I mentioned that April included the Khmer New Year's break and I really should mention something about it. Our moto had a flat tire and all the nearby repair shops were closed, so we stayed close to home. We cooked The Cow Climbed the Mountain (a sort of Khmer hot pot meal) with friends at the home of our language tutor, worked on our rooftop garden, visited our team leaders' home for chocolate chip pancakes, and lounged around in front of the fans. It was nice.

It was really nice to see the city so sleepy and calm - very unusual and a big contrast to when it came back alive again. Plus, the broken moto gave me a great incentive to ride the bike to work again and that has been a nice change of pace. I'll have to discipline myself to do it even when the moto is available.

At any rate, the break is over and we are busy again. we have been busy and will soon be busy again - off to Laos on 29 for Regional Meetings (and a few days of rest). So it will be even slower on the blogging side for the next few weeks....

But since I am here, I'll mention a tiny bit about some of our work projects. Holly and I just completed a literature review for Peace Bridges about family violence in Cambodia. (A rough draft is available here.) PB provides training for community peacebuilders, and one of the most common requests is for more specific training with family conflict and violence. The next stage of the research will be a survey and assessment of Cambodian programs addressing domestic violence, but we are waiting to begin until staffing issues are sorted out. We hope to have a pilot program developed by next spring and a specialization course to train peacebuilders in related issues in a year. Because we offer training and services on the interpersonal side of the spectrum, PB complements a lot of the advocacy work being done in Cambodia, so we're excited about the possibilities ahead. For example, in response to some interviewing I did for the literature review, we partnered with LICADHO to offer an International Women's Day Event in Kandal Province. Nearly 2,000 people attended a public drama educating the general public and local authorities about domestic violence and the 2005 law on domestic violence. In addition, PB is partnering with a provincial NGO in a restorative justice project, teaching prison guards and inmates about nonviolence and communication skills. The recidivism rate after the training has dropped significantly.

Lots of good things are happening, and it's nice to be a part of it. A good way to start a new year!

PS I will link to Peace Bridges'new weblog, still under development, for all those who are curious. :)

Some news on the fire -

Apparently, a man who had lost property at a local massage parlor set the blaze in revenge. The fire got out of control from that point. Read the article HERE.

Also, a photo album at AOL.

On a personal note, on Friday evening, the recyclers were already loading wagons of smoldering tin at the fire site....

Written last Friday.

Holly and I study language with a tutor at 6 am each morning. This morning, though, greeted me with the heavy whir of helicopters and the screams of sirens. By the time I went to work, traffic was backed up and I had to detour through the city.

But you couldn't help but see it all.

The black clouds of smoke billowed over the city. You could feel the heat pushing back against the morning breeze. My commute took me right to the edge of the fire, and people were streaming from the alleys, escaping with whatever belongings they could. The fire struck one of the crannies of the city, the places where the poor squeeze in while they eek out a living amidst the growing middle and upper class of Phnom Penh. They build shacks of wood scraps covered with thatch and tin. They fill up the spaces between the large concrete houses that rise above them. There was no room for a fire truck to get to the blaze. The most anyone could do was escape. In this case, over 200 houses were destroyed. Amazingly, no deaths have been yet reported.

Later, on my way to a meeting, the fire was finally contained. It looked like the area had been bombed, all that was left was charred remains and rubble.

This is the first article on the fire.

I will try to update as I find out more of the devastation and what is being done to help the victims. I would also like to reflect a little on some of the justice issues the fire brings to the foreground.

But now, it is time to mourn with all those who lost so much this morning in Phnom Penh....

There are lots of weddings these days in Cambodia, which are all day (or even multi-day) events. The actual ceremony is often small - it is the reception that is the big deal. (In fact, they are such big deals that many unfortunate couples go deep into debt to make them happen, which is not the perfect way to start a marriage).

Some people rent out a center or a hotel for the reception, others set up a tent on the street. In our neighborhood, we usually have a couple of receptions every week. There's a good reason - you probably won't get rained out in the hot season. I have only been an official guest at one of these receptions. You enter on a red carpet through a wreath of (usually fake) flowers. The bride and groom are waiting there, greeting each guest, and each guest is videotaped.

[A typical street celebration setup, before the crowd - this one for our neighbor's first year birthday party. A wedding would look similar.]

Inside, you are seated at a table and wait for the table to get full before food is served. Then you have a 10 course meal (everything from peanuts to fish heads to sticky rice custard molded into tasteless seashell shapes). A band plays really loud asian-style karaoke music, which hurts the ears but excuses one from conversation. When everyone finishes, you get up and leave at the same time. Then you stand in line and give an envelope of money to pay for the meal and benefit the couple. The envelope is opened and the amount of your gift is recorded, with your name, in a register. Meanwhile, your table as been cleared and more guests are being seated. It is a long and loud night. But you do get a chance to wear Khmer silk. :)

[And, just for kicks, here's a photo of Holly and I in our Khmer silk - complete with wind-blown hair on our rooftop.]

I went to an engagement ceremony last month, as well. It was in the province. We started several blocks away from the restaurant, at the groom's house, with a fruit processional. A big crowd of us walked the street, carrying silver platters laden with fruit, crackers, soda, etc. We paraded like this until we got to the restaurant, attracting the attention of the neighbors and collecting several excited children along the way. Then we sat and listened while pastors exhorted and the couple played an engagement version of the newly wed game (how many years have you dated? do you have other girlfriends? What's his favorite color? etc.). This went on for about an hour, and then we had a hurried meal (only another hour) and got on the road. I didn't dress up for this one, but the bride and groom were both wearing traditional Khmer clothing and it was very formal. From my understanding, an engagement is quite official and usually lasts a year.

The downside to all the weddings (and funerals) in our neighborhood is not just that it as loud as a heavy metal concert. It's also that we often don't have electricity, and the streets are the most comfortable place to go for a breeze. Oh well, gather the rosebuds while ye may.... :)