Khmer New Year in the Village - A Return to APCA

Two and a half minutes. Not as long as I was expecting; I was imagining that it would be more like ten leisurely minutes chatting with the older kids until the younger ones came out of their shells.

But two and a half minutes after my arrival at APCA, it felt like I was returning home. Because in the middle of that second minute, after my bags were starting to be hauled up the two flights of stairs by the courteous boys who never once complained about their massive weight, someone said it. The magic word that is apparently forever linked to Molly. The word? ‘Bingo’. As in the game that you see advertised at the Elks hall every Tuesday night at 7. Cambodian children can play this game forever – although they aren't aware of the fancy blotters, generous prizes, or loud microphones. Instead, each kid is responsible for their own homemade card made out of extra cardstock and rocks from the driveway are used as place holders. Prizes include Halloween-themed stickers, tattoos, and spider rings thanks to the Target post-Halloween 90% sale, and if I have to raise my voice to declare each number, I get to holler one of my favorite phrases, “Gomewat, gay-reeun!” This actually means, “Quiet! Study!” but I use it anyway because the only other phrase I can think of off- hand is “Gome kong” and telling them to not be angry wouldn't make as much sense.

So about five minutes after I arrived at APCA, we played Bingo for an hour. Some children still prefer to call the game Mango because it’s more fun to say “There was a man who had a dog, and Mango was his name-o! M-A-N-G-O…”. Once finished, I brought out the two photobooks I had made of the children. The books were a hit and the kids enjoyed pointing to the past volunteers and asking me when they will come back to APCA. I am as eager for their returns as the kids.

In nine months, the kids haven’t changed as much as I thought. Most haven’t grown much at all. There are five new additions and they are terrified of me. I’ve come in the middle of the most popular holiday of the year: Khmer New Year. This is the three day holiday that magically turns into a month vacation. All four of my evenings at APCA were spent dancing away to the Khmer version of 'Poker Face' and every famous Pitbull song under the sun. Most of the kids still remembered the line dances I taught them, so I familiarized them with ‘Ski Bumpin’, (my new favorite) and after watching the Michael Jackson dvd they wanted to learn a new dance of his. Sorry kids, I’m no Liv Warren.

Ever heard of the company Oriental Trading? I don’t know what I would do without them. They have arts and crafts for every holiday, age level, and skill level. Without turning this into an advertisement for OT, I’ll just keep it short by saying the 23 pounds of crafts I purchased from them was a great investment. The kids were used to organized, stress-free craft time biweekly with Diana, and although my patience isn’t quite at her level, she did a great job at training them the basic manners they lacked before she arrived. Even after nine months, most kids know it will drive me crazy if they approach me with outstretched hands and say, “Me. One.” Diana – your manners lessons worked! Now they are comfortable with a quick, “Can I please have one?” and sometimes they even remember to say thank you!

Before each evening’s dancing, we played traditional Khmer games. In one, I was blindfolded with a well-worn scarf (did someone say lice?), spun around 18,000 times, and told to identify any of the 50 children who were surrounding me in a circle. How hard could this be, right? It turns out, every boy has the exact same hair cut (did someone else say lice?), every girl the same slender shoulders, and none with jewelry or watches to give me any clues. On top of that, they are all amazing at keeping their mouths shut as I’m gently probing their face, head, hands, and shoulders to give me some idea who the unlucky child is. After guessing about five children incorrectly and being spun around another 7,429 times, I correctly guess (after about three minutes) the boy whose face and hands I am palpating is Meuk. Poor kid.

I spent one day visiting the different pagodas in the nearby villages with the APCA orphanage director. Last year at APCA I became very familiar with the feeling of being the only white person some of these villagers have ever seen. All you can do is smile, try to guess at what is going on, and act like wherever/whatever you are doing is the most natural thing ever. At one pagoda we divided a bowl of rice into 7 large basins that were already filled to the brim by other villagers who provide this food to the monks. The monks only eat breakfast and lunch every day and aren’t allowed to eat after noon, which is why I admire them so much. Sure, they can chant Sanskrit and Bali blessings for hours at a time in small, scrunched, scorching hot, incense-filled huts with dozens of people watching them -  who can’t? They can sit for hours at a time in the same cross legged position without any pillows or blankets under them; something that I would find difficult, but somehow more manageable than not eating past noon. EVERY DAY. Not even any snacking. No dessert!

The APCA children are always full of information on topics I have never paused to consider. For example, did you know there are three types of coughs? The first type of cough belongs to babies. The second type is reserved for old women. The third and most special cough is for the Playboys. For those who are unaware, Playboys are the Cambodian high schoolers who are also known as Sexy Boys. They bleach their hair red or yellow and do their best to imitate the Korean pop singers’ wardrobe. For those who aren’t aware of what that looks like, let me tell you this: YOU ARE MISSING OUT! Please watch this amazing music video and then you’ll be all caught up: SHINee

Back to the coughs of the Playboys/Sexy Boys. This is the type of cough an interested young man will quickly fake before he swiftly nods his head in acknowledgement of a Freshy Girl. A Freshy Girl is not as frequently referred to as a Sexy Girl, but she is the same thing. This means she wears high heels with her school uniform and adorns her ponytail with as many miniature stuffed animal hair do-dads she can possibly fit. If I had seen these girls when I was in first grade, I would have exploded with excitement. Also, I should clarify that Playboys are different than Lazy Boys. Lazy Boys drive their motos very fast and do not study or do homework. Playboys have been known to crack open a book once in awhile – and the APCA boys assure me they are neither, as they study very hard and never dye their hair. Their love for Korean pop culture certainly rivals that of the Playboys, though.

There, now you learned something new today.

I wanted to inquire about the laughs of the ‘taw gum-law’ (old man virgins) but didn’t want to interrupt our Freshy Girl conversation. ‘Taw gum-law’ is my version of every traveler’s incorrect and embarrassing use of a foreign word or phrase. Last year I spent six months calling 8-15 year old boys ‘old man virgins’ while thinking I was just calling them old grandpas.

Besides the children, most of my favorite things about APCA haven’t changed at all. The microfinance bank in the market where we taught at is still doing well and has expanded its staff. I stopped to chat with some of our old students there and got caught up with the latest Justin Bieber news, American Idol results, and Eminem albums. So glad I can travel 7,500 miles to keep up to date.

The coffee lady is still at the village market and Gong Sabai is doing well. Her basket isn’t as sturdy as it used to be, and her bell is missing, but she still rides like a charm. Sleeping under a mosquito net is still a pain, and the sinks have been removed from the entire building for a reason I cannot find. Still, I couldn’t be happier to spend 4 days with the kids during their vacation and on this special holiday. I am incredibly lucky to get to visit them and return to Cambodia. I look forward to more line dancing, Bingo-ing, and late night grammar chats in the coming months.

Next week, my fellow volunteer Katie and I will be heading up to Siem Reap to start working with EGBOK Mission. I am very much looking forward to getting to know the wonderful EGBOK students and seeing how well they’re doing.