Words from our CEO…

Cambodian Threads was down at Connecticut College’s Harvest Fest on Saturday, October 22^nd.  As an Alumni of Connecticut College from the class of 2008, I was excited to attend the event.  We brought down a ton of merchandise and were well prepared for a display.  I was able to modify a “scarf tree” of sorts using a closet rod with a staircase of dowels drilled in, all held up by a Christmas tree stand (thanks Michael for the help!).  The scarves hung from the dowels and allowed our customers to view the products effortlessly.  Our table ran smoothly with the support of friends I had made in Vietnam – students who had studied abroad in Hanoi – that currently attend my alma mater. Erin, Brooke, Duy, and Dave played a big role in supporting Cambodian Threads during the event.  A few items sold really well  some new models went like hot cakes.  Look out for our Ulrike Blend, Black and White Krama, Autumn Blend, and sleek new ties! 

We had many interested customers and, with our pamphlets and stories, we provided them with as much information as possible.  I completely ran out of business cards not long into the festival – the networking was going well. It was cool to see the reaction from professors who played such an important role in my development process.  Everyone seemed to be pretty enthusiastic about Cambodian Threads. I can’t wait to participate in more similar events this fall and winter!

Check out our sleek Necktie Collection

Words from our CEO…

The Cambodian Threads Fall Photo Shoot was an all day affair up in Portland, Maine.  Who would think that shooting a dozen scarves would be such a process?  But it was so in the best way possible.  Early Friday morning Mike Patton picked me up from my family’s house in Wayland, Massachusetts.  I just got back to America and was still getting used to the jetlag; the Vietnamese coffee I brought home was a necessary start to the day.  That stuff is like rocket fuel! After talking politics and business on the two-hour drive up north, we pulled into the studio outside of downtown and met the photographer, David Tuemmler. Stretch Studios, David’s studio, is a nice space for a shoot.  Equipped with the highest line of photography and lighting gear, David is a true master of his medium.  The tough part was to prep the scarves perfectly so they exemplified the silky texture and grace they embody.  In reality this meant straining to get a bit more movement in one area while moderating folds and strayed twists.  If only the internet allowed for our customers to actually feel our products…maybe that will be our next project.

The dozen scarves took about ten hours to shoot. We felt great about the work.  After all those hours of steaming, setting, twisting, photographing, and editing, we were able to look through the final photos with satisfaction.  David did a truly amazing job and he deserves a big thanks!!!  We spent the rest of the evening checking out the Portland Art Walk in which many artists put on exhibits in the galleries.  It was an enjoyable way to reward ourselves after all of the photography, especially for a cold American I.P.A.  

Winter Scarves, Neckties and Bags

Words from our CEO…

Cambodian Threads Summer English Program celebrated its first season with a musical cheer.  The group of Khmer students collected in the courtyard of the Okay American School and with true cross-cultural spirit exchanged songs over Teacher Johns smooth acoustic guitar.  It was a hot afternoon in the developing village of Prekbongkong, Cambodia, and we appreciated the gusts of wind, balanced by notebooks-turned-fans.            

Monay Heng was among the group of students.  Monay, the second youngest daughter of the Heng family at 13, studied through our English Program all summer.  With a glowing personality and a motivated spirit, she is a truly wonderful young lady.  It’s with that same enthusiasm that she has been able to improve her English.  When she started earlier in the summer, she was a bit shy to speak English, but now she speaks with confidence and grace  

After the musical performance, Monay Heng and I had time to chat.  She impressed me by not only expressing her interests and dislikes, but also by pronouncing with a smooth intonation and correct verb tense.  As an English teacher at Pannasastra University of Cambodia for two years and a Fulbright scholar in Vietnam, I was truly amazed by her improvement.  Monay and I spoke for a long time with her fellow classmates who also possessed English communication skills. 

It was a wonderful feeling to see the concept of starting an English program come to fruition and seeing the reaction from the students.  This program was really successful and it is largely because of the efforts from our tireless volunteers who woke up to hop in a tuk-tuk at 8 am on a Sunday.  Cheers to you English teaching volunteers from America, Canada, England, and Australia (plus all the volunteers who shared their culture and their English skills from Korea, France, and Holland)!

Check out our new fair trade silk neckties!

Words from Teacher John…

After we had picked up the scarves Jake and I discussed the idea of making tags to help brand them, because otherwise the actual scarves have no mention of Cambodian Threads. So, in true Cambodian style we cruised around, found a shop that looked the part, designed our tag right there and asked to get around 700 of them made. The printing process ended up taking longer then expected but we were able to get them to the Heng’s and thanks to their efforts we got them mailed out the day Jake left to go to Indonesia – perfect timing! Plus, the finished products look awesome, with a black and white image of Angkor Wat that I designed, and a very classy font Jake choose.

The third week of the English program also went off without a significant hitch. Melissa, Jake and I were the volunteer trio, lean and mean. The high turnout of students in both the morning and afternoon classes necessitated some student corralling, moving the students into only 3 out of the 4 classrooms. My own teaching has been steadily improving and I performed some of my best teaching yet; working on prepositions and relative locations. This sounds boring, but I had them practice using a picture drawn on the board that the students would come up and ad to, but to draw they had to answer questions first. Since we were a tad understaffed I did not get to observe any of Jake or Melissa’s teaching, but from asking my students “Did the last teacher do a good job?” I always received answers in the affirmative.

Our lunch break at the Heng’s was both delicious and relaxing. I have begun to actually fall asleep in the hammocks they have, waking up to the family giving me approving smiles of my lounging technique, and to casually sip coffee. Naysim’s younger sister has her exams coming up soon, and we compared test taking stories. After relaxing we went back and finished up another successful Sunday of teaching!

Check out our new beautiful fair trade silk scarves, neckties and bags.

We had been hoping that after the first week word would spread and we would have a bigger turn out. This publicity angle was crucial because if the program failed to attract significant numbers of students it would be difficult for us to get more students to come due to logistical problems, advertising in Prek Bongkong, and language issues (many of our students have very low levels of English proficiency and may not be able to read adverts ). Luckily, through Bunan’s efforts and word of mouth, we had a much larger student turn out! The popularity of the afternoon session was still present but we used an additional classroom for both periods; 3 in the morning and 4 classrooms in the afternoon.

I was feeling a bit sick this week and my voice was slightly shot, so I only ended up teaching two 45 minute classes, and used the other two classes to observe, to make sure they were doing a good job and also learn from their techniques. They all did a wonderful job and were able to successfully adapt to the different levels of English. The students seem to sort themselves in some manner already. In the future we will simplify the volunteers job and improve the students experience by standardizing the level of English ability in each room. It will not to be a strict designation but rather a loose differentiation

All in all it has been an extremely successful first two weeks, and everything has seemed to fall into place. I was pleasantly surprised to find that all my students had completed their homework assignments and were extremely excited to display this fact to me - “teacher, teacher look!” I look forward to continuing the program over the next few months and I know the students do too!

After some last minute tuk-tuk (basically a motorbike-drawn carriage) hang ups and promotion poster snafus, the first Sunday session was in motion. Jake and I just recruited Tina, an excellent American teacher who is currently teaching at an international school in Phnom Penh, to complete our first volunteer team. In an odd twist she is also romantically involved with our tuk-tuk driver, Smith (which may help keep the price down!)

At about 11 am we set out to Prek Bongkong. The road involves an exhilarating, albeit harrowing, drive over the Japanese Friendship Bridge which offers a panoramic view of the mighty Mekong’s slightly-less-mighty sister river. Then a drive over the final paved road, followed by a hot and crowded ferry ride to Mekong Island. While on the ferry I am informed that many of the older ferries in Cambodia were plagued by a building flaw that resulted in sinking; we are assured this ferry was not of that make. Once the ferry lands at Mekong Island, we take part in a scene resembling the start of a motocross race combined with a ramshackle chariot run, with both of us pushing the tuk tuk up the dirt incline, and about 100 motorbikes all starting in unison.

A short, bumpy trip later we arrive at the tragically named (though impeccably run) Okay American School. There we have arranged with Bunan, the headmaster, to use all the facilities from 9 until 3 every Sunday for 20 dollars a month. Originally the use of the classrooms was free but there were some communication errors, a contract signed then immediately broken, and several odd claims for electricity and water pricing. Finally, Jake and I are able to work out an amiable agreement that ultimately works for both parties (without paying too high of a foreigner “tax”). We have been to the school twice before to negotiate the deal and both times it was bereft of students. This time we are greeted with smiles, curious stares, giggles, and the sight of one girl dropping a gecko down another girls dress. Young teenagers abound!

This is my first time ever teaching and I am a bit nervous. Jake kindly gives me some pointers and I break the ice with an introduction; “I am teacher John, I am from the city of Boston in America (not strictly true-I hail from the suburban Winchester)” etc. Then I play a game of five questions and by the end of the class I am getting my act together in my new role as Teacher John. The two 45 minute periods pass very quickly and before I know it, it is time for lunch.

The Khmer word for to eat is pronounced yom buy and directly translated it means “to eat rice”. This is no coincidence. When you eat in Cambodia your meal will include rice. The Hengs were gracious hosts and had Jake, the other volunteers, and me for lunch in their home. And what a lovely home it is! On my first visit to the Heng’s home I was struck by the vivid colors of silk, which you can find hanging almost everywhere and being manipulated by the looms. The beauty of their home is matched by the Heng family’s warmth, hospitality and humor. I have been there two or three times before so I am already been acquainted with the cast of characters. After an excellent meal, we are back to teaching.

The second class period is bigger so we opt to use all three classrooms and the three of us each teach 2 different groups. Jake and Tina both repeat their previous performances while my own teaching greatly improved, thanks to some constructive criticisms from Jake. The English ability of the different groups of students varied fairly significantly so it was necessary to feel out their abilities and adapt the lesson plan accordingly. The goal of the English teaching program is not to teach students grammar, or extensive vocabulary, but it is to expose them to the rhythm and feel of natural English, to get them excited about learning a foreign language, and to familiarize them with the opportunities that will come from this knowledge. I overhear English phrases coming out of the dust cloud of students biking home down the dirt road, despite having no assignments or tests. This is autonomous English. The first Sunday is a success!

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Cambodian Threads is off to a great summer! After completing a rewarding and successful Fulbright ETA in Vietnam, I was eager to come back to Cambodia and get our summer initiatives underway. Cambodia is such a dynamic country, one in which the social and cultural factors are continually influencing current urban and rural issues. It is always interesting stepping back into Cambodia and observing recent changes and trends. Education continues to be a crucial role in promising development.

Over the past few days, John Prokos, a recent Connecticut College graduate who was appointed to be our English Programs Volunteers Manager, and I have been working closely with the Heng family in their Prek Bongkong village. We were able to set a location for our Prek Bongkong English Program, which will be the Okay American School, just a couple minutes walking from the Heng Family’s home. We were a bit discouraged once hearing the news that the public school, Preah Takov, was unable to hold a classroom because of sensitive reasons, but after meeting Mr Bunna, the director of Okay American School, we were all excited to cement a working agreement and set a date for Sunday, June 5^th to hold our first session. We expect about 50-60 students and will plan to teach a morning and afternoon class, with ample time for our volunteer teachers to visit the Heng Family’s house for a tour about silk craftsmanship and a delicious traditional Khmer lunch under the shade of the banana tree. It’s a great opportunity for a cultural exchange between both western volunteers and local Khmer. Cambodian Threads is excited to collaborate for a successful summer English Program!