WEEK IN REVIEW

Meet Brad and Mike, two great guys who escaped Saskatchewan’s winter to make their way through Thailand, Vietnam, and now Cambodia.

Friends of a friend, they came to Cambodia hoping to plug into Rescue for a day or two. But after meeting a few of the grannies, playing a round or two of ping-pong, and reading to a couple of kids—not to mention helping with English classes, and tasting Oye’s food—two days weren't enough. And so, much to the delight of kids, they stayed for the entire week. And what a week it was!

For James and me, it began last Sunday night with a bash. One of the directors’ sons from Rescue was getting married. We, along with a handful of staff and kids, were invited. We’ve voiced our experiences with Khmer weddings before, but until last weekend, we had yet to take part in the celebrations ourselves.

At the heart of it, Khmer receptions aren’t too different from those we’re used to back home. A lot of food. A lot of music. A lot of really happy people. The streak of similarity stops, however, after dinner when the bride and groom enter the scene, who up until that point, are outside welcoming their +1000 guests. When they come into the room, they’re greeted by a gauntlet of silly-string, sparklers, and thousands of tiny flowers. (I think to most brides I’ve known, having silly-string spewed in their face might very well be a key component to one of their worst matrimonial nightmares.)

The hall was massive, though incredibly tacky—complete with an outdoor fake waterfall, and a background mural depicting dragons, doves, and neon pink hearts. A boisterous pop band blasted tunes all night as the eight-course meal was served and the warm cans of Tiger beer were poured over ice.

We smiled when the happy couple and their parents were introduced on stage: right in the middle of it, the mother of the bride pardoned herself to take a call on her cell phone.

Apparently, it’s common for the bride and groom to kiss for their first time only once they’re married. In front of all the guests, when the groom leaned in to smooch his new bride she scrunched up her face and turned away...perhaps nightmare #2?

I’d like to hear a Khmer review of our weddings back home as I’m sure they’d be equally shocked to what we’re used to. What a party!

Ok, back to the week:

Monday morning came bright and early, and with it the cheerful Channuck-tuk and a bagful of delightful coffee. It was a day full of English classes, a couple bouts of “One Fish, Two Fish,” and a rousing Volleyball match. As with most weeks, one of the highlights was Monday evening at the Bible study with the older students. Tuesday brought about more of the same we’d had on Monday. By Tuesday evening, back in Phnom Penh, the four of us went out for burgers and burritos at a sketchy back-ally joint, and then settled down with a few movies.

Wednesday, James and the fellas did a little insider’s tour of the city. I, on the other hand, spent the day cursing Cambodian beef. Good times. Actually, it was...thanks to Vietnam’s $1/DVD, Mike and Brad were traveling around with Hollywood in their bag. I did some cultural catch-up.

Thursday and Friday had us back out to Rescue with lots more time with the kids. The kids loved the extra attention they got with more foreigners around, and we had a ton of good chats and laughs.

All in all, a great week at Rescue—maybe one of the best yet...though I’m sure this next one will be a good match: this week Rescue goes to the beach!

Hey, Mike and Brad...cheers, righ’?