Over 30 years ago Paul and I went looking for land. We found many places that were nice before we bought near Cannon Falls. For many reasons these properties didn't work for us and I have forgotten most of them.
But one site stayed in our minds.
Through the years we would drive by and watch as it changed. The house was made larger. Then a temple was built in front.
Recently a larger temple was built on the hillside behind it becoming the newest and largest Cambodian Buddhist temple in the United States. The Watt Munisotaram Temple is reported to cost $1.5 million and is 50 feet tall. It's located three miles west of Hampton, MN.
Their Open House led to our visit.
The temple is richly decorated with brilliant colors. Huge snakes or dragons decorate the railings and other carved creatures stand guard by the doors.
I had decided to change my usual attire of jeans and boots for a long dress just to show respect. (Though I had a concern about the appliquéd giraffes on my skirt and I hoped they were not a symbol of anything bad in their culture!)
When I got there I noticed that only a few women had long dresses on. A lot of the teenage girls were wearing short-shorts, in fact!
I had figured I might have to take off my shoes so I brought little socks to put on. But when I saw the nice carpet inside I knew it would feel good to walk on it barefoot. (I'm pretty sure that's not their reason!)
Orange robed monks mingled in the crowd appearing like a time warp to an ancient civilization. So it startled me when I heard a cell phone ring and saw a monk reach inside his robes to pull his phone out! (They have pockets in those things?)
The stairways and promenades outside the new temple were teeming with bustling Asian folk. At the far end I saw two taller Caucasian people who could be "tourists", like me.
And like one does in a "foreign country," I walked over and started a conversation with someone who looked like they were from "home.
"We talked about how some of the Cambodian refugees had located here and what struggles they had gone through leaving their homeland. And this "foreigner" brought to light another aspect of the relocating of Cambodians to the U.S.
He explained, They had been fighting for freedom... not to support the U.S. And by doing that, they had to leave their homeland. But they got freedom here.
He continued, although some of those refugees might still want to take back their homeland, if you ask some of their children and grandchildren who have been brought up here, you would find they rather think of the United States as their home.
Paul in the meantime had started talking to a Cambodian woman whom he later found out had worked at the same company he had.
Looks like we're all "home."
