Do the monkeys bite?
Today was our last day of language class, but we need so much more! We've been so inundated with new words that the simple phrases like "Hello how are you?" have completely drained out of my mind. Our out on the town practice today was going to Wat Phnom, one of several pagodas here in the city, in order to not only see it, but also try our Khmer with some of the vendors who set up shop around it. (And yes, there really were monkeys roaming about!)
The wat (Khmer term for monastery temple) is prominently set upon a man-made hill and is an interesting, intricate building unlike anything you'd find in the US.
Many natives come here regularly to worship, but foreigners are quickly spotted and charged for tourism sake :)
People are constantly pouring into the music and incense filled temple to offer their prayers and money to the buddha statues in hopes that the good they do and the money they offer will be returned to them in an even greater way.
I walked around it with our teacher and though we were a little limited by language, it was so interesting to have him point things out and to be able to ask him questions. Though only 27, he was a Buddhist monk for 8 years. Despite not remembering his former lives, he believes that he has been reincarnated and will continue to be so until he reaches enlightenment. He kept reiterating to me how difficult it is to reach nirvana and escape this cycle of suffering and rebirth as there are five precepts that must be followed precisely. For monks, there are 227! How futile it must seem to always be falling short and so have to be reincarnated in order to start over and try once again to achieve a perfect life on your own.
I wonder if Khmer has a word for GRACE...?
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