Lucky

“Lucky” is a frequently used word in Cambodia.  When something good happens, even when it’s by a person’s own merit, like getting a promotion because they are a good employee, they say they are lucky.  The main grocery store chain in Cambodia is named “Lucky Supermarket,” and a popular fast food restaurant is “Lucky Burger.”  Lucky is even a common boys’ name.  There’s not a regularly used expression in Khmer for “Have a Nice Day!”  However, sometimes people will say “Good Luck!” or “Have a Lucky Day!” as they are saying goodbye to one another.

--Katy

More Extravagance

A few months back, I wrote how having all my extended family around made me feel extravagant in Cambodia.  Something else that makes me feel extravagant here is my spiritual family.  I grew up with Christian parents in a good church, so I have numerous spiritual mentors to learn from.  In the U.S., people can explain how they have had Christian believers in their families for multiple generations.  And even for those first generation believers in the U.S., they still have so many people they can turn to for help in growing in their faith.

The church in Cambodia is still small.  Having a spiritual mentor here is a special and rare gift.  Having multiple spiritual mentors is practically unheard of.  I am grateful for the people in my life who have discipled me and guided me toward Christ and pray that I can be an encouragement to the believers that I know here. 

Please pray for the church in Cambodia, that believers would be strengthened daily in their faith and that the church would grow.

 

--Katy

"Jansrat"

This year for Christmas, Alan gave me a “Jansrat,” something I have wanted since moving to Cambodia.  A Jansrat is essentially a lunchbox.  You can put different food in each layer and easily transport it around while riding on a moto or bicycle.

 

--Katy J

The Rice Field

My language school offered the students a cultural experience to harvest rice, and I couldn't pass it up. 

In Cambodia, rice is a household staple and is consumed at every meal as the main course along with vegetables and meat as side dishes. Rice is important to Cambodians. In fact, in Khmer, there are three different words for rice: the rice growing in the field has a word, the rice that is not cooked has a word, and then there is a word for cooked rice. 

There was a group of about 7 students and 5 teachers that went on this “field” trip to one of the teacher’s homes, just a few hours from Phnom Penh. You don't have to go too far outside the city to start to see rice fields everywhere. 

In Cambodia there isn't a lot of machinery to help with the planting and harvesting of rice. A vast majority of the work is done by hand, one plant at a time. Harvesting rice is very labor intensive. It took just minutes for my back to start hurting as I was hunched over cutting the rice stalks with a handheld sickle. Oh, I was also standing barefoot in a few inches of water. At first I tried to wear my shoes but it only took a minute to realize that I needed to be barefoot as I almost lost my shoe in the mud.

After the rice is cut, it is bound into bundles and laid out in the sun to dry. Once the bundles are completely dry it's time to beat the rice off the stalks. We removed the rice by whacking the bundles on a table that has slits in it so that the rice grains could fall through the slits. Then we laid out the rice grains on mats to dry. Once the rice grains are dry they are taken to the mill where the outside shell is removed and the grain is polished. If the shell is removed then you have brown rice, but if you polish the grain it becomes white rice.

 

I had a great time learning about growing and harvesting rice. It helped me understand more about the Khmer culture. Cambodians have been growing rice for hundreds of years and for the most part the farming has not changed. I have a greater appreciation for rice and a sore back from this experience.

-Alan