There are three very importan ceremonial occasions in Cambodia. One is Khmer New Year, on is the Water Festival, and the last is Pchum Ben. The fun thing about these festivals is that sometimes cell phone service crashes because the network is so busy. So if anyone has been trying to call me and can't get through, not to worry, it''s just Pchum Ben. This a fifteen day period in which one's ancestor's who went to hell are allowed to return the mortal world. In order to try and make up for the bad things these ancestors did in a past life, people go to the wat (temple) and offer money and food, similar to the catholic concept of praying people out of purgatory. One really fun thing about Pchum Ben is that it starts at four in the morning. Music starts playing on the loudspeakers so all can hear for miles around. People go to the wat seven times (ideally, those who can't afford the offerings or are less devout go less frequently) in this fifteen day period. I went with my family a couple of times. It was really fascinating. People pray and offer food and money to the family shrine. Then, the whole family (extended familes with as many as 100 people) carry the shrine around the outside of the wat three times, chanting and lighting incense. After this, the shrine is taken inside and placed before the Buddha. The head of the family offers prayers and then the monks chant a blessing over everyone. While this ceremony is beautiful, one is required to sit a certain way when listening to prayers and blessings. You must fold your legs underneath you, clasp your hands in prayers, and not move for 45 min- 2 hours. Good times. For those of you who think this doesn't sound so bad, I have two words for you: try it. It is extremely uncomfortable. The ceremony becomes significantly less moving when your extremeties lose circulation.

But all in all, I have enjoyed the experience. The last day is the big ceremony at the wat, it is the third most important day to Khmer people. There will no doubt be more food than I can possibly consume. In other news, less than two weeks from now I will be a volunteer. I feel totally unprepared. I will miss my host family and all the other trainees. But I'm also super excited. I can't believe it's almost october in the states. I'm jealous of the drop in tempeture. It only gets hotter here. But I miss you all and can't wait to hear from you!