go gran

In Cambodia, the young take care of the old and the old bless the young. (That's the ideal anyway...) Family obligations stretch vertically through many generations and horizontally to cousins, aunts, uncles and more distant blood relatives.

Yesterday I sat in a taxi next to an 86-year-old woman who totally embodied this duty to bless. I quickly learned she has 4 children, 6 grandchildren and almost 30 great-grandchildren. One of her granddaughters was sitting next to her on the other side...

Many of the grandmother's relatives live on the main road in Poipet, with modest homes and established small businesses. As we passed each house, she pointed it out and told me a little about who lived there. Then she pressed her hands together and left a blessing on that household.

We let grandmother out at another relatives house about 40km out of town. Everyone watched as she drew out a wad of 500 riel notes to pay the fare. The driver seemed impatient. She finally reached the full count (about 20 notes?) , paused for a second, then peeled off one more and gently pressed it into the stranger's palm. But she didn't stop there. She grabbed his shoulders, looked into the young man's eyes and blessed him.

The granddaughter was still in the car; travelling to another town futher away from Poipet. She seemed a little embarrassed, "Look at that! She carries only 500r notes. Really, she's half lost already... gets confused... does strange things."

I was silent. I should have said, "Who cares?! She is 86-years-old and she's your gran! Just soak up all the blessings she wants to pour over your head. And bless me too, grandmother! Bless me too!"