Here are the reasons why washing your hands is very important.
Golden Boat, Sacred Place of Pursat
Located in the heart of Pursat province, Cambodia, Sampov Meas is a sacred land floating in the middle of Pursat River. The story has it that the land was so holy that no matter high the level of water in the river was it had never been flooded. According to the locals, there is Holy Spirit dwelling on that land. For the locals, Sampov Meas is place where they can go to make a wish and the spirit will help them achieve it.
As many people believe that the land is sacred, a temple and a monument were built on the land. In addition to buildings mentioned above, a bridge was also built so that the people can access to Sampov Meas easily. The land has also been refurbished so that it looks like a real boat as it’s named.
Sompeah Meash is one of the most important place for Pursat. The people of province including provincial authorities always use that place for grand ceremonies of the province. The ceremonies include Visakha Bochea, Khmer New Year, and many other ceremonies dedicated to spirit of Khmer ancestors. Besides being a sacred place for ceremonies, Sampove Meas is also a place for people in the provincial capital to gather together for enjoyable activities during Khmer New year as well as for refreshing their mind in the afternoon.
If you are interested in learning about local customs, why not come and see Sampov Meas?
University Life in Cambodia
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| Royal University of Phnom Penh |
Going to study at the university level is a dream of many young Cambodians. Across the kingdom, there are about 40 universities and academic institutions. To be able to go to study in a university, students must pass the National Exam of grade 12.
University Fees
The fees are not much compared to developed countries. For some students especially those from the countryside, a university fee is a barrier that keeps them from reaching that level. The University fees in Cambodia vary from each university and specialty. Medical study is usually considered to be the most expensive among all fields of study. Specialty dictates the price. So does the name of each university. Normally university fees vary from 400$ to 5000$. While you have to pay about 400$ per year for most fields of study, you'll need to spend at least 1300$ for medical studies (medicine, pharmacy and odontology).
Study Times And Regulations
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| A group of university students |
It is hard to tell exactly the study times at each university in Cambodia. Again, study times depend on fields of study. Medical fields and engineering fields are said to be the busiest schools among all fields. A medical student or an engineering student can study up to 8 hours a day from Monday to Saturday. While some other fields like language or accounting have only 3-hour-class from Monday to Friday. Class usually starts at 7 until 11 and starts again at 1 until 5. There are also night classes that last until 8:30pm.
For Cambodian Universities, students are still strictly regulated. Most universities require their students to wear uniforms. One more thing, too much absence from class can prevent a student from taking their final exam as a penalty.
How long does it take to get a university degree?
To get the university degree, it usually takes 4 years for most faculty. For medical doctor, you have to study for 8 years. And to become a dentist, you need to spend 7 years. While a pharmacist need to study only 5 years. So does an engineer. While many universities determine time of study with year. Some study programs determine the time of study mainly by credit.
Bay Sach Chrouk, the most typical breakfast of Cambodia
Rice plays an important part in civilization of Cambodia. If you want to participate in a Cambodian meal, you must be familiar with rice. One easy way to try rice is to spend your breakfast with Bay Sach Chrouk. Bay Sach Chrouk literally means rice with pork.
Bay Sach Chrouk is the most typical breakfast for Cambodian people. In the morning, you can find Bay Sach Chrouk in every restaurant, food stalls or canteens. This kind of plate is rarely cooked for a family breakfast. Yet, it is the most widely eaten food for students and people who are too busy to cook breakfast for themselves. As it is named, Bay Sach Chrouk is a combination of rice and pork. To have a Bay Sach Chrouk, one needs to separately cook rice and make fried pork. In addition to pork, some people add fried or boiled egg. When egg is added, Bay Sach Chrouk becomes "Bay Sach Chrouk Pong Tea (Egg)". To make the plate more enjoyable, some vendors make soup and sauce for every plate of Bay Sach Chrouk. You should be aware that no Bay Sach Chrouk are the same. Different food stalls, different Bay Sach Chrouk. The cost of a plate of a Bay Sach Chrouk rangs from 3000 Riel (0.75$) to 8000 Riels (2$). If you are in Phnom Penh, you can find where to have your Bay Sach Chrouk for breakfast in nearly everywhere.
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| Bay Sach Chrouk Pong Tea Chean |
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| Bay Sach Chrouk Pong Tea Khor (boiled egg) |
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| Bay Sach Chrouk Pong Tea Chean With Soup and Sauce |
Trip To Mondulkiri
It was a rainy afternoon on Friday the 23rd May 2014. All baggage was packed. Two mini-buses were waiting in front of the Centre Docteur Christophe Mérieux. I arrived a bit late and was wet because of the rain.
Finally we left the center around 6pm. And off,we go. Some of us slept since the departure. Each mini-bus was a bit small for 18 of us. We enjoyed the ride anyway. After 4 hours on the road, we arrived at a catholic church in the provincial capital of Kampong Cham. We spent our night there. We left the church early in the morning.I couldn't figure out the way to find that church again because we arrived at night and left in dawn. We were very thankful to the priests and the staff living in the church for their warm welcome.
Leaving Kampong Cham, we were heading Mondulkiri. I was sleeping since we left the church. What a regretful moment! I missed all the views from the provincial capital until Memot. I woke up while the bus was running through Snuol. A few hours later, we arrived somewhere in Mondul Seima district. And we stopped for some photos.
We resumed our journey. At about 1 o'clock we arrived at Bou Sra Waterfall. We didn't stop there. We went on because we were heading for a village about 5km from the waterfall where we were going to spend the night. Excited! No guest house or hotel! We slept locally. After arriving at the village, we rushed to put down our baggage and headed back to the waterfall. It was not my first time seeing the waterfall but it was a great time seeing it with friends who have spent at least 4 years with me and we were on the verge of being on our own [ in the next every few months, some of them would no longer stay with me]. Let's hope we'll be able to spend sometimes on such a trip again!
After waterfall, we came back to where we stayed which was a catholic church located in the middle of the village. We were very grateful for the hosts, the priest and stuff, who warmly welcomed us. In the evening, we were gathering around a long table having dinner and playing game together. Such a memorable moment in our lives! At 9pm, we left the table and came back to tents. It was my first experience sleeping in a tent. But surprisingly, we slept under tents in a class room. Hehe, we were afraid to sleep in the open space. But guys, that night what time did you go to sleep?
In the morning, we prepared breakfast and ate at the church. After the breakfast, we prepared our stuff to come back home. But wait, we were going to come back after another visit to a mountain. I love mountain. We went to mountain first. The mountain we were visiting was about 20km from the village [I thought it was]. We had to spend about 1 hour on bus and another 40 minutes on foot in order to reach the mountain. That was a trip! And a little bit like an adventure in the jungle. The mountain was incredible. I could not even imagine how the mountain looked. I thought it would have been a mountain like the others. But, I was completely wrong. The mountain was like a giant rock. Let me tell you the name of that mountain. The mountain was called "Namlea" which mean "rock" in the language of the local, Pnong. It was thrilling climbing up that mountain. At the first glance, I thought I would rather stay at the base, but my another self told me I could do it. So, I decided to climb and I succeeded. Most of us reached the top, enjoyed the view of the jungle and took photos. Photo is the most important thing for the trip. Hehe :)
Time's up! We had to come back to take our stuff, say thank you and good bye to the hosts and head back to Phnom Penh before it was too dark or too rain. It was Sunday 26th May 2014.
Finally we left the center around 6pm. And off,we go. Some of us slept since the departure. Each mini-bus was a bit small for 18 of us. We enjoyed the ride anyway. After 4 hours on the road, we arrived at a catholic church in the provincial capital of Kampong Cham. We spent our night there. We left the church early in the morning.I couldn't figure out the way to find that church again because we arrived at night and left in dawn. We were very thankful to the priests and the staff living in the church for their warm welcome.
Leaving Kampong Cham, we were heading Mondulkiri. I was sleeping since we left the church. What a regretful moment! I missed all the views from the provincial capital until Memot. I woke up while the bus was running through Snuol. A few hours later, we arrived somewhere in Mondul Seima district. And we stopped for some photos.
We resumed our journey. At about 1 o'clock we arrived at Bou Sra Waterfall. We didn't stop there. We went on because we were heading for a village about 5km from the waterfall where we were going to spend the night. Excited! No guest house or hotel! We slept locally. After arriving at the village, we rushed to put down our baggage and headed back to the waterfall. It was not my first time seeing the waterfall but it was a great time seeing it with friends who have spent at least 4 years with me and we were on the verge of being on our own [ in the next every few months, some of them would no longer stay with me]. Let's hope we'll be able to spend sometimes on such a trip again!
After waterfall, we came back to where we stayed which was a catholic church located in the middle of the village. We were very grateful for the hosts, the priest and stuff, who warmly welcomed us. In the evening, we were gathering around a long table having dinner and playing game together. Such a memorable moment in our lives! At 9pm, we left the table and came back to tents. It was my first experience sleeping in a tent. But surprisingly, we slept under tents in a class room. Hehe, we were afraid to sleep in the open space. But guys, that night what time did you go to sleep?
In the morning, we prepared breakfast and ate at the church. After the breakfast, we prepared our stuff to come back home. But wait, we were going to come back after another visit to a mountain. I love mountain. We went to mountain first. The mountain we were visiting was about 20km from the village [I thought it was]. We had to spend about 1 hour on bus and another 40 minutes on foot in order to reach the mountain. That was a trip! And a little bit like an adventure in the jungle. The mountain was incredible. I could not even imagine how the mountain looked. I thought it would have been a mountain like the others. But, I was completely wrong. The mountain was like a giant rock. Let me tell you the name of that mountain. The mountain was called "Namlea" which mean "rock" in the language of the local, Pnong. It was thrilling climbing up that mountain. At the first glance, I thought I would rather stay at the base, but my another self told me I could do it. So, I decided to climb and I succeeded. Most of us reached the top, enjoyed the view of the jungle and took photos. Photo is the most important thing for the trip. Hehe :)
Time's up! We had to come back to take our stuff, say thank you and good bye to the hosts and head back to Phnom Penh before it was too dark or too rain. It was Sunday 26th May 2014.
Dos and Don'ts while visiting Cambodia
During your stay in Cambodia, you will most probably be touched by the kindness of the Cambodian People. In most places, you’ll be warmly welcomed and guided by local residents, eager to show you the treasures of their country. Although your Cambodian hosts will do their, best to tolerate tourists’ involuntary mistakes, stemming from different cultural and social conventions, the following tips will help you understand Cambodia culture and avoid social misunderstandings.
Do’s
- • Cambodian people greet each other by saying “Chum Reap Suor”, accompanied by a gesture of pressing their palms together in front of their face and slightly bowing forward, which is called ‘sampeah’. Your Cambodian hosts will be happily surprised to see you using the ‘sampeah’ to greet them. Shaking hands is now more and more acceptable, usually with men, and after a ‘sampeah’.
- • When offering a gift to a Cambodian person, especially and elderly, it is the convention to present it with both hands.
- • Before entering a sacred place, such as a Buddhist pagoda or the Royal Palace, please remember to take off your shoes and your hat. Also please remember to be dressed in a clean and modest manner. Especially women should wear a t-shirt or a blouse with short or long sleeves and a skirt or pants at least at knee-length.
- • When entering someone’s home, please remember to leave your shoes at the entrance. Although your Cambodian hosts will often insist that you keep them for your comfort, they will always appreciate your consideration for their home.
- • Although Cambodian people enjoy having their pictures taken, do ask for permission first.
- • If you buy foods at a street cart or a stall in a market, please remember that the price is usually cheap.
- • Please remember that Cambodia is still a developing country and the Cambodian people are just starting to be familiar with other cultures’ customs and expectations. So be patient when communicating and interacting with your Cambodian hosts.
Don’ts
- • In the Cambodian and Buddhist culture, the head is the most sacred part of the body. Please DO NOT touch or pat the head of people, even children.
- • Similarly, as the feet are the lowest parts of the body, DO NOT use feet to point at someone or something, to get the attention of someone or to push an object to someone.
- • If you go to a pagoda and have to sit on the floor, DO NOT sit cross-legged or with your legs outstretched. Instead, sit slightly sided on your heels. If the position becomes uncomfortable, try to shift on your other side.
- • Buddhist monks are deeply revered and respected. Women are not allowed to touch a monk’s robe or his body.
- • The Cambodian society is relatively conservative and public displays of affection, such as kisses and hugs, are considered inappropriate and offensive behaviors.
- • In public areas, on sacred grounds such as pagodas, and in public buildings, avoid shouting, as well as laughing and speaking excessively loudly.
Wat Phnom: Where the name of Phnom Penh was born
"Located at the center of Phnom Penh, Wat Phnom is a landmark of the capital. This small hill was the place after which the capital was named. The legend has it that about 500 years ago there was an old lady who lived near the river. One day, the river was flooded and the old lady found a big piece of wood floating. In that floating wood was a small statue of Buddha. After taking the statue from the water, the old lady decided to build a temple on a hill which is now Wat Phnom. The hill was previously called Phnom Daun Penh to commemorate the lady who initiated the building of the temple; the old lady's name was Penh, the word "Phnom" means hill, and the word "Daun" literally means "old lady". Later, when the capital city of Cambodia was settled there, the name "Phnom Penh" was given to the capital." This is the story that I read in my grade 4 textbook.
It was fascinating to read about the legend. From the time that I read that legend until I was a freshman, I held the belief that Phnom Penh was named after the lady Penh. BUT, according to my history professor, the name Phnom Penh came from the fact that there were many lakes at the time that the capital was created. The initial name was not Phnom Penh but Phnom Boeng which indicated that there were many lakes. Due to the pronunciation which slightly changed from time to time the word "Boeng" became "Penh". The last version of the story about the name of Phnom Penh does really make sense, because we can now still see that there are many lakes in the capital; at least there used to be fewer lakes than it is now.
Did you ever learn the two stories about Wat Phnom before? Here are the photos taken by my first smartphone on 29/November/2014.
The photos above can not show you all about Wat Phnom, so I insist you come and visit it once to learn more. Have a nice vacation!
It was fascinating to read about the legend. From the time that I read that legend until I was a freshman, I held the belief that Phnom Penh was named after the lady Penh. BUT, according to my history professor, the name Phnom Penh came from the fact that there were many lakes at the time that the capital was created. The initial name was not Phnom Penh but Phnom Boeng which indicated that there were many lakes. Due to the pronunciation which slightly changed from time to time the word "Boeng" became "Penh". The last version of the story about the name of Phnom Penh does really make sense, because we can now still see that there are many lakes in the capital; at least there used to be fewer lakes than it is now.
Did you ever learn the two stories about Wat Phnom before? Here are the photos taken by my first smartphone on 29/November/2014.
The photos above can not show you all about Wat Phnom, so I insist you come and visit it once to learn more. Have a nice vacation!
Crash Course: Immunology and Haematology
Now celebrating over 10 years of success - Crash Course has been specially devised to help you get through your exams with ease.
Completely revised throughout, the new edition of Crash Course is perfectly tailored to meet your needs by providing everything you need to know in one place. Clearly presented in a tried and trusted, easy-to-use, format, each book in the series gives complete coverage of the subject in a no-nonsense, user-friendly fashion.
Commencing with 'Learning Objectives', each chapter guides you succinctly through the topic, giving full coverage of the curriculum whilst avoiding unnecessary and often confusing detail. Each chapter is also supported by a full artwork programme, and features the ever popular 'Hints and Tips' boxes as well as other useful aide-mémoires. All volumes contain an up-to-date self-assessment section which allows you to test your knowledge and hone your exam skills.
Authored by students or junior doctors - working under close faculty supervision - each volume has been prepared by someone who has recently been in the exam situation and so relates closely to your needs. So whether you need to get out of a fix or aim for distinction Crash Course is for you!!
7 Habits of Highly Effective People
THE 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE is recognised as one of the most influential books ever written. In this seminal work, Stephen R. Covey presents a holistic, integrated, principle-centred approach for solving personal and professional problems. With penetrating insights and pointed anecdotes, Covey reveals a step-by-step pathway for living with fairness, integrity, honesty and human dignity -- principles that give us the security to adapt to change, and the wisdom and power to take advantage of the opportunities that change creates. Translated into thirty-four languages and with phenomenal sales, THE 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE has been the key to the success of legions of business leaders and individuals the world over.Schéma thérapeutique
Schema therapeutique provides you short and clear guideline to treatment. For those who speak french, this book is a must-have.
Free Download: Abrege Pharmacologie
This French written book is a comprehensive guide for students to understand pharmacology, which is a crucial matter for medical profession.
You can download it by clicking the link below.
Free Download: 21 Great Leaders: Learn Their Lessons, Improve Your Influence
Billed as a way of improving your own leadership style and influence by learning about 21 great world leaders, this is a relatively harmless, interesting book. Clearly it is not going to be ground breaking or innovative, yet it still can deliver a lot to those who wait!
From politicians to business leaders, the authors have managed to find a good mix of known personalities to focus on. In some ways the list might feel tired and over-featured, such as U.S. Presidents and people like Steve Jobs or Nelson Mandela, though on the other hand they do encapsulate much inspirational, powerful leadership. It is a catch-22 situation in many ways.
This book is something that is ideal for the commute, a late night read or even a “bathroom resource”.
The authors claim that the essence of leadership comes down to seven key ingredients, namely vision, communication skills, people skills, character, competence, boldness and a “service heart”. The selected characters have had, the authors contend, a powerful impact on the way we live our lives today. Is that slightly overdriven? That can be harder to determine and depends on so many factors. Maybe we would all come up with a different list of 21 characters if we had to make one.
Yet as a compilation of leadership-focussed tales that will inform and educate you even if they don’t all necessarily inspire, this book achieves its goal. It was a pleasant way to spend an evening!
Download Here
Download Here
Free Download: Clinical Practice Guideline For Medicine
Funded by the Ministry of Health Cambodia, a group of health professionals make this book happen. For health professionals treatment guideline is very important as it help them to understand and treat patient properly.
You can get this book by clicking in the link below.
Top 6 Websites to Get Education Online
Technology has transformed and created many things around us : our living condition, our habit, our communication etc. One more thing that technology has created is about education. Traditionally, we go to school, listen to lectures and ask question face-to-face with our lectures. These kinds of staff remains until now but thanks to internet, another mean of education was born. In addition to going to school, more and more people start to learn through the internet. There is now no limit to getting education.
The following is the top 5 websites providing courses online. Let's see if you have already known them.
The following is the top 5 websites providing courses online. Let's see if you have already known them.
- Coursera: Coursera is an e-learning platform partnering with more than 80 top universities on the planet. These universities provide online classes in many subjects such as business, management, accounting, entrepreneurship, computer science, life science and more. Most classes provide students certificate of participation for free. However, you have to make sure that you meet all the requirements for the certificate.
- Edx: Edx is a MOOCs provider. The platform hosts many free online classes from top universities like Harvard, MIT, Berkeley etc. The courses are free. You can find classes in different topics like computer science, leadership, entrepreneurship, engineer, economic and life science etc. There are also certificates for the participants. Imagine how excited it is to get a certificate in a course provided by Harvard!
- Ted: Ted is a non-profit organization that hosts conferences where many privates share their ideas. The motto of Ted is "Ideas worth spreading". At Ted conferences, you can listen to expert talking about different topics. The talks are recorded and available not only on Ted.com but also on Youtube. Besides ideas expressed during the conferences, you can also learn how to do a good presentation by watching Ted.
- Khan Academy: Khan Academy is a non-profit educational organization. The Khan Academy platform provides courses through interactive video lectures by many professional lecturers. The videos can also be found through Youtube channel. The Khan Academy hosts courses in mathematics, physics, chemistry, history, computer programming and more.
- Lynda.com: Lynda.com is an education company providing private lectures through video tutorials. At Lynda.com you can learn computer programming, web design, photoshop, management, leadership and more. To be able to access to the video lectures, you need to sign up for an account. It's not free actually, but it is worth paying.
- The Tope Online Courses and Classes: You can find more than 500 accredited free online college classes that provide you with the opportunity to make use of research-based academic resources from some of the world’s best universities. You can use these resources to advance your understanding of a wide range of academic topics. The free courses listed are considered Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs).
Are you looking for scholarship?
What leads to this lost? It's the lack of information. Many students complain about not knowing which scholarship is available for them and what they should prepare for the scholarship. So what should we do? Here, I'm going to give you one easy mean. It's through website.
Below, are the websites providing information regarding scholarships. Visit them to find the one you want now!
- Scholars4dev: Scholars4dev, short for Scholarship for development is a website listing hundreds of scholarships for students from developing countries and international students in general. At the website, you can sign up for updated information so that you will always be the first.
- AUF-Bureau Asie-Pacifique: At this website, you can find scholarships available for master degree studies of several majors ranging from law to engineering. The recipients will have to study in Lao, Vietnam or Cambodia depending on the subject they choose. The website is in French.
- Eurasmus Mundus Programme: Besides student exchange programme among European countries, Eurasmus Mundus Programme also provides scholarships for students from the third countries.
I've just listed 3 of many websites through which you can find your scholarship. Do you know more sources? Don't afraid to leave a comment!
How much sleep do we need?
Sleep is a crucial activity for life. We typically spends 25 year of sleep in our lives.Studies have shown that not enough sleep tends to cause more risk of heart disease, obesity, brain demage, diabetes, and 12% risk of death. While too much sleep increases risk of heart disease, obesity, diabetes with 30% increasing risk of mortality.
So, how much sleep is enough? Scientific studies have found that the average time of sleep varies from 7 to 8 hours per night. This number is just an average. It means that each individual needs different time of sleep. Thus, it's important to follow your brain. Make sure you feel good after your sleep, make the hours you spend sleeping your habit. Be alert that too much sleep and not enough sleep are both harmful.
