LEGGI IN ITALIANO
I keep waiting quietly until the Healer asks me something in Khmer. The woman who accompanied me answers for me. They have a conversation which last for a few minutes .. Occasionally the Healer’s wife steps in, they keep asking me questions, I think ..But I can not reply. Then the woman tries to explain in Khmer what they need to know; obviously I don’t understand, and we end up laughing all together.
The healer keeps eating dried peas .. and I keep waiting patently .
A phone rings, the Healer gives me the phone. A young woman asks me “hey hi how are you doing!?!” .. I’m a bit surprised, I tell her I’m fine; she asks me what kind of medicine do I need, I tell her that I would like a belly necklace like the ones that women wear for – good luck – and I also would like a blessing. She nods her voice and tells me that the Man would give me a blessing anyway. I tell her that I am a midwife and I work in the village.. I ask her to ask the Healer to protect the women I’m looking after. The girl tells me that she understands and asks me to give the Healer the phone. They speak for a while and then the girl tells me that I have to pay for it, I have just $ 20, she thinks it’s ok.
The wife lights some incense , and prepares a plate with a large pink flower composed of many small flowers, candles, some pens, and my $ 20. The Healer takes out from an orange bag some small metal squared plates, a thin white rope and large rusty scissors .
He cuts all the corners of the plates, they are about a dozen .. or maybe more . He does this with an unbelievable calm almost, manic; occasionally he eats some dried peas .
Suddenly he stands up and goes in the garden .. he comes back with some quite big green leaves with a very long stem and a thick root, seems ginger. He cuts the root and blows on it for a while and he gives it back to me. I understand he tells me to put it in my pocket.
Then he takes the white string and starts rub the stems above it several times .. while he’s doing this friction he blows on the leaves and the twine, when he has finished he puts back everything in the small plate.
He asks me something. I do not understand , again.
Some other women reach us and sit next to me. They begin to ask me questions .. we manage to communicate in some way, as usual, I ask their names and how old they are . The wife brings me a bottle of water and I drink it all in one gulp .. It is very hot and I’m sitting here for about an hour . I wonder how is Botiu and what she is thinking. The woman who goes with me gets up and goes somewhere by bike.. I try to tell her to reassure Botiu .
I light a cigarette, I’m little worried that this ritual will never end, it’s already 4:30. The Healer asks for a cigarette and the other women too. We smoke together; the phone rings again and the same girl asks me to write my name on a sheet of paper .
The Healer begins to write something on each metal plate . There are many plates and is taking so long. I’m worried about Botiu
The woman heads back with a bag of tiny fishes. She opens it and slops them into a large bowl of water and begin to clean them up. The healer is writing on the 5th plate maybe .. and 2 hours have passed. I get up and I say to the women I go and find Botiu . I arrive where my tuc tuc is, Botiu is dozing and listening to the music, I ask her if she is angry with me and I tell her I did not think it would take so long … she smiles and assure me exclaiming “no problem no problem” .
I go back to the house, The Healer is still busy writing on the plates. The woman holds my hand and take me to a house, her house . Her parents and 4 years old little girl are having dinner. She makes me sit on a bamboo mat and turn the fan and a flat screen television on. I am a bit astounded.
A cat comes in. I start to cuddle and practicing reiki on it. Seems it likes it, it’s a lady cat. She lies down next to me, she rolls over and starts to purr. I gently touch her belly and I feel that she is pregnant so I listen carefully to the kittens kicking. There’s a boxing match on the television, i’ve noticed is quite popular down here. The woman’s daughter, a 6 year old girl in a school uniform comes in, Mommy exhort her to speak English but she is shy and she leaves the living room.
After a while the woman tells me that we should go.
We go back to the Healer. Finally he has finished writing the plates and he is rolling them up to the white cord. I’m relieved.
The wife is looking for the water that she had given me, but she finds out that I finished it, so she goes to get a big cup in a tank of rainwater.
The Healer takes the bowl and begins to stir the water with the flower while, I assume, he chants some prayers. The mantra last few minutes then he tells me to drink 4 sips of water from the basin. When I finished he recites more blessing and prayers, occasionally he blows on the water.
I’m sitting on my knees and I’m enjoying the energy of this sacred and pleasant place. He starts to bless me sprinkling some water on me with the pink flower; actually does it for a few minutes and at the end I’m completely soaked . He asks me to wash my face and my head with left over water into the bowl, in the meantime he continues to chant mantras.
He puts my belly necklace into my bag and ends the ritual blessing both the necklace and my purse with some more holy water.
I thank him deeply and express my gratitude, The Healer smiles at me and he gives me another packet of dried peas.
The afternoon ends up with a traditional cambodian healer’s blessing, a blessed belly necklace and loads of salted western dried peas.
We leave the house and we walk to the tuc tuc .. My new friend tells me her stories while we stroll. I guess she’s telling me who lives nearby. I image she’s saying that today she did not go to the market because it was too hot, that she has to plant more green tomatoes seeds because the cats have rummaged in the soil and that her neighbour is very nosy . Tomorrow for lunch she will cook fried frogs , pumpkin and fish soup.
We arrive at the tuc tuc, I say goodbye and I give her a warm strong hug. I tell her I am very happy and grateful I’ve met the Healer, I had a really good time. Botiu translates for me.
She hugs me and smiles. She sniffs my cheek deeply and gently.
In Cambodia they don’t kiss that much. Just husband and wife kiss each others .. Friends, children, brothers, grandmothers and grandfathers, gently sniff cheek or neck. It’s a gesture that fascinates me a lot. It almost seems like you want to sniff the soul of the other, savour it and enjoy it. I find it very intimate and precious , even more than a kiss.
