Sunday, May 16, 2010
On the way home from Kampot
On the way home we suddenly started hearing a funny noise. We pulled over and found out why. See photo.
Neither of us has ever changed a tyre, but Soeun managed to take off this one and put on the spare one in the boot. We went back to the nearest town and got a new tyre after that.
While we waited for them to work out the old one couldn't be fixed, and to put the new one on I amused myself by watching the traffic. It was really hot and dusty, but it was interesting to see a two men and a bike riding a bike, and to count how many people on each moto.
Or try to guess how many people in and on each van, and marvel at the amazingly big loads hanging off the back. See photo!
As it was the kings birthday Cambodian flags lined the streets as you might be able to see here. A common sight is that huge sign with the Prime Minister and two other important people, can you see it?
Neither of us has ever changed a tyre, but Soeun managed to take off this one and put on the spare one in the boot. We went back to the nearest town and got a new tyre after that.
While we waited for them to work out the old one couldn't be fixed, and to put the new one on I amused myself by watching the traffic. It was really hot and dusty, but it was interesting to see a two men and a bike riding a bike, and to count how many people on each moto.
Or try to guess how many people in and on each van, and marvel at the amazingly big loads hanging off the back. See photo!
As it was the kings birthday Cambodian flags lined the streets as you might be able to see here. A common sight is that huge sign with the Prime Minister and two other important people, can you see it?
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Too messy to worship
The other night we were talking idols and images of gods. I brought up the "classic Jesus" picture as an example of a picture of the God of Western Christianity. You know the guy with the long hair and dress?
Kimsoeun said from his non- Western point of view it seemed funny that people would have someone so messy looking for their god. He doesn't even shave his beard.
He contrasted the Jesus images to a picture of some kind of divine man in Buddhism. This man is worthy of worship- he is clean, spotless, blemish free.
Although interestingly Soeun first started going to church after seeing the Jesus movie.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT
"Diarrhea!"
That was the first thing one of the students said to me when they got to school the other morning, I didn't even get a "hello, how are you?".
The day before a group of us had been making and eating papaya salad in English Fellowship group (we had been learning food words, and cooking together was a chance to put it into practice).
This particular student ate heaps of salad, and they told me that this always causes them to get diarrhea. I was laughing as they said this. Why were they eating so much if they knew they were going to get sick?
Making papaya salad in class is one of the few high points of the last little while. Mostly I have been feeling really hot and tired. This hot season is unusually hot and unusually long.
It has been hard to go to bed at night knowing it will probably be a sleepless one.
It has been hard to get up in the morning, yet another sleepy hot day.
Last night we slept on the living room floor, night before with wet sheets around us. Lots of power cuts- which means the fan doesn't work!
Usually the heat starts in late March and I think its usually cooler by now. This year it started to get hot in late Feb.
Katherine wants to know if others in Cambodia think this hot season has been longer and hotter than usual, cos i reckon it has, and i've talked to others who say the same but not sure if we say that every year when we are hot and grumpy and then forget what it was like? it started in late feb, instead of march this year, and at school they can now use a/c in AM, used to only use in in PM
Some replies to that were:
YES YES YES YES ... here in Siem Reap it has not gone below 33 on my digital thermometer ... and that's even at 1am ... I can't ever remember it being this hot for this long ...
38 in our lounge and really bad electrical surges mean the air con's not working properly. Both the girls have woken up during this evening drenched with sweat and crying cos they're too hot.
Woke up 6 or 7 times the night before last drenched in sweat and ended up keeping the fan on for the rest of the night, which I've rarely done in the past. Had to tecah Sunday School yesterday with sweat dripping off my nose and down my legs and that's when we put the fans on, which we never need to do normally.
8.17 pm, its 34.8 celcius in my livingroom right now. Hot hot hot
That was the first thing one of the students said to me when they got to school the other morning, I didn't even get a "hello, how are you?".
The day before a group of us had been making and eating papaya salad in English Fellowship group (we had been learning food words, and cooking together was a chance to put it into practice).
This particular student ate heaps of salad, and they told me that this always causes them to get diarrhea. I was laughing as they said this. Why were they eating so much if they knew they were going to get sick?
Making papaya salad in class is one of the few high points of the last little while. Mostly I have been feeling really hot and tired. This hot season is unusually hot and unusually long.
It has been hard to go to bed at night knowing it will probably be a sleepless one.
It has been hard to get up in the morning, yet another sleepy hot day.
Last night we slept on the living room floor, night before with wet sheets around us. Lots of power cuts- which means the fan doesn't work!
Usually the heat starts in late March and I think its usually cooler by now. This year it started to get hot in late Feb.
Katherine wants to know if others in Cambodia think this hot season has been longer and hotter than usual, cos i reckon it has, and i've talked to others who say the same but not sure if we say that every year when we are hot and grumpy and then forget what it was like? it started in late feb, instead of march this year, and at school they can now use a/c in AM, used to only use in in PM
Some replies to that were:
YES YES YES YES ... here in Siem Reap it has not gone below 33 on my digital thermometer ... and that's even at 1am ... I can't ever remember it being this hot for this long ...
38 in our lounge and really bad electrical surges mean the air con's not working properly. Both the girls have woken up during this evening drenched with sweat and crying cos they're too hot.
Woke up 6 or 7 times the night before last drenched in sweat and ended up keeping the fan on for the rest of the night, which I've rarely done in the past. Had to tecah Sunday School yesterday with sweat dripping off my nose and down my legs and that's when we put the fans on, which we never need to do normally.
8.17 pm, its 34.8 celcius in my livingroom right now. Hot hot hot
Sunday, May 09, 2010
Some more photos of the long colourful day.
At 7am I was sweating already,and it turned out to be such a long hot day. This is me in the fruit procession, that's the first big thing that happens. My mother in law gave me the fabric for that top, its the sort of thing that people wear to weddings here.
I think Khmer wedding cakes are more for looking at than eating! Note the cans of silly string all lined up ready for use. I've been told cake cutting in a fairly new thing in Khmer weddings.
Guess what we did on the weekend?
Huge temporary outdoor kitchen...
As well as coconuts, can you see what else is in the tree?
...huge speakers and colourful tent set up near the house...
Kimsoeun borrowed a friend's camera so he could take photos at this wedding in Kandal province. We stayed over on Friday night so we could be there at 6.30am for the start. We got back to Phnom Penh around 10pm- it was a very long day!
Friday, May 07, 2010
Introducing Surprise!
I'm beginning an occasional series on this blog called "Surprise!". Actually the first one is back here:
http://khmerkronicle.blogspot.com/2009/12/how-rude.html
(links aren't working today??? anyone know how to fix this?)
How Rude! is about the time I offended my mother in law by saying "Come to our room". I had no idea that she thought that was rude.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
On the weekend Soeun preached at a school a few hours out of town. He often preaches at church, and the Bible school, so usually to groups of Christians he knows. But this was to a group made up of many non Christians as well as Christians. It was hard to prepare as he didn't know them. He ended up having to change some of his illustrations as he went.
He stayed over night and preached the next day too, so he got to know them a bit. He was surprised to find they knew how to sing one of the songs he wrote, and they were surprised to find he was the songwriter.
(It turned out the students from the Bible school who work there had taught this group one of Kimsoeun's song.)
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Previously in side bar April in Cambodia
This month Khmer people welcome the new year angel. Each year one angel looks after the country, and Khmer New year is when they swap over happens. April 14th, 7.30am is when it will take place this year (took place). It was so surreal the first time I experienced it,
http://khmerkronicle.blogspot.com/2009/04/surreal.html
to find out more. Everyone (well, not Christians) put up a table like this with food and flowers for the angel, and each year the angel wants to eat a particular thing. I think last year it was blood, this year it is milk.
Friday, April 16, 2010
New Year traffic
This photo is from
http://ki-media.blogspot.com/2010/04/caution-urged-for-travel-on-holiday.html
as they report about traffic at this time of year "
"In only three days over last year’s celebrations, 52 people were killed and 233 seriously injured in more than 500 accidents, the National Committee for Traffic Safety said in a statement Wednesday."
We saw an average of one accident per hour on our trip, and there were other chalk markings on the ground to show there had been accidents earlier on in the day.
(I can't seem to do links today.)
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Happy New Year
This is the hottest time of year! Actually this year it seemed to start at the end of Feb, a month early, so by now I feel like we have been hot for a long time. Lots of people (including us) find it hard to sleep so we're all hot, tired and grumpy! Some of the students have been sleeping on a wet towel on the the floor. It's even worse when the power goes off- no fan!
Anyway, also at this time if year people are playing khmer new year games and dancing. This photo is of this years decoration in the hall at school.
At the top of the side bar you should see a photo and explanation of what happens at Khmer new year.
When Soeun was young he lived in a village. All of April was one big holiday. They finished one rice cycle in March and they didn't start the next one until May. It was so hot they rested during the day and played games at night. But for city dwellers these days it is a three day public holiday.
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
More hearts and other figures of speech
There is a Khmer pop song around these days with a line "two hearts", I'm told it means unfaithful. I thought that was interesting as in Hebrew "two hearts/minds" means you are telling a lie. While in English being in 2 minds about something means you haven't decided yet. And two faced in English means you are a hypocrite.
A heavy heart in Khmer means you are persevering, while a light heart means you aren't standing your ground. Maybe like a feather in the wind, it is light so it gets blown around easily, while a heavy rock will stand firm.
If a room is messy, in English we may call it a pig sty (sp?) as pigs are known for being messy. In Khmer they say a "pig's nest". Yes , nest as in what birds live in, it is not what they call pig's houses, but they think of nests as chaotic and messy. So to emphasise the point they say call a messy room a "messy dwelling of a messy animal" .
A heavy heart in Khmer means you are persevering, while a light heart means you aren't standing your ground. Maybe like a feather in the wind, it is light so it gets blown around easily, while a heavy rock will stand firm.
If a room is messy, in English we may call it a pig sty (sp?) as pigs are known for being messy. In Khmer they say a "pig's nest". Yes , nest as in what birds live in, it is not what they call pig's houses, but they think of nests as chaotic and messy. So to emphasise the point they say call a messy room a "messy dwelling of a messy animal" .
Easter Saturday
By Friday afternoon last week we were both feeling hot and exhausted, as you may guess if you've read the previous post. This time of year is so hot, so sleeping is hard, which makes everything harder. And KS had been busy with all the funeral stuff.
It was so nice on Saturday to wake up to an overcast rainy day! It turned out to be such a nice, quiet and cool relaxing day, with nothing hard to do. Most hot days I just do the minimum to get through the day, but on Saturday I had spare energy to cook hot cross buns!
In Australia I normally know Easter is coming as there are school holidays on the way and eggs and buns in the shop. In China I knew Easter was coming as the church spends heaps of time preparing for a big long Easter service. Also because it is the beginning of spring, when the grey of the last half year begins to end. The leaves and flowers start coming out, the coal dust in the air clears a bit, the birds start singing, the blobs of spit on the ground melt.......
But here I don't really notice it at all. Churches don't always celebrate Easter on Easter Sunday (they don't have Christmas on Dec 25 either). The biggest thing on the Cambodian calendar happens in mid April (New Year), so Easter tends to get a bit lost.
I did notice on Sunday people were burning things in big cans out the front of their houses. I guess it must have been a Chinese special day- I think grave sweeping is on at this time of year?
It was so nice on Saturday to wake up to an overcast rainy day! It turned out to be such a nice, quiet and cool relaxing day, with nothing hard to do. Most hot days I just do the minimum to get through the day, but on Saturday I had spare energy to cook hot cross buns!
In Australia I normally know Easter is coming as there are school holidays on the way and eggs and buns in the shop. In China I knew Easter was coming as the church spends heaps of time preparing for a big long Easter service. Also because it is the beginning of spring, when the grey of the last half year begins to end. The leaves and flowers start coming out, the coal dust in the air clears a bit, the birds start singing, the blobs of spit on the ground melt.......
But here I don't really notice it at all. Churches don't always celebrate Easter on Easter Sunday (they don't have Christmas on Dec 25 either). The biggest thing on the Cambodian calendar happens in mid April (New Year), so Easter tends to get a bit lost.
I did notice on Sunday people were burning things in big cans out the front of their houses. I guess it must have been a Chinese special day- I think grave sweeping is on at this time of year?
Thursday, April 01, 2010
A Christian funeral
Kimsoeun's friend's dad died recently after being sick since around September(the last week and half he has been waiting for this). Kimsoeun left school after lunch and spent until dark in the family's district
When KS got back last night he said he was encouraged to see that the church members had taken over the preparations. I think one of the things that happens on the first day is the washing of the body, it's a community event. Often Christians end up having a Buddhist funeral as the relatives will start all the things straight away, but sounds like the church members were there already. The family (father and siblings) are not Christians, but they didn't protest. (I guess that must be hard for them, if they have certain beliefs of what needs to happen to the body to have a good next life.)
As well as church members I think pretty much all the students went as I and a staff member were the only ones at dinner last night.
Soeun went to preach there this morning, and will go back tonight for the burning of the body. When he's back at work today he'll be getting ready for the program of Jesus's death tomorrow- lots of death this week.
The coffin says : Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.
His 3rd year sts were eager to know what he was preaching from, as he has set some of them homework to prep a sermon for a funeral.
Update Sunday 4th: After the Good Friday program we found out another family in the community had a family member die. Then a few hours later we found out two more people had died. So some of the students who had been busy with funeral programs all week have to spend this weekend, not resting has they had hoped but helping people with funerals.
When KS got back last night he said he was encouraged to see that the church members had taken over the preparations. I think one of the things that happens on the first day is the washing of the body, it's a community event. Often Christians end up having a Buddhist funeral as the relatives will start all the things straight away, but sounds like the church members were there already. The family (father and siblings) are not Christians, but they didn't protest. (I guess that must be hard for them, if they have certain beliefs of what needs to happen to the body to have a good next life.)
As well as church members I think pretty much all the students went as I and a staff member were the only ones at dinner last night.
Soeun went to preach there this morning, and will go back tonight for the burning of the body. When he's back at work today he'll be getting ready for the program of Jesus's death tomorrow- lots of death this week.
The coffin says : Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.
His 3rd year sts were eager to know what he was preaching from, as he has set some of them homework to prep a sermon for a funeral.
Update Sunday 4th: After the Good Friday program we found out another family in the community had a family member die. Then a few hours later we found out two more people had died. So some of the students who had been busy with funeral programs all week have to spend this weekend, not resting has they had hoped but helping people with funerals.
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