Christmas in Cambodia
Fat Santas were replaced by a small boy in Santa pj’s; turkey and potatoes became coconut chicken and spring rolls; and the Khmer “Joy to the World” was a foot-tapper with full dance ensemble. All in all, today was a perfect Christmas Day. Tomorrow my mom and dad head up to Angkor Wat, I head down toward the coast. So, today we celebrated Christmas (although my goal is to save five of my mom’s cookies to ceremoniously eat on the 25th).
We visited a school/orphanage—Center of Peace—where they had prepared a Christmas program. Girls with shimmery faces and graceful hands sprinkled jasmine and painted the air in traditional dances; boys sang and danced with little teen inhibition or awkwardness. The Christmas pageant was also truly the best I’ve ever seen. The shepherds had a bit of a jive to their strut, the angel had fluttering bare feet, and baby Jesus with the bulbous nose was well attended to. Our laps were never empty, our wrists were covered with flower strands, our cameras fat with costumed cuties.
Now that Christmas feels so complete, what else do I need?!? Maybe what I need most are distractions, entertainment objectives, to pass the next week before heading to India so that I’m not bothered spending Christmas alone. For that, I’d love your help. As most of you know, I LOVE scavenger hunts. I’ve sent friends searching for their presents with obscure clues and Kristin and I have spent more than one night in strange places checking sights and achievements off a mental list.
SO, please give me some ideas for what I can look for or do by posting your ideas in a comment on the bottom of this page. Even if you are a stranger who is still baffled why Google spit this blog at you, feel free to contribute. I will also be looking for ideas from the creative (if sometimes cheeky) Halebopp. 😀
Tags: Cambodia, orphanage, Phnom Phen
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