On Sunday, the four of us were invited to join Teacher Ann and her entire extended family at the ceremony for her new house. Her brother and nephew picked us up in his small sedan and the four of us piled into the Thai-sized backseat and headed out to the new home. She is moving to a legitimate development, straight out of suburban California, into a beautiful, bright, and open house. But before she could spend the night there, there were many preparations to be done. Earlier that morning, her relatives arrived from the small town that they are from (about 1 hour away), bringing loads of food, tables, chairs, and decorations. Then four or five monks arrived. Teacher Ann, her son, and her niece knelt under a little bamboo structure in the house while the monks prayed, removing the old energy and spirits from the house. Then it was feasting time (obviously this is when the four of us arrived), and the 35 or so family members dished up sticky rice, laab, tom djud, the most delicious fish ever, and the largest platter of fried rice that I have ever seen. We mostly hung out in kid’s corner (there are fewer language barriers when you are playing and building forts with the couch), with the occasional brief meeting of one of the older relatives. They were so generous and friendly—it was fun to be a part of the celebration.
Allison and her new friends:
No comments:
Post a Comment