When you are traveling in Cambodia, a good number of tourism traders speak English (mainly hotels). At the market, to negotiate prices, sign language and having a calculator helps to do your business. But don't you ever get frustrated that you don't speak Khmer? I have just given you some reasons to learn Khmer but I share with you my real reasons to learn this language.
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My real reasons to learn Khmer
The feeling of pride
To put you in perspective, I am of Cambodian origin (it is my father who is Cambodian and my mother Laotian) but I never really learned Khmer before launching this Khmer learning blog .
To put you in perspective, I am of Cambodian origin (it is my father who is Cambodian and my mother Laotian) but I never really learned Khmer before launching this Khmer learning blog .
As I continue to travel regularly, and continue to develop my projects, I realize that I am still at the same point in Khmer. I don't speak Khmer, I don't read it and I don't know how to write it. How many times have I been asked if I could speak my parents' language? Many times believe me! And each time I felt embarrassed to answer in the negative. There is nothing to be embarrassed about? For me though, I want my parents to be proud of me knowing that I can speak Khmer. I do it for me, for the experience, for the practical side too, who knows one day it could be useful to me?
The click
During my participation in the Asia fair , I met Marion who had just returned from Cambodia. Marion is French and loves Cambodia, she moved there to follow her husband and learned Khmer there. How? Speaking daily. I was amazed by his fluency in speaking Cambodian. I admired her… I think it's rare to meet a French woman who speaks Khmer as if it were her mother tongue, and there was no French accent when she spoke it. Since this meeting, I told myself that I really have to start learning Khmer, if Marion speaks Cambodian so well then I can do it too 🙂
My other reasons to learn Khmer
1/ Learn Khmer so as not to forget where I come from
To remember where I come from…what does that mean? To know where I come from, you can look at the color of my skin, of my face, you can thus know my origins. If we look at my information on my identity card or my passport, we can know where I was born. I was born in France, not in Cambodia. But learning Khmer and knowing how to speak it reassures me more about who I am and where I come from. If you were born in France, the logic would be to know how to speak French. I was born in France, I speak French but I have Cambodian and Laotian origins, I think it's important for me to know how to speak my mother and father language at least .
2/ Learn Khmer to exchange with locals while traveling but especially with my family
We can always manage with the signs, the gestures but sometimes there are misunderstandings because precisely the signs can be interpreted differently depending on the country. When traveling or when I'm with my family, I can say a few words in Cambodian but no more. When I want to say something, I'm often frustrated because I can't express myself, I have to learn Khmer!
3/Learn Khmer to then hope to train all the people who would like to learn
This title may seem strange to you. On this blog, I will learn Khmer on my own step by step, I will use the materials at my disposal and I will share all my tips and advice with you. When I have a sufficient level, I may be able to give lessons. In the meantime, let's start at the beginning: learning 🙂
And you then why would you want to learn Khmer?
Featured photo credit: https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/monk-sit-on-shore-angor-wat-441755083 https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/monk-sit-on-shore-angor-wat-441755083
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