Om Peap

In Cambodia people don't use names as much as in the West. Terms such as older brother/ sister, younger brother/sister, uncle/aunt etc. are used instead to show respect and reinforce relationships. Sometimes there are uncomfortable moments in initial conversations if one or both persons aren't sure of the proper title to use.

The other day I met a 7-year-old girl. She was visiting Phnom Penh with her mum and they stayed 5 nights in the house I'm living in. The 7-year-old knew to call me aunty but the question in her mind was: Is this person ming (an aunt younger than her mother) or om (an aunt older than her mother)?

We chatted for a while... she was trying to guess my age... I was trying to convince her I was 48...18...13... In the moment of play, the giggling girl called me "great grandmother"!! (This was quite cheeky but also hilarious!) Later her mum asked my age and from the second day onwards I've been om.

Om Peap. Older aunty. Respected. O.L.D. I'm really not used to being om.... I'm older sister to many and ming to many school-aged little friends. But I have not yet fully embraced this om-ness.