Ho Chi Minh City

After an absolutely wonderful Christmas service at New Life Church (Neth and Ata were helping lead the worship) Neth, Ata, and I boarded a bus with the "Khai Nam" bus line to Ho Chi Minh City. It is only a $16 round trip by bus from Phnom Penh to HCMC and it takes about 6 hours. This is the first time that Neth and Ata have been out of the country together. It is my first time being out of Phnom Penh since I arrived on July 31. Ho Chi Minh City is like Phnom Penh on steroids - taller buildings, thicker crowds, a little nicer selection of stores, and worse traffic. Walking to breakfast this morning I noticed that the sidewalks are more for motos than they are for pedestrians. At least there are sidewalks! Phnom Penh has very few.

When we arrived in HCMC we met a friend who splits her time between PP and HCMC - working two businesses non-stop and taking care of her mother who lives in HCMC. She helped us get booked into the hotel and then took us to a wonderful restaurant that served us a huge platter of greens and a very thin semi-crispy tortilla like wrap that was like what you would find around an eggroll before it is fried. It was the healthiest meal I have eaten in a restaurant in a very long time. The first word that I learned in Vietnamese is the word for "thank you"; it is "cam ung". What I found interesting is that I remembered how I have been struggling in Phnom Penh - usually saying, "thank you" and then quickly catching myself and saying "ah koon". Now, here for some reason I find myself saying, "ah koon" and then quickly catching myself and saying "cam ung". Neth and I were also laughing on the bus ride about how in the States I don't fit in because of how I look - I look Asian, but all my language and cultural upbringing was American. Now here, in Asia, I look Asian, but I don't fit in because all my language and cultural upbringing is American.

I have noticed a couple of different Asian cultural traits that I am still not used to: 1) I mentioned before that it is typical in Asia to ask even a stranger how old they are, if they are married, and how much something cost (often before even asking their name), 2) Money grabbing is an acceptable practice - this morning, for example, I stopped by a street vendor to get breakfast and when it came time to pay he showed me a bill from his pocket, when I matched it he took it, gave it back to me and then grabbed a bill of a higher denomination right out of my hand. (21,000 dong to the dollar here). 3) The line culture in Asia is to push people and cut in front of people in line. At first I thought this was annoying and now I just find it entertaining. So, these little differences in culture are practices that I will probably (hopefully) never subscribe to, but which make me just a little different from the many other people (the vast majority of people) who look like me here.

I will post pictures of the beautiful dinner when I return to Phnom Penh. I took the pictures on my phone, but have no phone service here to send them to my email.

Big correction! After spending the day touring HCMC I must now say that it is nothing like Phnom Penh. Ho Chi Minh City is a thriving, prosperous, world-class city with shopping malls that rival any I have ever been to, world class office buildings, hotels, and restaurants, arts and parks. Today we (Neth, Ata, Minh, and I) walked through Central Park and we saw beautiful tall trees, gardens, and sculptures. We heard musicians in the park and saw a group of engineering students practicing for a flash mob. We went to the Diamond mall which houses a mega-department store and to several other modern malls. We walked down to the riverfront and at the city center saw a wonderful performing arts building and over one dozen world class hotels. That Catholic church in the city center towers majestically above the skyline near Central Park. The whole city is lit up and decorated for Christmas and looks absolutely stunning in the evening. I will go back with my camera to take some pictures, but will post some pictures from our walk in the park this morning.

 

The Most Unusual Christmas Caroling

Tonight I had one of the most unusual and meaningful evenings of singing Christmas Carols that I have ever had. At 8:00 I met a group at a place called “The Message Parlor” in the Golden Sorya Mall. Love 146 organized the group to sing Christmas Carols in one of the most notorious areas in Phnom Penh for illicit sexual activity. We first met at the Message Parlor to do introductions and pray. It was the largest Friday evening group I have ever seen at the Parlor – probably close to 25 people. In the introductions I was so encouraged to see such diversity of people and places represented in the group. There was a pastor from England there, a group of 4 young Americans who are part of the same team from The World Race (a missions organization that sends young adults to 11 countries in 11 months to serve short-term missions), a young man who works at the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh, several Cambodians, British, and American staff who work for Love 146, The Message Parlor, and Hard Places Community. After praying together we walked out to the entry to the mall and began singing Christmas Carols – we stood in the same place and sang for about 30 minutes. It was the most unusual setting.

I have sung Christmas Carols at hospitals, going from door to door in a neighborhood, at Christmas parties in homes, and in church, but I have never sung in a setting where only a few feet away people are smoking, drinking beer, and bartering for sex. A young woman came up to the group and stood right in front of us. She began to dance and to applaud. She seemed so lonely and although she smiled it seemed like she was in deep pain. As we sang I looked around the open mall and saw young women wearing tight, short skirts and high heels sitting with middle-aged men who were at tables drinking beer and smoking. Several times I coughed – choking on the cigarette smoke that billowed all about us (even in this open mall). It was such a palpable contrast, so different from any other setting that I have ever sung Christmas Carols in before.

As we sang and I saw all this and I thought that Jesus Christ came to earth and died for every one of us who was there tonight – for these men, for these women, for the woman dancing in front of us, and for each of us who were singing. God’s love is no less, no more, and no different for any one of us. I prayed that God’s Holy Spirit would be unleashed in that place and would break open the hard shells of hearts that kept people from knowing God’s love for them. As I prayed I knew beyond any shadow of doubt that God was in our presence. The Jesus Christ of the New Testament that I know would have been more likely to be singing and mingling with people at Golden Sorya than in the churches and decorated homes I have traditionally sung Carols in.  What a different, beautiful Christmas this has been and will be!

Meeting a Princess

About a month ago I met a woman, Nary, who comes to the gym most every day and runs on the treadmill. The first time I met her she was just returning from a marathon race (I think it was in Malaysia) and she had won it. It turns out that she is Cambodia's top woman long-distance runner. She is also a PhD scientist. This week she invited me to a dinner Christmas party at her home. When I pulled up to the driveway gate I was surprised to see that she lives not just in a home, but in a mansion that she had built 10 years ago. It is really spectacular. The architect who designed this home was also there. His name is Py and he is an avid cyclist. (He invited me to ride a great new route with him the following morning at 5:30. Man, is it ever dark at that time! It was like riding in a tunnel.) The gardens at Nary's home are beautiful - tall palm trees, ponds with lilies, hanging orchids, and vibrant Bougainvillea. There is also a very large elevated balcony that is covered and has a wrap around bench.

When one of the guests arrived Nary asked us all to listen for a minute and Nary put her arm around the guest who had just arrived and said, "This woman is my princess". I thought that was very sweet and wondered what this woman had done in my Nary's life to have made such a huge impact deserving of such a kind introduction. I knew that Nary lived here alone, but wondered, since I don't know her well, if calling this woman "her princess" was her way of introducing her partner. Later in the evening Nary offered to give a tour of her home. Only the "princess" and I decided to go. It was a very nice tour of the beautiful home and I found Nary's friend to be very affable and humble. Later on in the evening I found myself sitting on the bench next to Nary's "princess" wand we began talking about where we came from and the work that we do. Nary's friend has her own NGO to help children and also oversees four departments for a bank. I told her about the business Neth and I have started and we exchanged business cards. I looked at her card and noticed it read "Princess..." and I said, "Oh, so your name really is 'Princess'?" to which she replied, "Well, it is more of a title than a name." I took in a deep breath - contemplating the meaning of this.Yes, I really did meet a real life princess in this way. :) She arrived with no security detail. She behaved with no sign of arrogance or entitlement. And as I learned about the work that she is doing and the values she has I was really impressed by what a down-to-earth, caring and humble person she is.

Left to Right: Julie (a writer), me, Duangjai (from Thailand), Nary, and the Princess

Old Chinese Couple Make Their Own Solar Powered Car and Travel the World

As I wrote this title I realized that it sounded fictitious - like the storyline of a novel perhaps, but it is true. On my bike ride this morning I was hoping to again run into the Cambodian Para-Olympic athletes that I met last weekend, but they were no where to be found in the Diamond Island area where I last saw them training. As I made the loops around the Independence Monument - Diamond Island area, however, I spotted an unusual vehicle. From a distance behind it I thought that it looked something like a food cart - with the heavy tarp roof and bike wheels, but this one had two seats side-by-side and a center mounted steering column. As I rode closer I could see that the writing on the back of the vehicle's roof read, "Chinese old couple's low-carbon travel around the world". I was riding hard, timing my laps, and this one was on my fastest lap of the day, but after I passed them I thought that this was really a once-in-a-lifetime sighting and so I slowed to a stop and turned around to see where the couple was. At the intersection I had just gone through they were turning away from me. So, I turned around, rode hard to catch up to them, passing them, then quickly stopping and taking out my phone so I could snap a picture. They saw me and stopped.

 

They did not speak English, but they smiled and nodded as I quickly took a few pictures, smiled back at them and gave them a thumbs up.

This couple made this solar-powered vehicle themselves and they are traveling around the world in it. Pictures that were mounted on the vehicle showed that they sleep aboard this vehicle, pulling down a bug net around the perimeter of the vehicle.

You can see that there is a map attached to the back of this vehicle and on that map (not clear in this picture) is an outline of their route. You can also see that there is laundry hanging out to dry and a cooler mounted on the back right side.

I just think that this is one of the coolest things I have seen in a long time. What an adventurous couple these two are and what a great way to see the world!

Motodog

"Look, it's a bird; it's a plane...no, it's Motodog!"

I bet that on any given day in Phnom Penh I see over 1,000 motos. So, in the four and a half months that I have been in PP I have literally seen at least a hundred thousand motos, but today is the first time I have seen a dog on a moto. I have seen monks on motos (three yesterday with the Moto driver making four men on one Moto ). I have seen five people (two parents and three kids) on one moto. I have seen all kinds of crazy things on motos: including one loaded 8 feet high and several feet wide. But this is the first time I  have seen a dog on a moto.

Human Rights Day

Neth and I had a very busy day of work today. The time just seems to fly by - as evidenced by the fact that the first time I checked the time today I discovered that I had been sitting in the same spot working on drafting a plan for a new client and it had been 6 hours since I began - without even standing up once during that entire time. So, after a 10 hour work day I began the trek home by moto. Traffic was thick tonight! I was driving down Russian Blvd (one of the major roads in Phnom Penh) when the traffic completely stopped in all directions. There was a long line of monks blocking the street in protest for human rights. I truck with a banner reading "Justice brings Peace" was parked nearby and many of the monks held Cambodian flags and signs. It was a completely wonderful reason to be stopped for 10 minutes to observe and admire their cause, their perseverance, and their courage.





Since I have written recently about the beautiful sunrises here I wanted to share a picture that I took this morning from my balcony.

Back to Monkey Business

As the parking lot guard at the Cambodia Development office promised me yesterday the monkeys were out at 2:00 eating today. Instead of seeing them in the same spot I saw them last time I actually rode my bike around in the office area and saw a whole family (it appeared to be a mother, father, and three babies) all eating together in a grassy area.



I also took a picture of the tree that has all the bats in it. Yikes!



From being grossed out by all the bats I rode down to Diamond Island and did some loops around that area. On one of the side streets I saw these three young men and a fourth one (not pictured) who are all training for the Para-Olympics in Myanmar. They were really nice young men and told me that they practice every day from 7:00 in the morning. We compared the wheels on my bike to theirs and we were amused that they are very similar. One of them showed me his thick gloves and how worn they were. Another asked me how much my bike cost and it made me pause to look at how simple their equipment was and yet they are racing at world-class speeds. I saw them every time I did a lap on this street (about 7 laps) and we would smile and wave as we passed each other. On my last lap I stopped to talk with them a little more and wished them all well in the Para-Olympics.




On one of the laps I stopped to take this picture of a street cart with crabs and snails because it just looked so nice.



It is hard to make out, but the sign reads "Wonderful Group" and the building on that property is all burned out and dilapidated.  I thought that the only wonderful part was the irony of the sign.

  


I am very surprised by how far the river has receded in only a matter of a couple of weeks.

No Monkey Business, Just Amazing Sunrises

The sunrises in Asia are amazing! This morning was no exception, I woke up at 4:30 and after my morning devotions saw a bright golden-orange sun surrounded by a halo of orange clouds rise over the Phnom Penh horizon; it was splendidly beautiful. Later in the morning (at 6:30) I was riding my moto en route to play tennis with a couple of friends. On street 2004 I saw literally hundreds of people walking down the street and congregating at a building just off to my left. I believe that they are people who have walked from Cambodian provinces to participate in the large human rights demonstration planned for this Tuesday, a national holiday in Cambodia. After tennis I went for a bike ride ("gee cong") and since it was nearing 2:00 I decided to swing by Wat Phnom to see if I could see the monkeys again. I rode around and around Wat Phnom a half dozen times always slowing down in the spot where I had last seen the monkeys. I checked the clock on my bike computer and it was now 10 minutes past 2:00 - the time that the monkeys are reputed to come out to feed. No monkeys. So, I rode my bike onto the grounds of the Cambodia Development office. This is a huge property covered with tall trees and palms. I once saw two monkeys scamper across the street and climb the wall onto this property and the last time I saw the monkeys they came out from that property. As soon as I rode onto the property I was greeted by a guard. I indicated that I was interested in seeing the monkeys and that made him smile. He told me (at least I think this is what he said) that the monkeys only eat every other day and so today they wouldn't come out to eat, but to come back tomorrow. I told him that I saw them come out for food from his building a week ago and he said that they live in the trees on the property. He let me ride around the property, which I did slowly and all the while looking up into the trees, but I saw no monkeys. There was, however, a tall tree in one corner of this property that had hundreds of bats hanging from the limbs - from a distance appearing like large dead leaves. Yikes! I think I have animal prejudice. I love dogs and monkeys, but you can keep the snakes and bats. 

Monkeys!

In an earlier post I mentioned seeing two monkeys near Wat Phnom. On the tour of Phnom Penh this week we went to Wat Phnom and while there we spoke with some food vendors at Wat Phnom. They said that the monkeys come out to eat everyday at 2:00. Well, since learning about this on Thursday I have been eager to get back to Wat Phnom at 2:00 so I could see the monkeys. Today was the day. I got there about 10 minutes before 2:00 and there were no monkeys. I scanned the grounds and the trees, but there were no signs of any monkeys and then just like clockwork right at 2:00 a group of about 10 monkeys (including a few baby monkeys) appeared across the street and were eating coconuts, leaves of some sort, and hunting the grounds of scraps. They are so agile - sitting on top of the fence and using both "hands" to hold and maneuver food, crossing on telephone wires, jumping from one place to another high up in the air, and even sitting on a van's windshield wipers. They seemed a bit camera shy.

Today's Sunrise

Monkey descending wire to get food below

Agile monkey balancing on the fence while holding two coconut
shells and about to jump to the rooftop

Wat Phnom - hire wire monkey

 

 

 

Phnom Penh Tour

Today Neth and I took a tour of Phnom Penh with the Hard Places​ Community Punlok Thmey tour company. “Punlok Thmey” translates as “new growth” and is so named because of the transformational changes that Hard Places Community helps to facilitate in the lives of the young men who come to HPC from a life of living on the streets with no family. When these young men come to HPC they are received with unconditional love and are treated with dignity and respect, not judgment and condemnation. These young men are given free language instruction English and then are given the opportunity to use this newly acquired language skill to have a job working as a guide for the tour company. As our guide, Rotha, told us today – he now has a family; he is in God’s family. The tour is not a typical tourist’s tour of Phnom Penh, but this tour shows people places that locals go to and the guide gives a personal perspective on what it is like for Cambodians living in Phnom Penh. One thing that I learned today: the word “Phnom” translates “mountain” or “hill”. “Penh” is the name of a woman who, as legend has it, found a hollow log floating near her home during a flood and in the log she found 4 Buddha statues. She saw this as a sign that she was to build a new temple, which she did and she carved the piece that is behind this Buddha in the Wat Phnom temple from the wood of the log.  One way that symbolizes the respect to Buddha is to place money, flowers, incense, and food at the temple. In the market today we saw that you can buy fake money to do this – some resembling USD and there are also other kinds of fake money that has gold foil on it. In the temple, there is not a square inch that isn’t painted (including the ceiling). It is quite remarkable to see. There are lotus flowers in vases all over the place and also a large bowl of water with lotus petals floating in it that visitors use to wash their faces. On the hillside leading up the temple there is a large clock built into the ground and surrounded by a huge serpent that I think is made out of bamboo. There is a sign by the clock that reads “Keep off the watch”. One of the benefits that Employment Services Cambodia (Neth’s and my new business) will offer clients is to have access to HPC Punlok Thmey tours at a discounted price. We see this as a win-win-win as it will help clients get to know Phnom Penh better, it will support the HPCPT guides, and will support HPC to be able to reach and support more young men and women.

LadyPenh at Wat Phnom

 

Wat Phnom Temple

 

Lotus Flowers at Wat Phnom

 

Wat Phnom - giant clock

 A couple of pictures from the market:

 

 

 

A Blessed Weekend

[This is posted a little late - I was waiting for the picture.] This has been a really nice weekend. Yesterday, I played tennis with some friends at 7:00 in the morning and then Skyped with my dear friend, Madge. It was such a great blessing to see her - even if only on a computer screen. Then I went to the gym for a nice workout followed by a refreshing swim; and then went to Neth and Ata's house for a thank you dinner for those who helped with their recent wedding. They served my favorite Khmer food to date: a delicious chicken with Khmer noodles and Khmer curry (prepared by Neth's father). Today at church we had the most amazing worship time. I wanted to take a video of it because the energy in the room was so high with people literally jumping and holding hands all throughout the congregation. I really felt yielded to God's Holy Spirit. But I didn't take any pictures. There are some things meant to be remembered only in our minds and not to be photographed. At the end of the service when the call for people in the congregation who wanted to newly commit their lives to follow Jesus was made about 50 people came forward. My heart feels so incredibly blessed to be here and see the Holy Spirit so alive and God's church growing so fast and strong here. After church I went to the hospital to visit a dear brother, Deth, who is recovering from his second surgery within a month. He looked good and strong though in the past month he has lost 14 pounds from the surgeries. He was telling me about his ministry work and he said something that really stuck in my mind, "the Word of God is rare". This led us to talk about the Word of God also being truth, and light, and a might sword. As he lay on his side I read to him that rare truth from Romans 12. The words cut to my heart and seemed to be just perfect for the moment we shared together. Then, to round out the day, I went to the Inter-Continental Hotel to meet some friends for a Christmas Fair followed with dinner at the Khmer-Thai restaurant. Most of us who went are people who by virtue of our decision to live as foreigners in Cambodia will not be home with family for Christmas. For me, this will be only the second time that I will not be with my brother to celebrate Christmas. It was a wonderful evening - filled with laughter, great fellowship, and delicious food. I was so encouraged by the people around me: Grace, a young attorney from Ireland (a new Employment Services Cambodia client); Mollie, a young medical doctor from England who has a beautiful spirit of joy and a deep love for God and for Cambodia; Ryan, a young man from Kansas who has already served missions in Napal and Cambodia at an age where many people do not even have their first job yet; and Yvonne, a young woman from the United States who is not only serving as a leader with a great ministry, but is also writing a book about the history of the church in Cambodia - such a fascinating topic and so timely. And we were also joined by other expats (Timmy, Steph, and Steve - Mollie's husband and a deep man of God) and by Neth, Ata, and their friend, Aron (sp?) who always make one's heart happy to be with. It was a really nice Christmas celebration before Thanksgiving. I also learned that a lot of people from different countries celebrate Thanksgiving! (Because of the late posting, I am able to also share a picture of the group from IRIS who kindly invited me to share Thanksgiving dinner with them tonight. Such an incredible feast and even more meaningful was the great fellowship we shared.)

Khmer-Thai Restaurant - Christmas dinner before Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Dinner with IRIS team
 

Our New Website!

Employment Services Cambodia now has a website! ESC is the business that Neth and I just opened 14 days ago. You can get a sneak peek at what our website will look like by going to our Wix host site at: http://dennisescambodia.wix.com/escambodia# Let me know what you think of it; it is the first website I have ever designed and so it is pretty exciting to see it up and running. Please let me know if you like the picture of the hands on the homepage. Neth and I were the professional hand models for that picture.

In the future, our official website address will be: www.es-cambodia.com

Cambodian Rain

Having been born and raised in Seattle I know a thing or two about rain. But to my Seattle friends (and friends from other cities too) let me tell you about a type of rain that you may not have experienced before. In Phnom Penh it is sunny and very hot for most of the year, but when it rains here it rains like nothing I have ever seen in Seattle. Today, Neth and I had an appointment down by Independence Monument and when we were inside working we could see through the windows that clouds were coming in. It started to rain before we ended our work and when I went outside to begin my moto trek home there was a full-on Cambodian style downpour. What is this like? Well, imagine if you went swimming wearing a pair of jeans, a long-sleeve shirt, and your shoes, and then you stepped out of the pool. Now imagine being just a little wetter than that and that is what I looked like after riding my moto home tonight. It is the kind of wet that when you walk you feel and hear the water sloshing around in your shoes. It is the kind of wet that when you lean over even just a little bit a small stream of water flows off of some crevice in your body or clothing that has been holding a reservoir of water. It is the kind of wet that when you take off your shoes your socks stick to the floor. I learned that riding a moto in this kind of rain gives one the experience of being rained on from all different directions. Rain poured down hard from above and being behind a car it also rains up at you (from the car tires) and then also getting rain from the back (off my own tires) and the sides as other motos pass and splash up rain water from the puddles. It is kind of like going through a car wash, but without the car (and without the dryer at the end).

The business that Neth and I have started together, Employment Services Cambodia, is now 10 days young and it is such a great honor to work with Neth. We begin each work day with fellowship, worship songs, and prayer together; and God has blessed us beyond measure. We have also been tremendously encouraged by many people who when we share with them about our vision and mission they get excited about it along-side of us. At the end of our first two weeks we have gained the trust of 2 expat clients and 2 Cambodian businesses. Being so young we are in the exciting state of evolution where each step is into new, uncharted territory for our business. It gives us the opportunity to be creative, to really develop our work in alignment with the values we have, but even more importantly it humbles us and brings us to our knees before God – deepening our trust in Him.     

By the way, I tried taking a "selfie" to show how wet I was, but the camera kept slipping in my wet hands.

Kitihara Clinic

Saturday, 16 November 2013

I was invited to an event for the Japanese Kitihara Clinic at the Cambodiana Hotel. It began with a very heartfelt greeting from Dr. Kitihara who spoke about opening his clinics in Japan to focus on providing exceptional holistic care for patients suffering from serious neurological deficits. At present there are 5 Kitihara Clinics in Japan and as of December 2012 one in Cambodia. Dr. Kitihara shared with us about some of the testimonials from patients whose lives had been changed and saved through the clinics and he stated that healthcare is a very important part of the infrastructure of any country, just as much as electricity, water, and roads are. But healthcare is more than hospitals and medical facilities. It is about basic needs like healthy food, education about nutrition, and disease prevention. Therefore, healthcare is not confined to a hospital, but must be open to the community. Agriculture, education and housing all contribute to healthcare. Dr. Kitihara then introduced the event’s guest lecturer, Dr. Takeshi Kawase, the Honorary President of the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies.

Dr. Kawase spoke on the topic, “What is Stroke?” and lectured about the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of Stroke. It was an absolutely fascinating lecture – even for someone like me who knows very little about medicine. One of the main things that Dr. Kawase said we could do to prevent Stroke is to “not Westernize our diet” particularly regarding salty foods. He stated that the best diet is a plant-based diet. Following the lecture, there was a question and answer time and then a short break, which turned into a longer break; and I saw the Kitihara staff running around very nervously as we waited – a conference room full of people waiting, with no program, facing an empty stage. Then after about 20 minutes several security staff walked in and surveyed the room – pulling curtains shut, moving around some chairs and the podium on the stage. Then the doors behind me opened and I turned to see 20 security officers packed tightly together. Everyone in the room stood up and the guards moved toward the stage, remaining tightly packed  together, they moved like a cloud, and in the middle was Cambodian Minister of Health and Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe.

When the Minister of Health spoke I was kind of surprised by the softness of his voice. He seemed, in fact, to be rather timid. My ears perked up, though, when I heard him say “socapeup laah”, which I recognized because the vision of the new business I am starting with Neth is “socapeup laah, pahniek setakek kunong protae Kampochea” (Healthy economy, healthy workforce in Cambodia). As the Minister spoke I noticed that the entire room was in absolute silence – like the air has been sucked out of it. I wondered if this from respect for him or fear of the group of guards, standing erect, lining the perimeter of the room, eyes scanning left and right. The Japanese Prime Minister finished his comments (I did not understand his comments because they were spoken in Japanese and translated into Khmer) and he then gave a few minutes to pose on stage for some photos, then he left as he arrived – walking in the middle of a tightly packed large group of guards. He walked by me (not even two feet away) and I snapped a blurry picture on my phone. As soon as he left the sound in the room returned – scattered conversations, the low bustling sound of people shifting about in their chairs, and some laughter.

Sign at The Peace Palace on Russian Blvd

 



Prime Minister Abe on stage with the Cambodian
Minister of Health and distinguished Japanese doctors

A New Business

My New Business Card

I am excited to announce that on 11/12/13 Employment Services Cambodia began operations. The development of this business idea has been in the works for a couple of months and I am honored to be one of the co-founders with my good friend and brother in Christ, Neth Kong. This business will support the evolution in Cambodia that will bring a healthy economy and healthy workforce in Cambodia. For businesses who are looking for new employees we will help them to find the best candidates. For Cambodian nationals who are looking for employment we will provide them with training and we will match them with employers who have openings that are well-suited for their experiences, skills, and values. Once these clients are in the workplace we will also offer on-going training supports and will maintain regular contact with them to help ensure their continuing growth and success in the workplace. We will also serve foreigners who are considering moving to Cambodia (and expats who are already living in Cambodia) by helping them with the logistics around relocation, finding work in Cambodia, learning about Cambodian history, culture, and language. As with the Cambodian national clients we will also maintain regular on-going contact with our expat clients to support their transition to Cambodia and the new workplace.

In Cambodia, 46.4% of the workforce make less than $0.29/hour (the minimum wage for garment, textile, and shoe industry workers). Less than half the workforce (40%) have employment contracts, and only 5% are members of a union or association.  Twenty percent of the Cambodian workforce makes less than $0.63/day and 26% make less than $1/day. The education, training, and experiences of expats can help to make the Cambodian economy stronger, but for expats there is about a 40% failure rate in the workplace - generally not due to lack of experience or skill, but because of inability to adjust to the different culture. ESC will be a part of changing all of this data for the better - improving the skills of the workforce, improving the conditions in the workplace, improving wages for Cambodians, and providing supports to our clients in the workforce to help them be successful in their work.

The costs of poverty are too great. 

Cambodia Independence Day

November 9^th is Independence Day in Cambodia. Since 9 November fell on a Saturday this year Independence Day is being celebrated on Monday, 11 November this year. The pictures below are of the Independence Monument in Phnom Penh where most of the celebrations took place, including a speech by King Norodom Sihamoni and as you can see from the pictures also included appearances by many Cambodian military officers.

I have previously posted blogs about Cambodia’s independence from France, but just to give a brief recap, in 1863 Cambodia’s King Norodom signed over protectorate status of Cambodia to France because he feared rising tensions with Thailand and Vietnam. Thailand was forced to release their suzerainty of Cambodia over to France (except for the provinces of Battambang and Siem Reap, which were maintained by Thailand until 1906). In 1953, a very young King Norodom Sihanouk (then only 30 years old) was able to regain Cambodia’s independence from France.

Unrelated bonus picture. I saw these (see below) at a bakery in Phnom Penh called Tour les Jours. They are probably the cutest pastries I have ever seen. They are called "Happy Bears", The manager, Mike, is from Vietnam and he moved here riding his moto all the way from Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh! Since it was late in the day and there was still an amazing assortment of bakery items on display I asked him what they did with all the bakery items that did not get sold that day. To my delight he said that they donate them to people who are living in poverty. It makes me smile to think about all the children who will get treated to Happy Bears. While I was talking with Mike I spotted a customer wearing a Paul Smith shirt and I had coincidentally just seen a profile about Paul Smith done by Angie Lau. I had never heard of Paul Smith before, but really liked what he said in his interview (about being humble with success and not letting the job change him, about remaining childlike, not childish, by always having a curiosity and thirst to learn - and asking questions) - and so I started talking with him and he is a fascinating man from England who loves Paul Smith. He is an economist who has worked for the BBC and is now a professor at a university in Phnom Penh.

Happy Bears

Parable of the Talents

At this week’s men's fellowship and prayer gathering Zoran, a man for whom I have developed a deep respect for his wisdom and the depth of maturity in his walk with God, shared a reflection about the passage of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30 and Luke 19:12-28). In this parable Jesus shares about 3 men and their master. The master who is going away for a time gives 1 talent to one man, 2 talents to another man, and 5 talents to the third man. When the master returns they all come before him to make account. The first man who, was given 2 talents returns with 4 - having invested wisely and received favorable return and the man who was given 5 talents likewise returns with 10 talents. The master applauds these two men, calling them “good and faithful”, and he rewards them by placing many responsibilities in their hands. But the man who was given 1 talent returns only with the one talent - having feared the master and buried the talent. 

Zoran asked why did Jesus share this parable? Zoran proposed that it was not just to tell us this is the way it is, but that we would desire the more talents; that we would want to be like the man with 5 talents. We then talked about why did Jesus include the man with two talents? Why not just one faithful servant and one unfaithful servant, instead of two faithful servants with different levels of talents? We talked about how we may also be the one with two talents, but we should not compare ourselves with or despise the man with more talents, but rather be grateful for the blessings we have received and faithful to use them for God’s glory – that we can account to God showing how His gifts to us have grown and been multiplied in us and in others – not held to ourselves or buried. The master applauded the servant who returned with four talents just the same as he did the one who returned with 10 (although he did later give the one talent from the unfaithful servant to the servant who returned with 10).

Why did the master give different amounts of talents to begin with? He must have known the abilities of the servants and what they were capable of – just as God knows the condition of our hearts and our faithfulness. So, we should ask ourselves - what are the blessings that God has given me and if they seem few it is because of my lack of faith and trust in God – God knows what I am ready for. But no matter how big God's blessings in my life, am I investing them wisely to grow that they may be multiplied in my life and the lives of others?

Chemistry - Pros and Cons

I recently read a very interesting article in The Cambodia Daily. It was in the Science section of the 4 November 2013 edition. The article spoke about a conference that will be held in Germany next week. Scientists from around the world will gather at this conference to discuss the impacts (positive and detrimental) that the industrial production of ammonia has had over the past 100 years.  One hundred years ago a German chemist named Fritz Haber invented a process using nitrogen taken from the atmosphere as the key ingredient to produce ammonia. This was just in time for farmers who were globally facing a shortage of natural fertilizers for their crops. This process and the resultant production of industrial quantities of ammonia fertilizer are credited by some as starting the “green revolution” and saving billions of lives. This process also is believed to have extended WWI by at least one year by creating nitrogen compounds such as saltpeter, which was used by Germany as gunpowder. In addition, the process has contributed to the world’s pollution problem since the ammonia process releases toxins into water sources and the atmosphere. Haber has been described as an ardent German nationalist and advocate for gas weapons. Because of his advocacy Germany was the first to use chemical weapons – killing 6,000 French Allied troops. Haber’s wife, who strongly disagreed with his position in favor of chemical weapons, took her own life one week later. Three years later Haber was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry a decision that was met with widespread indignation from scientists and country diplomats from Britain, France, and the United States. Because Haber was from a Jewish family he was expelled from Germany and he died in 1934 in Switzerland. One of the insecticides that Haber developed was also used by the Nazis to kill more than 1 million people including many from Haber’s family. The Haber process (now known as the Haber-Bosch process) is still used today and produces more than 100 million tons of nitrogen fertilizer per year.   Interestingly, just last week I met a German woman who now lives in Thailand. Her great grandfather, August Kekule, was a brilliant scientist and principal founder of the theory of chemical structure. He is highly regarded for his work on the defining the structure of benzene. Three of the first five recipients of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry were students of Kekule.

Khmer Wedding



Yesterday, I had the honor of attending the wedding of two good friends, Neth and Ata. It was the first traditional Khmer wedding I have been to. It began at 7:00AM with the "Parade of Fruit". Guests arrived at the church and we were each given a gold colored pedestal with fruit or soda wrapped in Saran wrap on top. From there we walked down the street in a line, carrying our pedestals in front of us. We arrived at a location down the street where the groom and groomsmen were standing in formal attire under gold umbrellas. We formed a line behind them - organized by types of foods; and then we paraded back to the church, entering through a large wedding tent that had been set up on the street just outside of the church. As we entered the tent we were handed a small, decorative envelope with money in it.

My "fruit" - orange soda




Neth and groomsmen leading the Parade of Fruit

 

Inside the church we placed our fruit on a rug that lay between two rows of hanging fruits. We then returned to the tent and sat down for a traditional Khmer breakfast that featured a healthy soup. From breakfast we returned to the church, sat by the fruit, and there were numerous blessings including a song with traditional Khmer dance that involved difficult backwards hand bending and slow, graceful movements. I recognized some words, but not enough to have a true sense of what all the blessings were. Some of the words I recognized translate, "God” - "Prayerong", “thank you” - "acoonchedon", “day” - "tongue eye", and “good" - "la'ah". These blessings and presentations went until 12:30. I noticed that in the back of the church there was a table set up with wedding photos (Neth said that they had a photo session the week before the wedding). There was also a photo booth set up in the back of the church; it was equipped with funny hats and glasses. The wedding colors were purple and white. Neth told me that Ata (his bride) was not feeling well, but she looked beautiful throughout the entire day and showed no visible sign of feeling weak. (Mara, Neth’s brother, was also feeling under the weather, but he was present taking pictures, doing various errands to make sure that everything ran smoothly, and he only showed feelings of joy and delight - for his brother and Ata.)
 

 

After the blessings the fruit was picked up and moved to the front of the church and the room is rearranged for photos. Young dancers in silk tops (some powder blue, others yellow) with green pants and wide belts gather to ready for performance. They carry bamboo poles. I later learn from the dance instructor that there are two parts to the dance – in the first part they are using the poles to symbolize rowing boats over to mountains and then from there they will travel through valleys and over mountains to find a medicine that cleanses and purifies for them for marriage. In the second part they have found the medicine and they are using the poles to crush the medicine, which they will touch it to their teeth for cleansing and they will also offer some medicine to their fiancée.  During the dancing a woman dressed in a beautiful sequined dress approaches me, speaking Khmer. I do not understand all of what she is saying and so I respond in Khmer that I am American and speak only a little Khmer. She acknowledges this, but continues speaking Khmer to me and she repeatedly points to her throat. I reply in Khmer “neohm Ott Yure” (I don't understand) and she walks away. Later, when the parents of the bride and groom are on the stage for photos, I see her on the stage for photos with Neth's parents and realize that she must be Ata's mother and she was probably trying to tell me that Ata was not feeling well and wanted me to pray for her. At this realization I close my eyes to continue praying for Ata and Mara as I have since learning that they were not feeling well.

 

Parents of the bride (right side) and groom (left side)

 

Dancers

 

Neth, Ata, and Pastor Jessie

There were a lot of clothing changes for the bride and groom and each of their outfits is absolutely amazing. There are parts of the ceremony very similar to  American weddings -the groomsmen and bridesmaids walking down the center aisle together in couples and the father of the bride escorting her down the aisle and presenting her, but the part that really moved me was after the ring exchange when the bride and groom together knelt before the parents and gave heartfelt thanks and a prayer. This was so respectful and very moving.

Following this ceremony we returned to the tent for lunch and then at 1:30 we took a break and many people went home for naps (I went to the gym). We then went to a building called Chenla (glass dome) at 4:30 where there was more music, singing, and dancing, plus a very exquisite Khmer dinner – I lost count of how many dishes we were served. Dancing followed dinner and I left a little after 9:00, but I am sure that it went well beyond then. I am told that the typical Khmer wedding lasts 7 hours. I sat at a table with the most interesting, fun people and one of them observed – so, you have had all three meals with the wedding today! I had not thought about that, but yes it is true and it is also the most Khmer food I have had in four months in Cambodia.  I have been blessed this weekend to be around a couple of expats who have really fallen in love with Cambodia and Cambodians. It is a blessing to experience their passion and love, and the joy that they have for being called to serve God in Cambodia. The table that we were seated at was near the front door and one of the expats made the observation that it was like watching the Academy Awards with people dressed so glamorously (most especially the women) and walking in on a red carpet. This person, a young doctor, has such a deep love for Cambodia and Cambodians - her peace and gratitude for being here is palpable. Two of the other people at the table were a married couple who were visiting the wife’s sister in Cambodia. They have been missionaries in Japan for 40 years. Now in their 80’s, they will be returning to the United States in December to be with their grandchildren. The wife was born in Japan and was interned (as a child) by Japan during WWII.  I spoke with her about the internment of my mother’s family and father’s father. Her heart for Japan and the love that she has for the country and Japanese people even after being interned is such a strong testimony of forgiveness and grace.

 

Chenla before dinner

Ata

 

 

A good friend and great man, Saweth