It's Party Season!

Back in late November, I was sitting cross-legged on the living room floor with some members of my extended family stuffing over 1000 envelops with invitations to a party that my host grandmother would be throwing in mid January. At that time it seemed like a long way off. But then it happened. Two weekends ago. On numerous occasions I asked numerous family members (and my Khmer tutor) what the party was for - a birthday, a holiday, a death anniversary, etc. - to which the answer was: she, my host grandmother aged 67 - has the money and just felt like it. So there you have it, a party for the sake of a party (of course there were monks that came to bless everyone and everything, but really a party). Full of eating and dancing.

So me and 1000 Khmer people? No, I decided to bring in back-up and invited (after asking my grandmother) my friend to stay for the 2-day celebration. Oh yeah I forgot to mention it wasn't just a one day, 5 hour type thing. Try 2 straight days! There was no RSVPing and no official guest list - although there is a gift lift since at the door/gate/front of the tent that was set up in the driveway everyone had to give some money - so I can't say exactly how many people showed up, but my friend and I estimate that over the course of weekend about 300 - 400 people came and went. Loud music at all hours, Khmer dancing circles, and plenty of rice sums up the event - and man was it a blast! Here are some photos:

family, neighbors and friends helping with food prep - it really was the work of a community.

MEAT!

video of dancing outside the police station, across the street from my house - my host dad was the MC.

I titled this post Party Season because that is just the tip of the iceberg (by the way "cold" season ended after 2 1/2 weeks... and we are back to sweating profusely). The next day I went to the ceremony for the opening of the new library at the high school. After the ceremony was lunch and dancing and school was cancelled and all the male teachers started drinking (a lot). The following day I attended the "hair cutting ceremony" and the party for my neighbor's niece's wedding. Weddings are 2-day events so of course I got up the next morning - despite having not slept well because of the pounding bass until 2am and then back on at 4am - to walk in the wedding processional and then went back for the reception later that day. Most people change clothes for each ceremony, which is a great excuse to leave and come back after a nap, but alas I only have one fancy wedding outfit. 

the library ceremony

the new library

my host sister did my make-up and hair - so not quite a wardrobe change but close 

the hair cutting ceremony - my host parents performing the fake hair cutting ritual for the bride and groom

the wedding party ready to process the 200m followed by guests carrying plates of fruit

the wedding ceremony itself is MC'd by a group of performers who regularly embarrass the wedding party and guests

After all of this partying, I was looking forward to celebrating my 23rd birthday when my good friend from middle school and high school, Jen over the weekend in Siem Reap. Unfortunately, I got a bad case of amoebic dysentery (yes many people on the Oregon Trail died from that... glad I was in 2013 Cambodia!) and Jen spent the weekend taking care of me instead of partaking in Party Season. I am at 100 percent now and looking to soldier onward with the many more parties to come (wedding season after all goes from November to April I have been told).

Celebrating a New Beginning

It has been over 2 weeks since my last post in which I described the 3 days of darkness that I would (probably not) be experiencing. In that post I also promised that I would write another post soon after to say that I made it through sans sunlight. Since it has been so long since I last wrote you must be wondering what happened. Well let me tell you... The Darkness Did Not Descend. As I predicted, I did not have to hibernate because the sun did in fact rise each day. And I was able to spend the those few days with other PC friends cooking and baking delicious food and opening presents around a make-shift Christmas tree.

the beautiful Christmas tree @ Katie & Tim's

Despite the nights getting down to the mid-60s, the weather here has not been anywhere close to producing the snow that I have been begging for...

I had a snowflake crafting session with my host sister

It was quite an unusual Christmas, especially as I got done-up to go to 4 different ceremonies for the same Khmer wedding (more on that later). But at least I saw (the Khmer version of) a "one-horse-open-sleigh."

Seen on my way to a Khmer wedding... that is a whole other post. 

I was fortunate enough to ring in the New Year with two of my friends from middle and high school, Jen and Cori. Jen is living in Cambodia for the year working at an NGO in Phnom Penh. Cori, an aspiring lawyer, made the long flight out to spend a week exploring Battanbang and Siem Reap with me. To sum the week up, we went to a circus performance, hiked up hundreds of steps to multiple hill-top wats, visited the only winery in Cambodia, explored caves and markets, got blessed by monks (twice), biked around the Angkor temple complex stopping for pictures, and had a traditional Khmer dress photo shoot (among other things).

Cori in a cave in Battanbang

Can you recognize me?

I formed some New Years resolutions over the course of the trip, but none more important than the challenge that a monk set for us on New Years Eve. And that is to smile from the heart at least 30 times per day. While the world celebrated the beginning of another year, the Khmer New Year is a few months off (April). However, the beginning of January does come with it's own celebration. Today I sat surrounded by hundreds of government employees - all of us wearing an issued white collared shirt and baseball cap adorning the government symbol - listening to a district leader talk for 3 hours about the victory over the Khmer Rouge. That's because today is brawm-pul makara (or the 7th of January) which is Victory over Genocide Day. Thirty-four years ago today Vietnamese troops arrived in Phnom Penh and overthrew the Pol Pot regime (also known as the Khmer Rouge). Because the country is still in the 3-month mourning period for the Father King, Victory over Genocide Day 2013 was more of a subdued - although undoubtedly joyous - day of celebration. I was still able to smile from my heart as I look forward to another peaceful year and bright future for Cambodia.