Our Time in Kampot

We returned to the building site early Saturday morning and right away started to help carry lumber for the walls of the house. Unfortunately, we couldn't help with the house as much as we wanted to, because most of the builders were out working at the nearby salt marshes. We all decided to go on a long bike ride around the salt fields. Despite the bumpy terrain, we all enjoyed the scenery and had a lot of fun.
Yesterday morning we got up early and headed for the Kampot Pepper Plant. Our tour guide explained the different types of pepper (black, white, red) and how they are grown. He took us to look at the plants, and then we all had the chance to purchase pepper. After our tour, we headed back to the hotel and got ready to go to Epic Arts. Epic Arts is a school for deaf and disabled kids. The kids told us about their life in Cambodia and about Epic Arts, and in turn we explained American society and our everyday life. What we said was translated into Khmer, and then translated again into Cambodian sign language. Then, all of the kids came up with names for each of us in sign language. During our first day at Epic Arts, we didn't really get a chance to interact directly with the kids because most of the time was taken up with performances.
This morning at 8:00 we returned to Epic Arts and got right into group theater games (taught by Mrs. Bovard) with all of the kids. It was a lot of fun, and a new experience for some of the travelers who aren't into theater and dance. We all gave it a shot, and had a lot of fun working together with the kids. Maggie and I got a chance to show the types of dance we do at home. I did a tap demonstration and Maggie did ballet. For the rest of the day we played different games and got to know each other better. By the end of the day we felt we had made connections at Epic Arts and felt sad to say goodbye.
Tomorrow morning we will visit the building site to see how the house looks upon completion. We are also going on a 26 mile boat ride and will get the chance to go swimming.
Hope all is well at home!
-Lauren