Wedding Season and The Bong

Ah, the glorious Bong . . . Battambong that is. It was absolutely amazing to get away from the hustle and bustle of Phnom Penh. On the way up to Battambang, we took a taxi with 3 other local adults, one of which was a mother with a 3 month old baby and 5 year old daughter. The mother was particularly amazing in that she had to change the baby's nickers multiple times during the 3-4 hour car ride. A. graciously invited me to stay at her house in Battambang, which was fantastic and we were visited by a lot of the neighbor kids, some of whom were extremely mischievous (really cute) and had the habit of yelling "baraangbaraangbaraangbaraang" in my ear (just in case I forgot :) ). We made paper airplanes during the day and strummed along tunelessly on the guitar by candlelight at night.

Listening to the cicadas and crickets, along with an occasional odd remark from a gecko, and stargazing definitely rejuvenated me for another week at work. Across the road there was a woman who sold these phenomenal rice treats (about 100 rial a pop, which equals a couple of US cents), flavors including banana, pumpkin, and coconut in addition to some savory options. The treats are wrapped up and steamed in banana leafs and I don't think I have ever tasted anything so delicious in my life.

"DOES SHE WANT ANOTHER ONE?"

One of the men on the car ride up (thankfully he was sitting in front) decided that I looked Khmer and kept asking me if I had a boyfriend or if I was married. Of course, I lied and A. helped me. The conversation (mixed with English & Khmer) went a little like this:

The guy: "Do you have boyfriend? You married?"
A : "Oh yes, she's engaged and he is very big and handsome." (This is a common response. Translation-- he can beat you up, leave us alone.)
The guy: "Oh. Where is he?"
A: "He's from/in America."
The guy: "Oh. That's so far away. Does she want another one?"
Rosie piping up: "Um, no thanks, I'm good."

This is a common conversation here, and part of the standard range of questions that get asked upon meeting someone new, which include:

* What's your name?
* How old are you? (If this is asked after the marriage question (see below), I am often met with a look of sympathy or concern.)
* Nationality (followed by, "Oh, you don't look American" . . . so I launch into my standard explanation "Ma knyom jen" = "My mother is Chinese")
* Are you married? Why not? Are you engaged? Do you have a boyfriend? Are you ever planning on getting married?

WEDDING SEASON:

Went to my very first Khmer wedding and it was incredibly beautiful (am going to another wedding this weekend). The bride changed dresses (all very colorful) about three times while I was there, but apparently there are many more dress changes that go on. Each time the bride changed, the bridesmaids also changed to match her, and the groomsmen changed a couple times as well. There was lots of dancing around a table both Khmer style (my Khmer dancing is hilariously abysmal) and Western style (come to think of it, my overall dancing ability is questionable). With 8 courses of food, nobody went hungry (except perhaps for the vegetarians), and a good time was had by all.

"Saart" (Pretty/Beautiful) - We decided that we would get all saart-ed out for the wedding . . . Cambodian style. We rented dresses from the market (which you would have to see to believe) which are clearly from the 80s, colorful, and awesome. In addition, we got our hair and make-up done at a local salon, and I have to say - I haven't had that much make-up put on my face since my acting debut in Wydown Middle School's production of The Pirates of Penzance. Big eyes, big hair. Awesome. Also, trying to ride a moto side-saddle in a satiny dress is not the safest decision I have ever made in my life. After slipping off (well, kind of jumping off because I was starting to slide), I decided to be completely inappropriate and ride normally (normally for me that is). We got a bunch of hollers as we sped through town and looked ridiculous (which is also awesome).

Interesting notes on weddings: people do not typically buy wedding presents. Instead, people bring ten dollars and put in an envelope to give to the couple. The wedding ceremonies usually take 3 days and guests only go to the reception part. Also, if you don't have the money (and it's really expensive) you can't get married, which means you can't live together or anything.

Ok, I think that's about all I can take regarding weddings, marriage, and anything related to the relationship business.

PEACE

p.s. I have decided that roosters scare me. No, it's not the bird flu issue - rather, it that they are bullies and are inappropriately loud at the most inopportune of times.