Phnom Penh
28 December 2002
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| We moved into our new office nearly three months ago, but the staff insisted that we need to have the building blessed so we consulted the monks at a nearby wat (temple) and it was determined that 28 December was an auspicious day, suitable for a blessing ceremony. Our staff then cleaned and decorated the building and prepared informative displays; and invitations were sent out to government ministries and various NGOs we work with. About 25 people came, about what we expected, and it turned out to be a good day. The program manager, the two Australian advisors, and I sat in the front row for the blessing ceremony--where we caught the full impact of repeated sprinklings of water during the hour of prayers. (At one point, Colin, the deaf advisor discretely signed to me that we should have brought umbrellas!) There were only two short welcome speeches and then the guests toured the building, watched a demonstration class with the students, and then enjoyed refreshments. It was interesting that one of the monks, as they were leaving, commented to our Khmer program manager that he appreciated that the westerners present paid attention to and respected the Buddhist rites which he said didn't often happen. |
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