Author’s Note: This short story was written in 2019 when I was taking a Creative Writing course at university. It was intended to be a little window into the experience and culture of a Cambodian girl from a poor farming background. Up to now, very few people have read this […]
It’s Baffling Being Bilingual
I grew up with two languages, Khmer and English. My first word in Khmer was the word for “banana,” ចេក, and my first word in English was “cup.” I think of being bilingual as having two language trees growing in my heart. One tree is English. It is a strong, […]
Sea-Spell in Kep
The sea sounds— relentless rush of rain, full on a clear night. Sewn into the sable sky, high stars glint in their patterns. The moon hangs, suspended, a dark sphere in a bright cradle, a golden hammock slung on a void. Out of the sea a hundred white wings of […]
Book Review: Spirit Worlds, by Philip Coggan
I saw my first lion dance when I was maybe six years old. I heard the drumbeat and the gongs first and ran out to the street. It was hot and sunny, and the coconut trees threw deep frond-shaped shadows on the red dirt. I could see the man with […]
Adventures in Cambodia: Van Transport
I stood outside my one-room apartment. It was nearly 4 AM. I had padlocked my front door and gone outside the gate with my one suitcase and a plastic basket for my cat. Said cat was on my shoulder, because I had already discovered that he hated the basket and […]
Haiku Trio: Angkor Wat
Jungle Seeded stone split, bred shoots, roots—life strangled secrets for a thousand years. Monkey Five-fingered feet lope, thief gibbering at lost gods. Beast with human eyes. Stream Stone bed monsoon-filled, liquid glass running over carvings magnified. The Khmer (Cambodian) Empire once ruled over much of Southeast Asia, and its kings […]
Pursat, Cambodia: On the River
When I was a child, we lived in the province of Pursat (Po-sat), in the city of Pursat, which straddles the Pursat river. The brown water flowed along, low in the dry season and running over into the streets in the rainy season. Men would pile white sacks of sand […]
Eager Eyes Tugging at My Heart
I move carefully down the stairs, trying to put my feet where the metal frame offers the most support under each cracked, tin-covered step. The three classrooms above are empty now. The recess bell has rung, and all the students at the little English school above the church are out […]
Forever a Foreigner?
It was the day of opening ceremonies for the new school year. Every student stood in the dusty school yard, dressed in white shirts and black or blue pants/skirts. The late morning sun beat down hot on the branches of the huge, spreading tamarind trees that overshadowed us. Several speakers […]