Pchum Ben

September marks the celebration of one of the biggest holidays in Cambodia: Pchum Ben. Throughout this fourteen day holiday, Cambodians honor the spirits of their ancestors. They make frequent visits to pagodas, bringing offerings of sweets, rice, and money.
What this holiday meant for me: silence!

The culmination of the 14 days fell on the weekend of September 19th; on this weekend, the majority of Phnom Penh city-dwellers travelled to their family homes in the outlying provinces. Everyone left the school, including the Laura girls, teachers and staff. Best of all, construction of the new school stopped (which can normally be heard seven days a week). Traffic died down and many shops closed leaving the streets nearly deserted.

Dring this quiet weekend, a past pupil of the vocational school, Chunn, stopped by to visit. After having spoken with Chunn for only a few minutes, she invited me to go with her to the riverside (a local tourist attraction). Chunn works at a Center that cares for children with AIDs (most of whom are orphaned or abandoned). We met up with a group of these children along the river, where the Center had brought them to celebrate Pchum Ben.

I found myself immediately surrounded by children happily greeting me and vying for my attention. Looking into the beseeching faces around me, I had never so fervently wished I spoke Khmer. The children were full of joy, and I had a wonderful time visiting and laughing with them. On the drive back, the fact that many of their lives will be shortened significantly, sunk in. While it is wonderful that they are receiving good care at the Center and further, that AIDs is on the decline in Cambodia, it doesn’t lessen the deep sadness that some of these young lives that will soon end.