Christmas is the most festive seasons of the year, particularly for Filipinos who celebrate it in a really merry and colorful fashion. These are traditions I have grown up with and hold special meaning for me.

But how do you celebrate the holidays with a husband who is not Christian and in a place where Christmas is just another day? For the past six years that has been what I have been adjusting to.

Some say our differences are so great but for the past years I have learned that the Christmas season is another great way for both of us to overcome our differences.Every year is a learning experience for us and we now celebrate the holidays in our own unique way.

The best tip I could offer is to PLAN and TALK. Plan in advance what kind of celebration you want to have. It should be a plan both you,your husband and children are comfortable with. Talk about what activities you want to hold and what traditions you want to keep.

Last week, Cambodia celebrated its Independence Day and though the country has been independent from French rule for a long time, French influence is still very evident throughout the city. I can still see some French-style buildings and they are just beautiful. It’s really a pity that a lot of these buildings have been destroyed during the civil war.

They also love French bread and these freshly baked baquettes are available in almost all corners. It’s crisp and really delicious plus its really so cheap!

There are also trees along most streets, most of them the flowering variety. This is really a welcome change from the stark city scape of Manila which we’ve had for a few years.

Phnom Penh also has some newly upgraded wide gardens and parks where you can sit, relax, do some people watching. This is, indeed, a city of contradictions, everywhere you can see developments, skycrapers are being constructed here and there yet people still have the time to have a break, kids fly kites, families sit together in parks. These parks are great additions since the city is getting more and more cramped.

Cambodians have also embraced the French’ love of lights and fountains.During weekend nights and holidays, its just great to take a drive to the parks near the riverside and the palace. There you can see fountains and lights on display. Entertaining, interesting and best of all, free! Here’s a nightime photo of the Independence Monument and its colorful fountains..

There’s also a newly installed fountain on the park near Sotheros St. The lights, fountains and music show is a must watch though it gets a bit crowded. Hope I could take photos of that sometime..

Cambodians resemble Filipinos a lot in terms of physical features and that is hardly surprising since were both South East Asians. I think the difference between the two is the way we clothe ourselves. The weather here is same as in the Philippines and it could get really hot but Khmers veer towards the conservative side, prefering long sleeved shirts and long pants while most Pinoys I know her prefer casual clothing as in shirts and shorts.

So when I am here in Phnom Penh I don’t really want to be stared at so I stay away from tank tops and short shorts and I go for short sleeved T-shirts and pedal shorts so I am usually mistaken for a Khmer as long as I don’t speak. I know a smattering of Khmer but still when I speak its with an accent and they can’t understand me.

My husband on the other hand, is  of Chinese descent but was born and raised here in Phnom Penh so he is often mistaken for a Chinese, Korean or a Japanese tourist.

The other day we went to Tuol Tom Poung Market and we found it both so funny that the sellers there keep calling me “Bong” which means elder sister or “ate” in Tagalog. When they see my husband they would say, “Monsieur, can we help you?”. And they would end up laughing when my husband would respond to them in fluent Khmer.

And those incidents happen not only in markets, when hubby is driving, he has been stopped by the police several times asking to check his license, believing him to be a foreigner.

In Angkor Wat, foreigners have to pay for a visitor pass (about $20) while Cambodian nationals and holders of K1 visa can go in for free. The last time we visited, they asked to check his visitor’s pass and they didn’t bother checking for mine thinking I was Khmer and he was the foreigner. The same thing happened when he went there with a Filipina friend.

We both find it so amusing and I guess I have to learn to speak the language so I could play the part really well.

Everything is different. The language, the sounds, the smell, the way people dress themselves, the food, even the very air is different. At times, I find it strange and I feel lost. Most times, I find it interesting and exotic.

Yes, my family is now in Phnom Penh and this will be our home now. After several years of post-graduate studies, Hi-ace has completed his doctorate studies and it’s a new start for all of us.

The last time I’ve been to Phnom Penh was four years ago and I can see a lot of changes. Public works has improved, there are more vehicles around and you encounter heavier traffic unlike before. There are a lot of things I love about this city but one thing I don’t appreciate is its horrendous traffic. For some reason, people here has utter disregard of traffic rules and regulations. We live very near the Russian/ Tuol Tompoung Market and near the intersection I have noticed the newly installed traffic light complete with timers. When I have nothing to do I like observing how motorists and pedestrians behave. A big number of them doesn’t even follow the traffic signals and prefer jamming the intersection. Traffic is simply one of the things you have to learn to adjust to here in Phnom Penh.

Marriage is a lot of hard work. More so if you are in an interracial marriage. I am a Filipina born and raised in the Philippines and married to a pure Chinese who was born and raised up in Cambodia. I’m sure you can now imagine the differences in our traditions, value systems as well as the lifestyle we got used to. We’ve been together for almost 8 years already and I would say it helps that we consider these difference not as nuisance but more of the” spice” of our marriage.

I don’t consider myself an authority on marriage or interracial marriage, I just want to impart some things I have over the years of being in one. I’ve realized to have a happy marriage requires a lot of love, patience, commitment, respect, and loads of sense of humor.

1. Don’t say YOU DO IT WRONG..I’ve learned that these puts my hubby on the defensive. And after thinking about it, its actually wrong of me to assume that the my way is the ONLY right way. Now I know better, instead of saying “YOU DO IT WRONG” I’d say , “Ah, YOU DO IT DIFFERENTLY THAN I WOULD DO IT..” Whenever I say it that way, he doesn’t even get offended, he even tells me why he’s doing it that way..

2. Respect each others RELIGION. These is often a very touchy subject. But the main thing that works for this is respect. I am a Roman Catholic and my husband is a Buddhist. We got married in Catholic rites but I never forced him to be baptized as Catholic. We had a mixed marriage which the Church allows. I respect him and his religion. We firmly believe that our religions are neither right or wrong, its simply different. (He goes to church with me and same with me sometime I attend Buddhist rituals..)