Do you know the difference between "Khmer" and "Cambodian"?
Vanna, Hork, and Dyborartha share what they want people to know about Cambodia. Visit them at the Cambodia booth on Thursday!
CulturalFest, FIUTS' annual celebration of all things global on the University of Washington campus, is coming up on February 14 and 15. Over the next few weeks, we'll be profiling some of the many student volunteers who make CulturalFest happen, asking them each the same series of questions to learn more about where they're from and what they hope to share about their country or culture.
The CulturalFest Expo will feature booths from 37 different countries and regions around the world.
Today, we're featuring a profile from Vanna, Hork, and Dyborartha, the leaders of the Cambodia booth!
Angkor Wat
Who will guests be able to meet and talk to at the Cambodia CulturalFest booth?
Our booth volunteers at Vanna Bun, from Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Hork Do from Seattle, WA; and Dyborartha Sary from Seattle, WA.
What will CulturalFest visitors be able to see/do at your booth to learn about Cambodia?
They can play a traditional Khmer game, take a picture at our photo booth, try on tradition Khmer clothes, see a slide show of Khmer culture, learn some of the Khmer alphabets, see a display of farmer's tools, and learn about Cambodia from a brochure of basic information.
Preah Vihear
What's one important thing that you'd like people to know about Cambodia?
The differentiation of being labeled Khmer and Cambodian. Khmer is the ethnicity of the people and Cambodian is the nationality.
If someone was going to travel to Cambodia, where would you recommend they visit?
We'd recommend Angkor Wat, Preah Vihear, and Sihanoukville.
Are there any books, movies, or websites you'd recommend to someone who wants to know more about Cambodia?
Most books about Cambodia are about Pol Pot and the Khmer rouge, so one book I would suggest is Crossing Three Wildernesses, but I would not recommend that for kids. We'd also recommend the website http://www.tourismcambodia.com/
When you first arrived at the University of Washington, what surprised you the most about Seattle?
Vanna says: “The diversity. I’ve never seen so many people with different ethnic backgrounds in one place. The cleanliness and the technology was something that amazed me. Having TV channels that always worked was also convenient. The English language was fascinating to me because I never heard it before and it sounded like gibberish.”
Thank you!