The King Father

The ribbon from Pattica

Some of you may be aware that Cambodia's former king, Norodom Sihanouk, died in China recently.  As a show of reverence, there has been no government school for the past week.  We've still held our classes at the orphanage, assured by the children that this was acceptable.  The kids invited me to come watch as the old king's body passed through the street from the airport to the palace.  The deceased is the father of Cambodia's current king.  The kids understand pluralization and possession, but have a hard time saying the 's' at the end of words, so all that morning I was told what would happen as the 'King Father' passed.  The children wore their school uniforms that have been donated by akin clothing.  The whole country seemed to follow the same dress code.  Pattica crocheted a ribbon for me, and had me pin it above my heart as the rest of the nation had.  It seemed that all of Phnom Penh lined the street, awaiting this procession.  From just after noon until almost 5pm we listened to the Gamelan, waiting for the passed on to pass us.   It is incredible to see the respect and love that the people carry for their king and learn more about Cambodia from the kids at CICFO.