7 generations

​Amazingly, after all that non-sense at the airport which was all caused my me,  I arrived at my homestay.

Ever since I started thinking about coming to Cambodia, back in 2017, the thought of dong a home stay was very intriguing to me.  Sure it is nice to stay in a fancy hotell with all the amenities that come with it…the pools, the buffets, room service (for the rich people), towels…toilets with ample kicking room…But for me, I think that living with the people and seeing a slice of their lives that is closer to the every day life can connect me more to my culture than more manicured image. 

Finding and choosing a homestay was a bit of hurdle. But the internet is a big place and is fairly reliable.  I settle on a place called Eco Home.  Dara and his family run the homestay with a focus on sustainability and environmental mindedness.  He also teaches English at a local school that focuses on community children who might not be able to attend a state school.  Some of the money from the homestay supports this work.  

Having a couple of drinks after dinner with the family   Dara is in the back with the red sleeves  

It seemed like a good fit, and after meeting the family I made a good choice.

Without knowing it, the early days of my trip coincided with the Pchum Ben, a holiday to honor their ancestors. There may have been a greater hand in planing this because one of the traditions is that families go to the temple with food offerings and write a list of as many of the names of their ancestors as they can. Which plays very nicely into what I am doing here. Finding my family. 

In my real life, teaching anthropology, we talk about family and recognition of who is and who isn’t included from culture to culture.  Also how ancestors play into the lives of current family. In some groups ancestors only live with in a boxed of religious place, in others the religious elements and ancestors are included as part of the day to day. 

There is also a great deal of variety in how far back ancestors are know.  Across my classes students generally know the names of their four grandparents and might know the names of a couple of their great grandparents and that’s about it. 

At the other end of the spectrum there are cultures where people who can name ancestors back many many generations. 

During Pchum Ben if someone doesn’t know the name of their ancestors far back enough they writer …and back seven generations. 

Seventh Generation may sound familiar to some of you.  It is also the name of a home goods product line, based on a Native American custom that every decision you make you should consider its effect over the next seven generations. 

Is there something special about seven generations?  I believe there is.  From my teaching again, I have found it is most common for a person to interact with seven generations.  Most people have at least partial memories of their great grandparents, their grandparents, parents and their own generation.

Given that most of my students are young and don’t have children, it is still safe to say that they will interact with their children, most likely their grandchildren and possibly their great grandchildren.  That’s seven suckers!!!

If you are looking for a home stay, I used Homestay.com