Hey guys,
So it’s been a while, huh? Last you heard I was gallivanting
around Vietnam, eating yummy new foods and riding around on the back of a moto
with a hot dude… What?
Well, now I am back in Cambodia and reality has set in. Not to say that reality is a bad thing, but it's always a little hard to get back in the swing of
things after a relaxing vacation... Also, WE JUST STARTED SCHOOL. That's right, school has just
begun in Cambodia. Last year my school started late because of flooding in our village. This year it was because there was a holiday to honor the ancestors:
Pchum Ben. During Pchum Ben Khmer families visit the wat to offer up food to the monks who "soh toa," or chant to relieve the ancestors of their suffering. Then everyone goes home to eat a big meal together and, for some, drink into the evening.
With my family at the wat
Since the holiday's date changes with the Lunar calendar, it fell in the
middle of October this year instead of the end of September, so most schools
just waited to start school until after the holiday. We’ve only been in school a week and already we have two days off this upcoming week: Monday for Prince
Sihamoni’s birthday (not a national holiday but why not?) and Wednesday for
King Sihanouk’s birthday. If you haven't heard, Sihanouk, who was revered amongst Khmer people as a kind of father figure to Cambodia, died early
last week of a heart attack. He was 88.
Many Khmer people are convinced they saw his face in the moon the day after
he died. A bit of a stretch, yes, but hey: as of yet no one's put a Sihanouk grilled cheese up for auction on Ebay so...
On a different note, the library project is still comin’ along, but sloooowly. At this point I am waiting to start on a new
aspect of the project (STAY TUNED TO FIND OUT WHAT) which is dependent on when
my librarian has “free time”— a very liberally used time slot which can last anywhere
from an hour to an entire day, depending on the person asking and the impending tasks. Being “busy” in Cambodia can mean actually being preoccupied (teaching, washing your clothes, working
at the market, etc.), or it can mean laying in your hammock all day and not wanting to be bothered. Here
is an exemplary dialogue between my co-teacher and me upon my request for a Khmer
lesson.
Me: Hello, Nam Heng! Do you have free time this afternoon to
teach me Khmer?
Nam Heng: No, no. Very busy! Busy busy! For me, very busy!
Me: Oh, okay. (Pauses. Hears TV in the background) What are
you doing?
Nam Heng: So busy! I have to go now bye bye. (click)
And there you have it.
Anyway, that’s about the news from here, folks! I hope you
are doing well, but if not, it's okay because even Darwin had his bad days:
Love to you all.
3 comments:
Good to know Darwin was as human as the rest of us. Can't wait to hear/see what the new aspect of your library project will be. I can't believe school JUST started back! Does that mean you go longer next summer?
Love the picture of your tiny family and the "hot dude!" :)
xoxox
Mom
My gosh, Leah,
Your posts always make me laugh, tear up, remind me of how sharply I miss you, but also that I admire the crap outta you! (Yes, I am a poet.) I hope the start of school just goes swell and that the continuation of your library project comes along smoothly. I can't wait to hear about what you'll be doing next!
I love the picture you posted in this entry. There are some subtleties that highlight differences between American and Cambodian cultures - I love pictures that are mini-ethnographies by themselves!
Love you, buddy,
Bakeybuns
"as of yet no one's put a sihanouk grilled cheese up for auction"
bahaha true! I guess Americans can be just as nutty.
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