Heyo! It's May-yo!

Ok, I know that's a hokey title, but I don't think I have enough of those. So let's talk about it being May. How did that happen?? Two months from now and I will have been in this country for a year... It hardly seems possible.

I was originally under the impression that April is the hottest month in Cambodia... As it turns out, that is not so. May is not only hotter, but also more humid since the rains still haven't really started. There have been a few unseasonal showers here and there though, so that's come as a welcome, if only occasional, respite from the heat.

In addition to May being one of the hotter months, it is also full of holidays. Earlier this week, for example, we had Wednesday off for Buddha's birthday. When I asked my dad, half in jest, how old the Buddha was turning, he replied in all seriousness, "81." There you have it. Buddha is 81 now. Tomorrow, Monday, and Tuesday are also holidays (in honor of the king's birthday), so there's no school then either. Because of the prevalence of holidays and the increasing unpredictability of the school schedule, my tenth grade co-teacher's excuses for why he can't make it to school have gotten more outlandish and thus more entertaining. Before he couldn't come to school because he was too busy building his house (obviously more important than doing the job for which the government pays him), but on Friday came the best excuse yet: "I'm sorry, I uhhh... need to go home because myyyy... baby is alone. In the house." WHAT?! Don't worry: it wasn't true. In fact I looked at him and half smiled and he did the same. Then we continued to teach our lesson. I swear, I will never again have as entertaining a job as teaching in Cambodia.

In other news, my library project is now fully funded! Thanks to all of you and your families and friends who made this possible. I am excited to start and see where this thing can go! I will keep you updated as things progress.

Ok, a quick story and then we'll get to the pictures. Last week, after lunch at Ohn's house, she asked me if I'd go with her to the Wat, to get blessed by the monks. "Umm, ok!" I said after a bit of hesitation. I had nothing else to do, after all, and my bed would still be there later in the afternoon for the indispensable daily nap. We set off on our bikes to the Wat, taking off our helmets as we passed through the gates. We walked into the room where the monk was sitting, writing prayers on the backs of leaves with an incense stick. We sat and sompaya'd (bow three times) him and waited for him to finish what he was doing. As we were waiting, he made small talk with us, lighting up a couple of cigarettes as he did haha...

First off, I should explain that this is NOT the impression of monks I was given during training. I was always told that you should keep your eyes downcast, not looking at them directly and generally remain a little aloof, especially as a woman. This monk, however, looked me straight in the eye, was immediately friendly and direct and tried to recollect some of the English he learned growing up. It reinforced the other idea that was ground into us during training -- that what we learned wouldn't necessarily be applicable to our individual experience -- we all have different experiences that lead us to our own conclusions about Cambodia and Cambodian society.

Anyway, back to Ohn's and my experience at the Wat. After chit-chatting with the monk for a while, he directed us outside and motioned for us to sit on the stone steps outside the building. Ohn and I sat down awkwardly and the monk abruptly started to pour water on us, taking buckets full of water and literally dumping them on our heads. We sat brushing the hair out of our faces, trying not to giggle as he murmured prayers under his breath. And then, just as suddenly as he started, he stopped. "Ban" ("good") he said, dropping the pail into the bucket of water and shuffling back into the building. Fast forward a few minutes: Ohn is drying off and I'm swigging water. "What are you doing?" she asks me. "Drinking the water you gave me." "That's holy water. You're not supposed to drink it." "Oh..." Heh. I'm clearly still learning.

See if you can't find anything strange about that ingredient list.

An interesting interpretation of cheesecake: I think that's parmesan on top.

Ugh what the... Is that... What is that??? This is what the inside of an elephant's mouth looks like, of course!

My student Thira holding up a drawing he did for the One World project. He was the only of my older students who participated.