Kathina Service

As mentioned in my previous entry the many monastery traditions in Theravada Cambodian Buddhism are eye openers in a fascinating way.  I grew up in the Mahayana Japanese Buddhist tradition so I find many of the contrasting traditions in Theravada Buddhism especially interesting. For one thing, Japanese Buddhist monks are generally called reverends and do not follow a monastic order. In addition they are able to marry, have children, drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes, and live a normal life (to all that are appalled by this, they are the equivalent to Protestant pastors).

The monks here are not even allowed to buy their own food nor their own robes. Their robes are given to the community in the annual Kathina ceremony following the Vassa period. Again, I follow the Mahayana tradition so I apologize if there are any discrepancies in my explanations. Most of my knowledge in Buddhism comes from my youth days in Sunday Dharma school at my local Japanese American temple in San Francisco!

Buddhism stems from India in which there is a distinctive Monsoon season. During this time it makes it hard for travel, hence Buddha designated this period to stay in one place and concentrate on meditation and religious studies. Many lay people also dedicate this period to strengthening their faith, abstaining from meat and intoxicants. The Kathina ceremony marks the end of this period and as a form of appreciation to the monks, they lay people offer new robes.




Since 95% of the Cambodian population is Theravada Buddhist, Cambodian society is concomitant with the religion in everyday life. Many people gathered at the temple from early morning to celebrate. As our supervisors are monks, we volunteers were also coordially invited to participate. It was an amazing experience walking along with the community in procession around town to hold the robes that were going to be offered.

Carrying "gift sets" for the monks

 

 

Each "gift set" includes a robe, soap, toothbrush, water, snacks, and of course coke.

 

 

 

The golden baskets the ladies have are robes

 

 

 

The PAGE girls also attended the ceremony since it was a school holiday

 

 

Everyone gathered for the procession to start

 

Lay ladies in pretty attire

 

We circled around the temple and Old Market area

 

 

 

Smiling nuns totally make my day

 

Let's follow the drummers and dancers to the main prayer hall!

 

 

 

Oops, fixing my "head attire"!

 

 

 

Robes presented to the monks

 

 

カンボジアでの食事事情

カンボジアに来る前は食事事情や衛生面をかなり気にしていた我が母。

 

でも衛生面がかなーり怪しいインドでも中国でもあたしは屋台でガンガン食べていたので（笑) お腹はかなり強い方。好き嫌いはあまりないし、唯一お米がないと生きていけないけど、幸いカンボジアはお米主食国なのでそこはクリア。お米さえあれば世界どこでも生きていけるのであたし自身はあまり気にしていなかったけど、やはり親としてはいろいろ気になるよう。

 

結論から言って

 

 

 

全く心配する必要はなし。

 

 

 

いまや２１世紀。世界のあらゆる場所で日本食が手に入るようになったのは嬉しいこと☆

 

駐在員用のアンコールスーパーの日本食売り場もこの通り♪：

 



 

 

その他にも街中には中国や韓国人専用のスーパーもあるのでそこでも日本食材も手に入る（はず）。

そして更にこんな珍味も♪

 

１０粒ぐらいが小分けされて売られています。実際に買って食べてはないけど、見る限りかなりちゃんとした梅干し。


更にこんなものまで！

！∑ヾ(￣0￣； )

しかも地元で生産された納豆！こんなところにも日本が存在しているとはちょっと嬉しい （＊＾＾＊）　納豆好きのうちの父親でさえカンボジアで暮らせそうです。笑　（ちなみにこのスーパーでは２～３種類の納豆が売られてました♪）

全ての日本食材が揃っているわけではないけど、最低限のものは手に入る感じなのでとりあえず大丈夫な感じかな？不思議と今のところ和食は恋しくないけど万が一そうなってもあんまり心配する必要はないし、値段も結構良心的なので一安心。

ちなみにタイの方が日本食材の品揃えは豊富なので大抵の日本人駐在員はバンコクに旅行に行くがてら買いだめする人が多いようです☆

The "Monktail"

"Theravada monks take numerous vows and follow austere precepts in their daily lives. They have to devote their life to the Buddha and the community. They must wake up at 5am for morning prayer everyday without fail. They cannot be overweening in their action, words, or thoughts. They cannot have a tinge of lascivious thoughts nor can they even touch women. They are forbidden to be acrimonious, use invective language,  and to be churlish in attire or actions. They cannot own any form of transportation. They are not allowed to go to any entertainment spots including restaurants.  They can only eat twice a day: 6am and 11am. And these are just to name a few.
 
But they do have some fun in their lives too and in some ways they are just like us. For example, they can still joke around, go on Facebook, and talk on their smartphones. Nevertheless, I've always wondered how they keep their sanity and still be happy and smiling all the time despite living under such a devoted and, in some ways, a controlled life.

And finally, I found out the ultimate remedy: Redbull and coke. Together. 

It's great. It keeps them awake from a long day of chanting and studying. Plus it gets them all giddy and happy all throughout the afternoon. It's their version of an afternoon Starbucks latte or an afterwork beer. Some telltale effects of this drinkinclude jittery motions, giddiness, stuttering, and lots of giggling. Us volunteers jokingly call it the "monktail".  I've tried it myself and oh boy, was I trembling giddy with the surge of sugar in my blood! If they keep on doing this, I swear they will get diabetes..but that will be for another conversation.

All jokes aside, monks in Cambodia are the most happiest, affable, amiable, and kindest people in the world. I've been here for over a month but I don't know how many times their smile has made my day.

カンボジアの国民の95%が仏教を信仰しているそうな。ただ日本と違って上座仏教なので出家したお坊さんは厳しい戒律を幾つも守って生活しているのが特徴。例えば食事は一日二回(正午過ぎたら固形物は全て禁止)、朝は5時に起床して読経、女性の妄想はもちろん触れることさえ禁止。でも妙に人間っぽいし、冗談も言うし、携帯で話したりSNSで交流することは許されている感じ。それでもやっぱり仏に身を尽くしつつ、戒律を守りながら暮らすのはかなり大変なはず。でもそんな素振り微塵たりともみせないのがカンボジアのお坊さん。それよかいつも笑ってるし、おっとり穏やかなお茶目なお坊さん達なのです 笑。一体どうやったらそうなれるのか。。。

そしてその秘密がついに明らかに。。。！

その秘密とは

レッドブルとコーラのミックスドリンク。

笑

これがかなり強烈。一回飲んでみたけど、糖分の多さだけでも心臓発作を起こしそうなのに、レッドブルのカフェインが体の隅々まで行き渡ってものすごーく目が冴える 汗。が、朝4，5時から起きてずっと仕事したり学校に行ったりしている勤勉なお坊さんたちにはもってこいのドリンクなよう。うーん。。。ただ健康面ではかなり危険なのでおすすめはできませんっっ！

糖尿病になる覚悟がある方はぜひお試しを！！

No Music No Life

It's beyond dispute that music is something we all cannot live without. Whether it be songs on your iPod, background music at restaurants, sound effects in movies, or singing at karaoke, they're all part of everyday life. It's so ubiquitous we take it for granted. But imagine a life without any music. Zip. Nada. Silence.
 
Such was the life in Cambodia during the Pol Pot regime in the 70s. It's putatively said that about ninety percent of the musicians were killed. All the others have fled the country. Nevertheless the Cambodian music scene has been making a slow come back in the last twenty years. Cambodian modern pop music has been very popular. Local TVs broadcast music videos all day long (which by the way conjures cheesy Asian oldies that my parents listen to). And Cambodians are quite good singers; I often hear my staff singing along to their music on their phones.  

Despite that, it's inevitable that a whole generation of music has been lost and the redevelopment has been slow. Outside of modern Cambodian pop music, many are oblivious to the various other genres of music such as classical and jazz. Music classes are almost nonexistent in public schools simply because there are so few music teachers. And frankly, there is no luxury for families to pay for music instruments or music lessons. Many barely have enough money to send them to school.

But music is more than a concoction of sounds. It makes us feel happy, sad, inspired, empowered, moved, and energized. It soothes our minds and heals us at times in sorrow. It hits our adrenaline when we workout. Many studies have shown music having positive effects for cancer patients, PTSD recoveries, and babies. A recent New York Times article even claims that success is related to music. That certainly may not be the case for me but I firmly do believe it had a positive impact. I played the piano (of course, I'm Asian American) and the flute for over a decade and studied the Japanese harp and flute for some time as well. Music has been a big part of my life so it's almost disturbing that an entire nation has been deprived of music for so long.

Fortunately there have been recent movements among the NGOs and expat communities to bring music back into people's lives. Many of the expats are also talented musicians and have been performing for the Cambodian audience as well as teaching music to the younger generation. My coworker's friend, who is a musician, has been helping revive Cambodian oldies that have been exhumed from pre-Pol Pot era. They've formed a band and have been doing performances throughout Siem Reap. I finally got to see a glimpse of them at the Made In Cambodia Festival held last week. It's great to be able to see a wide generation of local people enjoying the music that was once popular before all the tragedy had occurred. I definitely saw some wistful smiles from the older crowd. 

 

  

 Made In Cambodia is a fair held at the Shinta Mani hotel with  different NGOs to set up booths and sell their products and give them a place to promote their organization at the same time. Our Sewing School sold a few of their products that the students have made so it's been a great success. I've sauntered around the different booths and it's really amazing to see what and how the different NGOs are helping out the local and surrounding communities. 

 

Girl Power

Several weeks ago, I've started to work with the girls at the Sewing School. The teacher volunteer that had been teaching them English is leaving so I am taking over from next week. Eek. I've tutored and taught English before but I fear this may be my biggest challenge yet - namely because about half of them do not understand any English and I only understand a few words of Khmer. Moreover, a few of them are illiterate in Khmer as well (only 70% of Cambodian women are literate).

 

But they are all very keen learners and their eagerness keeps us going. Coming from poor villages, this is their chance to become an accomplished seamstress and having English knowledge will definitely help them in the future to talk to get foreign customers. I still have qualms that I have to teach all by myself in a few days but I am very determined to make a difference in the girl's lives in someway whether it's being their mentor to making them master their ABCs!

 

End of a Chapter

One of the hardest things working as a volunteer here is that the turnover rate is high. And that is inevitable. After all, we are volunteers, aka work for free, and not many of us have the luxury to be jobless for long term. Many of the volunteers usually come here for their long term vacation usually for about a month.  During my first month here I've already seen six volunteers go. But I feel that I must dedicate a post about a recent volunteer Cecil who recently made his departure from the organization.

 

 

 A proud Northern Irish man in his sixties, Cecil has been the backbone of all the volunteers. As I've mentioned a few times, our organization is under major reconstruction and there have been lots of chaos and disorganization. At first, the Foreign Language School that he had put so much work into was in derelict condition with a meagerly cobbled together curriculum. It was him that pulled the straps of the monks in charge, and worked with them to reestablish the institution. 

It was also him who had taken on the leadership and brought the volunteers together for regular meetings and outings. His voice and presence had great clout but with a good sense of Irish humor. When I first arrived and was confounded about my role in the organization, he has kindly offered his support and advice. He has helped me give advice to some of the proposals I have made and also helped coordinate meetings with me and the other LHA staff. He almost conjures a father-like yet lofty figure. If it were not for him, I would've been completely lost not knowing what to do or who to go to.  

 

 

 

  

 

 

We had our last dinner with him and it's still unbelievable that he is going to be gone. My days here would never have been the same without him. I wish him the very best! And he is my model for what an ideal volunteer/NGO worked should be

Swanky Thursdays

As long term volunteers, my colleagues and I are always on a tight budget. But for once we decided to treat ourselves to go have a drink at the swanky  Heritage  for their live Jazz Nights and Happy Hour.   

 

 

 

We all joked that this was the most comfortable, air-conditionned space we've been in since we arrived in Siem Reap - but it's quite true. The atmosphere is classic but not too uptight and it seems like a place where local business owner expats and NGO workers get together for networking. Plus, who can say no to free live jazz music?



 

 

 

Khmer Margarita: Margarita infused with local spices such as tumeric, lemongrass, chili, and silantro. Strong and punchy! 

 

Cocktails range from $3-$3.50 which is quite expensive for me considering an average glass of beer at a local bar is about $0.75 and my daily lunch allowance is $1.50. But the atmosphere and ambviance does definitely make up for it. Most importantly, the alcohol is strong so it's cost efficient!  
 

End note: I reread this post before I published it and started to chortle at myself. I cannot believe that in Tokyo I used to pay about 1,500 yen ($18) for a cocktail at a nice hotel bar. It's a bit funny how things can quickly change in a span of about 2 months!

 

 

 

 



Old School

Electronics and techonology are in abundance in Cambodia but in a typical average household here, you're lucky if you get electricity and running water. And for a place that has frequesnt blackouts, electricity is crazily expensive here. Air conditioned places (such as nice cafes and hotels) are a pure luxury.

 

Likewise, having a washing machine is out of scope for most people. You can see all the hardworking Cambodian ladies out in their yards everyday, handwashing clothes in a big tub. I'm not as hardworking so I send out my thicker texture clothes for laundry service but for the rest, I  try to handwash them myself as well.

 

And time consuming as it may seem, I don't hate it at all. It's become my ritual on weekend mornings to do my laundry and it's been strangely soothing. Ah, the simple life. Seems like I've been smoothingly adjusting to life here!

 

The Francophone Factor

In recent years, globalization has been on the rise in this once bucolic quaint country. You can practically buy most Western and Asian products at the local supermarket and shopping malls. Many of the store signs are written in English. And many Cambodians are avid students of English. Yet in various corners of everyday life, you are reminded that this country was once a Protectorat of the French until 1953. 

Getting lost in one of these alleyways faintly left me reminding of the winding alleys of France. 

Khmer

I admit I didn't know a single word of Cambodian (Khmer) before I arrived here, nor was I familiar with the language at all. All I knew was that the script looked like a bunch if squiggly lines and circles to me, similar to the Thai script. And it still does. But at least now they are squiggly lines and circle with meaning ever since I started to learn Khmer (pronounced koo-mai btw)

 

See what I mean?

As English (and to some extent, French) is the secondary language here, you can get by not speaking any Cambodian in big cities with large number of tourists and foreigners such as Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. This is just my personal opinion but I think it's deeply insular not to even learn a few words of the language of any country you reside in for long term. I was always irate by expats living in Japan for years yet all they could barely say were "hello" and "thank you". 

I know everyone is not polyglot mind oriented and I do understand that learning a foreign language can be an excruciatingly difficult task. But learning few essential basic phrases and vocabulary cannot hurt. It's all about the concept of "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." Circumvating to learn the language is supercilious and lording as well as indolent. After all, you are a "guest" in your host country. Besides, the more you can speak the language the easier it will be to integrate into the society in all aspects from getting better shopping deals to emergency situations. And most importantly, learning the local language shows a form of respect to the local people.  

My classes are intensive 1:1 conversation session three times a week with a native Khmer teacher who is fluent in English. The lessons are quite rigorous and very real-life hands on. Today my teacher handed me a dollar and voice recorder and told me to get an ice coffee with milk for her from the stand across the street. As I ordered, I had to record my dialogue on the voice recorder so she can check my pronunciation and flow of dialogue. At first I was disquieted to put my meager Khmer up to the test, but luckily the store lady was vey accommodating. Albeit I had to emphasize multiple times that it has to be coffee with milk. More practice is in dire need so I definitely have to start buying ice coffee on a regular basis - which I don't mind!

 

  

In any case, there are a few other reasons why I started learning Khmer. One is that I got tired of being asked for "tourist prices" at local markets and food stands. The difference of price is picayune and I also do bargain; but speaking at least a little Khmer will most likely lower the initial asking price down to "long term expat" level. Also as a language enthusiast, it has been my ambition to master to read/write Khmer script; how cool would it be that I can read those squiggly-circle-almost-cryptograph script? And lastly as I also work as a part time English volunteer teacher, knowing Khmer has proven to be an advantageous teaching tool. Speaking in Khmenglish (speaking English with broken khmer) during class instantly catches the attention of the students and also helps them understand grammatical concepts a lot  better.

 

 It's been a long time since I've been such a conscientious wonk so let's see how this goes!