As the rigorous researcher, I tried to get a little more acquainted with the cultures of Peley and Raji.
Cambodia is located in South East Asia and is between Thailand and Vietnam. Culturally most Cambodians are Buddhists. And interestingly, Birthdays are not big events like in the West. People of the older Cambodian generation may not even know their date of birth as many lost their birth certificates during the Khmer Rouge Years. This was a period of war torn times. So culturally, the year of the birth is know and birthdays aren’t stressed as highly important events like it is in the U.S.“India is a land of diversities. This diversity is also visible in the spheres of religion. The major religions of India are Hinduism (majority religion), Islam (largest minority religion), Sikhism, Christianity, Buddhism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism and the Bahá'í Faith”( http://www.culturalindia.net/indian-art/paintings/index.html)
As far as art work goes nature is a very common theme and is something Raji demonstrates with his intricate floral designs. Unfortunately this cultural feature leads his talented artwork neglected and instead he is called “girly.”
Resources utilized:
Central Intelligence Agency. "https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cb.html." The World Factbook. US Government, CIA, n.d. Web. 3 Oct. 2010. <https://www.cia.gov/index.html>.
"Indian Culture - Cultural India - Culture of India - Cultural Heritage of India - Cultural Attractions in India - Indian Cultural Heritage." Indian Culture - Cultural India - Culture of India - Cultural Heritage of India - Cultural Attractions in India - Indian Cultural Heritage. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Oct. 2010. <http://www.culturalindia.net>.
I know that we have yet to mention this chapter in our discussion, but the lack of importance explains lots of Peley's families disinterest and lack of importance put on the school's celebration of birthdays. It's kind of shocking to see a culture that does not find importance in birthdays.
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