Amanda Arand: Woman of Letters

  It's my last week in Tramkak and I am sad to say I have grown accustomed to my little village these past few weeks and will miss it when I am gone. Early next week my group moves back to Takeo Town, and participates in Swear-In - as Peace Corps Volunteers. Then we move to our permanent sites to start making a difference!
  We have been making the most of our time together as Trainees and also in southern Cambodia. Last Sunday, K6 traveled down to Kep to swim a little on the beach and we stopped at a resort to eat American food. Crepes and cereal and bacon, o my! I have never been so happy, and my body has never been so mad at me as after that breakfast...but it was so worth it.
  Lena has had her baby as well! About two weeks ago (sorry for the delay in updates) I woke up to go running, and found the entire household awake and distracted. "What's going on?" I asked Dany, and she told me that Lena was going to have her baby! She was not acting like I would expect a pregnant woman about to give birth to act-there was no shouting and mostly she just looked tired. However, I have never been about to give birth, or around any women about to give birth and only have Hollywood as a reference so I probably shouldn't make any assumptions. The family drove to Takeo Town to the hospital there and stayed for about 3 days during which Lena had a beautiful baby girl, Malia! She and Lena haven't left the house since they came back, but she is growing and does not cry very much. Khmer and American practices and traditions regarding babies differ greatly and the biggest thing that I have noticed is that Lena is always completely covered with clothing. She wears long sleeve shirts, usually sarongs (Khmer version of a bathrobe...that can be worn outdoors and in public as a skirt), always a hat - like a winter hat that I would wear in the snow - and in the first week, gloves. The reason for this is that the Khmer believe that mothers who give birth lose a lot of heat in the days following childbirth and so should always be kept hot. In the generations before, "roasting" was a common practice in which the mother was kept over an open fire for at least a week. An open fire! Like, charcoals and wood and fire under a bed! Imagine my facial expression!
  Lena was not roasted, but she is awfully covered up and in this heat I do not know how she does it. I will post a photo of Malia when I am able. She is absolutely adorable and I kept telling the family this. After about 10 days, Mao, the father, was telling me that in Khmer culture, they never say that a baby is beautiful - they say she is ugly no matter what. This is because they believe that the spirits will get jealous if you think a baby is beautiful and then the baby will get sick and die. Thanks Mao! After almost two weeks of that being the only thing I would say to the baby or about her, he decides to inform me that it is wrong. But no problem, he told me, since I am a foreigner it's ok. Good thing Khmer spirits don't understand bad Khmer with atrocious English accents or my whole village might need the healer.
  Recently my host brother-in-law's parents came over to see the new baby and after dinner and small Khmer talk with me, his father decided that I looked more Khmer than American due to my hair and eyes (I've been getting this a lot lately). Then he proceeded to tell me that he had another son, whom I could marry if I wanted. My family may not have running water when the rain ceases, and survive on bowls of rice, but they are nothing if not accommodating: quizzing me on Khmer, finding me a husband...my future here in Cambodia is all set!

  As an off-topic digression and with absolutely no connection to anything in my blog other than my history obsession, my "This Day in History" app has informed me that today (29 August) is the birthday of Oliver Wendell Holmes, American physician and man of letters. "Man of letters"?! What a way to be remembered to the world! I would like to hereafter be known as, "Amanda Arand, woman of letters" due to my witty and entertaining blog posts, not to mention I have many digital e-books and my room smells of sticky rice and hoarded candy. More descriptive phrases to come, all suggestions of good taste invited!

My Language Proficiency Exam is Saturday - wish me luck!
xo-Amanda