The New Year

The rains of this New Year have begun.

Last weekend was the Cambodian (and Thai) New Year’s celebration. I spent a day at Tonle Bati (a lake about an hour outside Phnom Penh) with Mony and her family. Lots of food, lots of swimming, and lots of fun. I used to be wary of swimming here in Cambodia, but during the hot season, which is right now, nothing feels better than jumping into cool (if murky) water to escape the heat of the day.

The following day, we went to the town where Mony’s father grew up. It’s about an hour outside the city, too, but this one is an unpaved road the entire way. It’s really nice to get out into the countryside – quieter, cleaner, and generally peaceful. Cambodia really is a beautiful place as soon as you step outside Phnom Penh. And even in this city, you can find beauty, but you just have to look harder. In this town (which is probably more appropriately termed a village), we ate more and swam more. This time, we swam in the river Tonle Bassac. Lots of sun and lots of fun.

The day after that, I spent the day at with my birth parents at their house in a province about two hours’ drive outside the city. I spent a good deal of time talking with Pa about the political and social problems in Cambodia, which I thoroughly absorbed and noted. We had a feast for lunch (notice a pattern?) and then relaxed for the afternoon. I helped Kayleen, my niece, with math, and then I read stories to her.

Kayleen makes me simultaneously very happy and very sad. She is very bright. Her inquisitive eyes are constantly taking in everything around her, and when she asks questions, which she does frequently, she hears the answer and doesn’t quickly forget. She will turn 10 at the end of this year, which makes her a few months younger than Mony. But unlike Mony, Kayleen is struggling with basic math, English, and even reading and writing in Khmer. What she lacks is formal education. Her English is perfect American English, and her Khmer is that of a native speaker – she is unique in that sense. While Mony is studying physics, chemistry, geometry, and algebra, I am making timed math tests for Kayleen to improve her knowledge of basic addition. Mony talks about dependent noun clauses and the conditional tense of verbs, while Kayleen was stumped when I asked her to point out an adjective in a simple sentence. It’s upsetting to me to watch someone as smart as Kayleen fumble through lost opportunity after lost opportunity. I asked her what she wants to be, and she said she wanted to be a famous singer. Little girl, you could be so much more than that.

The first rains of the New Year started tonight, shortly before I began this entry. My AC is off, and my windows are all open. I love the rain, and this is a fantastic beginning to a new year. I went outside and sat for a while to just listen to the rain falling against the metal roof covering my balcony. The air is fresh and new and clean – just how a new year should begin.