ម៉ារ៉ាឌី in America

Hi, I'm Marady I am from Kratie Cambodia. ខ្ញុំជាអ្នកគ្រូពេទ្យ ចូលចិត្តសរសេរឿងខ្លី ពីជីវិត ត្រូសៗរបស់ខ្ញុំនឹងអ្នកដែលខ្ញុំបានជួប។ ខ្ញុំចូលចិត្ត ភាពសប្បាយតែមានព្រំដែន។ ខ្ញុំគិតថាជិវិតវាពិបាករួចហើយចឹងមិនចាំបាច់ធ្វើអោយវាពិបាកជាងនឹងទៀតទេ។ អគុណដែលបានអានរឿងរបស់ខ្ញុំ។

[maradyinamerica]

Hood River Lavender Farm - Washington USA 🇺🇸

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What a transformation.

I met Diana on the treadmills of the YMCA. It was when I had first decided to change my lifestyle. Diana almost fell off treadmill and couldn’t catch her breath. I could barely run for two minutes. We both walked away, but the next day we met again in Zumba. We became friends.

Diana and I shared a similar sense of humor, even it was hard to communicate. She speaks Spanish, and I don’t. Google Translate helped a little, but the energy of friendship motivated us to push a little harder. Even with a language barrier, we encouraged each other to stay positive, keep working, and learn about health, diet and exercise. We understood that we were both on the same journey to a healthful lifestyle.

I remember fondly when she sized down her workout outfits. We would communicate girly things with giggles and body language. We were yelled at by the hardcore exercise instructor, who threatened to kick our butts until we sweat or cried.

Today, Diana blew my mind with one of her transformation pictures on Instagram. I decided to give a shout-out and encourage all of you out there. Weight loss is hard, I’m not going to lie, but it is possible. Don’t let food control you, make it the other way around.

Cheers!

[maradyinamerica]

ភាពស្រស់ស្អាត

ភាពស្រស់ស្អាតមានន៏យយ៉ាងណាដែរ?

យើងម្នាក់ៗអោយនិយមន័យទៅលើភាពស្រស់ស្អាតផ្សេងៗគ្នា។ តែងតែចង់បាននៅអ្វីដែលយើងអត់មាន។ អ្នកខ្លះថាភាពស្រស់ស្អាតថិតនៅ ស្នាមញញឹម។ ស្បែកស។ ខ្ពស់។ សក់ក្រហម។ ស្គមស្រលូន។ ស្លៀកខោអាវប្រេនៗ ។ របស់ប្រើឡូយៗមុនគេ។

ចំពោះខ្ញុំផ្ទាល់វិញ ភាពស្រស់ស្អាតចេញពីទឹកចិត្តពិតប្រាកដ។ ការទទួលយកនៅអ្វីដែលយើងមាន។ ភាពរាក់ទាក់។ មិនប្រកាន់វណ្ណះ។ អារម្មណ៏ជ្រះថ្លា។ ទទួលយកអ្វីដែលមាននៅជុំវិញខ្លួនយើង ទាំងវិជ្ជមាន នឹង អវិជ្ជមាន។ ខ្ញុំគិតថាគ្មានអ្នកណាម្នាក់ល្អឥតខ្ចោះទេ។ អត់អោនទោស អត្យាស្រ័យអោយគ្នាទៅវិញទៅមកបើអាចធ្វើបាន។ ចូលចិត្តភាពសប្បាយៗ។ សើចអោយបានច្រើន។ លើកតំកើងគ្នាទៅវិញទៅមក។ ជៀសវាងធ្វើអោយអ្នកដទៃមានអារម្មណ៏មិនល្អ។ ជាពិសេសការធ្វើចិត្តយើងអោយទូលាយ។

អគុណចំពោះការអានគំនិតខ្លីៗរបស់ខ្ញុំ។ សង្ឃឹមថានេះជាចំណេះដឹងបន្តិចបន្តួចសំរាបមិត្តអ្នកអានរាល់ថ្ងៃ។

ពីខ្ញុំ ម៉ារ៉ាឌី។

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Happy Mother’s Day.

អត្តន័យថា ម៉ែមានន័យធំធេងណាស់ ចំពោះម្តាយគ្រប់រូបយល់ពីរអត្តន័យអោយច្បាស់។ ខ្ញុំយល់ច្បាស់នៅពេលខ្ញុំមានកូនខ្លួនឯង។ យាយចិញ្ចឹមចៅតាំងកើតមកភ្លាម ទាំងពិបាកអត់សុីអត់ឃ្លាន។ យាយផ្តល់ជំរកនឹងភាពកក់ក្តៅ ការពារចៅនៅពេលដែលចៅត្រូវការបំផុត។ យាយជាម្តាយ ជាមិត្តជាមនុស្សតំបូងក្នុងជីវិតចៅ។ ពេលនេះចៅស្រក់ទឹកភ្នែកនឹកយាយ។ នឹកគ្រាកំសត់ជាមួយគ្នា។ នឹកការថ្នាក់ថ្នមរបស់យាយ។ ចៅស្រលាញ់យាយ នឹកយាយគ្រប់វាលា។

ម៉ាក់តែងតែបង្ហាញមុខនៅពេលកូនត្រូវការ។ ម៉ាក់ជំរុញកូនអោខំដើរទៅមុខទៀត ទោះបីពេលខ្លះកូនអស់ទំនុកចិត្តលើខ្លួនឯង។ ម៉ាក់ថែកូនពេលកូនមានកូនខ្លួនឯងផ្ទាល់។ ម៉ាក់ថែរកូនពេលកូនឈឺ។ ម៉ាក់ដេកអោបកូនពេលកូនអស់សង្ឃឹម។ ទោះបីកូនសាសន៏ផ្សេង និយាយភាសារផ្សេង ក៏ម៉ាក់នៅផ្តល់ភាពកក់ក្តៅ ម៉ាក់លើកតំកើងកូនគ្រប់ពេល។ ម៉ាក់ធ្វើម្លូបណាដែលមិនធាត់អោយកូនពេលកូនប្រាប់ថា កូនចង់ស្រកផោន។ ម៉ាក់ទ្រាំញាំប្រហុកជាមួយកូនទោះជាធំក្លិនយ៉ាងណាក៏ដោយ។

ម៉ាក់មិនដែលភ្លេចទេពាក្យថាម៉ាក់ស្រលាញ់កូននឹងថើបកូន។

I love you much mom.

ម៉ាក់យល់ពីអារម្មណ៏កូនពេលកូនឃ្លាន ម្ហូបខ្មែរ។ ម៉ាក់ធ្វើអោយកូនមានភាពកក់ក្តៅជាខ្មែរតែមួយ។ ម៉ាក់ទទួលយកកូនទាំងវិជ្ជមាន នឹងអវិជ្ជមាន។ ម៉ាក់មិនប្រកាន់ខ្លួន។ ម៉ាក់សើចនឹងរឿងកំប្លែងរបស់កូន។ ម៉ាក់ធ្វើផ្កាលើកទឹកចិត្តកូន។ កូនសូមអគុណម៉ាក់ចំពោះទឹកចិត្តដ៏ល្អមួយនេះ។ កូនស្រលាញ់ម៉ាក់។

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Emotionally exhausting.

Emotionally exhausted.

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Treating myself with favorite comfort dishes.

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Ending the Year 2017 Coming to America is the dream of almost everyone who grows up in poverty. For me, I never seriously thought I would set foot in the Pacific Northwest of the United States of America. I heard so many good things before I moved here. Live was amazing. You would make lots of money. It was safe. Food security, nice cars, nice houses, a clean environment. America is the land of plenty. The land of second chances. The land of opportunities. I went to college. I got to work, I was able to make choices about how I wanted to live my life. After I had been here long enough, graduated from college and working, I have had time to think what America is really all about. Yes, in America you can dream big.You can achieve your expectations. You can be safer, richer, attend the best schools and higher education. Beyond that desire there is something that all immigrants, all those who left home behind to seek a better life, have in common. We always carry the feeling of missing home, friends, families. The street food, the places we could once be ourselves. We must make new friends, deal with weather changes, adapt to a new environment, and overcome language barriers, racism, discrimination and loneliness. These are things I didn't hear about before I got here. It can be challenging. So it is with gladness that I can thank Mekong Bistro and the Bayon Band, which manages to keep the small, tiny Cambodian community together. Mekong Bistro is a place for familiar food, speaking the same language, the comfort of dancing and the music of the past. Every time I go to Mekong Bistro or gather with Bayon Band, I have a great time making new friends and seeing old friends. I dance and speak and hear that which I rarely hear anymore. After all, America is not so bad. I got to end 2017 surrounded by Cambodians.

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សុខភាពផ្លូវចិត្ត

សុខភាពផ្លូវចិត្ត មានសារះសំខាន់ណាស់សំរាប់មនុស្សទូទៅ។ មិនថាមនុស្សចាស់ ក្មេង ប្រុសរឺស្រីនោះទេ។
ជាធម្មតាសំរាប់សង្គមខ្មែរ សុខភាពផ្លូវចិត្ត មិនសូវមានអ្នកយកចិត្តទុកដាក់ទេ។ ដោយសារ តែការលាក់បាំងនៅក្នុងចិត្ត។ មើលមិនឈើញ គ្មានថ្នាំព្យាបាល។ រឺក៏ការនិយាទៅខ្លាចគេមើលងាយ។ គំនិតអវិជ្ជមានមកលើខ្លួន។

សុខភាពផ្លូវចិត្តធ្វើអោយប៉ះពាល់ដល់សុខភាពដូចជា៖ ជំងឺក្រពះ លើសឃាម និងខូចអារម្មណ៏។
ពេលណាយើងពិបាកចិត្តវាធ្វើអោយមានជាតិអាសិតក្នុងក្រពះច្រើន។ ពេលមានជាតិអាសិតច្រើនក្នុងក្រពះវាក្លាយជាតំបៅ។ ខូចអារម្មណ៏ ធ្វើអោយយើងមោមៅ គិត្តអ្វីមិនចេញ បង្កើតជា កំហឹង ពេលខ្លះវាធ្វើអោយបះពាល់ដល់អ្នកនៅជុំវិញយើង។ ជាពិសេស ប្តី ប្រពន្វ និងកូន។

ដំណោះស្រាយងាយសំរាប់អ្នកពិបាកចិត្ត។ ចូររកមិត្តល្អនិយាយជាមួយដើម្បីអោយធូអារម្មណ៏។ តែបើជាប្តី ប្រពន្ធគួរតែស្តាប់គ្នាដោយក្តីស្រលាញ់លើកទឹកចិត្តគ្នាទៅវិញទៅមក ដោយប្រើគំនិតវិជ្ជមាន។

ខ្ញុំសង្ឃឹមថា អ្នកបានធូអារម្មណ៏ បន្តិចបន្ទាប់ពីអានចប់ហើយ
សូមសំណាងល្អមានដល់អ្នកអានគ្រប់គ្នា។

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Merry Christmas បុណ្យនូអែល ២០១៧

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Golden Leaf Education Foundation The Golden Leaf Education Foundation is a nongovernmental organization founded Kilong Ung, a Cambodian genocide survivor who, like many others, believes in giving back. They can’t fix the past, but together they raise money every year to help children in Cambodia achieve their hopes and dreams. All by building proper school buildings. I can’t really say what it was like to face the Khmer Rouge, the civil war and the genocide that my grandparents, brothers and sisters went through. But growing up after the war wasn’t pleasant either. Everything was a challenge, from finding enough to food to accessing higher education. In my personal experience as a girl growing up without parents, having a full belly was an everyday dream. School might not have been an option, but I was trained by my grandfather from a young age to eat fast, run fast, read fast and kick fast. He enrolled me in school at 4 years old by bribing the principal with custard apples, instead of waiting until I was 7. But by the time I turned 7 I could read and write, unlike most of my friends in the village. For the first time I felt useful and proud of myself. When I write about a school in my village, you probably think of a nice shiny brick building full of tables and chairs with well-dressed teachers. But my school was nothing like that. The building was a hut made from palm leaves and thatch. My lap was my desk. I washed my uniform once a week. Sometimes the teachers wouldn’t show up and we would look for them in the rice paddies. The lack of a proper building, teachers and supplies made school more challenging. The majority of friends I grew up with dropped out of school by third grade. As for me, I fought for more education and believed that education was a gateway to many possibilities. I dreamed of a big, bright future. And after what I went through, I know having a proper school, library and supplies is the best way to make dreams of education come true for children in Cambodia.

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Coco Chanel antiseptic. My grandfather was a traditional healer in Cambodia. Our neighbors in the village would come to him when they got sick, with everything from diarrhea to broken bones. As a child I was his assistant. I gathered herbs and leaves and roots for medicines, and I learned a few things from him over the years. I knew what to give someone for a fever or what to do when stricken with diarrhea, but I never understood how any of it worked. Preventive health care and hygiene weren't main concerns for us in a remote village in a poor country. Keeping our bellies full was the top priority. When it came to health, we did whatever we could to survive with what knowledge we had. Almost everyone in the generation before me knew some basic traditional remedies for sickness. Later in life I learned more about Western medicine and came to strongly admire the medical system in America. I'm more skeptical of traditional Cambodian practices and quicker to suggest that people seek a doctor when they are not well. The other night a Cambodian-American friend of mine sliced open her finger while cutting steak at a party. I hurried over to offer my help as I have some basic knowledge of first aid. She refused my care and said she didn't need help as she knew exactly what she was doing. She wrapped her finger, which had a deep 2-inch-long cut, with toilet paper. Then she poured Coco Chanel perfume on her cut, instead of rubbing alcohol that she also had. I was almost offended, but she insisted it was the best way to heal quickly and she had been doing it for years. My response was that Coco Chanel costs $130 for a bottle while rubbing alcohol costs $5. At that point there was nothing I could do except tell her to take two ibuprofen. Early the next morning, she called and said she was in pain and asked me to take a look at her finger. I wasn't surprised to find a lot of toilet paper fibers stuck in the wound, which was wrapped in layer upon layer of Band-Aids. I cleaned it out, applied some antibiotic cream and wrapped it in gauze. You can take the girl out of Cambodia, but you can't take the Cambodia out of the girl. Still, you can put her in a first aid class.

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Come together with Cambodian-Americans Every year the Cambodian-American Community of Oregon hosts a community picnic, inviting everyone in the Northwest with ties to Cambodia to gather to play and eat. People bring their own special dishes, and vendors sell delicious traditional foods to those who don’t have time to cook. There are even delicacies I don’t know how to cook at home. We were able to join the picnic this year. I ate with other Cambodian-Americans, chit-chatted and danced and enjoyed being around them. I live far from my Khmer family, and it is lots of fun to spend time with such warm and welcoming people. The members of CACO have open minds and open arms, willing to help each other in any way they can. In every smile I saw hope and dreams despite the horrible events in their past, events I didn’t go through and can never truly understand. The smile of surviving, the smile of a second chance in life in a land of freedom and opportunity. During the picnic, I volunteered with the Golden Leaf Education Foundation, which raises money to build schools in Cambodia and around the world. I got to know Kilong Ung, the president and founder of the nonprofit. It was an amazing experience to see and understand how much effort people put to support the Khmer community here and back home as well. At the end of the day as we prepared to go home I got to talk with people I had not seen since coming to America. Broke from spending all our money on various Cambodian treats, we pooled our last dollars and wrung a discount from the seller to buy ta pe khmoa, fermented black rice, to share. It was an amazing feeling that reminded me of growing up with my grandmother, who traded things for a living. It wasn’t about the money but the feeling as we came together as Cambodians to keep our identity and Khmer heritage and culture. I encourage my friends and family, both Khmer and otherwise who would like to learn more about Cambodian culture, to get involved with the community. Find more about the Cambodian-American Community of Oregon on https://www.facebook.com/cacoregon/ Thanks for reading!

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Oregon 91 degrees.

[maradyinamerica]

[maradyinamerica]

Pain comes in many shapes and forms, both physical and emotional. My pain is different from yours. This time my pain and agony is from losing a person I love. I miss her so much, every day and every hour. I never thought it would hurt this much, and never understood how empty I would feel when she was actually gone. We have a long 19 years of memories together, in hard times and good times. Back then it was difficult for everyone: broken families, broken hearts, the loss of loved ones to civil war. We were poor, did not have enough food to eat, no clean water to drink, no proper place to sleep. But she made none of that matter. What matters is that she picked up what was left and kept going. Along the way she picked me up and raised me in her old age, yet never once was disappointed in me nor complained. She was the tree that shaded me from the sun. We did what we could to survive each day. Sometimes we went to bed with an empty stomach, but she filled me with love, comfort and a warm heart. When we visited her over the summer, I hugged her goodbye. I didn't know it was our last goodbye, our last hug. And now I wish I had hugged her tighter and longer. It has been two months with you gone. I am losing a part of me, but at the same time I have long and good memories to remember you by. May you rest in peace. I love you Grandma.

[maradyinamerica]

Change with positive mind. After a couple of days in Cambodia, my family seemed to calm and they gave me some privacy. When I had some time to myself, I sat with my grandma as she napped. I looked at her wrinkled hands and reflected on when I was young and she was only 80 or so. We went through a lot together, hard times and good times. Some years were better than others. My cousin, always nice to me, took me back to my home village, Kratie, where I grew up with my grandma. The road was better, but it was still a long drive from Phnom Penh. My grandma and I lived in a wooden house with no electricity, no indoor bathroom. There was not enough food to eat or clean water to drink. Sometimes all we had was plain rice and rocky salt. Even now when I have something good to eat I want to share it with my grandma, but I can’t. Things have changed in what feels like a blink of the eye. In Kratie, some houses were the same and some had changed. The house I grew up in was no longer there. But people in Kratie have more privileges and access to nice things: nice phones, internet, proper toilets, clean enough water to drink. They have enough food to eat, but there was no longer street food for sale, so I can’t just sit and chit-chat anymore. Coming home this time brought back a lot of memories, sad and happy. I was overwhelmed with letting things go and accepting the many changes. I am no longer the person I was, mentally and physically. I can no longer handle the heat, humidity and food. I tried to hide my body and dress properly, with long sleeves and long pants. But that didn’t last an hour. In the past it didn’t bother me when people asked how much money I had in my pocket or what I did for a living. Now I think it is too personal a question. I got mad when people said I was a coconut, but what am I? Nothing stays the same, as much as we want it to. Old things fade as new things emerge. It is what it is. Marady-