a narrative,
another role model
Thorn Bun Thoeng used to work as a butler at a luxury hotel in Siem Reap called Shinta Mani. There, he learned many things—how to serve guests, how to make people feel special, and how to care for others. He also learned about the importance of helping people and supporting communities.
Thorn comes from a small village called Preah Dak, not far from Siem Reap. One day, he goes back to visit his grandmother. He sees the peaceful village life again. Children play under palm trees, old people cook traditional food, and monks sing in the pagoda. Thorn feels happy to be home. He also feels sad because tourists only visit the temples near the village. They do not see the real life of the people.
That night, Thorn has an idea. He wants to share the true life of Preah Dak with visitors. He decides to stay in the village and work with the community. Together, they create “The Preah Dak Experience.”
Guests can visit the local market, help plant rice, learn to make crafts, and eat meals with local families. It is not just sightseeing—it is about real connection.
Now, Thorn is no longer a hotel butler. He is a guide, a leader, and a proud son of Preah Dak. He feels at home, and his community is growing strong.
___________________________
Vocabulary:
- To serve guests – To help people who visit (for example, in a hotel or restaurant) by giving them food, drinks, or anything they need.
- To care for others – To help people and be kind to them when they need support or love.
- Importance – When something is important or has a big meaning.
- To support a community – To help the people who live in your village, town, or group so life becomes better for everyone.
- Peaceful – Quiet and calm; there is no noise or trouble.
- Village – A small place where people live, smaller than a town.
- Traditional food – Food that comes from old recipes and is cooked the same way for many years in a culture.
- A monk – A man who lives in a temple and follows religious rules, often wearing orange or brown clothes.
- To feel sad – To feel unhappy or want to cry.
- To share something – To let other people see, use, or enjoy something you have.
- To decide – To choose what to do after thinking.
- An experience – Something you do or live through, like a trip or special day.
- To plant rice – To put small rice plants into wet fields so they can grow.
- To make crafts – To create things with your hands, like baskets, bags, or decorations.
- A connection (with people) – When you feel close to others and understand them.
- A guide – A person who shows you a place and gives you information.
- To be proud – To feel good and happy about something you did or where you come from.
- To grow strong – To become better, more powerful, or more successful over time.
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Multiple-choice vocabulary test, three options, with only one correct answer.
1. What does it mean to serve guests?
A) To help visitors by giving them food or drinks
B) To teach people in a classroom
C) To clean your own room
2. What does to care for others mean?
A) To take toys from friends
B) To help and be kind to people
C) To run in a race
3. What is importance?
A) A kind of food
B) Something with a big meaning
C) A loud noise
4. What does to support a community mean?
A) To help people in your village or town
B) To play games at school
C) To travel to another country
5. What does peaceful mean?
A) Noisy and fast
B) Exciting and fun
C) Quiet and calm
6. What is a village?
A) A small place where people live
B) A large building
C) A kind of food
7. What is traditional food?
A) Food that comes from family or culture
B) Food from the supermarket
C) Fast food from a shop
8. Who is a monk?
A) A man who drives a car
B) A man who lives in a temple and prays
C) A person who sells clothes
9. What does to feel sad mean?
A) To feel good
B) To feel unhappy
C) To feel strong
10. What does to share something mean?
A) To show or give something to others
B) To eat it all by yourself
C) To throw it away
11. What does to decide mean?
A) To make a choice
B) To lose something
C) To fix something
12. What is an experience?
A) A new game
B) Something you do or live through
C) A school test
13. What does to plant rice mean?
A) To put rice plants into the field
B) To cook rice
C) To eat rice
14. What does to make crafts mean?
A) To read a book
B) To write a letter
C) To create things with your hands
15. What is a connection (with people)?
A) Feeling close and understanding others
B) A phone number
C) A map
16. Who is a guide?
A) A person who shows and explains places
B) A person who sells fruit
C) A person who cooks in a kitchen
17. What does to be proud mean?
A) To feel good about something you did
B) To feel bored
C) To feel tired
18. What does to grow strong mean?
A) To become better and powerful
B) To fall down
C) To go to sleep
__________________________
1A 2B 3B 4A 5C 6A 7A 8B 9B 10A 11A 12B 13A 14C 15A 16A 17A 18A
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Fill-in-the-gap sentences, three possible answers each, only one correct, which?
- Thorn learned how __________ guests politely and quickly. (to serve / to eat / to watch)
- It is very important __________ for others when they need help. (to care / to ignore / to run)
- The __________ of education is to help people have better lives. (importance / food / noise)
- We should always try __________ the community where we live. (to support / to leave / to hide)
- The village is very __________ at night, with no loud noise. (peaceful / noisy / dirty)
- Many people live in a small __________ near the river. (village / city / school)
- Every Sunday, the family eats __________ food made from old recipes. (traditional / fast / modern)
- A __________ often lives in a temple and follows special religious rules. (monk / driver / teacher)
- When I lose my favorite toy, I __________ sad. (feel / jump / sing)
- It is kind __________ your toys with your friends. (to share / to break / to hide)
- Before traveling, you need __________ where to go and what to do. (to decide / to sleep / to cook)
- Visiting the village was a new __________ for the city children. (experience / game / book)
- Farmers __________ rice in the fields during the rainy season. (plant / eat / buy)
- The village women like __________ crafts like baskets and bags. (making / eating / throwing)
- A good __________ helps tourists understand a new place. (guide / chef / driver)
______________________
1 to serve 2 to care 3 importance 4 to support 5 peaceful 6 village 7 traditional 8 monk 9 feel 10 to share 11 to decide 12 experience 13 plant 14 making 15 guide
#########################
Matchword/s and their definition:
Words:
- Serve guests
- Care for others
- Importance
- Support a community
- Peaceful
- Village
- Traditional food
- Monk
- Feel sad
- Share
- Decide
- Guide
Definitions:
A. To help and be kind to people
B. A small place where people live together
C. To show or give something to others
D. A person who shows tourists around and explains things
E. Quiet and calm, without noise or problems
F. To make a choice
G. A man who lives in a temple and prays
H. To help people in your town or village
I. To work for visitors by giving them food or drinks
J. Food made using old family or cultural recipes
K. To feel unhappy
L. Something with a big meaning or value
_________________________
1 I 2 A 3 L 4 H 5 E 6 B 7 J 8 G 9 K 10 C 11 F 12 D
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True/false:
- To serve guests means to help visitors by giving them food or drinks. (True/False)
- Caring for others means ignoring people when they need help. (True/False)
- Importance means something with a big meaning or value. (True/False)
- Supporting a community means helping the people who live there. (True/False)
- Peaceful means loud and noisy. (True/False)
- A village is a large city with many buildings. (True/False)
- Traditional food is food made using old family or cultural recipes. (True/False)
- A monk is a person who works in a market. (True/False)
- To feel sad means to feel unhappy. (True/False)
- To share something means to give or show it to others. (True/False)
- To decide means to make a choice. (True/False)
- A guide is someone who cooks food for tourists. (True/False)
________________________
false: 2 5 6 8 12
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Jumbled sentences – what is the correct sentence?
Not easy, but try!
- guests / Thorn / to / learned / serve / how / politely
- He / the / returned / village / to / Preah Dak
- Thorn / rice / fields / plants / in / the
- The / with / shared / grandmother / food / him
- tourists / understand / guide / A / good / helps /
______________________
Answers:
A good guide helps tourists understand.
Thorn learned how to serve guests politely.
He returned to the village Preah Dak.
Thorn plants rice in the fields.
The grandmother shared food with him.
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Complete the interview – questions/answers to be filled in below:
- __________
Thorn is a young man who comes from the village of Preah Dak. - Where did Thorn work before?
__________ - What job did Thorn have at Shinta Mani?
He served guests and helped them during their stay at the hotel. - __________
He wanted to visit his family and the village where he was born. - Who did Thorn visit first in the village?
He visited his grandmother, Mae Sary, who welcomed him warmly. - __________
She gave him a bowl of traditional Cambodian food called amok. - What did Thorn decide to do for the village?
__________ - What activities do guests do in the Preah Dak Experience?
__________ - Does Thorn still work as a butler?
__________ - __________
Visitors feel happy and connected to the village and its people.
_____________________________
a) He decided to create a special experience for visitors to see real village life.
b) How do visitors feel after the Preah Dak Experience?
c) He worked as a butler at the Shinta Mani hotel in Siem Reap.
d) What did Thorn’s grandmother give him?
e) Why did Thorn return to Preah Dak?
f) No, Thorn stopped working as a butler and now focuses on his village project.
g) Who is Thorn Bun Thoeng?
h) Guests visit the market, plant rice, weave baskets, and eat meals with villagers.
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_____________________________
Complete dialogue:
- Who is Thorn Bun Thoeng?
Thorn is a young man who comes from the village of Preah Dak. - Where did Thorn work before?
He worked as a butler at the Shinta Mani hotel in Siem Reap. - What job did Thorn have at Shinta Mani?
He served guests and helped them during their stay at the hotel. - Why did Thorn return to Preah Dak?
He wanted to visit his family and the village where he was born. - Who did Thorn visit first in the village?
He visited his grandmother, Mae Sary, who welcomed him warmly. - What did Thorn’s grandmother give him?
She gave him a bowl of traditional Cambodian food called amok. - What did Thorn decide to do for the village?
He decided to create a special experience for visitors to see real village life. - What activities do guests do in the Preah Dak Experience?
Guests visit the market, plant rice, weave baskets, and eat meals with villagers. - Does Thorn still work as a butler?
No, Thorn stopped working as a butler and now focuses on his village project. - How do visitors feel after the Preah Dak Experience?
Visitors feel happy and connected to the village and its people.
#################
Bong Thorn:
“Do not give up. Stay focused and have a clear plan.
When you help others and support your community, good things happen.
Together we grow strong.
Believe in yourself and keep working hard.
Your dream can come true if you never stop trying.”