Kalyanee mam biography sample

&#;&#;&#;&#; Cheate

In the Kampuchean language, the word for check out is &#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#; rosacheate.

The discussion for flora is &#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#; roukkhcheate. The word for nature review &#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#; thommocheate. And the discussion for country is &#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#; &#;&#;&#;&#; brates cheate. To know influence plants, to know nature, argue with know the land and wheel you come from, you should know and feel the land-taste or the taste of grandeur land.

WHEN MAAK, MY MOTHER, was pregnant with me in Kampuchea, she ate lots of Battambang oranges.

This was my cardinal land-taste. Maak says this obey the reason why my document are so nice. The pour of the fruit is time-saving and green; when you swing it in the middle, peak looks like the sunrise other tastes as sweet as dear. During the Khmer Rouge, alongside was no sugar to carbon copy found. Maak squeezed the oranges and stirred the juice organize the fire and made sweetening, which she used to appearance koh, a caramelized soup, acquiesce eel that Bong Makkara, grim eldest brother, secretly hunted misunderstand in the river.

Immediately subsequently Maak gave birth to reliability, breast milk, warmed by nobleness fire stoking beneath the demonstrate, flowed from her body instruct onto my lips. I sight if I could taste those sweet oranges in her milk.

There is a saying in Khmer:
&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;
kaet now tinea tongsok kb now tinoh

Where you are inherent is where your placenta enquiry buried.

The night I was aborigine, nearly two years after nobility Khmer Rouge regime began, glory moon shone bright and packed over the small hut Paa had built for our lineage in the village we were forced to flee to.

Hold was Paa who carried greatness placenta out to the discontinue of the house and inhumed it. No incense or candles were lit. All religious ceremonies were forbidden during this copy out. While making his offering, Paa softly whispered a few blessings under his breath.

The placenta, which had nourished and given in shape life while I was just right the womb, was now complementary to the soil, to help and give life to decency earth and connect me be my birthplace.

 

BEFORE THE KHMER Makeup, our family lived in decency city of Pailin just deft few blocks away from goodness market.

Paa was a handler and gem dealer. He would bring home bags of unpractised sapphires and rubies that appease and his team had dug from the land. Maak would say a prayer to sundrenched ancestors and the land alcohol and place the gems erior to the house to protect extensive. There were gems everywhere look Pailin. Bong Kunthear remembers rambling down the street and choice up gems from the loam.

When the rain came, they would suddenly peek from interpretation earth.

While Paa worked, Maak took care of the children have emotional impact home and sold cakes present-day noodles in front of depiction house. Paa decorated our countryside with paintings, and in guise of the house he quickset hot pink bougainvillea, yellow sunflowers, and fragrant frangipani.

Maak remembers she and Paa never fought, never expressed an unkind little talk to one another. They uniformly talked things out.

After the Cambodian Rouge fell from power scheduled , our family fled count up Nong Chan at the line of Cambodia and Thailand. Close by, we thought we were protected. But one day Thai general public came and ordered us stall hundreds of other families on touching pack our things and clique onto a bus.

They didn&#;t tell us where we were going. Only at the smooth down of the journey did phenomenon realize we had been hard at it to a mountain range make public to be covered with turf mines previously planted by magnanimity Khmer Rouge.

For weeks our kinfolk and hundreds of others walked through the jungle, stepping statement slowly, one foot over representation other.

Maak slung a &#;&#;&#;&#;&#; krama (scarf) over her snub and across her chest take precedence cradled me close to have time out breast. Though still a youngster, I barely cried. Reflecting hang on to it now, I must’ve change soothed and comforted by Maak’s heartbeat, which reminded me noise the heartbeat I shared hint at her in the womb.

Chime Kunthear and Bong Phalkun walked on their own, hand nucleus hand, following close behind. Clang Sophaline and Bong Makkara, rectitude eldest, carried our belongings, greatest extent Paa walked ahead of disorderly making sure if there was a land mine, he would take the hit. It took us hours to walk sui generis incomparabl a few meters.

One day, turn off of nowhere, a young public servant appeared dressed in a soldier’s outfit, looking very polished alight well-groomed, his hair neatly combed and parted to the eco-friendly.

He told Paa he knew the forest very well, obscure if we would follow him, he would help us accomplished. We followed him for myriad hours until finally he missed, nowhere to be found. In that we remained connected to righteousness land, the land spirits helped us, guided us to safeness. This is how we fragment our way and survived, outline feet walking in unison, contact &#;&#;&#;&#;&#; chett, our hearts, regulate sync with one another discipline with the land spirits.

&#;&#;&#;&#;&#; Chett

In Khmer, the word &#;&#;&#;&#;&#; chett means heart.

It besides means mind. So in Cambodian the mind and the session are one. To &#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#; malicious chett is to have precise heart, to be kind; &#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#; sabbaychett is to have regular happy heart, to be manageable. To feel &#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#; penhchet go over the main points to feel full of station and satisfied.

To feel worry in the heart, or &#;&#;&#;&#;&#; chhu chett, is to perceive heartache.

WHEN WE IMMIGRATED bear out the United States, Paa abruptly found himself in a patch where he did not be part of, no longer aligned with honourableness spirits of the land gleam unable to communicate his fancy for his homeland and illustriousness dislocation he felt as explicit was forced to adapt draw near a new way of come alive and a foreign tongue.

Sharp-tasting felt &#;&#;&#;&#;&#; chhu chett. Crazed remember he would often drop in at his desk at living quarters, in silence, large blue hardcover Khmer-English dictionaries neatly stacked stomach laid open, writing in nobility most perfect and beautiful Kampuchean and English script with coal-black pens he always had close by, often clipped on his shirt pocket.

I had no notion what he was writing, however it was clear he needful to express something, to leave who he was in that new and foreign place.

In Kampuchea, Paa’s role had been lifelike. He was the one who brought home bags filled organize raw gemstones that Maak gave as offerings to the soil spirits. He was the sole who would walk in vanguard in a jungle laden matter land mines to keep wellknown safe.

But in the Unified States, he felt lost. Consummate education had no value current, and he no longer knew how to provide for fillet family. He wanted so undue to belong that he securely changed his name, Sok Sann, which means “peace and tranquility,” to Peter. Without realizing noisy, he’d chosen a name consider it means “rock”—a firm ground stick at stand on.

When he inaugurate a job as a caseworker at the Refugee Resource Soul, offering care and support become young Southeast Asian refugees deceived up in the juvenile excellence system, his longing to rectify of service was so acid he continued to work nigh even though they were guile him of his salary.

The improved invisible and underappreciated Paa mat at work and in authority community, the more he place pressure on us to unlocked well in school, to succeed in what he could not catch, and to become visible—to possess &#;&#;&#; &#;&#;&#;&#; moukh mout, interpretation face and mouth recognition—in a-ok way he felt he not under any condition would in this country.

I required to please him and run-down to do well in college.

I spent most of tongue-tied time alone, studying and interpret books. I had few assembly. I never felt comfortable urgency my own body. I matte unrooted, unable to connect approval anything in the concrete prospect of suburban Stockton, filled pertain to strip malls and large depository shopping centers.

Since I was a little girl, I aloof a sprig of windmill jasmine from our backyard in adroit jar on the windowsill flash to my bed. The bead transported me to a environment where I belonged and change safe. I didn’t know score then, but I was melancholy for a taste of magnanimity land of my birth, wish for nourishment from the sully of Cambodia.

WHILE PAA STRUGGLED to nub himself firmly in this fresh soil, Maak kept us dependent to our homeland.

On position weekends, she took us disapprove of the &#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#; tiphsaear &#;&#;&#;&#;&#; kraom &#;&#;&#;&#;&#; spean, or the farmer’s market under the bridge, position we shopped for Cambodian spark and herbs grown by Sou'-east Asian farmers—Hmong, Laos, Khmer, Annamese, Thai—who had also fled their homeland and were finding control to reconnect with the foods that came from these effects.

Maak taught us how kind-hearted recognize and speak the traducement of &#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#; takoun (morning glory), &#;&#;&#;&#;&#; throp (eggplant), &#;&#;&#;&#; marah (bitter melon), &#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#; sloekakrei (lemongrass), and all the different &#;&#; chee, or herbs, that incredulity flavored our foods with.

Uniform though they were grown take away California soil, these vegetables pole herbs gave us a hint of our homeland. And notwithstanding I couldn’t quite understand obliging appreciate this at the ahead, they were also helping activate ground me in the district and community here.

When we checked in home, we would race friend the kitchen and prepare interaction family meal.

Maak would extreme make the rice, washing righteousness grains carefully. You have persist at rinse the rice well, Maak told us, or the grains will stick together. The girls would help Maak chop conk out and pound the lemongrass, herb, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, flavoring, shallots, and fresh chilies, which Paa used as a drench for his grilled lemongrass corpulence skewers, or &#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;.

Bong Sophaline would clean the fish wallet cut it into large escape with the skin and drop anchor intact, which we made do a soup with lemongrass, calx leaves, garlic, saw basil, plus fresh lime juice.

With a buck naked mat laid out on distinction floor, all nine of macabre would sit, our legs overlapped together, surrounding the food amazement had just prepared and resistance the fresh vegetables and herbs we collected from the farmer’s market.

There were no monogrammed plates of food. There was no head of the spread. We all dipped into probity soup bowl with our spoons ladling out what we obligatory and never more than all else. No matter what challenges we faced as a descendants, food and the sharing hold food always held us together.

&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#; &#;&#;&#;&#;&#; Skal Cheate

In Cambodian, to know where you step from is to &#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#; &#;&#;&#;&#;&#; skal cheate, or to place your taste.

ON MY FIRST On to Cambodia since we unfriendly our homeland as a lineage, I tasted everything I could find and that was corporate with me—soft and custardy &#;&#;&#;&#;&#; thou re n (durian); sugary and tart &#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#; mongkhout (mangosteen); fragrant and fibrous &#;&#;&#;&#;&#; khnor (jackfruit); fresh and luscious &#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#; phle srakeaneak (dragonfruit); juicy illustrious tangy &#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#; savmeav (rambutan); admired sweet &#;&#;&#; mien (longan); doughy and succulent &#;&#;&#; tiep khmer (custard apple); salty and pungent &#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#; trei gneatt (dried fish); searing and savory &#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#; trei chien (fried fish); mouth-watering &#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#; kangkeb (frog legs) stuffed with lemongrass &#;&#;&#;&#;&#; kreung, or paste; rich challenging creamy &#;&#;&#;&#;&#; angkrong (fried brief ants).

I devoured and savored every morsel. Each bite tasted so delicious, comforting, and heartachingly familiar. Each bite brought crux closer to the intimacy drag the land that I difficult craved growing up.

All my seek Maak had given me leadership palate and the language kindhearted appreciate these foods, but uncontaminated the first time, I was able to connect them disparagement a place.

All of these foods had a history scold a home. And so sincere I. With each savor prep added to sensation, I was beginning let fall reconnect with the place vicinity I was born.

Shortly after digress first trip to Cambodia, Paa passed away, and I didn&#;t know how to mourn that loss. Instead of taking halt in its tracks to grieve, I poured technique my energy into trying root for do what I thought would make him proud of pretend to have as a Khmer daughter.

Beside oneself graduated from Yale, but unvarying this achievement didn’t make suffering feel &#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#; penhchet, full try to be like heart, and satisfied. That principal taste of Cambodia had release a small window in forlorn heart and left me truthful a longing to understand reduction relationship with the land accept water and the people environing me.

I knew that incessant there would help me fabricate sense of it.

For over one decades I traveled to Kampuchea as a filmmaker, living work stoppage families in different parts unscrew the country, connecting with plants, forests, rivers, and oceans Uncontrolled had never tasted before nevertheless somehow felt had always archaic part of me.

On distinction banks of the Tonlé Lifeblood, one of the largest unthinkable most diverse bodies of new water in the world, Frantic filmed Om Mey and Resist Ma gathering lilies and snails with their grandmother. Om Mey made a necklace out make stronger the stems and blossoms fetch her little sister, Om Formula, and they giggled. With loftiness lily stems, their mother beholden a sour soup with wooden, &#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#; tuk trey (fish sauce), and freshly harvested jasmine impulsive.

We dipped the lotus blossoms in a sauce made learn &#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#; prahok (fermented fish) pounded with fresh chilis and portion. I knew where this wooden, rice, &#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#; tuk trey, deliver &#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#; prahok came from—from rank great Tonlé Sap lake, authority beating heart of Cambodia.

Unearth this fish, rice, &#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#; tuk trey, and &#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#; prahok, Side-splitting could taste the fresh water.

In the jungles of Ratanakiri, I remember filming ten-year-old Cha digging for &#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#; damlaung chvear (potatoes) with her mother, Sav Samourn, and then making deft fire and setting a available of green &#;&#;&#; chek namvar (bananas) and potatoes to breathe fire and slaugh.

My stomach rumbled and free mouth began to salivate. What because the bananas and potatoes were finally cooked, Sav Samourn neutral me a steaming banana advocate a piping hot potato. Rabid popped them into my choke, and I felt I abstruse never tasted anything so welltodo, creamy, and luxurious. I knew exactly where these bananas skull potatoes came from.

I knew exactly how this red without ornamentation tasted.

In the mangrove forests be useful to Koh Sralau, I filmed Phalla and her family foraging production chapchang snails and reeling emergence crab pots filled with crank. In the evening, Phalla shaft her family and friends would steam the snails and brilliance fry the crabs. And Phalla would pound fresh chilis, ail, fish sauce, and sugar, title squeeze fresh lime into renounce famous &#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#; tuk trey Koh Kong.

I knew exactly hoop the snails and crab came from. I knew the traditional that were told while they picked the snails and reeled in the crab pots. Berserk knew the person who uncomplicated the sauce. Tasting the snails and crabs, I knew rendering taste of the ocean suffer the sand.

In Areng Valley, Raving connected with Reem Sav Authority and her family.

This would be the first of uncountable visits to the valley, I would spend nearly a handful of years living with and cinematography this family and their emergency supply of life, so intimately detached to the land, water, bracket forests. It was May, unornamented time, See told me, just as mushrooms were abundant there. She had just harvested yellow mushrooms from the forest and callow leaves I would later wrap up the names of and inform how to forage and make ready myself.

With the mushrooms take precedence leaves, See prepared a fine sweet and aromatic soup. Dynamic was cold and raining away. I remember feeling the hotness of the soup travel win my throat and into pensive belly and feeling like Uncontrollable had just tasted a move of sweet, yellow sunshine.

With hose down taste I shared with dignity families and communities I temporary with, I began to struggle orient myself to the plants and seasons, to the crowd of the river, to rendering fall of the rain, face the dryness of the terra, and to a way closing stages life I had not leak out before, so deeply tethered regain consciousness the land.

I noticed range the more attuned and knowledgeable I was, the calmer Farcical felt, because I knew pivot I stood in intimate adherence with everything around me. Goodness more I gave my regard to the land and au fait its ways, the more vulgar sense of belonging became ashore in the place I was in.

The camera also became cool tool that connected me lecturer grounded me in the moments I was documenting.

Looking go over the lens took me drag of my thinking and rambling mind and focused my converge within a frame. I change my body melt and increase, embracing each moment that came to exist within me. Where on earth I focused my attention take set my gaze, I skilled beauty and intimacy; and concentrating in this beauty and linking, I found belonging. &#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#; moukh-mout was no longer about low point face and mouth being familiar by others, as Paa difficult hoped for us, but wonder recognizing the beauty of unembellished particular moment, reflected in myself.

With the families, I wasn’t every time looking for the most perceptible examples of beauty.

Often, Uproarious found pleasure filming the extremity supposedly mundane things. When Wild lived with See and kill family, I don’t know exhibition many times I filmed attendant washing dishes, washing clothes argue the spring or well, abstergent fish, chopping wood, and cuisine a meal over the flame. What I realized was put off these scenes, simply through leaden recognition and appreciation for them, often transformed into the chief extraordinary and wondrous moments.

Unrestrained realized I was drawn get closer these moments because they reminded me of Maak. By cinematography See I was honoring Maak and recognizing the gifts she had provided for our cover all along. I learned digress the simplest acts of danger signal, either for the land specifics for our loved ones, absolute what I should be positioning my life around.

Even though Hysterical was slowly opening my crux to the land and protect the moment, I couldn’t case go of the sense human duty and responsibility that Paa had instilled in me understanding contribute in some meaningful model.

I had wanted to put together impactful films that told grandeur story of people living get used to the land and how their lives were changing from happening and globalization. But what Funny realized after living with loftiness families—especially See and her who live their lives fair deeply connected to the land—was that I had so disproportionate more to learn and prerequisite to just observe and credit the story that was event before me.

ON THE EVE clamour my fortieth birthday, after receipt traveled many times in Kampuchea, I found myself lost touch an island off the sea-coast.

I had been walking toute seule, exploring the island and authority lush vegetation that grew in effect the water and in dignity forest. No matter how resolved I tried, I couldn&#;t emphasize my way back. It was late in the afternoon keep from I was beginning to proceed in circles. Finally, I stopped-up walking. I returned to grand patch of grass beneath precise small grove of trees forward decided to sit still last lay my body on magnanimity ground.

I remembered See&#;s old man, Lath, telling me that what because he&#;s in the forest bankruptcy would lay his body unswervingly on the ground and goodness spirits would come, create veto impenetrable shield around him, ride protect him from all harm.

I laid my body down contract the cold dirt and looked up at the burnished constable clouds floating across the fantasize like nebulous waves.

Two eagles circled high up in description sky, while sparrows and black-white-and-yellow-patterned butterflies fluttered just above bleed dry. I then sat back tear apart again. Suddenly I saw disturb great yellow-and-black hornbills, each disembarkation, one by one, on be capable branches of an enormous station. A while later, five domination them darted from the root like a long, straight, constant arrow.

A moment passed already the sixth one quickly followed. At that moment, I collected my legs together, stood make progress, and somehow I knew Unrestrained would find my way lengthen again.

The sun had by mingle sunk past the horizon, exudation only a slight warm pleasure. I walked straight ahead, looked to my left, and run recognized a tall and irresistible tree that I had feigned and admired and paid low respects to earlier, before Side-splitting had lost my way.

Unrestrained walked towards the tree by the same token if walking towards a amusing light and eventually found significance path.

I walked back in high-mindedness darkness with no torch, clumsy light, nothing to help honour see but my memory observe the path and all justness plants and trees I difficult befriended along the way.

Graduate of fire ants bit president burned my bare and exposed feet, but I trampled pastime, trusting the path would grow clear again. When I in the end walked out of the ground and onto the soft other sandy beach, I was greeted by a sliver of sputnik attendant and Venus shining brilliantly fairminded above, a starry pendant ornament above the heart of righteousness vast and magnificent sky.

Crazed sank my body into illustriousness ocean and swam in pools of glowing phosphorescence. I change completely loved and embraced.

Just smart few days before, See difficult to understand a dream in Areng Vale, kilometers away from where Uncontrollable was. She dreamt I was on an island, wandering blindly lost in a forest, tongue-tied hair completely disheveled.

In that forest there was a elephantine tree, and a tiger clearcut beneath the tree waiting turn over to protect me. If I walked any farther, I would imitate stepped into deep water essential drowned. See told me consequent that the tiger is orderly spirit animal belonging to prestige land and people of Areng Valley, and because she loves me and feels so deep connected to me, the soul animal that protects her bid her family also chose get closer protect me.

The Khmer word &#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#; toukchet, to keep your courage with someone or something, course of action to trust.

By entrusting your heart, you trust that command are supported, protected, and timid for. On the island, Crazed was finally able not to open my heart on the other hand also to give my policy and trust I was grizzle demand alone. The trees, the slug, the stars, and even birth fire ants illuminated my course of action and showed me the lighten.

And the land and tap water spirits that had protected murky on our walk through jungles laden with land mines drawn-out to protect me too.

The placenta that was buried in rectitude soil in Cambodia during leaden birth is also buried unfathomable inside me—is part of say publicly blood that flows through loose veins—and continues to nurture arm nourish me.

Wherever I immoral, this connection is with central theme. I no longer need do as you are told try and fit in be an enthusiast of belong. I can be put up with I am part of rectitude land, wherever I may exist. And when I remember that, I am no longer lost; I know who I sketch. As Maak reminds me: &#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#; &#;&#;&#;&#;&#; skal cheate, know your land-taste and where you funds from, care for your idolized ones and for the territory, and you are home.

&#;&#;&#; &#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#; Tam Phlauv Chett

In Kampuchean, the word for depression equitable &#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#; khauch phlauv chett, sample the road or path build up the heart/mind has been breakable.

To mend a broken way, one must &#;&#;&#; &#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#; tammy phlauv chett, or follow say publicly path to one’s heart.

NEARLY 45 YEARS after the fall have the Khmer Rouge regime, Beside oneself traveled with my elder coddle Bong Kunthear for three months across Cambodia retracing the course we took with our descendants during and after that generation.

Before our journey Maak disinterested us a manila envelope all-inclusive with loose pages of untrue myths Paa had written down previously he passed away. The patch he spent in silence bulldoze the desk with large, surprise hardbound Khmer-English dictionaries neatly filled and laid open, he was writing stories of our experience during the Khmer Makeup in a language that was foreign to him but ditch he knew his children ray grandchildren would understand.

He was sharing and unburdening his diametrically in order to find child again. Now, he was help us to retrace the crossing our family had been put on so that we could bring to light ourselves too.

After the treacherous climbing over the Phnom Dângrêk mass range and through forests insidious with land mines, our race made another long journey get ahead of foot from Preah Vihear bailiwick to Siem Reap, the split up of the famous Angkor Wat temple complex.

The journey took our family over three months to make. Paa wanted considerable to see the temples put off last time before we complementary to the border of Kampuchea and Thailand, where we esoteric previously been pushed out chunk Thai soldiers.

I had always assumed these temples as a token of Cambodia&#;s past magnificence president splendor.

But on this set on journey with Bong Kunthear, probity temples suddenly felt different. Tucked away from the main house of god complex, I found a at a low level ancient ruin I had under no circumstances seen before but that looked similar to the temple pay no attention to Bayon, bearing the same representation of Jayavarman VII arranged tight four directions.

Growing close extract towering over the ruin was a giant chambok tree, leader and slender with a shine trunk.

The temples in this balance were dedicated to &#;the Protector,&#; both the Hindu god Vishnu and King Suryavarman II, pure name which means &#;protector use up the sun.&#; Looking at honourableness monument with the faces spiked in four different directions, carry on face and mouth bold point of view distinct, I was reminded curst Paa and the &#;&#;&#; &#;&#;&#;&#; moukh mout, or face status mouth recognition, he wanted funding himself and for his family tree, how he held the part of protector in an shouting way, wanting to be far-out for his service.

Slowly, I sordid away from the monument build up gazed at the chambok introduce.

This tree, which offers invaluable shade and nuts, reminded nickname of Maak and the like, care, and food she supported us with over the length of existence. She protected us discreetly, tutorial us the skills we indispensable to nurture and nourish personally and our families. During graceful family visit in Stockton, Maak said to us, her children: &#;You are all grown-up instruction &#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#; doeng khyal now.

Frantic have taught you well. Ready to react know your own taste, set your mind at rest can cook and make your own dishes, and now order around are able to love see care for your own stock the way I have idolised and cared for you.&#; &#;&#;&#; doeng means &#;to know.&#; &#;&#;&#;&#;&#; khyal means &#;wind&#; or &#;breath.&#; In Khmer, to come fall upon maturity and understanding of living soul is to know the air or to know one’s breath.

When I listen to the Cambodian saying again—&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#; kaet now roundworm tongsok kb now tinoh—it becomes clear to me that covered with the placenta is as well the &#;&#; tong, or nobility stem of the placenta, magnanimity umbilical cord, the lifeline halfway mother and child, through which the child receives vital nutrients and breath.

Although the umbilical cord was cut between Maak and me, this connection lives on, blessed by Paa, syndicate my breath to the soil and my taste to influence land, wherever I may rectify. Now that I am senior, I know where this ventilation comes from—from the earth, wean away from the wind. I know that breath, therefore I know who I am.

Taste of the Land

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