Boats and Planes

There are various forms of transportation in Cambodia. This post will not really go into these at this time, but I promise to do so in the near future. Here I would like to highlight two important events that I have been wrapped up in recently. 

1) Water Festival (Bon Om Touk) happened last weekend. The holiday is based on the history of the Water War when Cambodian troops used rowing boats to defeat their enemy. Every year since the victory, Cambodians have celebrated with a regatta on the Bassac River in Phnom Penh with people coming into the city from all of the provinces near and far. However the boat races have been cancelled for the past 3 years. In 2010 a stampede killed over 300 people and so the following year the government cancelled the celebrations. Last year the King's death triggered a 3 month period of mourning that cancelled the celebrations again and this year because of the heavy flooding and subsequent deaths the government cancelled the races once again in Phnom Penh although the provinces were allowed to continue as planned. That being said, Bon Om Touk lasts for 3 days and this year fell on November 16th, 17th and 18th as a according to the lunar calendar. The festival includes 3 ceremonies: Illuminated Float, Moon Salutation and Ok Ambok. At my site I was able to see modifications of each of these ceremonies. At the local wat on the 2nd night (full moon) my neighbors, cousins, and siblings all headed to the wat with Ambok (flattened rice that looks like Khmer-style cereal and which I have eaten for breakfast most days this past month as it is in season), bananas, and shredded coconut. 

Mai (host mom) preparing the ambok to take to the wat

Ambok with banana, shredded coconut, sugar and a decorative flower :)

cousins and siblings rowing the boat my host grandpa made,
in the pond by the wat (not really a race...)

We went early (9pm) and got to watch fireworks and little boats with candles floating on the pond next to the wat while eating boiled peanuts. We added the ambok, bananas, and coconut to the offerings and listened to the monks' chanted blessings, but did not stay long enough (midnight) to participate in the forcing feeding of the food all mixed together. (Although I love the stuff!.. it was bedtime.) Since the holiday fell on a weekend, my health center decided to move it to include Tuesday as well. Four-day weekend! I spent the extra day visiting with people in my community and planning for... 

2)... MY PARENTS' ARRIVAL! I am so lucky this Thanksgiving to be able to spend it with my parents here in Cambodia - my adopted home. My parents will be touching down in Phnom Penh in less than 3 hours and I will be greeting them at the airport with this: 

it's on the back of an Oreo box :)

The last time I saw them was over 16 months ago outside of a Holiday Inn in Washington DC at Staging. 

what seems like a long time ago...

Needless to say, I am excited to see them and to spend just under 2 weeks showing them around Cambodia and introducing them to my host families and community, food and language, and everything that I can as these two worlds collide. TEAM HENSHALL in CAMBODIA!