Host mom: Ming Sun Chea

Host Mama Sun Chea

Meet my host mom, Ming Sun Chea!! I was lucky enough to live with this fireball of love and joy for the last ten months of my service but I was blessed to know her for my entire duration at site. Through less than ideal times with my first host family, Ming Sun Chea was always there for me, no matter what I needed.

She sold bobor in front of her house and everyday I stopped before work and ate a heaping bowl full, if not two. Not once did she ever ask or accept money. Whenever I would see her at the market she would buy fruit or bread or those weird pink slimy noms for me. She would put them in my hands and tell me to save them for when I was hungry. One night during the weekend she would have me over to eat dinner with her family. She would cook bowls of meat and so many vegetables! She made certain that we sat and ate until every last piece was gone. I napped in her hammock and celebrated holidays with her family. Everything was given to me without ever asking for compensation. And everything was always done with a loving smile and true compassion. She made me feel so welcomed, loved, and most importantly, wanted.

I was able to move into her house after three months with my first family. It was a new start to my time in Cambodia. She was always having a laugh, loved to pick on people, never let you wear a bra/pants after showering, generally a major goofball yet was always looking out for me. She not only made me happier but also refocused my mindset.

That night in October, when circumstances became out of our control, she was stronger than anyone. She held me as I cried. Held me tight with two arms. She had the entire neighborhood and police squad at our house before I even found my phone to call anybody. She was exactly what I needed.

She was the last person at my house that I hugged goodbye. When I speak with her now, I can still hear the love in her voice. I will never be able to thank Ming Sun Chea enough for what she did or the impact she has had on me. I am so proud and fortunate to call her my mom.

RPCV Amber and her host mama

If you’re ever traveling up road 5 and pass by my site, keep an eye out for her. She’ll be in the hammock, in an old Michigan State University t-shirt, drinking an ABC & I know she would love to share.

Post provided by K6 RPCV Amber Bytwerk; she was a Community Health Education Volunteer in Kampong Chnang Province