Thursday, September 2, 2010

Clovers / shamrocks

This photo was taken near a Cambodian pagoda in Adelaide, South Australia. I went there a month ago with my uncle and his wife and felt interested in a lot of 3-leaf clovers around the pagoda. One of my colleagues told me that 4-leaf clover might bring good luck to their finders, especially if found accidentally. It is believed that each leaf represents one valuable thing: the first is for hope, the second is for faith, the third is for love, and the fourth is for luck.


Unfortunately, I could not find any 4-leaf clover on that day but I learnt that the monks here can eat meat. It is weird! They follow Theravada Buddhism (Phật giáo Tiểu Thừa or Nam Tông) which is found mainly in Mekong Delta region and mostly practised by ethnic-Khmers. I also knew a new word that is "Khmer Krom" to refer to Khmer people living in the Mekong Delta area (người Việt gốc Campuchia).


I observed a class for Cambodian kids in the pagoda. The kids are so lovely. They study Cambodian language here at the weekends. There are only 2 volunteer teachers. They are really dedicated to the kids.