"À l’occasion de ça," or, "On an occasion such as this."

The other day I decided to walk to my market to buy some fruit. Usually, I’d just ride my bike, but today I had ample free time and was in no rush. This change in transportation surprised basically everyone in my village though, and I had to repeatedly explain to moto drivers who’d pull up beside me and pat on the back of their seat that, no, really- I want to do this. I met my fruit lady who, as usual, gave me two extra pieces of fruit in addition to what I paid for.

I was just about to put my headphones in for the journey back, when the elderly French-speaking man who lives next to my co-teacher pulled up on his bike and hopped off beside me. “Où allez-vous?" he asked, and I replied I was going to Nam Heng’s house to chat for a bit (and hopefully get one of those delicious peanut cakes his wife makes). “Ahh, oui! C’est pas loin de ma maison, ne c’est pas? Oui oui… À l’occasion de ca on peut y aller ensemble.” And so we did, chatting about the weather, “Aujourd’hui fait très chaud ne c’est pas?” and others of life’s daily minutia. The content was the same as any other conversation I’ve had about these sorts of things in Khmer, but they were given a fresh face in French and so seemed more interesting and engaging.

The conversation ebbed and flowed, drifting here and there as either his or my French faltered, and just as quickly as it started, it ended, him hopping back on his bike and bidding me “Adieu,” riding off into the heat of the day.
Smiling to myself after he left, I thought that I really liked his use of the expression “On an occasion such as this.” 
…So what’s the point of this little story? I don’t know that there is one, I just like everything that happened in it. I like that we were both on the same page, awake enough on an otherwise oppressive afternoon to pull each other out of our reveries and connect for a few minutes through a trivial, meaningless conversation, that really could have only happened on an occasion such as that.

~~~~~

In other news, my Ohn just recently got a puppy. Brazil, (pronounced “Brathil” in the true, lispy Spanish fashion), was hit by a car a while ago, and after a grieving period, she decided Brathil probably wouldn’t have wanted her sitting around moping over his death so she consented to get a puppy. “Robut” (Robert) is the name of the little rascal that has filled his shoes. Although he’s flea-ridden and has taken to peeing all over my feet, tail wagging furiously, the moment I enter the door, I can’t stay away from him and all is forgiven when he sets his paws over my toes and gazes up at me with those big puppy dog eyes. Sigh.

Robut, in a rare moment of obedience

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