The Aftermath.....
So today was the official mourning day after the terrible stampede, and the mood is different here in Cambodia...well in Phnom Penh..well in my neighbourhood atleast. The Cambodians have a funny way of expressing themselves..they laugh at anything and everything (or am I the only one who has noticed this?) and I talked to some people,you know just to see their take on that many people dieing..and i was kinda surprised that some of them still used jokes to express their feelings.Well am sure i could detect some sadness in their voices so that's ok.
Now,one thing you need to know about Cambodians is that they are very,very,very superstitious people.When it comes to spirits,ghosts,death...trust me..its ridiculous.Since the stampede there have been stories and rumors allover.Some flayers have been photocopied and are being circulated everywhere...it's times like these i wish i could read Khmer.
Today morning as i left my apartment to go to work,i noticed that my driver's moto was packed outside but i couldn't see him.He some guards and some other random people were on the opposite building and one of them was reading from a piece of paper..and from the other people's reactions i knew i wanted to know what was on that paper. I went on and stood beside them and tried to listen..well i can understand Khmer language but i have a problem with the official version of Khmer language.So i did not quite understand everything :( what i did is tell my driver (i like the way i say driver,sounds fancy lol)that i really need to go to work and all the way i made him explain what that paper was all about. Apparently that paper was warning Cambodians of more tragedies to come..that people will die of disease,hunger..bla bla bla.Also that nobody should cross a river under any circumstance, if you were not expecting someone and you hear a door knock do not open the door, if it rains on 29th of this month,do not drink the rain water otherwise you will die, try and get 7 100riel notes from 7 strangers.They were also advised to appease the spirits and the ghosts because clearly the spirit world is in search of souls...
I get to work and my Cambodian workmates won't stop talking about these things..today i have seen 3 different pieces of paper each with a different kind of scary message.i have tried to find out who is writing these and i heard rumors that some monks are behind it but nobody really knows..and the worst part is that they all believe it.I noticed that some houses around where i live had like a bunch of fruits and other goodies at the entrance..i asked about it and apparently this is to appease the spirits so that they will not disturb the household at night!if the spirits come to your house and you haven't left a gift for them...you are in trouble.A bunch of bananas normally cost like 30-50 cents,now it is more than a dollar!!Oooooh this is getting..uuum,i don't have the right word..maybe interesting...i dono. Cambodians are very friendly and open and since this happened i have walked up to several Cambodians just to talk about the Stampede...and people are terrified to say the least.
I wonder what's next....
Now,one thing you need to know about Cambodians is that they are very,very,very superstitious people.When it comes to spirits,ghosts,death...trust me..its ridiculous.Since the stampede there have been stories and rumors allover.Some flayers have been photocopied and are being circulated everywhere...it's times like these i wish i could read Khmer.
Today morning as i left my apartment to go to work,i noticed that my driver's moto was packed outside but i couldn't see him.He some guards and some other random people were on the opposite building and one of them was reading from a piece of paper..and from the other people's reactions i knew i wanted to know what was on that paper. I went on and stood beside them and tried to listen..well i can understand Khmer language but i have a problem with the official version of Khmer language.So i did not quite understand everything :( what i did is tell my driver (i like the way i say driver,sounds fancy lol)that i really need to go to work and all the way i made him explain what that paper was all about. Apparently that paper was warning Cambodians of more tragedies to come..that people will die of disease,hunger..bla bla bla.Also that nobody should cross a river under any circumstance, if you were not expecting someone and you hear a door knock do not open the door, if it rains on 29th of this month,do not drink the rain water otherwise you will die, try and get 7 100riel notes from 7 strangers.They were also advised to appease the spirits and the ghosts because clearly the spirit world is in search of souls...
I get to work and my Cambodian workmates won't stop talking about these things..today i have seen 3 different pieces of paper each with a different kind of scary message.i have tried to find out who is writing these and i heard rumors that some monks are behind it but nobody really knows..and the worst part is that they all believe it.I noticed that some houses around where i live had like a bunch of fruits and other goodies at the entrance..i asked about it and apparently this is to appease the spirits so that they will not disturb the household at night!if the spirits come to your house and you haven't left a gift for them...you are in trouble.A bunch of bananas normally cost like 30-50 cents,now it is more than a dollar!!Oooooh this is getting..uuum,i don't have the right word..maybe interesting...i dono. Cambodians are very friendly and open and since this happened i have walked up to several Cambodians just to talk about the Stampede...and people are terrified to say the least.
I wonder what's next....
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