Elections today, border issue talks tomorrow.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Two weeks with 11 Aussies
If you want to see photos of when the team was here go to Village Visit. If you want to read about my experience of hosting a team of 11 Aussies for 2 weeks then keep reading.
The group was from one of my churches in Australia. Soeun and I really enjoyed their visit, and felt really encouraged to know this church is partnering with us. I've been on this sort of trip before, but I've never been the one organising it. Before I nervous, wondering what it would be like. It was exciting and exhausting to have them here. They were all very eager to learn and had many questions.
Some random things in no particular order:
*A Cambodian hired a bus for us. It was a bus for 20 people, so I told the team it would be big enough for us and our bags (11, plus a Khmer friend, plus me and driver=14 people). However the night before I was told it only had 16 seats! When the bus turned up in the morning it actually had only 12 seats!!!!
A bus for 20 people does not mean a bus with 20 seats. Even though I know that Cambodians pack more people and things into a smaller space than I'm used to, I didn't realise what was going on here until I saw the bus.
When buying a seat in an interprovince taxi ex pats usually buy 2 seats each , just so they can get what we would call a full seat.
So I guess that's an example of how different cultures/different mindsets can have misunderstandings. So if you know any people working cross culturally, this is something to pray for them.
*When we visited places the team did an Australian presentation. I really enjoyed it it! It was also fun for me to listen to the translation. From this I learnt the Khmer word for "state" (as in what Australia has instead of provinces) and Indigenous people as well as hearing 4 different translations of life guard/lifesaver (surf). I only understood 3 of them though.
*Team members kept commenting on things I've never noticed, like the way people modify their moto engines, and that cows here are skinnier than in Oz. I don't remember seeing cows up so close in Oz, and I never really look at motos.
There is a big gap between rich and poor here, many team members were seeing this for the first time. This was interesting for me to see as I guess I've gotten a bit used to it.
I learnt more about Cambodia by watching them learn about it, I guess different people see different things.
*I think I felt a bit of reverse culture shock when they left. Three Cambodians and I went to the airport to say goodbye to the team, then the four of us went out to dinner afterwards. As soon as the team left I found my 3 Khmer companions began to speak Khmer language! I could only understand a little of what they were saying, and I couldn't contribute to the conversation. This continued over dinner and I felt frustrated and left out.
At first I felt surprised that this was happening. But actually that's what my life is like most of the time, it was just a surprise because I had been part of an English speaking group for two weeks.
*Before they left one of them must have gone around our house putting clip on koalas everywhere. I keep seeing them in the strangest places all over our house.
The group was from one of my churches in Australia. Soeun and I really enjoyed their visit, and felt really encouraged to know this church is partnering with us. I've been on this sort of trip before, but I've never been the one organising it. Before I nervous, wondering what it would be like. It was exciting and exhausting to have them here. They were all very eager to learn and had many questions.
Some random things in no particular order:
*A Cambodian hired a bus for us. It was a bus for 20 people, so I told the team it would be big enough for us and our bags (11, plus a Khmer friend, plus me and driver=14 people). However the night before I was told it only had 16 seats! When the bus turned up in the morning it actually had only 12 seats!!!!
A bus for 20 people does not mean a bus with 20 seats. Even though I know that Cambodians pack more people and things into a smaller space than I'm used to, I didn't realise what was going on here until I saw the bus.
When buying a seat in an interprovince taxi ex pats usually buy 2 seats each , just so they can get what we would call a full seat.
So I guess that's an example of how different cultures/different mindsets can have misunderstandings. So if you know any people working cross culturally, this is something to pray for them.
*When we visited places the team did an Australian presentation. I really enjoyed it it! It was also fun for me to listen to the translation. From this I learnt the Khmer word for "state" (as in what Australia has instead of provinces) and Indigenous people as well as hearing 4 different translations of life guard/lifesaver (surf). I only understood 3 of them though.
*Team members kept commenting on things I've never noticed, like the way people modify their moto engines, and that cows here are skinnier than in Oz. I don't remember seeing cows up so close in Oz, and I never really look at motos.
There is a big gap between rich and poor here, many team members were seeing this for the first time. This was interesting for me to see as I guess I've gotten a bit used to it.
I learnt more about Cambodia by watching them learn about it, I guess different people see different things.
*I think I felt a bit of reverse culture shock when they left. Three Cambodians and I went to the airport to say goodbye to the team, then the four of us went out to dinner afterwards. As soon as the team left I found my 3 Khmer companions began to speak Khmer language! I could only understand a little of what they were saying, and I couldn't contribute to the conversation. This continued over dinner and I felt frustrated and left out.
At first I felt surprised that this was happening. But actually that's what my life is like most of the time, it was just a surprise because I had been part of an English speaking group for two weeks.
*Before they left one of them must have gone around our house putting clip on koalas everywhere. I keep seeing them in the strangest places all over our house.
Going to school
My in laws are in high school, so the issue in here is one we often think about. Parents pay teachers bribes.
Today in Cambodia...
If you want to find out the latest about the Cambodia/Thai tension you may have heard on the news this month or the national election this Sunday, try these links:
Phnom Penh Post
Everyday
Asian Observer
Mirror (mirrors Cambodian language media)
Some blogs that have political/ sensitive Cambodian news: KI media and Khmerization
Phnom Penh Post
Everyday
Asian Observer
Mirror (mirrors Cambodian language media)
Some blogs that have political/ sensitive Cambodian news: KI media and Khmerization
Friday, July 18, 2008
Village visit
I have just come back from a visit to a village. I went with a group from Australia. Some of them had a go at planting rice and making Khmer noodles.
Some also tried their hand at using a weaving loom.
We saw lots of palms and banana trees. Some of our transport was by cow or donkey cart. At one point the cow got excited and ran away, while it was supposed to be pulling the cart!
It has been great having the group visit. I've had fun showing them around my world, including walking to my local market and a bus out to visit my in laws. These are things I usually do by myself. Many of the group members I already knew before this trip, but I hadn't seen them for about 10 years, so its been good to get to know them again. One member has spent some time with Soeun talking about the music stuff we wrote about the other month in an email, as well as bringing some resources to help him with it.
Some also tried their hand at using a weaving loom.
We saw lots of palms and banana trees. Some of our transport was by cow or donkey cart. At one point the cow got excited and ran away, while it was supposed to be pulling the cart!
It has been great having the group visit. I've had fun showing them around my world, including walking to my local market and a bus out to visit my in laws. These are things I usually do by myself. Many of the group members I already knew before this trip, but I hadn't seen them for about 10 years, so its been good to get to know them again. One member has spent some time with Soeun talking about the music stuff we wrote about the other month in an email, as well as bringing some resources to help him with it.I haven't checked my email for about 2 weeks, so don't be offended if I haven't answered you yet!
Friday, July 04, 2008
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Alfresco shower Khmer style
Well, was going to tell you that I went back in time and took this photo of Soeun when he was little. But he just told me in his village they didn't have a pump like this, but a well. He had to pull water out of the well with a bucket.Political debate blog
A blog by a Cambodian living in Australia. It's an interesting blog, here is why its written:
" people are talking freely and daringly about the injustices around the world, and particularly about the current state of affairs of their motherland, Cambodia. For this reason, and this reason a lone, that I decided to create my own blog in order to enter into the political debate about the injustices, human right abuses, corruption and poverty in order to make a contirbution to improving things in the world, but particularly in my motherland, Cambodia."
" people are talking freely and daringly about the injustices around the world, and particularly about the current state of affairs of their motherland, Cambodia. For this reason, and this reason a lone, that I decided to create my own blog in order to enter into the political debate about the injustices, human right abuses, corruption and poverty in order to make a contirbution to improving things in the world, but particularly in my motherland, Cambodia."
Sunday, June 08, 2008
Fish Massage
There's kind of a moat (is that how you spell it?) around the hall on campus. Recently students have started sitting with their feet in the water. Small fish with 7 colours "nibble" at their feet as you can see here. There is actually a massage place in town where you sit in the water and fish massage your whole body. I tried sticking my feet in the school moat but it just felt ticklish.
Saturday, June 07, 2008
Some more links
Blog of a Aussie Christian girl who works at a kids centre, I don't know her but her blog is interesting.
And this blog has comments about everyday issues here, such as dogs (for food) , crocs (for pets) , corruption and more.
And this blog has comments about everyday issues here, such as dogs (for food) , crocs (for pets) , corruption and more.
Waterfall picnic
One Saturday we went to have lunch on a hill. It was about a 2 hour drive from Phnom Penh. Soeun’s small group had prepared a picnic lunch of beef rice and veggies. The rice was in our rice cooker, just cooked that morning. The beef was cut up and marinating in our big saucepan. We also took an esky (ice box) full of drinks and ice, as well as our huge water container.We got out of the school’s bus at the entrance. After paying the gate fee we packed the picnic on an ox- cart and began the 3.5 km walk to the waterfall. It was nice to be walking through bush, not something you can do in the city!
However after about 1km we found we had to unpack the picnic from the ox-cart. The rest of the walk is too steep and rocky. So the rest of the way we carried everything. Between the heat, the slope, the rocks and the heavy stuff it wasn’t pleasant walk anymore. We had to keep stopping for breaks, we were all so exhausted.
The last straw for me was when my shoe broke. By that time we were already at the top. But I was so exhausted I couldn’t imagine how I was going to walk back down again.
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Sunshine Centre links
There are a few Aussie CMS missionarys in Cambodia. One of them works at a centre for kids. There are heaps of orphanages in Phnom Penh, but this is a bit different.
It was started when some CMSers saw kids working as rubbish collectors. They opened a place kids could wash, eat, get medical care etc.
I understand that many of the children in orphanages in Cambodia do have parents still living. Sometimes if parents can't look after their kids they end up living in orphanages.
Sunshine Centre tries to help the children and their whole family too, so the kids can grow up in their family.
If you want to know more you can visit their new website Sunshine Centre and have a look at the Sunshine blog.
It was started when some CMSers saw kids working as rubbish collectors. They opened a place kids could wash, eat, get medical care etc.
I understand that many of the children in orphanages in Cambodia do have parents still living. Sometimes if parents can't look after their kids they end up living in orphanages.
Sunshine Centre tries to help the children and their whole family too, so the kids can grow up in their family.
If you want to know more you can visit their new website Sunshine Centre and have a look at the Sunshine blog.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Rainy season is here!
It was so hot in March and April, but this month its been cool and rainy. I'd forgotton how muddy the market is, and how hard it is to ride a bike when you can't see the potholes.Remember what I wrote last October? (Click here.) And the photos I took after a storm. Its like that again! Ok, well not everyday is like that, but a few weeks ago we had a big storm. Even though I closed all our doors and windows the rain still came in! And out house is a few metres off the ground.
A day in the life of a Bible School Student
5:30am Wake up: read Bible, clean girls toilets near classrooms (she gets paid by school to do this each morning), clean dorm, shower, dress. All the students in Cambodian schools/colleges/universities wear a white shirt and navy skirt/pants.7:00am Breakfast. Rice with either fried pork or egg and a carrot and cucumber salad.
7:30-9:30am Class
9:30am Chapel or prayer groups depending on day of the week
10:00am Break
10:20-12:15 Class
12:15pm Lunch. Rice with either soup, stir fry or fried fish.
After lunch: Students who don’t live in campus go home either before or after lunch , students who do usually go to their dorm for an afternoon rest.
Afternoon: Extra classes like ag and English are in the afternoons. Often students wash their clothes (by hand- no washing machines in dorms). Sometimes they have other activities to do like cleaning/gardening the school- like SMBC duties.
6:00pm ish Dinner time. Same type of food as lunch.
7:30pm On campus students have Quiet time (individual prayer and Bible reading) or evening chapel depending on day of week
8:00- 10:00pm On campus students go to the library and do their homework.
Then bedtime!
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