New ESC Member

MelLo

ESC is blessed to be growing. Melissa Lopez (AKA MelLo) has moved to Cambodia and is working with ESC. Melissa is an Arizona native and proud Mexican. We worked together for a couple of years in Arizona with Maricopa County's Head Start Program. Melissa is a very talented, energetic and outgoing person. In her first two weeks in Phnom Penh Melissa has already made a big splash - making friends wherever she goes, helping ESC with recruitments, training, and new client development. With one day's notice Melissa put together a wonderful training on customer service and led the training presentation.

 News re DPI: Today is my nephew's birthday and on his birthday he gave me the best present ever and called me. I am really enjoying teaching law at American University of Phnom Penh. The students are great. This is spirit week at AUPP and so I have added two accomplishments to my CV. I have now taught a university class wearing crazy hair and taught a class wearing my pajamas.



What a Weekend Should be Like

There are 26 national holidays in Cambodia. This coming week Pcumben holiday will close many businesses from Monday - Wednesday and many (if not most) of Cambodians living and working in Phnom Penh will return to their province for the holiday. I really like to stay in Phnom Penh during these holidays because it is a time when there are no traffic jams and when I can ride my bike much faster and further without having to worry about all the traffic.

I am an early-riser, usually up before 5:00, but on Saturday morning after having my usual morning devotional time I decided to go back to sleep and ended up sleeping until 9:00! I then went to a venture capital conference that Neth had been asked to emcee. (He did a great job!) It was at the Raffles Hotel, probably the nicest hotel in Phnom Penh. Investors from different countries heard nearly 20 presentations from Cambodian start-up businesses that had an environmental aspect to their business model. I personally loved one of the businesses that is starting organic gardening and I got some of their lettuce. Another business harvests Moringa, which has high nutritional and medicinal value (especially for someone like me with arthritis). I also got some Moringa and have started using it in my protein shakes. But I am really proud to say that one of the businesses that hired ESC for their recruitments won both the "best presentation" and "highest ROI" awards. The conference "eco-preneur" has a double meaning: economics and ecology.

 Following the conference (and a HUGE delicious lunch at Raffles) I took advantage of the sparse traffic and hopped on my bike for an afternoon ride. One of my Khmer friends recommended taking the ferry from Koh Pich (Diamond Island) across the river to the island where she said that there is nice bike riding. Having experienced Washington State Ferries to the San Juan Islands I asked my friend how often the ferries ran and she looked at me like I just asked the dumbest question ever. They run all the time. Sure enough, I got down to the ferry and there was one loading up. The fare was 2,000 riel roundtrip (50 cents). It was a beautiful day and a lovely ride on the ferry except for the time that a moto driver was trying to turn around on the packed ferry and ran into my leg. I don't think that my friend took into consideration the kind of bike that I ride because the roads on the island were very bumpy and sometimes loose stone or sand. Still, it was a nice adventure.

 

 

 

The Most Important Khmer Word That I have Learned

At the Asian Christian Conference this evening I learned that the written Khmer word for Jesus is something like an "M" with a large "C" wrapped around it. "Merry Christmas", I thought.

 

Some Funny Signs

Driving around Phnom Penh I get some good laughs reading signs that have been printed prior to proper proofing. I am going to share pictures of some of my favorite signs with you, but want to also share that if I were to try to design a sign in any language other than in English I am sure that my mistakes would be much bigger than any of these.

A long time ago, this business started selling all kinds of stainless.
They are still selling all kinds of stainless. This is what Siri does to "steel"
when said by someone speaking English with an Asian accent. 

I am afraid to go into this business

1) Seems like a fun place to work
2) Voted 2013 Least Productive Business
 

Feeling sad? Maybe this judo chop will help!

Bonus Picture: This bike is so cool! It is made of bamboo!

 

Blessings Received, Blessings Shared

This is the flood season in Cambodia and most every day there are hard rains that come for several hours - flooding streets and causing rivers and lakes to overflow. Just last week this took a substantial toll on many families in the Kampongcham Province. In our men's fellowship group one of the members asked us if we would be willing to take up donations to send support to families in the province. Our donations, he said, would go to purchase rice, which would be delivered by the Ministry of Religion to the families in the province.

My business partner, Neth, and I decided that we would make a donation from the business (20% of our business income is donated). Others from the fellowship group also stepped in to make donations. We were able to purchase three tons of rice to send to Kampongcham Province!

When we receive a blessing and share it, the blessing grows.

  

Aeon Mall

The vision of the business that I started with my friend and Khmer co-founder, Neth Kong, is "A healthy economy and healthy workforce in Cambodia". We believe that there is great potential for the economic recovery in Cambodia and there is evidence of this in many places throughout the country, but perhaps one of the most visible signs of the re-emerging economic strength of Cambodia is a new mall that opened just a month ago. It is called Aeon Mall and it is unlike anything else you will find in Cambodia. It is a top quality, large shopping mall just like you would find in a major US city.

I have been to this mall no less than a dozen times in the month that it has been open and it is really fun for me to see the excitement of Cambodians about this new mall. They are very proud of this new mall and it has stayed busy this entire month. Yesterday, I went to get lunch there and shop for gifts to take back to the US and as I was walking out I passed a foreigner and overheard him say to the person he was with, "Oh great, a mall [sarcastically]! Ruins my trip to Cambodia." I kept thinking about this throughout the day and had a few thoughts about this.

     1) As foreigners, we need to constantly remember that we are guests here and we need to show the proper respect to the Cambodians and their culture.

     2) As guests in this country should care more about the experience that Cambodians are having in their own country than we do about what we ourselves are experiencing or expect to experience as guests. This is their home! If Cambodians like this mall then we should be happy for them that they have it. I have spoken to many Khmer friends and virtually all of them love the mall.

It is our choice to be here. We do not have to go to a mall if we don't want to experience mall shopping. We don't have to eat Khmer food if we choose not to. If we are not Buddhist that does not give us license to disrespect the thousands of monks who serve Cambodia.

This is my Aeon Loyalty card. It only cost $2 and after I
spend $1,000 they will send me a gift certificate for $5.
This is probably the worst deal in loyalty card history.

 

 

Commute on Land by Water

I had a very interesting commute yesterday. I was trying to get from one office to another office across town, but it was raining really hard. When I left the first office I forgot to exchange my dress shoes for my three dollar sandals, which I had purchased specifically for these rainy days. I donned my 25 cent parka (same thickness as the grocery store bags in the fruit and vegetable section) and set out on my moto onto the flooded roads. Traffic soon became snarled and I came to a stop. I had to put my foot down for balance. Unfortunately, I was in knee-high water and putting my foot down meant my slacks and dress shoes were now completely soaked. It was at this time that I looked at the gas gauge and noticed that the needle was slightly below the red "empty" line. So, I turned the moto off and just started walking it down the street for maybe 1/4 mile to the next gas station. Side story: I had expected one of our clients to make their payment on our invoice two days ago and so I had avoided going to the bank until I got paid, but now, even though I was at the gas station, I only had $1.25 in my wallet. Fortunately, $1.25 is about 1/3 tank of gas for a moto. So, I was back in business except that for the second time this year my moto engine, having been submerged in the flood waters, failed to work. But after a few minutes waiting for it to drain and dry the engine was functional again and off I went. My shoes may not be redeemable. They are on the porch drying today, which means I am making quite a fashion statement in my choice of slacks-shoes combination today. Again, fortunately , in most Khmer businesses and homes we take our shoes off at the door.

 

Moto Tabs

Just like in the US, here in Cambodia we have to purchase annual vehicle registration tabs. Here are some of the differences though:

1) When I purchased my moto (used) the person selling it to me did not convey any legal title via written instrument; and we did not record the sale with any government office. Instead, the person selling me the moto just gave me a small, plastic card that has the picture of his mother-in-law on it and said that when I sell it I should just give the same card to the next owner. So, TODAY when I went to the bank to purchase the registration tab (that's right you go to a bank to purchase the tabs) I showed the teller the card of a Khmer woman who I hope looks nothing like me and the teller sold me the registration tab.

2) It seems to me that when tabs expire in the US the police have a way of pulling you over right away. In Cambodia I went to purchase the 2014 tab in January and again in February and was told that the 2014 tabs were not printed yet. Now, in mid-July the tabs are finally ready.

3) Like in the US, registration tabs are expensive here: 4,500 to be exact, but that is 4,500 riel (or about $1.20 USD). Yet, even at that price I have been warned not to place the tab in a visible place on my moto because it might then be stolen. I was told to stick the tab on the inside lid of my moto seat. Really? People will risk being caught scraping off a $1.20 tab? Unfortunately, I do believe that this is the case.  

Cambodian Humor

In Khmer, you ask someone their name by saying, "chewmoe eye?" Recently, we interviewed a young man named "Sayha" and afterwards we joked that the conversation could have gone like this:

"Suell sadai bong (hello), Chewmoe eye? (what is your name?)"

"Sayha"

"OK, 'ha'. Chewmoe eye?"

"Sayha"

"Again? OK, ha. Chewmoe eye?"

Forty Years

Forty years is a long time. Many of my friends have not even been alive that long and for them it is hard to conceptualize how long forty years is, but forty years is a long time. Moses was called by God to lead his people to the Promised Land and for forty years they wandered in the desert and wilderness. The people grew impatient and doubted. But Moses held to the promise that God had given him and with hope before him he remained faithful.   

It has been forty years since the end of the war in Cambodia and like Moses and his people the people of Cambodia have been living for forty years in the desert and wilderness. Besieged by poverty, corruption, and oppression the people of Cambodia have not yet been delivered to the life that they hope for. I pray that they will remain faithful; remain hopeful; remain patient; and that they will not turn to graven and idle gods and images. Most of all, I pray that they will know the love that God has for them and the forgiveness and grace of Jesus Christ. I pray that this truth will be their hope, and their source of strength and wisdom.

Men will let us down through failed leadership, weakness, and greed. Even the best of men will make mistakes, but God is forever faithful to deliver on every promise He makes.

Laugh for the Day

Sometimes our language mix-ups end up being really funny and today one of the Khmer staff ESC has been working with got the words "kitchen" and "chicken" mixed up. The Head Chef ( who is Malaysian) was asking her where her co-workers were and she said that they went to the market to get things to clean the chicken with. What she meant to say was to clean the kitchen and so the Head Chef became very confused wondering what we needed to clean the chickens with. The conversation that ensued and the Head Chef's expressions and physical demonstrations he did trying to get clarification were hilarious. It ended up with him demonstrating what looked like him holding a chicken and using it to clean a grill. It was too funny!

I also Skyped my family this morning. It was such a heart-warming time for me. I think that the most difficult part about living in Cambodia is not the food, the weather, or the cultural differences; it is the distance and separation from family and friends. I guess that I am maybe a little homesick. It will be good to be back home for three weeks in August.

Cambodia Rainy Season

Cambodia's Rainy Season has arrived a little early this year. I could tell that it was about to rain this afternoon and so I tried to get out of the office a little early to avoid getting caught in it, but I missed my window of opportunity and this is what I stepped out to see.


Street 63 in BKK district of Phnom Penh

I still tried to get home by moto (barefoot - not advisable on a moto) and halfway down the street my moto engine quit. So, now I am hunkered down like a wet rat in Digby's Café waiting for the rain to stop and the water to recede. I have a tennis match scheduled in an hour that I think will have to be rescheduled. It is funny to think that just this morning I was thinking that it was still way too hot (Khmer "kdaaw") here. That is no longer the case.

New Life Fellowship, Life Band Live CD Recording

Tonight the Life Band at New Life Fellowship Church had a live recording of a CD of worship and praise songs written by band members. It was an amazing evening of worship and my heart was full to overflowing with the Holy Spirit this evening.

In Cambodia less than 1% of the 15 million population is Christian. But New Life Fellowship is part of an amazing redemption that is taking place in Cambodia.

It is hard to imagine as an American, but what if just 40 years ago we would have suffered the slaughter of 25% of our country's population (mostly those living in cities and those with higher education)? That happened in Cambodia. What if America had to essentially restart our whole education system? Cambodia had to. What if more than 50% of America's population was under the age of 25? That is true in Cambodia. What if the vast majority of Americans were forced to live on less than a dollar per day? What kind of hope would we have? How might this change the way we plan? Here in Cambodia, most people do not make long-term plans. I no longer wonder why. Most people in Cambodia greet you with the question, "have you eaten rice yet?" because they are concerned about the next meal and because rice is affordable. But amidst all of these hardships there is a beautiful spirit and a perseverance in the Cambodian people that is absolutely remarkable.

The Gospel is bringing to Cambodian people a message of hope; a reason to hope. A message of unconditional love, grace, and forgiveness. To hear their love for God expressed in the beautiful songs of worship and praise that they have written moves my heart in ways that I cannot describe.

Brother Neth

Golf Resurgence

Se Ri Pak has been experiencing a wonderful resurgence in her professional golf career. I have to wonder if it has anything to do with her new sponsor. What do you think?

On another note...here are my career updates. ESC has been really blessed and continues to grow in contracts. Neth and I are really learning a lot and we see that ESC is making a difference in the lives of many workers and in many businesses. In addition to working full time for ESC, I have been working half time for the CIA FIRST International School as a Communications Specialist, but I have started transitioning into a new role as Career Counselor. In September I will begin work as an adjunct professor at American University of Phnom Penh - teaching a law course. I am very blessed and very busy.

Cambodian Mail Service

I have been in Cambodia for over 9 months now and just yesterday received my very first piece of mail. Every day I check my mail box, hoping to find something from my family or friends, but until yesterday there has never been anything in it. I know that my family sent me a Christmas card nearly 6 months ago and that a friend sent me a letter a few months ago, but yesterday I received my first letter from a friend in Phoenix. It was postmarked on my birthday and so it only took 1 1/2 months to get here. That is actually pretty remarkable considering that there is only one post office to serve the entire country of Cambodia. And the addresses are notoriously difficult to decipher and do not always make sense. For example, three houses in a row may be numbered: 3, 9, 5. But yesterday I received the high school graduation announcement and pictures from my friend, Robin, for her daughter, Skylar. I almost didn't know what to do. It made me so happy to handle an actual letter for the first time in nearly a year. I felt like I should frame it. But this morning, my business partner, Neth, saw it on my desk and asked what it was. He seemed curious about it and so I opened it. Thank you Robin! Way to go Cambodian Postal Service!

ESC Gets an Intern

Employment Services Cambodia

Neth and I have been blessed to receive our first "intern" at Employment Services Cambodia. His name is Ryan. He is a very talented, kind man who has done an incredible job leading and developing a business in Phnom Penh called Punlak Thmey. Ryan will be donating 3 months of his skills in service to ESC. This is a big step for ESC; literally a BIG step as Ryan is about 6' 6" tall (i.e. just a little bit shorter than the combined heights of Neth and I). ESC will look very different now with Ryan's blond hair towering above Neth's and my dark locks. But all physical appearance discussions aside we are very excited to have Ryan join us for the next three months. He is an expert in business planning and feasibility analysis and he will help us to learn and grow.

ESC continues to be blessed with new clients (employees, employer recruitments, consultations, and trainings). It is exciting and challenging. I look back on the past 6 months and am kind of amazed that I have held the following titles/roles: Country Director for an NGO, Communications Specialist for an International School, Career Counselor for an International School, Co-Founder of an employment services company, trainer and HR consultant. That is really one of the nice benefits to living in a developing country like Cambodia; one can have so many diverse work experiences in a very short period of time. I am learning so much and growing in my professional development in ways that would take many years longer to experience and grow in the States.  

First Concern

 In Matthew 14 we learn that Jesus’ disciples were in a boat, crossing a lake during a strong storm. As the sun began to dawn they saw Jesus walking toward them on the surface of the lake and they were terrified, thinking Jesus to be a ghost. But Jesus said to them, “Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.”

Peter then replied, “Lord, if it is you, tell me to come to you on the water.” Jesus told Peter to come to Him and Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But then Peter’s attention was diverted to the wind and he became afraid and began to sink into the stormy waters. Peter cried out, “Lord, save me!”  and immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him.

This week I have been thinking a lot about the last three verses of Matthew 6. In these verses Jesus instructs us not to worry about what we will eat, drink, or wear (this not being an exhaustive list, but representative of the things of this world that may concern us). Jesus says we should not worry about these things because our God knows what is best for us. Then Jesus concludes by saying that we should seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these other things will be added unto us. So, in the midst of struggles with finances, in an argument with a friend, when I am sick or injured, unemployed or homeless, I must always make my primary concern the relationship I have with God.

How might the passage of the disciples in the boat be different if Peter’s focus never left Jesus and he didn't wander into fear of the storm and rough waters? But even if we, like Peter, become distracted by the storms of this world we can cry out to God to save us and He will reach out His hand to catch us.

6 Month Review

On 11-12-13, Neth Kong and I opened the business Employment Services Cambodia. www.ES-Cambodia.com

Our vision is a healthy economy and healthy workforce in Cambodia.

As we approach our six month anniversary I have been thinking of how God has blessed us in this work. We are a business with a mission. In other words, we feel called and led to this work, but it is not the work that is our primary focus; that primary focus is on seeking and serving God. Neth and I both agree that should the day ever come when we do not feel God leading us and calling us to this work then that is the day that we will close up shop.

Every morning Neth and I begin our business day together in fellowship, worship, and prayer. This is the foundation of our business and it is a blessing beyond description to start our work day like this.

Our fees have been set intentionally low to support achieving our vision. We do not want to take money from Cambodian workers because we want them to be healthy and able to support themselves and their families. So, we do not charge a fee to Cambodian workers for any of our services. We also provide ongoing supports to Cambodian employee clients once they have started their new job. We want to ensure that they are successful in their employment.

For businesses who hire ESC to recruit for them we charge a very low fee of $100 per recruitment no matter if that position is a senior management position or entry level position. This fee includes the ongoing supports to the employee.  ESC also provides consultation and training supports for businesses.

ESC has established partnerships with other organizations to secure discounts for our clients (especially expat clients) in areas such as learning Khmer language and touring Phnom Penh and other parts of Cambodia. We also offer a free workshop on Cambodian history and culture for our expat clients (and other expats). Our goal being to enrich the experience that expats have in Cambodia and to assist them to develop an understanding and respect for the county in which we, as expats are guests, and for the beautiful people here. I have found that the culture here is very different than in the United States and it can be very difficult to live and work amidst these differences, but that the more I understand how the culture here has been influenced and shaped through history the better I am able to respect the culture and function amidst the differences.

Neth and I want to thank our friends and family who have contributed financially and through prayers and encouragement to support our business.

Here are some of the accomplishments from our first 6 months of work:

• Developed Website and Facebook Page (Please visit our website, visit us and "like" us on Facebook.)  
• Secured 7 expat employee clients
• Hired by 11 businesses to recruit for 34 positions (22 positions just this week)
• Hired by 3 businesses for training and/or consultation
• Represented and assisted more than 20 Khmer employee clients
• Established partnerships with three other organizations
• Six job placements completed; another three very close to completion; and two jobs secured by clients outside of our referrals
• One of the values of ESC is to be charitable. We believe that to accomplish the vision we have we will need to support others who are doing good work in Cambodia and so 10% of our income we give to the church and 20% of everything that is received by ESC (donations and income) we give to other organizations that are doing work that supports Cambodia's economy and workforce in a healthy way. In the past 6 months we have been blessed to give over $1,000 to other organizations.
• Developing Cambodian Labour Law training

Elevator Experience

It is a typical business-day experience to attend a meeting in a building with an elevator. Most of my business meetings are either on the ground floor of the building or if on a higher floor involves taking a set of "Cambodian stairs"*. (* "Cambodian stairs" as used here means stairs that in the same set include varying sizes of "risers" and "treads". Most Cambodian stairs have treads much smaller than the typical American tread of about 12 inches. I am going to guess that the typical Cambodian stair tread is about 6 - 8 inches. And while the typical American stair riser would be about 7 inches Cambodian stairs are about 10 inches until you get close to the bottom or top of the stairs and then there are adjustments made and sometimes the riser is 1 -2 inches - or just enough to trip you.)


But today I went to a meeting in a building with an elevator and my meeting was on floor 18 (near the top of the building). Unfortunately, the meeting ended right at noon. Now, Cambodians are very serious about lunch. Lunches here are not something you have in your office or do quickly; they are not even your typical 1 hour lunch, but are 1 1/2 - 2 hours and most people go home for lunch. So, at noon I was pretty much stranded on the 18th floor and waited for an elevator for about 10 minutes. When it finally arrived and I got in it made stops all the way down and by the last stop we had 18 people crammed into the elevator. Fortunately, the average size of people in Cambodia is much smaller than in America, which made this a little more comfortable. Now, you may be wondering, why wait 10 minutes and not just take the stairs. See paragraph 1.

Khmer New Year/Chaul Chnam Thmey

This is the third and final day of Chaul Chnam Thmey (“Enter New Year”, AKA the Khmer New Year).

Most all the businesses in Phnom Penh have been closed since Monday, April 14 and some will remain closed for the balance of this week. The streets in Phnom Penh, normally bustling with traffic from morning to night have been mostly empty. Most all the Khmer people who live in Phnom Penh have gone to visit their families in the provinces and to spend time together in traditional Khmer New Year celebrations. With Buddhist roots the traditional Khmer New Year celebrations include going to temple, sharing meals with family, giving to people less fortunate, lighting candles and incense, and cleaning Buddha statues with perfumed water. There are also many traditional games that are played during this time. The Khmer New Year always coincides with the end of harvest season - signifying the time with farmers enjoy the fruits of their labor and preceding the coming of the rainy season.  

Cambodian History and Culture

This week Employment Services Cambodia held our first of ongoing free workshops on Cambodian History and Culture. We believe that for expats to make their best contributions to Cambodia's economy and workforce we must have at least a basic understanding of and respect for Cambodia's history and culture. The workshop was led by Ryan Childress of Hard Places Community and Neth Kong of Employment Services Cambodia. They did a phenomenal job.

Cambodia is a country rich in history; dating back to 802 AD, the Angkor period, which flourished in Cambodia from the 9^th – 15^th centuries. The current day Angkor Wat in Siem Reap reminds us that Cambodia once led the world in hydro-engineering and construction; supporting one million people in the largest preindustrial city in the world. But there are perhaps even more signs in Cambodia of its recent history when only 40 years ago Cambodia essentially had to begin rebuilding from ground zero following the slaughter by Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge of 25% of Cambodia’s population, mostly educated people and people living in the cities. 

There are also many signs that Cambodia is emerging from this devastating loss. Many new buildings are being built around Phnom Penh. New restaurants and shops, schools, shopping malls, and even movie theatres are emerging, but the question of how healthy this re-emergence is has led me to believe that Cambodia is not growing, at this time, in the healthiest way.

There is a deepening divide between those who "have" and those who "have not". Nearly half of the working population, 46.4%, makes less than the very meager minimum-wage set for textile, garment, and shoe industry workers of $50 per month or about 29 cents per hour. More than one in every four workers, 26%, earn less than a dollar a day and 20% make less than $.63 per day; and most Cambodians work 10-12 hour days either 6 or 7 days per week. Because of the severe poverty in Cambodia child labor is very common. Children are removed from school to work in rice fields or garment factories so that they can provide some meager contribution to their family's income. But because they are deprived of a decent education these children are virtually assured to be another generation living in poverty – thus continuing the ugly cycle of generational poverty. But such is subsistence living; when survival is paramount and where it can easily appear better to work for one dollar today rather than to be educated to earn ten dollars a year from now. Almost all of the Cambodians whom I have met do not think in a long term way, but only a day at a time or even just to the next meal. 

But there are many things to love about Cambodian culture where most families are strong and fiercely loyal. Where many young married couples live in their parents' home, sometimes also with the third generation grandparents also still in the home; and where, much like is described in the Book of Acts, all things are contributed to the community and shared. It is a culturally common greeting in Cambodia to be asked, “have you eaten yet?” or “have you eaten rice yet?”  There is a beautifully important meaning to this question that is hidden under the surface of this seemingly simple question. This part of culture may very well tie to Cambodia’s history and values: when people are poor it is important to know if someone has eaten, if they can afford to eat, or if you may help them to eat. I have personally experienced that even the poorest of the poor in Cambodia will share their food with others. This reminds me of something that I read from Mother Teresa, who wrote that she visited a very poor family and gave them rice. She noticed that the mother in that family took half of the rice and gave it to her neighbor.     

Whether it be Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, the waterfalls of Modikiri, or the white sand beaches and warm, clean water of the South China Sea at Sihanouk Ville, or perhaps you may prefer the bustling city life of Phnom Penh - there is so much to enjoy in Cambodia. But my favorite is not anyplace in Cambodia, but the Cambodian people who may be counted by most others in this world as being poor, but as I have had the joy to experience Cambodians I see that in spirit and in values they are among the richest people that I have ever had the privilege to meet.

Back to Blogging

Well, I thought about putting "Hightower" in the title of this post since I see that the Hightower titled post received a record number of reads. I attribute this to one of two possible reasons: 1) The undeniable popularity of the Hightowers, or 2) Malcolm himself logging on multiple times to admire pictures of himself that I posted in the blog. I will let the reader decide what is the most logical option.

When I first moved to Cambodia it seemed like my days mostly consisted of waking up whenever I wanted to, having a leisurely wonderful quiet time and breakfast, going to the gym and pool multiple times/day, taking bike rides around the city, and going to a coffee shop to blog. What ever happened to those days? I will tell you what happened. I got one job, then a second job, and then a third job! Just this week I was finally able to cut back to two jobs, but both of them are busy.

Employment Services Cambodia has been an amazing blessing. Neth and I begin every workday together with fellowship, worship, and prayer. We usually do this in my studio apartment and we always sing worship songs together. (Today I taught him two old hymns and we sang them a cappella.) He has a professional voice (he has been recorded on 5 CD's) and I still sing sounding like Kermit the Frog with a sore throat. So, it is quite interesting. The other day I heard a neighbor talking about me to someone else at the gym. The neighbor was telling the other person that I was a really good guitar player and singer. I just about choked on my own laughter, but of course I did not intervene to set the record straight. I am just glad that the voice that carries through the walls is Neth's and not mine.

There has been a real shift in the work of ESC. When we first opened 4 1/2 months ago we were pounding the pavement to meet people and talk about our business. We really had to work hard to get any clients. Lately, we have been approached by new clients (both on the employee and business sides) who we have never spoken with. Also, now we are getting new clients and new work before we even get fully through our "pitch". People seem eager to want to work with us. God has opened doors for us that we never even saw and we humbly and gratefully walk through them; and each and every time we discover that God has planned a grand adventure for us. We are meeting so many wonderfully interesting people. We are recruiting for positions ranging from tuk tuk driver and cleaner to university professor and director. We are working with people from Spain, America, France, New Zealand, Australia, the UK, Canada, Vietnam, China, the Philippines, Thailand, Japan, and, of course, from all across Cambodia. It is absolutely wonderful work.

It has been awhile since I last posted a coffee picture and so to conclude today's blog I would like to post a picture of my white chocolate mocha at Brown. Some people see Jesus in the bark of trees. I see a bear in the foam of my coffee.

The Hightowers are in the House

It is hard for me to believe that it has taken me over a week to blog about my first official visitors to Cambodia: Malcolm and Andrea Hightower. (I am calling them my first official visitors even though my aunt and cousin came to Phnom Penh in September of last year; because they were here on a pre-planned cruise that was only briefly in PP.)

I think that the reason it has taken this long to blog about the Hightowers is that I literally have had zero free time since they arrived. We have had so much fun going to Vietnam, Sihanoukville, and eating out every single meal for the past week and 1/2 (while I have still tried to do a reasonable job in the 2 jobs that I have here). We have laughed, we have prayed, we have played, we have swam in the ocean, and we have experienced a lifetime's worth of bus rides. For the first time in 6 months the majority of my daily conversation is easily understood and Malcolm even laughs at my jokes (he and Madge may be the only two people left on this earth who do). Every day I have been reminded about why Malcolm is one of the best friends I have ever had in my life and how blessed I am to have him as a friend.

Seeing Malcolm and Andrea together I am encouraged and reminded about the blessings of marriage.

Malcolm and Andrea on a moto with my friend and ESC co-founder, Neth

Malcolm asking my friend, Minh, if she can give him "this haircut"

Minh gave Andrea the haircut that Malcolm wanted

Enjoying ice cream at the Blue Pumpkin

On the rooftop of the Duc Vuong Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Traffic in the very crowded HCMC

Scary wiring in HCMC (what you don't see
are the wires that are laying on the ground
and people walking all around them)

The Principle of the Matter: 37 cents

This afternoon I stopped by a petro station to fill-up my moto. The Cambodian currency is called Riel, but the US Dollar is still preferred. So, when you go to the petro station (where attendants always pump the petro - no self service pumps here) the attendants prefer that you tell them how much you want in USD. But today, I asked for 10,000 Riel (Dop Palm) - the equivalent of $2.50 USD. The attendant looked confused and although he took the Riel he only set the pump for $2.13. After he finished pumping I said I wanted $2.50 and that began about 60 seconds of a very unusual conversation where we both agreed that 4,000 Riel was $1 USD, but he seemed clueless as to why I should get more petro and then when I pointed to the pump showing $2.13 he pressed a button that erased the entry. I continued to stand there and then he entered in .37 cents onto the pump and asked if that was what I wanted. (He obviously was much better at math than he was letting on.) As I left I thought that it would have been much easier to have just left and not draw attention to what we both knew was an intentional action on his part. But then I thought that this is the kind of thing that cannot be tolerated whether it is 37 cents or thousands of dollars. Corruption is corruption whether it is a pump attendant for 37 cents, a factory owner not paying workers their due overtime, or a government skimming money from businesses.

And yes, $2.50 really does fill up a moto tank.

The Power of Words

Cambodian National Rescue Party President, Sam Rainsy, recently submitted an editorial to The Cambodia Daily newspaper. It was a very thought-provoking article. Rainsy recounted the mob violence that followed a traffic accident in Phnom Penh on February 17 and which resulted in the death by beating of a Yuon man (Vietnamese man) who was involved in the accident. (The victim was a 28 year old Vietnamese National who rear-ended a car. The car driver continued driving and the victim lay injured in the road. The mob gathered as commuters became angry that the road was being blocked by the victim lying in the street and someone yelled, “Yuon fight with Khmer!” and then the beating ensued.) Mr. Rainsy wrote that perhaps there can be “killing words” and in this case the word that seems to have been inflammatory is the word “yuon”, which refers to a person of Vietnamese descent; and may also apply to things originating from Vietnam. Certainly there are some deeply acrimonious chapters in the history between Cambodia and Vietnam. But the term “Yuon”, as Mr. Rainsy points out, was never considered to be an inflammatory or derogatory term in the Khmer lexicon. Mr. Rainsy argues that if this word is now it is considered to be inflammatory or derogatory it is not because of Khmer culture and use, but rather because of misinterpretation and misuse by foreigners who proclaim to be experts on Cambodia. Some of these “experts” have criticized the use of this term as being contemptible, derogatory and of savage connotation. But the Khmer have been using this term in a non-derogatory way for thousands of years, stated Mr. Rainsy, and the term “Vietnamese” was only introduced 50 years ago.

I didn’t know that this was such a controversial term, but in doing just a small amount of research have found a surprisingly high level of varied opinions about the use of this word. The word can be found in the recorded history of Kampuchea at least back to the early 1600’s. The Khmer Rouge referred to Vietnamese people as Yuon, but they meant it in a derogatory way – to mean barbarian. Many Khmer do not want to use the term Vietnamese because “viet” sounds very close to the word describing a legendary giant cannibal who destroyed Cambodian lands eating human flesh and animals.  

Words are really powerless without meaning and the meaning of a word can be derived through misunderstanding, cultural influences, historical influences, and be significantly influenced in interpretation by the relationship that exists between the communicants. In Cambodia it is very common that people will ask how old you are, if you are married, how much did you pay for that, how much money do you make, and if you have eaten yet. They will tell someone that they are fat. (These conversations commonly take place between people who may even have just met for the first time.) I believe that in almost every instance these statements or inquiries are not intended with any malice and there is no offense taken at being asked these questions or at being told that you are fat, but that is in this culture. Coming from American culture some of these questions may seem too personal and it would likely be offensive to be called fat. Whereas, here in Cambodia one of my Khmer language instructors asked me to call him by the name “Amup” (meaning fat boy). I told him I was hesitant to do so as I didn’t want to insult him and he said that he didn’t mind; that he liked it. So, where does the power of words come from? I think that the most important factor to the power and meaning of words comes from relationship.   

Kampot and Kep, Cambodia

Early on Friday morning I boarded one of the three buses chartered for 150 colleagues from the CIA FIRST school where I work part-time as a Communications Specialist. We headed to Kampot, Cambodia. I wish that I could tell you about the sights along the roads from Phnom Penh to Kampot, but I cannot because I slept nearly the entire way. I can tell you that I sat next to an amazing man named David Huang who is Chinese, but he has also lived in America, New Zealand, and Australia. He is an art teacher at CIA FIRST, but he is also a highly accomplished artist who has his works displayed all over the world. He is also an accomplished musician and avid gardener.

Once we arrived in Kampot we had 20 minutes to check into our hotel (most staff) or guest house (some staff, including myself) and get back to the buses to go to Kep. I was awake for this part of the bus ride and it was lovely. The lush, green mountains on one side and ocean on the other side made for incredible sights unlike any in Phnom Penh. When we shut down the buses in Kep we sat in a market like area on straw mats surrounded by hammocks. After lunch we walked across the street to the beach. I had been told that there was no real beach in Kep - only rocky areas leading down to the ocean, but when we walked across the street there was wonderful white sand from the street all the way down to the water's edge. Kep actually imported this sand! You could see a bulldozer on the beach spreading the sand to even it out. I dove in and had a fun swim and then got onto a large canoe-like boat and headed over to Rabbit Island.

Rabbit Island (Koh Tonsay) has a beautiful beach and grass huts right where the boats land. Directly behind them there are thick trees - making for a very tropical appearance. The group of about 40 of us who went to Rabbit Island enjoyed a couple of hours of swimming before we headed back to Kep. Unlike the chilly waters of the Pacific where I grew up, the waters here were so warm that I could spend literally hours in the water without having to get out. Once back in Kep we headed to a very special dinner on the beach front, with a pool behind us, and beautifully adorned chairs and tables. We had a wonderful dinner and then there was Karaoke and dancing.

On Saturday morning we got up early to board the buses for Bokor Mountain. It was a very windy trip up to the top of the mountain and once we arrived it was remarkable to see an old abandoned casino and church; remnants of pre-Khmer Rouge planning and prosperity, that now is being revitalized. There were thick wisps of fog running up along the side and over the top of the mountain; creating a stunning visual as well as a cooling experience on this hot day.

Go Seahawks!

As I watched the Seahawks game at a sports bar in Phnom Penh I felt as though I could have been any city in the United States other than those in Washington or Colorado. There were the bar stools, plastic covered couches, big screen TV's with sports (only Super Bowl today), pool tables, and bar food. There were, however, many oddities to being in this bar: it was 6:00 in the morning when I arrived and it was already packed, there was barely a brown face to be seen in the crowd (I have never been around so many expats in Phnom Penh), and all of the highly anticipated Super Bowl commercials were replaced by one commercial for an NGO that kept playing over and over again at every break. There was a balance of Seahawks and Broncos fans present, but half the crowd was silent or groaning for most of the game (easy to guess which half of the crowd that was).

It was without question a great feeling to see the Seahawks finally win the championship. I have been a Seahawks fan as far back as the Jim Zorn days. But for me there was a surprise blessing to this win; something that I didn’t anticipate would happen when I arrived for the game broadcast.

For many years, I would spend every Sunday with my mother. During football season it was a routine for us to watch the Seahawks games on television and I wished so badly that I could have watched the Seahawks win a championship with my mother. I know that she would have loved that and that her main reason for loving it would not be because the Seahawks held a championship, but because she got to witness it with her boys. Sadly, that event would never happen for her; she passed away in 1993. But today, I received a gift from this win that was both unexpected and great. Today I felt a renewed closeness to my mother that I have not felt in several years. In a bar full of mostly strangers , in a time zone 14 hours ahead of Seattle, in a country where few people even know what a football looks like I literally felt as though I was sitting with my mother back in her home in Bellevue, Washington watching the game and cheering the Seahawks to the championship that we have waited nearly four decades for.

Last Day in Australia

Molly and I were commenting on how much we did during our days here in Melbourne and how there was still so much time left for us here, but now, as I write this entry, it is the evening of my last night in Melbourne on this trip. I have really fallen in love with this city and hope to come back – maybe for another visit to the Australian Open Tennis Tournament. Tonight Molly and I went to the outdoor oval at Melbourne Park and we watched Li Na claim her first Australian Open title, besting Dominika Cibulkova in straight sets. Before that Molly and I went to see the Men’s Wheelchair final and witnessed Kunieda from Japan claim his seventh Australian Open title beating Fernandez from Argentina 6-0, 6-1. It was an amazing match to watch as these men moved with great quickness, strength, and agility. They hit terrific shots – hard, deep, and with great width. It was really moving to see how the ball boys worked this game. They were an impressive crew in every match we saw, but in these matches it was much harder for them because of the different movements of the players and limited space. But they did their service with such professionalism and great skill. After this match, when we were waiting for the women’s final to begin, I walked over to one of the side courts and was able to actually step onto the court and play for about ½ hour. I played a 14 year old from New Zealand and a woman from the Australian Tennis Association.

Melbourne is a great tennis venue and the tournament is a really fun one to attend. It has been a great week with Molly and I feel so blessed to have been here with her to help her get established for her semester of study abroad. 

As I await my flight from Sydney to Malaysia I see fireworks on the horizon - I assume for Australia Day.


Molly - in one of the lounge chairs in "the oval

Kunieda



Congratulations to the 2 finalists


 

Federer v Murray

Molly and I had passes to Rod Laver Arena to watch an amazing quarter-final match between Molly's favorite player, Roger Federer, and his tough opponent, the reigning Wimbledon champion, Andy Murray. It was an incredible match and Fed came out victorious in 4 sets. At one point I began cheering for Murray - in part to taunt Molly and in part because earlier we had bet: Molly that Fed would win in straight sets and me that it would take 4 sets for Fed to win. It really looked like Molly would be correct in her wager, but then Murray had a great comeback, fighting off set points and forcing a 3rd set tie-break, which he won. It seemed like the momentum might shift in Murray's favor, but Fed came on strong in the 4th set and now will face the current #1, Rafael Nadal, who has been playing well, but looks like he is in a lot of pain with an injury on his racquet-side hand.

During last night's match Molly and I noticed that on the jumbo screens during the side switches they would always play Rolex ads featuring Roger Federer and we wondered what that must be like for Andy Murray to have to watch those ads. Then we talked about how Federer, being Swiss should probably be sponsored by Swatch instead of Rolex. In Federation Square there is a big picture of Novak Djokovic and his Seiko watch. Rafael Nadal wears a $690,000 Richard Mille watch. Molly and I would be happy to be sponsored by Timex and Casio.

 

 

Rod Laver in Rod Laver Arena

 

 

 

Australia

I have not seen any immediate family members since July – the longest stretch in my life without being with them. That stretch ended on Saturday afternoon when I arrived in Melbourne, Australia to join my niece, Molly, who will be doing a semester of study abroad in Australia. I began non-stop smiling a few days before the trip just thinking about being able to see Molly and we have had a great first two days together. Yesterday after I arrived to the house where we are staying in Caulfield (30 km from downtown Melbourne), we went for a walk to a wonderful park just a few blocks from the house. It was after 6:00 when we left for the park, but there is still sunlight until about 9:00, which is both really welcome and also very confusing as you can forget to eat dinner at a reasonable time and you feel like such a wimp to be tired when the sun is only just beginning to set. Molly and I hit tennis balls against a practice wall and Molly broke the strings on my racquet; she hits the ball so hard. So we took the tram to downtown Melbourne. The tram service in Melbourne is wonderful. We walk one block from the house and it takes us right to downtown Melbourne. Once downtown we got wonderful sushi, chicken skewers, and scallop skewers from a Japanese take out shop across the street from Federation Square. Molly and I were able to get enough for both of us for just a little over $10, which is a fantastic deal considering that everything else in Australia is super expensive: two apples ($3), bottle of coke (which we haven’t purchased) is $3.50, two single scoop ice cream cones ($9), and the cab fares for Molly and I from the airport were $90 and $70 respectively. Federation Square sits just above the river bank and boasts a beautiful courtyard and huge television screen that plays the Australian Open live. Molly and I watched a couple of tennis matches while enjoyed eating our delicious dinner in the courtyard and then walked for at least 4 miles to the famous tennis shop called “Prelli’s”. They string for a lot of the pros at the Australian Open and they also strung for me. We arrived there after 9:00 and as we tiredly pulled up to the shop we both said that we probably should have called first because there would be no way that they would be open this late on a weekend. We were right. They were closed. But as we peered in to the dark shop a man emerged from the car parked outside the shop and asked if he could help us. We said that my racquet had a broken string and we were just hoping to get it restrung before the match that we had the next day at 1:30. It turns out that the man is Mr. Smelrelli, the owner of Prelli’s and he opened up for us and agreed to have the racquet ready the next day. Not only did he do this kindness, but he also offered to give us a ride back downtown.

Today (Sunday) was Molly’s and my first full day together. We had an incredible day. We went downtown to pick up the racquet and then met KK, the brother of a friend of my aunt. He is an avid tennis player who lives in Melbourne. He took us to his tennis club and we played a couple of hours of tennis. Then Molly and I went to St. Kilda and walked along the beach, had a wonderful pizza dinner, strolled past the eclectic mix of shops in St. Kilda and then took the tram back toward Caulfield, stopping at a really fun area along Carlisle Street in the Balaclava neighborhood. This is a super cool area with great shops and restaurants. We stopped for frozen yogurt at “Yo-Chi” and I am sure we will make a point to return to this area several more times this week.  

 

A Full Day of Tennis

Today (Monday) Molly and I boarded the tram a little before 9:00, we went to downtown Melbourne and got a little breakfast, and then we were at the tennis venue before 10:00. We went to Margaret Court Arena where we saw a good women’s doubles match between two Czech women (Sofarova and Hlavackova) and two American women (Keys and Riske); we stayed in Margaret Court Arena for the next match, which we had front row, center court seats for. It was an amazing match between Dimitrov and Agut. Earlier in the tournament Agut beat Del Potro, but Dimitrov proved too much for Agut to handle. He was consistently hitting first serves over 200 KMH and his ground strokes were crisp and well-placed. He also had amazing speed and great gets. Molly and I stayed in those same seats for 5 hours and we baked! We also had internet connection in the arena and so we were following the Seahawks victory in the championship game against the 49ers. We were in sports heaven.

This guy, Dimitrov, is playing great tennis!

12th "man" down-under

Following the Seahawks victory and the two wonderful tennis matches in Margaret Court Arena we went to the Oval Garden for some lunch, where I heard my 20 year old niece say for the first time, “I am going to go get a beer”. I had to smile and tell her, “I never thought I would hear you say those words.” After lunch (beer) we headed to the practice and outer courts where we saw a couple of women athletes in wheelchairs practicing and some of the juniors matches. All of these were also terrific quality tennis. I think that some of the juniors serve close to as hard as the pros. From there we walked over to another stadium and watched a couple of mixed doubles matches. We periodically checked in on the Nadal v Nishikori match and were pleased to see how well Nishikori played and matched up against the world’s #1 player – although losing in straight sets stretching Nadal out to two tie-breakers and a 7-5 set. Once the sun set it really started to get cold and so we headed back to downtown Melbourne and got some dinner – watched the Federer v Tsonga match on the big screen in Federation Square and then walked to get some hot chocolate. 

I am really having fun vacationing with my niece. I am not sure when or how it happened, but it seems to me like overnight she has turned into a young adult. I am not talking about ordering beer, but about her maturity, her poise, and values. She makes her uncle proud. 

More Tennis

After enjoying a delicious waffle breakfast Molly and I returned to the tennis venue for a second full day in a row of great tennis. We began by watching a junior boy's match between the top seed from Germany and an unseeded player from Japan. It was a great match that went to tie-breaks in the first two sets and then ended 8-6 in the third. These are two great young talents. Molly and I went to a tent where the speed of your serve is measured and we discovered that our serves are about as fast the second serves of the pros; thus sealing our decisions not to try to make a career in professional tennis. There were a lot of great doubles matches that we watched, but for me the tennis highlight of the day was watching a Legends doubles match on a show court between Noah/Santoro v Woodbridge/Woodforde. While all of these players are great in their own right, Yannick Noah totally stole the show with his humor and engagement of the crowd - facing the crowd from the service line and hitting the serve backwards over his head, "hitting" volleys with this head and feet, taunting the ball boys and linesmen, hitting shots while laying on the court, and stopping mid-play to talk with people in the stands. He had the packed arena in stitches with laughter non-stop; from toddlers to seniors we were all thoroughly enjoying his antics. What a great ambassador this former #3 in the world player is for having fun in the sport of tennis.  

 

 

 



Oh, waffle shop how I love thee and wish at the same time that you were in Cambodia and am so glad that you are not!

 

 

Noah taunting a ball boy