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.