Johm riab sua/ sua s’dei! Hello from Cambodia!
Culture: Cambodia’s history has influenced its people to remember the glory days of the Angkor empire and drown out the brutal civil war which led to the genocide of the Khmer Rouge from 1975-1979. For many Cambodians, life is centered on the collective support of the family, their Buddhist faith, and food since famine, drought, and malnutrition are a common plague. Cambodia is undergoing rapid change since the end of the Khmer Rouge. Cambodians are 96% ethnically Khmer, making it the most homogeneous in Southeast Asia. Vietnamese, Chinese, Cham make up the remaining 4% of ethnic minorities residing in Cambodia. Cambodians traditionally greet each other with sompiah, pressing the hands together in prayer and bowing. Common cultural faux pas include: motioning someone to come over with index finger and palm pointed to the sky, leaving a pair of chopsticks vertically in a rice bowl, handing things to people with your left hand only, and not taking off your hat in the presence of elders or respected people, such as monks.
Ministry: Theravada Buddhism is the predominant religion in Cambodia. However, many Buddhist monks were murdered adn wats were damaged or destroyed by the Khmer Rouge. Hinduism flourished alongside Buddhism from the 1st through the 14th century, during the pre-Angkorian period. Still today, elements of Hinduism are still incorporated into important ceremonies of birth, marriage, and death. Animism, Islam, and Christianity make up the remaining portion of the religious communities in Cambodia. During Pol Pots reign, refugee camps on the Thai border dispensed Jesus through food for faith type charities, but Cambodians quickly converted back to Buddhism upon their departure from these camps. While in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, we will be partnering with New Life Fellowship and University of the Nations Cambodia
www.uofncambodia.org.
They teach English, computers and office skills, assist in community development projects, health care and education, and partner with poor Cambodians to help start small businesses. U of N Cambodia is an international movement of Christians dedicated to presenting Jesus to the people of Cambodia in both word and deed, and to empowering Cambodian Christians for their part in discipling their people, nation, and world.
Language: Khmer is spoken by approximately 9 million people in Cambodia. Written Khmer is based on the Brahmi script of southern India and is arguably one of the oldest languages in Southeast Asia. Khmer is non tonal, meaning no special intonations within words alter their meaning. There are 33 consonants and 24 vowels and dipthongs. Khmer grammar is very simple with no verb conjugations or gender inflections, no endings for singular of plural, masculine or feminine. Although English is quickly becoming Cambodia’s second language, Khmer still use the Francophone pronunciation of the Roman alphabet and foreign words. Some common useful Khmer phrases include:
- johm riab sua/ sua s’dei meaning hello
- niah sohk sabaay te meaning hi. how are you?
- lia suhn hao-y meaning goodbye
- baat (used by men) or jaa (used by women) meaning yes
- te meanng no
- sohm meaning please
- aw kohn meaning thank you
- awt ei te/ sahm anjce-in meaning you’re welcome
- sohm toh meaning excuse me or I’m sorry
- niah ch’muah ei? meaning what’s your name
- phleuv naa teuv…? meaning how do I get to…?
Food: The overall impression is that Khmer cooking is like Thai cooking but with fewer spices. Cambodia’s variety of national dishes may seem similar to their neighbors Thailand and Laos, while others are closer to Chinese and Vietnamesse. Cambodian cuisine mirrors the cultural crossroad between India and China. Cambodian food is built upon its staples of rice and prahoc, fermented fish paste. For a taste of local flavor we’ve tried: kyteow, a rice noodle soup; bobor, rice porridge; samlor, traditional soup; and freshwater fish. Trey ahng, grilled fish is a Cambodian specialty that is eatsen as pieces wrapped in lettuce or spinach leaves and dipped in teuk trey, fish sauce with ground peanuts. Cambodia is also blessed with a variety of tropical fruits including ananas, pineapples, conuts, jackfruit, durian, mangosteen, rambutan, and mangoes. Cambodian desserts can be cheaply found at the night markets.
