Pagodas of Phnom Penh

90 - 95% of Cambodians consider themselves to be Buddhist. There are between 3,000 and 5,000 pagodas (wats) in the country. Buddhism has been a central part of Cambodian culture for centuries. Cambodian men are expected to spend some time during their young adulthood as monks. Volunteering in pagodas, and giving food and charity to monks and pagodas are essential to moving towards enlightenment. Pagoda complexes are places of sanctuary and education. 

Pagodas key to literacy

During the Khmer Rouge years, Buddhism, monks, and their pagodas were attacked viciously. After the Khmer Rouge were vanquished, the religion and its institutions slowly began to recover. However, some people say that the monkhood has been very damaged due to the loss of the older monks. And in today's Cambodia, others feel that the monks are not independent enough of the government. 

For a casual visitor, the pagoda complexes are quiet, cool places, with cats, birds, and so many hints about the rich cultural heritage of this country. I love nothing more than to wander around a pagoda complex, taking pictures of the stupas, statues, and cats. (Oh yeah, this is the place to find cats in Cambodia - like the humans, this is their place of sanctuary too). 

Pchum Ben Holiday

 

Just Chilling...

Pchum Ben is a very important religious holiday period in Cambodia. It is a time for families to reconnect, many in their home provinces. They are also connecting with seven generations of ancestors. Our school was closed for a week to recognize the holiday. 

Normally, I would be on the first plane out on the evening of the last day of school, off to seek a new adventure. This time, I chose to stick around Phnom Penh. My sweet cat Sammy seems to have had a bit more trouble adjusting to her new home than in previous places, so I didn't want to disrupt her. Instead, I decided to take the time to make some Art, catch up on housework, and maybe have an adventure or two closer to home. 

Sometimes an adventure is just trying out different restaurants in your city, and trying different foods in familiar restaurants. I visited seven different restaurants this week. We had a half day on the Friday, and I had a physiotherapy appointment in the afternoon. After the therapy, I decided to treat myself to a delicious lemon tart at a bakery called Eric Kayser

Friday night I decided to continue the debauchery by ordering a pizza. This was a mistake. I now know that Cambodia is not the place to order pizza. 

Luckily, I almost always have pesto sauce on hand, so the pizza was saved. 

On Saturday, I joined a group of lovely ex-pats for yoga and brunch at The Backyard Cafe. This cafe is located near the Russian market, in the neighbourhood where I used to live. After brunch, I went for a visit with the 'family on the corner,' where I was served even more food!

During brunch, a few of my fellow yogis had mentioned a fun little cafe with a rooftop terrace near the Russian market. After I left my 'family on the corner,' I retraced my steps to the market. I dropped off some trousers to be shortened at the tailor, bought some fresh flowers, and found Lot 369.

It's a bit tricky to find the cafe (down an alleyway), and a little bit of work to get there (up a few floors), but the cafe is adorable, the staff and coffee are great (the cashier wet some paper towels for me to protect my flowers), and the view is spectacular!

At the recommendation of my friends, I ordered a 'Khmer Frozen.' Good choice!

On Monday, I had two appointments at a local clinic. Between the appointments, I decided to try a restaurant called 'Noodle House' that is recommended in my Lonely Planet guide. (I'm starting to think I may be the only person left who uses those guides - the rest of the world uses apps). 

I ordered a tuk-tuk to take me to Noodle House. When he dropped me off, I wasn't too sure. It was a very busy restaurant, with tables spilling onto the street. I was ushered indoors to an empty table. I scanned the menu, and there was not a single dish that was meat or fish free. I reluctantly explained my problem to the bemused wait staff, and left. I stood on the street, peering into my phone, trying to figure out where I had made my mistake. Evidently, searching for 'Noodle House' on google maps is about as specific as searching for 'coffee shop.' I found another 'noodle house' around the corner. I walked there, and after confirming that they did indeed have something vegetarian, I took a seat. This little restaurant was about six feet wide, carved into a niche on the corner. I had a lovely meal of morning glories and rice, and 'Thai Milk Tea.'

Settling Into Life on a Different Continent

 

There is such a difference between travelling in a place, and living and working in a place. There are benefits and disadvantages to both. If you are travelling, you are constantly having new experiences, and the excitement is continual. When you live and work somewhere, you develop a routine fairly quickly, and the experiences stop being novel. But with routine, you have the opportunity to get to know people better, and hopefully understand a place better.  I haven't written much on the blog because I haven't had any grand new experiences. But I recently read a comment that a blog isn't so much about exciting events, as day-to-day experiences. 

Everyone I meet tells me I'm paying too much rent for my 26th floor two-bedroom apartment ($1200). But right now I'm sitting on the wide windowsill in my bedroom, looking out over the lights on the road and on the banks of the Mekong. . I spend a lot of time sitting in this spot, watching the activity so far below me. Every single morning I watch the sun rise over the Mekong. Every single morning, as I was leave the complex to walk to work, the security guard smiles at me, and we exchange pleasantries in Khmer. Every day when I return from school, he is still there, and we engage pleasantries again. If it looks like I'm having trouble crossing the busy street, he will WALK into the middle of the street, and STOP TRAFFIC so I can cross. 

My sweet Sammy (aka the Cambodian Princess), also enjoys the vista offered by the bedroom windowsill. 

One night, I was getting ready for bed, and I was annoyed by flashing lights outside my bedroom window. When I investigated, I saw that the horizon was being lit by lightning. An entire horizontal swath of sky, just above the river, would be momentarily illuminated in yellow or purple, showing off the beautiful storm cloud formations. It was as if someone was randomly turning the lights on and off. 

My schedule at school is crazy, but this is the nature of the beast. School schedules are always crazy. This one may be a little crazier than my past experiences, because I'm travelling a lot between the elementary and high school campuses. However, the children are lovely and sweet, and I'm falling in love on a daily basis. My elementary Art room is literally on the roof of the school. When it rains, as it does almost every late afternoon right now, it is like being in a ship on the sea. It's very dramatic. 

One day I was alone in my Art room, and I saw two Myna birds land near the window. I grabbed my camera and approached the window slowly. Through the window, I managed to take a series of photos of this Myna bird performing his toilette. 

In the 'Welcome Garden' in the elementary school, there is a small fish pond with a little bridge. I have firmly established myself as the CRAZY Art teacher, because I have also fallen in love with the koi. I talk to them every day, and have even been caught singing to them...

More Old Friends

 

From 2008 - 2010, I lived on the second floor of a green house on Street 450 in Phnom Penh. While I lived there, I became friends with the family who kept a shop on the corner. During my time there, one of the daughters who had recently married had a baby. When Siu Mey was born, I fell in love. One of the hardest things about this travelling lifestyle I have chosen is the goodbyes. Saying goodbye to this family was really tough. 

Fast forward 13 years, and I'm back in Phnom Penh. Yesterday, I went to the 'Russian Market,' a few blocks from where I used to live. At this particular market, there are many tailors who can alter and make clothes quickly and cheaply. There are also, conveniently, stalls that sell fabric. I took a pair of pants and a dress that I needed altered, and made arrangements to have another pair of pants made (the best option is take an article of clothing that you want copied). I was expecting to have to wait for a few days for the alterations, but the tailor said to come back in 30 minutes (!!!). 

I decided to take the time to try to find my old house. Phnom Penh has changed so much, I took a few wrong turns before I found what I thought was my old street. It is pretty different. There is a huge Greek restaurant at the end of the street, and lots of little trendy coffee shops. The street is full of big cars. There is an apartment building that I'm sure wasn't there 13 years ago. I walked down the street, pretty sure I was in the wrong place, and stopped in front of what I thought was my old house. When I lived there, there was a monster house being constructed across the street. There was definitely a monster house there. I walked to the other end of the street, to where a canal forms a natural border. There was a shop on the corner, and two familiar-looking women sitting there, but it was different as well. I looked at the women, and they looked at me, but I wasn't sure, so I kept walking. I turned the corner and walked to the next street. 

When I lived here fifteen years ago, there was a bridge across the canal that led to a little market. The bridge was still there, but no market, just more buildings. I stood on the corner and looked up and down the street. Could I have miscalculated so much where I had lived? I walked down the the next street, and stopped at an empty lot that backed on to what was DEFINITELY the house where I had lived. I recognized the back door that had led to my kitchen. I whirled around again, sure now that I had passed 'my family's' shop. As I started to retrace my tracks, I saw an older man and woman at the corner, watching me. As I got closer, the man said, 'Are you Donna?' They had seen me pass by, and they had come looking for me. 

We went back to the shop together, and for the next hour, we marvelled at the changes in our lives (we are all older, and some of us quite a bit heavier). Seng Mey Jing now has three daughters. And of course, Siu Mey is now a beautiful, shy teenager. We have all experienced losses and changes. I drank an enormous cup of iced coffee, another of hot tea, ate a banana, and a huge piece of cake, while the rain poured down (a regular Phnom Penh afternoon occurrence). Finally, I needed to leave to pick up my clothing from the market, before it closed. I left with a new rain poncho, and hugs, and promises to visit again next week. My heart is full.