Water Festival

What a crazy week! On Sunday through Monday this week, Cambodia celebrated Water Festival (or in Khmer 'bon ohm tuuk') the biggest holiday of the year. The Festival celebrates the day at the end of rainy season when the Tonle Sap River reverses its flow. Cambodia is the only place in the world this happens. The Festival honors the river and how it really provides life in Cambodia- water, the ability to grow rice, etc. Phnom Penh fills with people (like 2 million more than normal) and there are boat races on the river. Each province has one or two boat teams. The boats are something like big canoes, except that they hold about 70 rowers. As you may have heard, this year's Water Festival ended with tragedy, but I will come to that later.

I decided to spend this four day weekend with my host family. First, on Friday night, my sisters and I went out dancing. I have never stayed out so late in Phnom Penh. The place we went was half awesome and half cheesy 80s lounge. I was 1 of two foreigners in the place. We actually didn't dance too much because it was crowded and my sisters were shy, but the night did end with the 4 of us on the dance floor rocking out to Justin Bieber. A night to remember!

On Saturday, we had a birthday party for my little 2 year old host nephew. My sisters spent all day cooking. The house was completely full of people. Fortunately, I did know a lot of them from our church. Again, a pretty great evening.

On Sunday night, we decided to go to see fireworks at the riverside. So my sisters, our pastor and his mother and son, another MCCer, and I headed downtown for Water Festival. The crowd was crazy- felt just as big as when I went to the inauguration and that was 2 million people. We made our way to the front (as a side note, for the first time in my life in Cambodia I can actually see over crowds to some degree. I'm not tall here, but I'm at least not below average anymore!) and the longest fireworks display I have ever seen started up. As the fireworks exploded overhead, big boats covered in lights floated by on the river. It reminded me of the night light parade at Disney World. Each boat represented a government department. They were gorgeous- a million lights dancing a long the water. A new boat made to represent Phnom Penh had Wat Phnom on it, the founding temple of the city. That one was my favorite. As it ended, all of us made our way out of the crowd (took at least 45 minutes). Then, we got stuck in crazy traffic trying to get home. But still, it was so beautiful and so great to be with my sisters, that I'm really glad I stayed in town for my one and only Water Festival.

Now comes the sad part of the story. On Monday night, the last night of the Festival, while I slept safely in my bed, nearly 400 people were killed in stampede at the riverside. Everyone was leaving a island in the river by way of a very narrow bridge. No one seems to know quite what caused it, but people panicked, pushing in both directions on the bridge. Around 400 died and at least 750 were injured. I've been on this bridge, I think it would fill 'full' if 100 people were on it. My sisters woke me on 4 AM on Tuesday morning to watch the news. Its a surreal experience to be pulled out of bed to the cry 'something bad happened!' and ask 'where?' in return and hear a location 2 miles away. And then, to watch the news in a language I can't really understand while my sisters called everyone they knew to make sure they were okay. I have to say, it felt the same way I did on Sept 11th- that early morning fear, that not knowing. And for Cambodia, this disaster is on the scale of that day for the U.S. (Of course, without the war fever)

It has also been interesting to see how Cambodia choose to mourn this loss. For the last 2 nights, outside every house and at the bridge itself people have been leaving offerings- incense, bananas, money, candles. . . all given to the spirits of those who died in the hope they won't haunt the city. The price of bananas has more than quadrupled. The government declared today a national day of mourning. My sisters said they think the island will close permanently because no one will want to go to a place so full of the dead. Even my family, who did not lose anyone, is more subdued than normal. Its such a human question- how do we mourn well? What does it mean to grieve? I have to say I feel somewhat disconnected from it. I am sad for the families that loss someone, but I also feel some distance from it. I'm not feeling it in the same way as a Cambodian. Maybe that's just a survival mechanism. Maybe its because today is also Thanksgiving and I want to feel good to ward off homesickness. At the same time, in the U.S. we see things like this on the news all the time, bad things that happen in far away places, but this time for me, I'm in it. The people who died can't be so easily forgotten. And that's probably a good lesson for all of us. Even when tragedy happens far from home, it still matters, its still very real and personal to someone.

So I enjoyed Water Festival and at the same time, I mourn along with this country. I liked bonding with my sisters over holiday celebrations. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Enjoy turkey and good black friday sales. I'm spending the day with friends, eating at a restaurant buffet, and having a sleepover. It strangely doesn't feel like Thanksgiving- the weather is too hot, and I'm not with any of you. But that keeps me from being too homesick and I'll enjoy this Thanksgiving for what it is- an expat celebration : )

Instant Immersion

For the last 3 months, my daily routine has involved a one hour language lesson five days a week. Obviously a commitment to expats learning the language is key to good development work in any foreign country. At the beginning, the whole process was really overwhelming. At this point, we only have 2 weeks of language class left. SALTers in other parts of the world did not get nearly as much language as us, so we're really lucky. The structure of Khmer is relatively easy- not conjugation, no plurals, but the sound and cadence of speech are really difficult. So different that English and other European languages. Learning the language has been rewarding and challenging.

So now, after nearly 3 months of class, am I fluent? No. Am I conversational? Maybe, if the person speaks slowly and is willing to laugh with me when I have no idea what they are saying. Do I have survival Khmer? Definitely. I feel like I could go anywhere in the city, buy anything, talk to anyone and get my point across. Am I still shy is using my language skills? Yes, especially in groups where everyone talks a mile a minute and I can't see their lips moving. I have definitely developed the skill of zoning out completely while everyone chats around me. ha ha

At home, I tend to speak a lot of English with my host family. They all want to practice their English and they're all really good. Plus, its so much easier for me to get to know them this way. But, at the moment, we have relatives from the province in our house for Water Festival (a major holiday this weekend that I will write about after it happens) and they don't speak English. My host mom, a friend of the family, and a niece. Last night I got home and only the mom and the friend were in the house. Rather than retreating to my room, I decided to dive in. I spent 2 hours chatting with them. I couldn't believe it. I didn't understand anything, but we were able to communicate. We talked about their children, what I do here, my learning Khmer, and even how I should get married soon. (I'm pretty sure my host mom is willing to set me up, she was pretty adamant I have some children soon. : ) This is pretty normal considering 22 is getting old to not be married yet for Cambodian women)

I have to admit, I still feel so surprised when I can communicate easily. It seems like after only 3 months, that should be impossible. It was such a nice night. They even started teaching me how to write (something I won't be learning in class, only speaking). Sometimes when relatives come to visit, I feel like I'm on display. People from the countryside are not used to seeing foreigners at all and I can be something of a spectacle. But on nights like last night, I love the opportunity to get closer to Cambodians. I've never been someone whose good at learning languages, but even the little success I've had here is so rewarding. People appreciate it so much when you take the time to learn the language.

So those are my thoughts on learning a language by immersion. Its an experience everyone should try once in their lives. When I get back to the states, I will have to find some Khmer people to chat with so I don't lose the skill!

Cambodian Folk Tales

As part of a language lesson this week, I learned the story of the "Rabbit who eats Bananas." (Yes in Cambodia rabbits don't like carrots, they like bananas) So this is a story that all little Cambodian children know. (And, believe it or not, I could tell you the whole thing in Khmer!)

Once, an old Grandma was walking through the forest to get to the market. At the market she bought a basket full of bananas. She put the basket on her head and started home. A rabbit in the forest saw the lady walking with her bananas. He decided he was really hungry and needed those bananas. So, he went into the middle of the road and pretended to be dead. The old lady came upon the 'dead' rabbit and thought- yum a delicious meal. So, she put the rabbit in her banana basket. The rabbit carefully ate all the bananas, leaving only the peels. When the lady walked near a bush, the rabbit jumped out and disappeared into the forest. When the lady arrived home, she looked into the basket and saw that the rabbit and all the bananas were gone! She was very angry and yelled "the rabbit cheated me!"

In Cambodian folklore the rabbit is always the most clever animal. The rabbit is always the judge character in stories. After reading this story in Khmer, our language teacher told us another story about the rabbit and the snail.

The rabbit and the snail decided to race around a big lake. The rabbit was very clever and knew that he could beat a slow snail. So they both started running. Every once in a while the rabbit called out 'where are you snail?' and somehow the snail was always in front of him! The rabbit could not figure it out! It turns out that there was more than one snail in the lake. Every time the rabbit called out, a snail just ahead of him answered. So, even though the snail was slow, he won the race because he was clever.

I told our teacher the tortoise and the hare story this morning. The Cambodia story definitely teaches a different lesson!

Independence Day

Yesterday, I celebrated Cambodia's independence from France with a Tuesday off from work. Apparently Cambodia doesn't do that the holiday's during the week, lets take friday/monday off sort of thing. However, having a Tuesday off made me realize that people should probably get a random day off during the week every week. I mean seriously, what's better than that?

Anyway, the celebration: This holiday marked a rare day where none of my sisters nor I had to work or go to school. After making chow mein together (my sister joked we were being Chinese on a Khmer holiday), we headed to the Phnom Penh Sports Club to go swimming. 5 bucks later and I discovered an awesome lap pool, lounging chairs, a jacuzzi, and a steam room. I had a great time getting some exercise (not an easy thing to do here) and teaching 2 of my sisters how to swim. They both can swim enough not to drown, but they are still afraid of the water. I'm so grateful for my family. Even though language and culture and 10,000 miles divide us, I'm a part of the family. They take the time to explain my presence to the million people who ask them about me. Last week, one sister told me that I filled the place of their sister who is in America with MCC this year. She also said she already knew she would miss me when I left. How great is that? It teaches me a few lessons about love and hospitality, that's for sure. What I'm trying to say is that, relationships that happen cross culturally, against all odds, are beautiful. I just love feeling their love for me.

After swimming, we grabbed dinner at the market- a pho like soup, but with Khmer noodles. (short, thick, and white) Then we headed to the riverside to watch fireworks. The traffic was incredible, everyone was doing the same thing as us. As I rode on the back of Phealy's moto, I was so happy to be safe with her. I could rely on her driving skills and take in the scenery. After a pretty impressive fireworks display, we headed to a place a ton of young people hang out and dance every night. In a big open space by some statues and fountains, people set up speakers and lead dance/aerobic classes. Tons of people join in, paying about 25 cents to dance along. There must have been 8 or 9 groups of 50, 60 people each dancing to every Korean pop song I've ever heard. The place was more packed than usual because of the holiday. It was such a rush to be in the crowd, feeling like a cool foreigner because I had a Khmer family. We didn't dance (my sisters were too nervous about people watching them) but enjoyed the music and walked around. As I looked at these hundreds of young people, I realized that this is the generation that will see Cambodia developed. This is the first generation to have opportunities in a long, long time. I totally believe they will change Cambodia. The energy was just irresistible.

Its hard to describe the whole scene, but let me end by saying that the word Cambodia brings a lot of different things to mind for people- genocide, poverty, war, refugees, or maybe nothing at all or maybe "is that in Africa somewhere?" but Cambodia is also youth and energy and hope and change and a future. Standing in the middle of that crowd last night, I got a beautiful glimpse of all the good things Cambodia is and will be.

And seriously any country where the plot of any of the Step Up movies could actually happen should probably be a world power. . . : )

Early Morning Thoughts

Today I woke up at 5:30 am to make it to a skype date with my dad. Now, I've become more of an early riser since I've been here, the heat chases me out of bed by 8 even on days I can sleep in, but 5:30 is no laughing matter. I headed to the bathroom to take a freezing cold shower. Not having hot water doesn't really matter at 6:30 when its starting to heat up, but a 5:30 cold shower is no way to start a day.

But then, I looked out the window. For the first time in Cambodia, I saw the sunrise. And I've never seen anything like it. If I hadn't been standing their in a towel, I definitely would have ran for my camera. The whole sky was pink and bright and gorgeous. As I sat there staring, I started thinking that no one is even watching this amazing show. People are just begrudgingly getting out of bed, getting kids ready for school, thinking about what they need to buy at the market. . . all this extravagant beauty is a forgotten background to busy lives. How amazing is it that God spends so much time creating beautiful things that people do not even notice?

There is a God so good, so big, so beautiful that He cares about the little things in our lives. Even what to us is only background noise. For me, today's sunrise shouted "the world may be fallen and broken, but all of nature is longing for and looking forward to that day when all will be restored, all will be made new, and the world and its people will be free of pain, pollution, and violence."

So it turns out that 5:30 isn't always a miserable time to wake up. And skyping with my dad was wonderful too : )