My last blog post was about my experience(s) throwing balls of rice and candy into wicker baskets to fed the ancestors at 4:30AM at the local wat as part of Bai Ben (October 1st-14th this year), the 15 days leading up the the Cambodian Buddhist festival P'chum Ben. On October 15th, while I was preparing to leave for a boat tour of the Tonle Sap (the largest lake in the country and the source of water for the river system known as the Mekong), I got word that the King Father of Cambodia, Norodom Sihanouk, passed away just over two weeks shy of his 90th birthday. Although he ceded the throne to his son Norodom Sihanmoni in 2004 and his declining health forced him to seek care in China, the ceremonies and response to the King Father's death showed that he was loved by the vast majority of his people. (King Sihanouk's reputation internationally is a bit more complicated as explained in this article.) His body traveled back to Cambodia from China, ending up in the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh where it will be on display for the public for 3 months. The processional from the airport to the resting place at the palace was well televised and over the course of the week I saw the same documentary segment about the King Father's life on a continuous loop on many of the TV stations. The framed photograph and memorial at the high school, the black ribbons pinned to white shirts, the 261 Cambodian flags that I counted lining the national highway from my site to the nearest volunteer 15K away, and the fact that everyone (except me) could clearly see the face of the King in the moon every night are examples of how devoted the Cambodian people are to the memory and honor of their late King.
While Cambodia was and continues to mourn the King Father, back in America there was this little thing called an election. As you probably know President Obama will be serving a second term (if this is the first source that you have heard this from, you should probably read some real news sources...), "boon ch'naam howee nung boon ch'naam tiet." Translation: four years already done, four more years to go... very similar to my explanation of my service: "boon kai howee nung bee ch'naam tiet." Anyway, today was a history-making day for those of us with ties to both America and Cambodia, as President Obama became the first acting US President to visit Cambodia. For the next couple of days, he and Secretary of State Clinton will be attending the 2012 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh. (For more on the Summit and for a perspective on the diplomatic relations or tensions because of issues related to human rights read this.) Unfortunately PC has informed us all that we will not be able to meet the President because his tight schedule will not allow for a 2 hour detour to Takeo - where we are staying for two weeks for in-service training - nor are we allowed to make the trip into Phnom Penh because of a travel ban. Maybe next time when the stars align...
Until then, let me leave you with this photo of 3 turkeys wandering around my site oblivious to the fate of there cousins in America because of a holiday that is just around the corner...
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| HAPPY THANKSGIVING! |
