My birthday in Cambodia

Cambodians don’t usually celebrate birthdays. Many of them don’t know in what year, let alone on what day, they were born. Since I have been here, I have introduced my colleagues to a few western birthday traditions by buying some of them small presents, cakes and cards to mark their days. In return, they organised a birthday party for me this week! Kaknika’s grandmother made a huge bucket of Cambodian curry which was brought round by motorbike and eaten sitting on the floor. Everyone gave me gifts. Savann presented me with this rather fetching pair of pyjamas, while other presents included a nodding dog, a wind-up music box with ‘Don’t Forget Me’ engraved on it, and a miniature bird cage complete with tweeting birds! Hardly the most sophisticated presents, but all were well intended and I was very happy to receive them. There were sparklers and a cake with my name written in icing, and after I blew out the candles I was sprayed with plastic string! Certainly different from birthdays back home!