THE ISLAND

 

Once upon a time, there was a very happy man named Claude Flewwelling. He had survived the Great War, and his beautiful Maude had waited for him. They were married, and he had successfully finished his apprenticeship as a printer. One of his war buddies, Albert, told him about a piece of property for sale on an untouched island on Lake Moira. Claude and Maude drove to Madoc to look at it. Albert met them, and rowed them across to the island. Claude bought the land, and a small cottage. That winter, Claude paid a man with a team of horses to drag the cottage across the frozen lake. 

Every summer, Claude and Maude and their growing family went to the cottage. They didn't have electricity or running water, but they had plenty of fresh water to swim in, fish to cook, and beautiful sunsets every evening. 

When their daughter May got married, she brought her husband to the cottage. John was afraid of the water, but he understood how important this place was to his wife. May, of course, was like a fish. She had spent every summer of her life in the water. When May and John had their own children, they too learned to swim like fish. 

This is the very special place where I spent the summer. Claude and Maude were my grandparents, and May and John were my parents. 

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).