This term we had published our first ever Khmer book which is the Khmer poems. We’ve been working on this project about 2 years now, and finally we can published it happily. At first the students in the class learned different types of Khmer poems and then we started to write our individual poems. In that class, I wrote about 8 poems within the course of 3 weeks about different occasion, including love, places, and the sight in Cambodia. Our book is about 200 pages covered about 6 different topics. On the other hand, we also participate in the Khmer Reading and Writing Festival in Battambang to promote our book. At there we got to know some of the well known writers in Cambodia and share our Khmer poem book to them. Currently, we are working to find fund and sponsorship in order to publish more books.
Khmer Poem | Beauty of the Northeast of Cambodia
This poem is about the beauty in the northeast of Cambodia, in Mondulkiri. I have personally been there to investigate about geology and I recognize the peacefulness and beauty of those places. I use a lot of comparison in this poem as well.
I start with, the night dreaming about a girl in the northeast of Cambodia, that the wind sending her to me on the floating water, while the sound of nature laughing and making noise attracted my feeling. Bou Sra waterfall is a greatness place that the man pray by using banana and incense to be with the girl while the waterfall making a sound like an instrument is playing. There are many things in Mondulkiri, a lot of mammals and birds but I only interesting in a tall that compare to a goose that people giving the value which is a beautiful tree name, Chan. The man is asking the permission from the spirit of the mountain to maintain the loyalty of the man having for the girl.
Khmer Poetry
At the Liger Leadership Academy, we not only study English, we also study Khmer which is our first language. We have been working on many projects in Khmer Class, one of them is the poem. There are many types of poems in Khmer also we can perform it in many ways like singing them. One of my poems about my province which is Kampong Speu. I include all the districts, the beautifulness, and comparison in my province.
Khmer
Along with English practicing school, we also have Khmer in the curriculum. In this 2017-2018 school year, specifically in Khmer class, we are focusing on writing and researching the information to present in front of the whole class. Within the first term of the school year, we’ve been researching the information about Pchhum Ben, which is the Buddhist tradition festival that occurs every September and it lasted for 15 days, during the rainy season in Cambodia. So, every citizen needs to make food to offer to the monk at the pagoda in order to direct all the food and merit to the ancestors that already passed away. The research attached to this link: Here.