putting one foot in front of the other

Today was my first sit down with the entire District Council (minus the Director and two Councillors) and I am happy with the result. Yay! I went in with low expectations and was happy to find that, although the conversation was dominated by one council member, almost everyone participated and gave some small contribution. I hope it sets the tone from here on out.

The District Councillors and I

Sa-aat na! Perceptions of beauty in Cambodia

Sa-aat. It means 'beautiful' or 'clean' in Khmer. When I go out, pretty much anywhere in Kratie and definitely when I walk alone in Phnom Penh, I hear the same thing: sa-aat!

In Kratie, the ladies in the market like to chat and are generally talking about you as you walk by. Sometimes they ask me how old I am, where my family is, and generally want to know my business. They like to comment on my clothes and generally say "Sa-aat, sa-aat na" to themselves, me, or each other. It's a little awkward but always friendly. I say 'awkun' (thank you) and scurry away, not quite sure that I should say awkun at all.

During my fieldwork in 2010 a lot of photos were taken

The women that say