This month we've had two holidays already - New Year and the 7th which is officially known as Victory over Genocide. I thought I'd do a search to see how many holidays we get in this country. On the 19th Feb there's Meak Bochea which has something to do with remembering Buddha's teachings. On the 8th March there's International Women's Day, which I think every country should celebrate. For 4 days in April it's the Khmer New Year. They do quite well for New Years as they celebrate the 1st Jan and also Chinese New Year. On the 1st May it's International Labour Day - another day that the West should celebrate. From the 13th to the 15th of May they celebrate the present King's birthday and on the 18th they go further back and celebrate Buddha's birthday. On the 20th May it's Remembrance Day - don't ask me what they are remembering, and on the 22nd it's the Royal Ploughing Day. This is when the King comes out of his palace to push a plough pulled by an enormous bull. The bull feeds from a pile of grain he chooses and it's then said to be a good year for that particular crop. That's 7 days holiday in May - why bother working for that month? Children's Day is on the 1st June, which I think is a lovely idea. On the 18th we celebrate the birthday of the King's Mother. After that we have to wait until September when we have Constitutional Day on the 24th. The UK can never have that day as they don't have a written constitution. From the 27th to the 29th September it's Pchum Ben which is the time when everyone returns to their family home to celebrate their ancestors - they have meals around the grave, do some tidying up and generally have a good time. On the 15th October we have a Commemoration day for the old King and on the 23rd it's the holiday for the Paris Peace Agreement which brought an end to the Pol Pot era. On the 9th November it's Independence Day and on the 10th to the 12th it's the Water Festival. This is the time when all the provinces have dragon boat races to select a provincial champion boat. These boats then compete in Phnom Penh in the presence of the King and other dignitaries. The largest boats hold 75 men - half of them standing. Don't fall off because the boat doesn't stop to pick you up. The festival is supposed to fall at the time when the Tonle Sap River decides to flow south again to join the Mekong and to flow to Vietnam. It's a fascinating thing - during the rainy season, so much water is coming down the Mekong from Tibet and the water from Tonle Sap can't enter it; instead the river reverses it's flow and it flows back into the Tonle Sap Lake which triples in size at that time. Very clever these rivers. Finally, and you are saying "Hurray", we have International Human Rights Day on the 10th December. Fortunately, Christmas isn't a holiday in this Buddhist country but it doesn't stop the streets from being decorated, trees being put up and shops dressing their staff in red and white like little elves.
I learned today that 1 in 3 of us will suffer from Alzheimer's. What a depressing thought. I don't know if to start practising to be the '1' or to put up a struggle to be one of the other two.
I listened to World Book Club on the BBC this morning. If you want to learn about authors and how their minds tick it's a lovely hour of chat. You can also access records going way back to choose a book you'd like to read. Today the lady was interviewing Lee Child who writes fast moving American mystery books with a man called "Reacher" who appears and disappears and doesn't seem to have a permanent home. I was surprised to hear that Lee Child was born in Birmingham and went to university in Sheffield - his books are totally American so he's really soaked himself in the culture since moving to Wyoming. The way he spoke about his books and writing makes me want to read more of his work.
I always say, when I take the pictures down from my wall it's no longer my home. When I moved into this rented place Vuth and Cina had put up some pictures. One was a wall hanging in hand woven silk. A couple of weeks ago Vuth asked if he could hang it in his office. Seeing as it wasn't mine in the first place I don't miss it at all. I have a lovely, heavy, Naga blanket. Officially, they are meant for the bed but they are very heavy and ornate. Whenever I go to Nagaland I am always given a blanket. I realised I had it in the cupboard so I asked Vuth to take the blanket to the man who made the wall hanging to ask him to make a rod so I could hang the blanket. Most people who get them drape them over the sofa or put them on the wall. The blanket came back without the rod. I asked Vuth when I was getting it and he said I wasn't. Apparently, the carpenter says it's not appropriate to be on the wall so he won't make a rod for it. I thought, "This is my house and my blanket," but obviously, according to the carpenter it's not enough.
The dental document tale continues and we are getting nowhere. Thornin wanted lunch so we decided to eat on the street - the food is cooked by my neighbours. We had a plate of rice along with a bowl of fish and vegetable soup, a plate of bbq'd chicken and a beef and green pepper dish, plus a beaker of iced tea. It cost us $1.75 so I still have some money in my pocket.
Cina told husband Vuth to join Thornin and me and go to a coffee shop. Fortunately, coffee shops serve countless drinks so I don't suffer. I ordered hot caramel for $2.50 - it's more of an upmarket place than the roadside lunch. I didn't mind it but I think it's just hot milk with squiggles of caramel floating on top. Afterwards I picked up Samnang who wanted to come for a visit.
He's 14 and I'm constantly getting on to him about his lack of relationship with his parents - maybe it's a 14 year old thing. Whatever they say to him gets no response, just a yes or no. He said he likes talking to me because I don't judge him even though I do tell him off at times. I told him that I've most likely done all the things he's doing at his age. I'm going to have to have words with his parents.
I'm now into a mouse routine. Before it gets dark I put food into the trap and then I put it onto the balcony. Around 8.30pm I check the trap and I usually find one or two mice. They are what I call the late shift. in the morning I'll check the trap at 6.30am and will take the early morning shift to the balcony.
I'm beginning to wonder - is my ginger biscuit and peanut butter menu attracting the mice? Would they come if there was nothing in the trap? Would they come if it was some marmalade on a bit of bread. I wonder if there's some scientific information about this?
