Cambodia: A Nation says Goodbye to its Former King

Ever since I found out I was accepted to the Kiva Fellows program, I've felt very fortunate. Fortunate to volunteer with an organization that does incredible work in the mission to alleviate poverty. Fortunate to be based in Hanoi, Vietnam, one of my top choices for country placement. Fortunate to spend three weeks in Cambodia (prior to Vietnam) in order to interview actual borrowers and hear about the positive impact Kiva's loans are having on their lives. And finally, fortunate that my time in Cambodia coincided with a major cultural event: the funeral proceedings of the former King of Cambodia, Norodom Sihanouk.

Though King Sihanouk died several months ago from heart failure, his body has been kept in an embalmed state to allow the Cambodian people (a.k.a Khmer, the predominant ethnic group) to pay homage to the man they affectionately call the "King Father".

While locals and tourists alike were given somewhat limited access to the proceedings themselves (the best views were mostly via television coverage), I'll try to paint a picture of what Phnom Penh was like during the 4 day-long funeral in early February. The schedule was as follows:

Day 1 - Friday: Funeral procession around the Royal Palace

Day 2 - Saturday: Opportunity for people to pay last respects

Day 3 - Sunday: Opportunity for people to pay last respects

Day 4 - Monday: Cremation

What effect did this have on Phnom Penh?

As you can imagine, the late King's funeral resulted in several major changes from daily life in Cambodia's capital:

• Friday and Monday were declared public holidays to allow everyone to partake in the events. Most Khmer were dressed in the ceremonial mourning colors of white shirts and black pants/skirts, and many wore white and black ribbons bearing the late King's image.

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Mourners and spectators viewing the funeral procession. Photo credit: Dave Koken