NPIC all over again...

Well, we made it! We are finally back at NPIC and settled into our dorm life once again. Our students were really excited to see us and to meet Regan for the first time. Although Regan is average sized for an American baby, our Cambodian students think she is a monster. To compare: one of our Khmer friends had a baby two months before we did, and he is just now getting to the weight that Regan was born at! So, yes, Regan is rather large for a Southeast Asian. And, speaking of our child, she has a bit of cold, so I have been amusing myself with that little infant snot sucker as of late—who knew something like that could be so much fun?
In other news, it’s hot. I mean, really, really hot. Our students tell us that it only gets worse, but we really can’t wrap our brains around a weather that’s hotter than what we are currently experiencing. As if to mock us, what was once viewed from our third story dorm room as a lush and fertile rice paddy during the rainy season is now nothing more than a destitute and dusty dirt bowl. It has been an interesting process to watch as the paddy behind our campus turned from a vibrant green, to a harvested landscape, to a cow pasture, and, finally, to a meager and barren backdrop; needless to say, we are looking forward to July’s rain.
The Khmer New Year (or Chaul Chnam Thmey in Khmer) is right around the corner however, and will provide us with a nice two week break from the heat. It is much like our Christmas break back in the States, so teachers and students alike will be given a short vacation to escape from the heat. We still don’t know where we will be traveling, but our hope is that it is much cooler than NPIC.
I asked my students about the New Year and how they celebrated it, to which they responded, “Cher [a term of affection (I hope) that is short for teacher], we play games.”
“Awesome,” I said, “what kind of games.”
“New Year games.”
“And those would be what?”
“Yes, New Year games.”
“Hmm,” I pondered how best to phrase it, “but what are the games…how do you play them?”
They all looked around the classroom, as if one of them would have the right answer to my difficult questions, “No understand cher. The games you ask about are New Year games.”
“Yes, but…never mind; have a good weekend.”
So, I did some research (Wikipedia) on my own: The Khmer New Year is broken up into three days. Moha Songkran is the name of the first day of the New Year celebration. People dress up, light candles, and burn incense sticks at shrines, and for good luck people wash their faces with holy water in the morning, their chests at noon, and their feet in the evening before they go to bed.
Wanabat is the name of the second day where people are supposed to focus on giving charity to the less fortunate, and attend a ceremony to their ancestors at the local Wat (Temple).
Tanai Lieang Saka is the name of the third day. The Khmer will travel, once again, to their local Wat where they will cleanse the Buddha statues and Elders with perfumed water—this brings longevity, good luck, happiness and prosperity in life.
This is not all however, to my surprise; there are seven different Khmer New Year games that Cambodians play throughout the New Year holiday. I won’t bore you with the details now, but next week in my IT class the students will be teaching me one of their favorite games. I will tell you all about it in my next blog; I am sure it will be a splendid experience.
Until next time, we miss and love you all,
Benjamin and Andrea